It seems like quite a number of places buy castor, but most of those don't seem to be buying sac oil. Is that a true statement? Still thoug, I'm thinking I should start saving the oil sacs. Are they very marketable, or mainly just for formulating lure in the fur shed?

absolutely, I often trade for them and/or sell them to bigger lure/baitmakers.

Just like glands, do the research, and ask potential buyers how they want them...like Mr Jameson advised in your gland thread,

Some good advice from you, Tony, & Bob. Thanks

I have a gallon and a half of drained oil sacs in ziplocs in my freezer, and about 24 oz of oil from them. I use the oil, and I'll find a use for the spent sac.

So do you drain them right away once skinned? Then freeze the oil too?

How do you use the oil sac .

Most lure makers buy or trade for all types of animal by products. I would think if you would make some inquiries you will find someone interested. We get regular contacts every year with glands, oil and oil sacs that folks are trying to make a trade or to sell.

Don't discard your glands. They are too precious to pitch and a very vital part of our industry. It all gets used to some degree or another. Keep them clean and handle them as best you can. It all adds up at the end of the season.

yep, but don't freeze the oil.

I use the sac oil in my super secret beaver lure recipe .

What else do you use in it? Lol

Secret Northern Exposure ingrediant

Predator lures

the sac only?....some folks dry and grind em, and add to lure or bait

I am not sure just how I'll use the drained sac. I have an idea to grind them when they are half froze, and let the stuff taint to a certain degree and stop it. But not sure yet. Even fresh, or slightly tainted empty sac has appeal on it's own to carnivores.

Ok I understand better now I have taint some after I drain the oil .I just wanted to know what others done , I have more in the freezer that need to be drain and grind up too.

i wish I had ten gallons of oil sacs to play with I've been saving for awhile! I keep finding uses for them so my stash keeps dwindling

Do you get much oil out of 1 beaver?

depends on the beaver and time of year you catch them. A large amount would be 3/4 of a oz with the average being a healthy tsp full.

This sums it up for how much there is in the oil sacs .Tony I got my liver done up and now let it age like you let me know about

Strip the oil and do what ever you want with It. It makes a great beaver lure all on It's own. When a beaver gets out of the water to preen and oil It's fur they will leave some oil behind you just need to do the same thing. While castor Is an aggressive type lure just plain sac oil Is a non aggressive type scent. Great for that change up on the beaver line.

As to mixing sac oil with castor I was told by an old beaver trapper It's a mistake to do so. He said It's not a natural occurrence having the 2 mixed together. That was good enough for me so I just use them separately. The other thing Is the oil will taint while castor won't so I figured why mix the two.

But the empty sacs shine when using them In just about any type set. All critters are attracted to these empty sacs. Some sacs stuffed In a DP will take coon.
I like to strip most of the oil and then let the sacs lay around for a day or so they get a slight taint. Don't over do this just a bit Is good. Then you can freeze them, I like to freeze them individually that way once they are frozen you can just dump them all together and you won't end up with a big mess. Just go to the freezer and pick out what you need for the day. I do the same with all my prepared chunk bait. Just place the prepared chunks on a cookie sheet and freeze them then consolidate them In some type of container.

Sac is used by the beaver to waterproof their fur. So it's the body smell of the beaver and it also makes a great addition to lure and bait for predators for the same reasons.. Most lure makers will buy or trade , but it doesn't have the value of castor. I make my own castor lure with oil and without. Both work very well, in fact the oil mix works a few percentage points better.. Your welcome.

Happy birthday Beav.

I was taught by an old timer, to cut up dried castor real fine, and reconstitute it in sac oil, soaking it up until the castor swells back to wet castor volume. This can take a year, so make it in advance and add oil as needed.

I have caught a few thousand beaver doing this.

I cant compare the catch results of using anything else in competition with my own lure because I never have done it. I cant hardly keep up skinning the way it is.

I knew an old beaver trapper named Jim White that lived in WY. Had been a tail gunner on bombers in WWII and survived. Told me he caught three thousand dollars worth of beaver after he got home his first season after the war. Lot of money in those days. Took his money and went to a brothel in Laramie. Got to playing poker there. Was broke in 3 days. Told me he thought they had cheated. I really liked that old man. Last few years of his life he only had a few sets out but he always had some. Sewed his plews up on the steel rims of old wagon wheels to stretch them. Clean skinned them rather than fleshing on a beam. Set for a front foot with longsprings and used oil at every set.

[quote=trapper les]I was taught by an old timer, to cut up dried castor real fine, and reconstitute it in sac oil, soaking it up until the castor swells back to wet castor volume. This can take a year, so make it in advance and add oil as needed.

I have caught a few thousand beaver doing this.

I cant compare the catch results of using anything else in competition with my own lure because I never have done it. I cant hardly keep up skinning the way it is.[/quote INERESTING LES a few oldtimers told me the smell of castor and sac oil was unnatural! Apparently that's another one of those myths the oldtimers threw out to get younger trappers off course. Kind of like scent control, or foxs fleeing the county upon smelling yote pee

A lot of advice is just theories never really put to the test. The animals wont lie so always check it with them. After you really start testing stuff you start seeing who really knows there stuff. Muskrat and mink glands are unnatural in a dirt hole in the Flinthills of Kansas but they will catch a yote or two.

I guess I could never get my head wrapped around drying castor and then gridding It. Seems like a lot of extra work when you can just scrape out the green contents and add glycerin to make a lure. Castor straight from the sac Is as natural as It gets.

Glycerine is what's not natural. Both the sac oil and the castor are. I believe my lure composition with the sac oil reconstituting the dried castor , is stronger and more potent overall than green castor with it's percentage of moisture plus the glycerin.

You only live once Beav. You don't want to complete your entire life without trying the most popular old time lure, and also probably the best kept secret on the planet. I didn't come up with this, it's older than at least 2 of you and me put together. That recipe is older than dirt.

x2

There are lots of lure ingredients that aren't NATURAL when mixed and they seem to work just fine.
I'll stand by my beaver lure It seems to do the job just fine.

Me too Beav, but, I've tried a little of everything.

I've been after those flat tails for about 60years and I have tried a lot of things, home made concoctions and over the counter concoctions and all of them worked to a point. But I settled on what I have used with great success.
Probably the best beaver lure Is to milk that fresh caught beaver right at the set.

Cant say that if you haven't tried everything Beav and by your own admission you haven't tried sac oil and castor together. Lol. Just messing with you some Beav. A little disclaimer here, I've never caught a beaver in my life.

Beav, I know you are going to go right to the end and not give castor and sac oil together a chance, lol.

Notice the reverse psychology there.

I was adding sac oil to castor before you were out of huggies. lol But after trying It I decided It wasn't making my lure any more effective.. Also sac oil has a tendency to spoil If not kept frozen.

I see there are several lure gurus that add Glycerin to their lures and urine. So I can't see where It' s going to spoil the pot.

I don't think sac oil spoils or taints. I believe it keeps near indefinitely , in my experience. I've had jars of it for years, and you'll get some clear oil on top after a while .

Well I can guarantee you that if you leave a oil sac laying around It will taint. One of the best coyote attractors going.

Yes the sac will taint. The oil, if removed from the sac, and is not contaminated with blood, will not taint.

So true because that is how my sac oil is for all that I save. I have more now that I need to drain. then grind up the sacs them. I just grind up today my coyote anal glands and will do the beaver oil sacs tomorrow .

so coydog2 please explain how you can possibly dry down an oily old oil sac so It's dry enough to GRIND.