I have an old coyote bait recipe written down by my grandad dated from 1936. I found all the ingredients on it except what is written as XYOL (written in all capitals like that). The closest thing I can find is its a solvent something like xylene, the paint thinner and paint stripper. but why would that be an ingredient in a bait?

Here it is in case anybody wants to try it, I would be curious to see how it works for other trappers out there:
1 pint coyote urine
1 ounce civet musk
1 ounce beaver castor
1/8 ounce asafoetida
1/8 ounce XYOL
1/8 ounce zinc of valerate
20 drops oil of Rhodium
20 drops oil of cummin
10 drops oil of anise
10 drops oil of lovage

did he have in there anything about the order in which to add the ingrediants, and howl long to wait in-between?

drops have to be the biggest wonderment in the trapping industry, how many drops in a one ounce bottle? how much is a drop? is a drop a medecine dropper drop or a drop from a tilted one ounce bottle? is a drop from a wide neck the same as a drop from a narrow necked bottle? is a drip a drop? how many drops in a pour?? or almost as good the directions on lure bottles, use a gob the size of a lima bean, but the lure in the bottle is runny liguid, or use a capful at a set but the lure will only come out by banging the open end on a chunk of wood, or use 4 drops tp a set, amd the lure can only be gotten out bu shovin a sharp stick into it and prying some out, or use a golf ball sized amount of bait but the bait is soupy consistency, go figure.

mtp sells "white musk - also known as xylol"

http://www.minntrapprod.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=207_90&products_id=3549

Now that would be exciting! Catching a critter using your own lure is great but to catch one using a lure your Grandfather formulated 70 years ago would beat all. Give it a try and let us know how ya did.
That's awesome! Good luck!

CharlesKs, Nope. That one is just a list of ingredients with this in the margins "allowed this to stand 4 days, shaking well 2 or 3 times daily", except its not clear if he meant that recipe since there are three different recipes on that page. Some of his recipes have notes like "works well in breeding season" or "best in dry conditions", ect.

Thats pretty cool, Did you try asking Paul OR Asa ? Those 2 may know exactly what your looking for. I'd hang onto those notes as not only memorable but you never know you may have 1 heck of a lure.

Make some up and put it in one ounce bottles. Give out free samples to different trappers in different parts of the country and have them keep records of its preformance. If you get back good feedback you`ll be in the lure making business.

I'm sure they could sell, but I'm more of the mind to just give 'em away. Here is his grasshopper bait. Let me know where you can find a gallon of ground grasshoppers.
1 gallon ground grasshoppers
1 quart beef fat
1 ounce beaver castor
allow to ripen one week then add
1/3 ounce zinc of valerate

Those old timers used Jumbo grasshoppers...

It doesn't take many to make a gallon...

A buddy of mine came down here earlier in the year and took a fishing seine and got many a bucket full.....

I bet that stuff stinks to high heavens...