Do you really think there is a difference in meat baits preferred by canines, especially when aged and mixed with a bait solution such as Pauls or Bill Nelsons? I always thought of animals as opportunists, they just ate whatever they came across, am I wrong on this one?

I think mixing them makes the bait almost a lure.
Just using bait and bait alone, is selling the set short in my opinion Just this year, I set out some dirt holes with just horse meat in them, nothing else. The horse meat had not been mized with anything else and had a little taint.

I observed in one day where two coyotes walked by sets without working them, or even breaking stride. Nothing wrong with the set, just not enough reason for them to come over and dig at it. Weather was mild and I presume they just were not that hungry. I have in the past caught them on horse meat. I think the added stuff such as bait mixes appeals to more than just straight up bait does.

I once tried this experiment on 1 farm. I pre-baited with fresh chicken and chicken fat, nothing else. 1st check all gone. 2nd check almost all gone, Same on third and forth checks. So then came time to set the traps. Do you think I used a expensive bait or lure? NNNNNNNoooooooooooo! I used the same thing I'd been using. Caught 4 red foxes and 1 coon first day out of 7 sets.

Yes, my preference is for venison, followed by beaver and bobcat.
There are some "speciality baits" that work very well, but are difficult to maintain a supply of. An example of this would be a PILE of dead chickens, or a dead and rotting rattlesnake... . Horse meat is another ok bait.
Adios,
45/70,

I hear bobcat meat and beaver castor untainted works well on coyote. I want to say beaver meat works well on bobcat. Thats just what some trappers I know very well uses that makes the bait themselves.

I have tainted venison with sodium benzoate added only that catches every passing coon but the k-9's just don't seem to like it. It has aged another year and it smells a little different to me now so maybe I will give it another try this year or mix it with something to give it a different smell. I honestly think that meat is meat. There might be a slight difference in smell from animal to animal but I don't think it matters to an animal that is hungry especially if other scents are added to it that overpower the smell of the rotting meat. ~Dan~

Meat is not meat to coyotes or fox. I kept wild trapped canines in pens for urine collection for years and they would literally starve to death if they didn't like the meat species that was offered them. It would rot on the floor and have to be scraped out. Some meats were just so so, they would nibble away at them when they had nothing else but preferred meats would be devoured from mid air when thrown into the pen, they could smell it coming through the air. For example, one well known lure maker once wrote in his catalog that a "fish is a fish is a fish". Not true, even though they might smell the same to us humans, some fish were devoured from mid air while other would never be touched. The above lure maker's statement taught me why some makers lures are excellent producers one year while being failures in another year. They were alternating fish species or meats in the lure base depending upon what they had available, believeing all meats are created equal. I have experimented with fish that that the family dog, cat and ducks would gather around to gourge themselves on while they would actually with one smell run away from other species fish. Another example was liver, it all looks and smells pretty much the same to us but the wild canines would not touch certain species while another species was amoung their favored treats. Ace

I belive bobcat meat is the best base for bait as I had 126 coyotes and 52 cats this year that thought so.

Bobcat meat would be hard to beat along with mutton a close second. I've heard horse meat is good too but it didn't prove out in my testing. Perhaps dead horses are a natural regional thing, no horses to speak of in my wilderness setting. Ace

Anyone remember 10 dead horses? (bait)

Bobcat, beaver run a close race then venison. But I have caught canines and cats on rabbit,chicken, squirrel and packrat meat.Alot has to do with the age and prepared solution as much as the type of meat.

Here's what I like in order.... Woodchuck, bobcat, beaver, muskrat, antelope and venison.

However, I have heard from a number of people who buy ground beef from their local market and mix with my bait solution after it sours a bit and have had great success with it.

I've never had access to horse, so I don't know how it compares. Like Asa said, it may be a regional thing.

Just for the record, in Michigan using any part of a game animal to bait another is illegal. Maybe venison is a good bait but there has been a lot of tickets issued by DNR officers to trappers in Michigan for using it as bait. I suspect that may also be a law in many other states. Ace

Actually it is technically illegal in many states to use wild game parts for commercial use also. So in reality most lure makers and trappers using recognized game animals as lure and bait are doing so unlawfully.

Its also illegal to use "exposed" baits in some states, so make sure you cover them if your state has such a law.

As is the case with most advice given on here, make sure you know the laws of your state and abide by them.

Great post, covers alot of info here. I was hoping someone (Paul) would say woodchuck. I know many that have good luck using that meat. Myself I have never had much luck using baits, 90% of my catches are on lures that have a strong smell in colder weather.

I'm thinking about making some bait this summer using Paul's solution. I've got some questions before I get to involved.

Do I still add sodium ben. to the meat to stop the taint?
At what point do I add the bait solution?
After adding the solution do I continue to taint or do I store it from there?
Is it worth it? Or is buying premade baits the most economical way to go?

Do I still add sodium ben. to the meat to stop the taint? Yes...it's included.

At what point do I add the bait solution? Once it reaches the desired taint.

After adding the solution do I continue to taint or do I store it from there? Store it with the cap loose so the gases will escape. Takes 2 or 3 weeks.

Is it worth it? Or is buying premade baits the most economical way to go? If you buy it, it was probally made by a professional or one with alot of expierence. If you want to try and play with it yourself, it's fun.