I’m kind of a thrifty guy, and I enjoy trapping other types of critters in the “off season”. Long story short I’m looking to expand my trapping into K9 type trapping on dry land, something I have never done. I got my traps, trowel, sifter, stakes, everything I need, except bait and lure. I’m ok with buying some different types of lure, but I’d like to try my hands at catching/making some bait. Obviously mice make a good bait. My question is if I use a repeating trap that goes on top of a 5 gallon pail for the mice, does it matter for bait usage purposes if they have been drowned in the pail or does a person want them dry? I plan to keep some whole and grind some for a paste and let them taint just a whisper.

Thanks !

Shouldn't matter.

It won’t matter if they’re wet. I just toss them into a zip lock bag and freeze them till I have enough to grind. The little bit of moisture that’s on them just adds to mix.

I don't grind them, I trap/freeze them and use for Catfish bait, especially under jugs!

I ran quite a few mouse traps in spring and fall periods to collect fresh bait. Freeze them whole in ziplock bags until ready to use. Dont have to taint them.
I ran a lot dirthole sets with nothing more than a fresh frozen mouse down the hole and a shot of fox pee at the backing. A killer coyote set for me in pastures and hay fields. As the sets "set" a few days and no action the mouse probably thaws and taints a little on its own down the hole with sun hitting it in day time. I had sets connect right away, and some hit a couple weeks after first setting them.
I didn't have good luck running mouse traps in summer...seems I couldn't run them fast enough before the mice would spoil in summer heat. Get on them fast if you do. Otherwise spring and fall worked better for me.
Nothing more natural than a rodent down a dirthole.
Jim

Leave the tail sticking out of the hole!

You would be better off raising mice. The urine soaked bedding Is better then any dead mouse you can put In a hole.

Water won't matter, anti-freeze would be bad for bait making.

2 1-gallon freezer bags will about fill up a gallon ice cream bucket, with mice.

Grind frozen, and taint for no more than 3 days...for a slight taint. Fix it, and let it gass off.

My spouse does this, his coworkers thought it was funny and gave him a whole bunch of new googly eyes. We're set for years now. And they do work.
He just freezes them whole.

I even tried live mice in the dirt hole. I bottled up a mouse In jar put in a apple slice for food and water and punched some holes In the lid.I stuffed In urine soaked mouse bedding around the jar. Did I catch some fox and coyotes this way. Yes I did but it was just to much of a hassle.

Grind after a slight taint then preserve it the longer it sits the better.

Do you think a chipmunk would produce same results?! I have about 50 frozen to try.

strike2x,
I've used ground squirrels (about the same size as chipmunks) with good results. Even at a flat set, covered with dirt/grass.

A guy could make some out of leg cuff trimmings maybe?

I have many chipmunks and red squirrels too. I caught more of those than mice, by 2 to 1. I was going to grind all together. Bad Idea?