I made some bait last year by grinding beaver fresh, preserving with sodium benzoate, adding some castor and glycerin as an antifreeze. I had great success with this but the consistency was almost dry and clumpy. What could I do to make it more pasty without adding additional odors? Thanks

rain water

Jmo, the base absorbed all the "juices" and the preservative didn't do you any favors once it started to work on the bait. There are moisture retaining ingredients/preservatives that can thin or thicken your bait by limiting or maximizing absorption and still produce a paste bait and "promote" what your trying to achieve. Or if it's just for your own use to simplify everything, before adding any other ingredients play with the antifreeze / base ratio.

Test it let it sit out on a spoon, stick or w/e you desire and let mother nature go to work on it and work out the bugs from there. This hould be done after you add any ingredients that you know could have an altering effect or not sure of. JMO, should always have a wet look to it through out the year even during the winter months. Those juices absorb into the ground and get many revisits. But only you know what your bait has in it so everything you do will have to go off of your ratios. Again JMO.

This isn't beaver and it wouldn't matter due to the fact all you're trying to do is keep the bait from drying out.

Thanks a lot guys. Tdhp I believe you are correct about the base absorbing all the liquid. It was almost rubbery after a couple days. Tony I’m gonna try rain water and see how it does. Might have to add a little more antifreeze though.

Going to wait until it rains? How's the forecast looking? Jmo..You don't need Rainwater to make a paste bait. What happens if it doesn't rain for a while and you don't have rain barrels on tap?

I used my well water, it has no chlorine or anything else added. I would assume distilled water would also work.

Like everything else in trapping everything is preference lots of things will work but water will only hurt you in the colder Temps, along with diluting the bait in general. The bait will still dry out.