I’ve never seen this asked. I have a couple quarts of cat gland working. There’s nothing in it but good stuff but the overall smell in the jars is not quite what I’ve always gotten or expected. Stirred it and laid stirrer on shelf in shed. Next morning when I opened door I immediately smelled cat. The residue stick had a smell that the whole jar didn’t. What’s applied on the stick is a perfect cat gland smell to me. Has anyone experienced this? Is the jar just maybe concentrated to the point of overwhelming to my nose?

Going to pull off a two ounce bottle and compare it against the quart in a few days.

I’ve got no answer for you, but your thought on it just being concentrated makes perfect sense to me. Maybe dip another stick and see if you get the same result

Be patient, the jar is probably still rotting down and going through the change?
All kinds of gasses being produced right now. Give it 2 more months? You are lucky to have 2 quarts of BC glands!
Interesting how glands change during the rotting process.

It’s in two quart jars I should have said, with stirring room. It’s stopped and fixed and no gasses anymore although it may change a little bit. Hope it’s stopped right about where it is.

I was told by a friend that worked with drug dogs that all odors have a point of olfactory confusion. I believe he is correct. I was just wondering if anyone else had ever thought they experienced this. Again, I’m sometimes hesitant to even raise questions on here as true professional lure makers probably think “ boy, he has a lot to learn”. I assume once you develop the formula, especially if you’re selling it year to year, it can be mixed up in any quantity. Maybe with two or three years of aging the individual smell you’re picking out will blend better with everything? I’ve seen gland lure formulas said age four months and I’ve had cat glands over ten year old that turned to cream. Don’t think there is one best right way just as trapping methods differ as to men’s opinion as well.
I’ve smelled cat gland from some very reputable lure makers that doesn’t really smell catty to me but I’m sure, to them, it’s made right and the goodies are in the bottle.

You say you don't think there's one best way, my question to you is, do you test on target animals, particularly comparative testing? My experience is they usually have a preference. As lure makers we shouldn't put much stock in what "we" think or smell, instead find out what the target thinks or smells. All the right answers are out there for the taking, just need to ask the ones it matters too.

I was hoping you’d answer as I know you’re knowledgeable. Yes, what I think it should smell like is secondary to what the cats do. Being that no one’s gland lure smells like another I’d think many work to a degree at least. I’ve made quite a few batches over the years and am zeroing in on my “ always make it like this” way. Although, the very basic Mel Hershberger formula I first made 25 years ago I know in fact works. I can’t make enough, hand out enough to test or have little monetary incentive to develop it to the point professional lure makers do. I’m just a hillbilly piddler.

I wish we had more cats here. With our population it's difficult to test on them and when it comes to cat lures i dont have a lot of experience testing. Sometimes I wonder in "gland" lures thar are out there if the real glands aren't a distant secondary odor and the "additives" are doing most of the work....

Everyone's nose is different but to me cat glands or bladder urine from a cat don't have a ton of odor

I have been selling my cat glands the last couple years, but have never messed with making a lure out of them. But I do make a wolf and a coyote gland lure for my personal use. I find it interesting that you say that about the additives doing most of the work in many of the commercial gland lures. Because I have had better luck with my own gland lure than any of the commercial ones, at least on wolves. I attribute it a lot to the lack of additives in my own lure, and the fact that most of these wolves have been pressured by others using commercial lures. Of course the limited sample of target animals when dealing with wolves could also skew the results.

In my opinion up to a point home made gland lures can be very good. That is if you stay heavy on the glands and don’t be throwing things in there you don’t need or understand. Basic glands and a good accompanying fixative will catch, or has for me. It’s akin to hand loading your ammunition. Care is taken in every step and you know what’s in there. There’s no way I could purchase cat glands and include the amount of glands in a lure and make money unless there are trade secrets to make them go much further than I do.

Good cat gland has a yellow golden color. I let the glands age long enough they have no preservatives.

I agree. Until I really made an effort to clean and trim them up good I struggled to attain that. I like them either preserved as fresh as I can get them or completely aged

Meat from bobcats will turn to a creamy yellow color when rotted down also. A mild colored meat they have.

lol. not much left on a bobcat carcass when I'm done with it.

Needs to oxidize.