What is the general sense on how long is a lure or a bait good for ?. Also do you think the first year you use it is the best , when it's the freshest.

Its depends on what part of the country your are in. In the south. You have high humidity so I have caught coyote 20-30 days after I put lure on a flat set. Now some where with low humidity. Maybe a week or 2 weeks. People often dont realize how long urine and lure will stay on = wood or grass or q tip. U only need a drop of lure. IF it is good lure

Quality lure. Will be good forever. Not get weaker after the next year. I have some lure from James Lucero. That few people have. It was made in 1986. Its in a pint jar. I have used it sparingly on problem OR killing coyotes for about 4 years now. Still working well

Not uncommon to visit a site I had a set at last fall only to find it freshly dug up in the spring. I think good lure, bait and/or urine will last for months.

Do you think that to much lure shy coyote?
So, how long you think I can keep coyote urine in the freezer?

My opinion is odors change over time. Some more than others. Some lures may get better with the change and some might not. A well built lure stored properly may change so little that the change isn't noticeable in its effectiveness. Some ingredients are more volatile that others so what's in it can have an effect on how much it changes. I don't think there is a fit all answer to the main question.

As to too much lure spooking the coyote I would say depends on the formulation. Some ingredients coyotes can't get enough of some too much decreases the attraction. Just depends on what ingredients the formulation uses and how much of some ingredients are used.

Good urine frozen should will have very little change in its attractiveness for a very long time.

I had one lure I send to a big fur trapper in ND this year that caught 2 coyotes with just a handful of sets after thawing out from being snowed in for a good 100 days.

Yes. You can use to much lure. You only need a little IF its goid lure. Just keep urine out of sunlight and in a cool place. Have urine from 2019. SMC urine from friend in Texas. Its still catching coyotes

How about a rotten carcass of a pig/horse/cow or a skunk that has sprayed in a catch circle? Too much lure ie smell?? Lots of unanswered questions on coyote trapping??
I have a section on my trapline where I deposited two 5 gallon buckets of rotted down carp. I was going to make fishoil and my freezer went out. Anyways to this day it is a draw station.
I've no definite answers on too much or too little it is something that puzzles me.

Check with you local laws regarding setting traps next to carcasses. You don't want to catch predatory birds and may have a set distance as to making sets next to them. I've caught coyotes in sets after catching skunks.

Here's my theory based of what I've seen testing and formulating lure and baits. A lot of natural top shelf ingredients you can't use too much , more you use the harder a coyote will work the set. It's when you start playing with the synthetics or really exotic stuff that the amount becomes critical. Take good fish oil as an example, you make a test set and put a drop or two down one hole then a foot and a half away you pour a pint down another hole and see what happens. Synthetics and some really exotic stuff will produce some intrest and curiosity at very low levels but when coyotes get a strong enough whiff of it that intrest and curiosity is gone. I myself prefer a formulation that the more they smell of it the more intrest they have in it. I'm sure some formulations may work better in smaller amounts and without knowing the ingredients it's hard to say why. I think some formulations depend more on synthetics because of availability, ease of use and cost than others.

Another thing to consider is when people use a natural bait such as deer scraps or a chunk of beaver they mostly likely are using it in greater volume than they would use in a commercial bait and I do think that is a contributing factor in the success they find using a natural bait. I believe coyotes sense of smell helps them determine how much is at the set and effects how hard they will work a set, particularly to baits and dirt holes.

I will advocate small amounts of some of my formulations at above ground locations because too much can cause a rolling response before you get the cuffs on them. I've also seen too strong of an odor from straight coyote glands cause hesitancy in some coyotes.

This is based on general reactions I've seen from coyotes. I'm sure in some situations when dealing with high pressured populations or really spooky individuals a different approach may be needed.

Good stuff Yes Sir!

I agree.
Very well said Yes Sir! Thanks for sharing that information.
Lol, You are starting to sound like Mr. Jameson and that is a Good thing.

I used some rotted (highly aromatic)mink gland at a bunch of mink boxes in the fall one year.
Didnt work at all for mink but in March a pack of wolves showed up on the line and dug up every single mink box(hadnt been set since november) all the way along the line for miles that were under 3 feet of snow that had the stinky rotted gland oil applied.
That there taught me a valuable lesson.

Agree with yes sir and others on the amount thing,
Most trappers that associate problem coyote with lure a lot of time its lure over use thing of one or two lures over used ,,,, a real problem will come to nothing then its a trail set or snare .imo
That is real rare coyote that only eats what he or she kills and comes to nothing else put in the right place. Imo

Decaying flesh releases VOCs (Volitale Organic Compounds). That's what mammals smell. Some compounds are released in large quantities and some in very small quantities. Many VOCs are specific to specific animals and are emitted in parts per billion. That's how the coyote can tell the difference between a pig and a cow as they emitt many of the same VOCs.

If a coyote encounters a blast of VOCs in a high concentration that is not natural he will be cautious as these animal specific compounds are subtle in nature.

Skunk essence releases high levels of VOCs but is 100% natural at those levels in areas where skunks live. I've noticed a attraction difference in areas without skunks like up high in the mountains.

Months, maybe years in some environments.


I can go in to a catch circle from a year ago, pop open the old trap bed and get blasted with coyote smell. That’s generally a pretty mild smell compared to most baits and lures. And if I can smell it, they certainly can.

The longest I remember having a set sit without being messed with by me or a critter is 77 days before it made a catch. In that time it got snowed on blown on rained on frozen and heated up to the 80s.


As for storage. Most stuff goes through some changes as it further ages. Most of it still works. If it didn’t, the bait/lure business would be much more lucrative than it is as guys would need to buy it more often.