My dog has caught a half dozen garter snakes this spring and loves rolling in em. She doesn’t do it with any of the animals we hunt. It has me wondering, is this the same concept as commercial rattlesnake baits? If a guy were to try to replicate that snake smell, could I just grind and preserve with sodium Benzoate ?

i know where a small chest freezer half full of frozen western diamondbacks is. Anybody interested in purchase can pm me.

Use to get dead snakes from a Zoo years back. When one of those big snakes died it was a big loss for the zoo but I got the dead ones for a while. Still have some processed bait in my shop some place. Just couldn't get enough for commercial work. Snake meat makes a good lure or bait however you want to call it when it is worked up. Tom Miranda use to get them also as we spoke about that at times.

I know of at least one commercial lure made from rotten rattlesnake that several guys swear by for wolves and coyotes. Don't know if garter snakes would work as well but imagine they would.

Big difference in poisonous and non-poisonous snakes as far as lure is concerned. Most non-venomous snakes secrete an obnoxious odor designed to repel predators. That's why you see your dog go into a sneezing fit and trying to curl his lips or vomit. That's the non-venomous snake's defense mechanism. Venomous snakes, on the other hand, have poison to repel their predators so they don't have the repulsive odor. I would be real careful using non-venomous snakes for bait or lure.

Check your DNR regs on killing snakes as I could see a gopher warden fining you a couple of thousand dollars in Minnesota.

Star Flakes this a public forum, monitored by wildlife law enforcement. I'm not in MN and neither are the rattlers. They were legally killed, on private property, mostly in the yard of a private home, and frozen. There is damage to some. Most are intact other than damage to the head and some are missing the head.

Local trapper Legend from these parts had a well known fox lure. My trapping partner told me that the lure maker - fox trapper bought every snake he could catch from him when he was a kid. It was news to me, being I thought I knew most of the ingredients in the lure. He told my pardner that fox love snakes they grow up eating them. As star flakes stated, it seems that most Wildlife Agencies have become very nurturing and have chosen to mollycoddle snakes.

Every time the wife or I run over a garder snake my little jagd wants to roll too. I can’t help but think if a guy would grind and preserve one after about a three or four day taint it would be great in a deep dirt hole . I’m not sure what industrial strength cleaner it would take to get the stink off my grinder , might take more than a loaf of stale bread , lol .

Lots of things will cause interest to canines and cats. Most animals are curious by nature and opportunists. Because of this trait you have the upper hand in most cases.

Just remember there is no magic single ingredient or meat. Many things will work to attract fox, coyote, cat and coon. Get in front of them and set good sets on location and you will connect.

Just as simple as that. Figuring out good locations for each specie and making good sets will find you making catches.

Spend more time learning your target animals behavior, develop effective anti freeze methods and use some proven attractants . The rest will come.

How much and how hard you work is where the secret lies. Get enough ground to work and plan your line the rest will come with practice.You can only catch what is there to catch.

Populations vary considerably across the region so you have to work with what you have. Make the most of it and you can have a good season year after year.

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good advice. again. thanks Mr Jameson

We have discussed this before and I just not sure I agree with Laz on this one.All snakes have cloacal scent glands.The cloacal scent glands are used to mark territory,attract mates and sometimes used in combination with feces and urates in an attempt to get away from predators.The repellent feature is supposed to be taste.I haven't had the pleasure (yet).

Does anyone think that skunk essence or that of various Mustelids tastes good to canines? Are they repelled by it then?

Some snakes utilize their musk more than others and they are often,smaller,non-venomous snakes but not always.Noted species are garter snakes,milk snakes and water snakes.The chemical components are supposed to be similar but they all smell a little different to me.Black rat snakes,back East,are a large constrictor and to my nose,have a very skunky,musk smell and use it when threatened.Copperheads have their own distinct smell.Some say they smell like cucumbers.Not to me but it is kind of acrid and really hard to describe.I have smelled it many times when I was trying to catch one,long be fore I did.Cottonmouths are in the same family but smell a little different but they too,discharge their musk when scared or agitated.

In another thread on this subject I mentioned experimenting with some pure,timber rattlesnake musk.That lip curling seen in dogs is not repulsion,nor is the rolling.What I saw,looked like a flehmen reaction,lip curling,slobbering,shaking and consequently,much foot shifting.I only had a tiny amount so I just uncapped the small jar and held it at nose height on a dog.I never gave them a chance to roll.The reactions were very dramatic.I missed one gray fox with it on a post set and the tracks in the snow,looked like the same reaction that I saw in small dogs.Snakes had been in hibernation for two months.I honestly believe there may be a pheromone in snake musk that elicits a matrix type reaction.

I truly believe this is a subject that has been way understudied but honestly,it wouldn't be very practical for a commercial lure maker,but maybe for an individual that makes his own and likes to experiment ? I do believe no coyote or other wild canine would be repelled by the smell of any snake,venomous or non.

Taximan

How does one collect just the musk from a snake? If you have to do it while they are alive I'm totally out.

The glands are located behind the vent,one on each side.The duct of the gland should be at each corner of the vent.They are not very big and are elongated.The skin behind the vent ( tail ),clings a little more tightly than the rest of the body so go slowly and work the skin back from the center,toward the gland.A sharp scalpel and small forceps help but are not absolutely necessary.

Can agree with the fishy nasty smell that the common garter snake gives off when caught...we would catch a pile of them when we were kids growing up.

I would never try and tell anyone that a magic potion exists for trapping coyotes. And I think the OP knows that , but I do believe in keeping an open mind and having some thing new in the bag. I’m sure everyone that sells a product would prefer that we all stick with the tried and true. I’m also sure that most trappers that have been at it a while will usually have and believe in some “ home brew “ that they have faith in . If not this forum would not have much interest, lol !