I've heard where a coyote can smell every individual ingredient in a lure or bait. Is this 100% true? Maybe 50% true? Who or what agency did the testing? Imo I think this may be true to a degree but it's hard to believe they could smell each ingredient in everything they smell. What are your thoughts on this?

I remember Fred Bear telling the story of hunting over a dead horse for brown bear and having a sow with a cub walk in , tear the carcass open and stick her entire head inside. He said the smell of that rotting horse was bad before she tore into it , afterwards it was almost intolerable. Shortly after that she pulled out a bunch of intestines and began to chow down when the wind switched, he claimed that she busted them almost as fast as he noticed the wind had switched.

I know this is not a coyote, but it makes me believe most predators make a living with their noses!

I've spent a fair amount of time wondering how and what a coyote can smell and my conclusion is, me understanding how a coyote smells is like a blind person understanding what a sunset looks like from a description from another person. Coyotes can smell stuff thats been outside in the elements 24 hrs later (or longer) that we cant ever smell to begin with. Coyotes sense of smell compared to ours is like looking at our skin with our own eyes compared to looking at it through a microscope. Doesn't even look like the same thing. Can they smell individual smells? I think it's sure possible.. JMHO

I've often wondered this myself. Now I'm not 100% sold on that they can smell every tiny thing in there, but I'm not 100% sold that they can't either. With some of the baits you use all WE can smell is the meat, but the bait works way better than just meat would, so they can definitely smell things we can't. I think they can definitely smell at least most things in bait

What might be more important is how their brain processes it

From what I understand police dogs smell in layers. For example when we smell a cake, we smell cake. The dog smells flour, sugar, eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, etc. When some goon tries to hide their weed in a can full of coffee grounds, the dog smells the coffee, the cigarette smoke you smoked an hour earlier, the chocolate from the donut you had for breakfast, the plastic on the label, and the weed. That's why you can't hide from the drug dog. Where as our senses get overwhelmed by the most powerful 2 or 3 things, the dog smells each thing individually. I assume coyotes are the same but better.

Yeah, loosegoose, it would be interesting to know how a coyote compares to a police dog.

Interesting point danny. You have some validity to that point I think.

Sometimes I wonder if what a coyote smells and ignores one day might interest it the next night.

From what i've heard there is a ton of training those dogs go through and a lot of dogs don't cut the mustard. That's why they are so good at sniffing out drugs. You can train a good dog to sniff out almost anything with enough training.

As far as a canine knowing a lure has 10 ingredients and being able to differentiate each one is the question I have. Has this ever been scientifically proven or is it a theory that has been repeated enough that it's taken for fact? Anyone know or read where this has been proven and documented?

Most everyone knows the power of canines and other predators noses but just how good are they?

All good replies so far, thanks.

I bet they can you cant smell were you ve been but they can even thru the smell of bait! But like danny in more curious as to how they presive that smell threat or promise

Dogs are trained to sniff out drugs and bombs buy using those things In the training.
I like to dump old lures and fish waste along side my side walk. The dog walkers dogs just go crazy when passing my yard.
The other day I cleaned a bunch of gills and the slime and blood that was In the pail was dumped out along the side walk. After 3 days of rain and after my people had mowed my lawn the dogs were still working that spot. Lots of walkers take to the other side of the street when approaching my block. LOL

Good info, loosegoose!

I had to do a little searching on predator masters forum but heres a link to a article on how a coyotes sniffer takes it all in
Coyote nose

Awesome read! Thank you. You should post that on the strictly trap thread. Everyone that traps coyotes should read that. If coyotes can be call shy without being hunted or shot at kind makes me wonder if some of the more skittish one can become a little trap shy without being trapped.

Yes, great info. Thanks for posting.

Got it posted in trapping only for everyone. Some where in my notes I had about how many scrents they can figure out at one time. I'm thinking theory was about 10 -12 but I could be totally wrong on that
J

If you've ever hunted with a well-bred bird dog, you can't train that. I've read where they can "see" the scent molecules. You can't train a cadaver dog to smell 6 ft under water for a body either. Wild or domestic, these tremendous traits are inherited.

If you've ever hunted with a well-bred bird dog, you can't train that. I've read where they can "see" the scent molecules. You can't train a cadaver dog to smell 6 ft under water for a body either. Wild or domestic, these tremendous traits are inherited.

If you've ever hunted with a well-bred bird dog, you can't train that. I've read where they can "see" the scent molecules. You can't train a cadaver dog to smell 6 ft under water for a body either. Wild or domestic, these tremendous traits are inherited.

In my rodent control training that I took many years ago. I was told that a rat can smell and ID 9 different odors in one compound. I have also been told that a coyote can do the same thing. I also have been told that a coyote can smell where a person has stood for up to 2 weeks, I can not say if this is true but I can tell you that in my Deer scent testing I have seen where deer can smell where I stood for up to 7 days in normal weather conditions. not spooked just curious. I have also tested my dogs (3) smelling ability by taking a bowl 8 inches high and 10 inches wide and filling it with dog food, place it on the floor after they were full and not hungry. They will smell it and walk away. I then take a piece of cooked meat and placing it under 8 inches of dog food put the bowl down, they would walk over and nose down through the dog food and get the meat. Raw meat they did not always dig down but would smell the top? the other morning I was duck hunting and shot a duck. My dog did not see it go down so it was a blind retrieve. The duck dove when My dog was swimming out again did not see it dive. When he got to the spot the duck dove he was circling the spot I could tell he smelled it. Then he started heading for the far bank in a straight line. I was ready to call him back when he hit the bank and went into the brush and down the beaver dam. 5 mins later came back with the duck. The wind was blowing from left to right on his path of travel the duck took underwater not in line with the swimming path. All my duck dogs could smell the duck on the surface. I believe we will never understand totally the ability animals have in the smelling game.

It's cool.