Hello everyone, I kinda new here , posted a few pictures and got lots of criticism. So I mainly just lurk now. I know that TDHP has posted several pictures of the effects on his lures and baits.
My question is can you expand on that a little bit? Do you just make mock sets? How close to each othe? What time of year ? Specifically do you test in the summer months? How often do you “ check” them?
If this is info you don’t want to share , I completely understand.

I am just getting started in lure making and need all the help anyone is willing to give. Thanks

By trial and Error

Give a sample of the lure to friends to test.

I test all summer in areas I dont intend to trap. Make a set minus the trap but sift a big area around your test site for track verification. Trail cams shine in this situation

JMO, trial and error, test samples mock sets, punching holes etc all good stuff, actually great stuff, but at the end of the day you need to be able to ask yourself why you're adding X ingredients and be able to answer it. Not because jody the internet expert says you need to bury it for 3 years and add this that and the next. Especially if you're planning on making bait and lure and doing damage on the animals you're after. The magic dust just doesn't exist. I strongly believe that if you can learn the behavior, habits, diets, what drives and keeps the animals you're after ticking. You will find that coming up with a formula will simplify itself and become easier to understand and all the magic verbal judo crap is just that...crap. When it comes to testing I wouldn't test just in one particular season or area either or a couple of months here and there, I trap year round doing adc so I test year round and often. During my travels I'll stop on public land and punch holes and in certain areas drop a cam or two. I check them periodically and I'll leave a cam out for weeks at a time.

I test one ingredient at a time, it's time consuming but effective, variety in a bait is key for me and I don't build bait and lure to my nose. The animals build it by their response. The bait and lure should appeal to the animal throughout the year not just a few months here and there. The objective is to call an animal in and then manipulate it into demonstrating a variety of responses which would in theory afford the trapper an edge in a successful catch. Trial and error is ideal, but you need to have an understanding between the ingredient and the interest. Some people just need an animal to walk up or by and can successfully trap their critters, others need them extra responses and movement at the set. I don't test side by side in the beginning stages because it would be virtually impossible to determine which hole got the animals attention. Final product different story, I'll test side by side or a few feet apart like in this picture. I wouldn't waste your time trying to copy a formula either jmo, it's a complete waste of time if you are trying to mimic one. Study the animals you are after and you won't need to to do all the magic dances and dig up grave secrets to attract animals.

Cams are a gem and come in handy, bait and lure are the easiest things to put together, but location and population is going to determine the outcome. I would keep it simple and straight forward while placing more emphasis on ones trapping ability along with locating the animals you are looking to trap. I spend lots of time in the woods picking up new things everyday. Books, videos, forum archives etc are great, but you should want to know why you are doing something and not just doing it going through the motions. This is all just JMO and a little bit on how I like to do things. Don't let people dictate your moves, “Welcome the haters and learn to use the criticism as fuel and you will never run out of energy.”

Thanks for the info

russ carmen wrote you need to get good at trapping before you try to make your own bait and lure. I think he is right

Danny I agree to that to some extent but what exactly is the definition of good self confidence that you can consistently catch your target spieces? Or is it someone else opinion of your abilitys. I have to face the bitter truth every year my state isn't a high number state. But I feel I do better then average. Other then last season! I truely enjoy making my own stuff. I'll never sell commercially I feel it would take away all the enjoyment. Carmans books are the bomb. I learned a lot from Charles book on evaluating lures and baits as well.

A good trapper can make some of the most basic and simple items look good and very productive. That I have found at my age and experience level to be a true statement.

Having good basic skills and enough field experience to understand what you are doing and how to interpret things are a big part of progressing as a lure bait maker. You have to start some place to get the spark and have the interest, desire and means to finance your endeavor. The rewards help to fuel your progress.

As to what degree of success and how fast you learn and consume the data to prepare you for another step is up to your aptitude level. Being reasonably well read is a big help in this process.

Understanding or coming across an ingredient that does better than another and learning the interest between the two isn't rocket science, nor should one think that. ^^^^^^ is easy to do. Never seen so many people jump through hoops to do something so basic. Bait is the easiest part of the process, getting the animal to commit is a lot harder in some cases if you have a lot going on at a set.

Why care what others think? You filling your traps year after year? You happy with the results of what you're doing?

The right location and a good trapper can make an OK bait /lure look great. A bad location and bad trapper can make a great lure or bait look bad. Same with testing

Care to elaborate? In theory due to the high quality of "great authentic ingredients" used in "expert" formulas that claim to call animals in from miles, I'm purdy sure location and numbers shouldn't even be a factor based off of the claims from a lot of products out there. If these formulas are so "great" why are so many changing them up?

What's the difference between a great trapper that has better success using an OK bait or lure... and that is all opinion..than a product that is supposed to be a "great" bait and lure but doesn't have the notoriety as the "great" product but also doesn't have the success rate in catches using the "great" product? Also what is a great bait and lure? The bait and lure I use makes me money on every job I do and helps to put fur in the traps that are put out during the trapping season with the kids. That's like a ford and chevy argument. Bait and lure are preference, verbal judo works good on some folks who believe it.

I thought it was will catch every animal that walks by,lol.

All kidding aside, you're better off putting traps out there and testing your product. Test test test, and when you think you're done testing, test some more. Them animals will let you now what they like.


I'm not a fan of dry baits. Moisture retaining bait has a few more benefits to it. I'm not an expert nor do I believe in experts when it comes to bait and lure, but I trap the heck out of raccoons with this bait year round. IMO, that's what a good, great or whatever else you want to call it bait should do. It should appeal to the animal throughout the year.

That's catchy!

Makes sense.

It does? It looks good on a thread until you have to explain it, which is why I'm looking for someone with the "expertise" to explain it. Care to take a stab at it due to it making sense to you? Example...I don't know what you target for animals but lets say you are a "great" trapper and I believe you probably are. You purchase "great" bait that everyone is raving about, but you are having little to no success with it. How "great" is that bait to you? On the other hand you are very successful with OK bait....what's the determining factor between a good bait and an OK bait?

It's been stated on this forum and many alike that some of the "greats" didn't do well at all using "great" bait that many talk about. We know animals are unpredictable and not all animals will take to particular odors, that's an easy out. Can you elaborate on the difference?

Theres the magic in a bottle right there! Why build a mall were no one goes?I wasn't trying to rile anyone up I just think a lot of guys sell themselves and there skill short ! I do what I do and it works for me and the few others I help .Learned along time ago there is no one thing that works 100 % 100% of the time.

2X to Tony