How far do guys think a animal can smell your bait and lure? In the past couple of weeks I’ve had a fox , coyote and a raccoon walk with in 10 to 15 yards from two different sets. Not one of them came any closer than that. The coyote was definitely down wind of both sets. The fox and raccoon were weren’t straight down wind but close enough that one would think they would’ve been able to smell the bait and lure. As good as they can smell I would they could smell everything from a far distance. Just can’t figure out why they would be running close to my sets on there own but then not going over to investigate the sets

They can smell it from much farther away, its just a matter if they are in the mood to care.

It's time for change sir, what sniper said

or it smells good enough to intrest them

Think critters are like us. I may drive past 4 burger joints to get chicken, or drive past 4 chicken joints to get a burger. Just on my experience with cameras, one critter may come by and not break stride, another comes by hours later like he was on a mission and goes straight to it. Could it have been the same critter? Who knows. Maybe it was and they registered the smell but had another mission on their minds. Maybe they decided that smell was what they wanted after all and came back to check it out. I’ve had a coyote walk past 3 sets and investigate the 4th set and get caught. We don’t have snow or sandy roads for tracks so cameras are our eyes and teachers.

Sometimes it's not the calling power of a bait or lure......it's the attraction power.


That's trapping.

My opinion, I don't think you can have to much bait....But...... you can have to much lure.... Was taught that by very good coyote trapper.

And sometimes you might be better off placing the lure a few feet above the ground where the wind can move It.

When your attraction isn't attracting them how good of an attractant is it? If guys think they need to be in the right mood may I suggest buying an ounce of rat glands, find a camera that darn sure doesn't spook coyotes, put glands down a hole watched by camera. See how moody they are then. I've found plenty of popular lures that are mood based I guess. And I've found some lures that mood didn't matter much.

A few years ago I took my Labrador retriever in to close my snares over at the end of February. He investigated all the dirt holes I made in November under 3 feet of snow that were 4 months old. He pawed at the snow and sniffed every set. They know it’s there. I think less lure is better.

X2- Right On!

If there is one thing I’ve learned testing lures and baits is never believe a scent’s attractiveness to a dog is telling you what the attractiveness will to a coyote! Four times I’ve been given lures and one bait and each time told how great the scent is because their dog went nuts-O over it. All four were proven to have very little to no attraction to coyotes. Worthless if you want to attract coyotes but most dogs will absolutely love it.

It’s human nature to want to use the pet dog to test scents. Heck, they are a canine and a canine is a canine and it’s easy to do with the dog right there waiting to help. No camera is needed, no permissions to get to test, no milage to travel, basically, no extra time needs be spent, just turn Fido loose and watch. Nope, the dog is not a coyote!

Are you talking about muskrat glands or rat glands?

If animals are coming within 10 to 15 yards of sets and not responding to your baits or lures, I'd move the sets 10 to 15 yards closer to where they're travelling.

Muskrat

At each location 2 different sets with different bait and or lure/urine. Mix it up.

A person can be fooled about wind direction during nighttime. My wife found me an app that showed air speed and movement hourly from the previous night! I was pretty much shocked to see a huge shift in directions from what I had anticipated when I made the set. I’m sure folks have seen this “variable wind” description in nighttime weather forecasts.

Also, nighttime air normally sinks and scent movement is along the ground especially if the scent you’re using lacks lift in the formulation. Think of the coyote you know went by your sets, head up doing the 3.4mph coyote trot and the scent you’re using isn’t either dispersing high enough for it to catch a wiff (traveling along the ground)or there was no air movement, or the wind was variable at that time and not moving toward the coyote.

All of this and you don’t really know how attracted it was to your choice of scent because that’s why I described the scenario as I did. In order to stop that coyote traveling like they do, your scent’s degree of attractiveness needed to be high enough to reach out an slap that coyote along side it’s head to make it come to your set.

There is a real reason why it’s said “set on sign”.

You missed my point completely. All I was saying is if my dog can smell it 4 month later under 3 feet of snow than a coyote can

Your missing 3 things

#1 location
#2 Location
#3 LOCATION

Precisely what Dave Edwards once told me.