How long is a bottle of lure or a jar of bait good for? Found time away from work after 6 years to get back to trapping I have 100s of dollars of lure and bait sitting in my root cellar on a canning rack and I’m
Hoping I can pick up where I left off and use the stuff some have been opened some have never been opened. They haven’t seen daylight in 6 years and it’s rather cool all year long down there the lids are a little rusty as well. Think all is good still? Effectiveness and range still ok?

If it was made and preserved properly, it should be good to go.

Just go to looking some of this stuff is from 2009 even. Jars upon jars and bottles of stuff it would be a shame if it wasn’t any good. Glad to hear atleast one person has some faith in it still being good. Anyone else want to chime in go ahead. Thanks

Some may be better than it was. I would use it and log results. Only way to know for sure.

The lures or baits that have skunk in them will probably be less effective then when new and not opened. If the bottles weren't opened or leaking then the skunk should still be good in them. The other scents should be good and like already said some will even be better with age. That has been my experience anyway.

I spoke to a lure and bait maker at our state convention this last summer. He said he thinks the more volatile stuff “leaves” the bottle within 9-months to a year. Certainly skunk looses its potency fairly fast. But not everything is as volatile.

I used some Hardcore that was 7-8 years old the other day and it pulled some nice coon so it obviously still had appeal. Maybe Paul Dobbins, Ron Jones or Asa can weigh in on this.

I think some stuff gets better with age, but I haven't been doing it long enough to say for sure. As long as they're preserved correctly, I'd think the smells would meld together more. Only way to know is to use it and see. Two people using the same lure don't get the same response. So always gonna have an opposing view. Results say it all though.

If they were commercially made, my money says they are good to go. If you are worried about the rusty lids, transfer them to some new containers. Then go trappin'.

Went through them all tonight and gave the ole smell test to them all.. weird how all the memories come back with each sniff of different bottles and jars. To my memory some have lost their potency atleast to my nose bottles of Gusto, circle maker magnum, canine call and Lennon’s super range all call didn’t seem to be up to snuff like they used to be. I definetly agree the skunky call lures did calm down to my nose anyway. Last question on this topic is I’m primarily cold weather winter conditions trapping should I spend the coin and get some new call lures or just throw this stuff down the hole and hope it gives me enough range in freezing temps? Thanks again to everyone who replies I appreciate the advice and info.

If people can use lures in Alaska where its below zero with no skunk, I think you'll be fine unless you just want to play with some new lures.

Well formulated lures will last many years if the lid and container remain in reasonable sealed conditions. Skunk will always bleed out over time. That is just a fact due to the volatility of skunk essence. Keeping a bottle of pure quill handy will allow you to spike some products slightly as desired.

Don't over due this part as it may affect the product by making it far too strong. Get a small stick and dip it into the skunk quill about a 1/2 inch then stir what is picked up on the stick into the lure and that should give the product a nice push to it. Snap the small stick off into the lure and leave it in the bottle to continue allowing the essence to bleed into the lure.

Some baits unfortunately are made by some in being a seasonal use product by some lure makers I have found. Meaning that some aren't built as well with any long term storage in mind. So the preservatives, mold retardant and other such ingredients may not be used adequately enough to hold the bait for several years or some may have no such ingredients at all.

In such cases the product will continue to break down by souring, spoiling and turning into a liquid state. The mass of the product will decrease with age and temperature influences where the product is being stored in these cases.

Other well built baits will last many years when care is taken to prep them as you would in formulating good lures of all types. Environmental storage conditions can greatly influence the life of a product significantly. Since many don't have ideal conditions for seasonal storage many items will be stored in out buildings which are subject to external sustained higher temperatures thru the summer months.

Heat and UV can affect some materials adversely when exposed for a period of months and more so for lures and baits that may not have been well built. Just some food for thought. Moderate temperature storage is most desirable for extended active life of most products.

Alrighty in the hole it goes.. thanks everyone for the replies I appreciate it. Bob Jameson fox cream is among one of those lures I have and was my go to here in south central PA. The smile on my face when I got to it in the crate was priceless.