Wrapping up marten season and have some gusto and other smellier lures. Whats best way to store for next year?

Also how does one deal with the wife's nose? She can smell this stuff from forever away. I can’t smell it in the garage but she swears she still can.

So far I moved it to a bucket out in the woodshed.

Any advice on either topic appreciated.

I kept my leftover gusto and hellfire in the basement all year until last week when I took it out. Wrap the lids with electrical tape and put them in a cool cabinet, wife was none the wiser when she would use the sauna in the basement. lol

My advice, I found that type of lure isn’t needed on my line. Made my trapping life so much easier.

I use silica gel, of the kind that's sold as kitty litter in 10 lb bags. I've used it as desiccant for dried herbarium specimens for many years and noticed that it absorbs not only water vapor but a bunch of other more or less volatile substances as well, because the crystals inside the ziplocs discolor after a while. So I tried putting a couple of cups of silica gel inside the cabinet with lures/fragrant substances and it works very well (my home is small and visitors are unaware of the awful things stored in that cabinet, such as cat ketone and synthetic civet). The crystals absorb smells in an enclosed space very actively, they start turning brown after a couple of weeks. I also use silica gel when I need to transport/ship stinky things, especially when there's a risk of leaking, like with raw skulls.





see how it discolors:

Lids taped and the strong ones go inside another container with kitty litter. Silica packs are a great idea! Then into the garage fridge. There’s a whiff of skunk when I open it. We don’t store pumpkin pie in there anymore, last thanksgiving was pretty comical.

I put the bottle of lure in a slightly larger glass bottle which I then put into a even larger glass bottle.All with taped lids.

might try putting in ziplock with some moth balls. Yo can't just store it out side, or on your trapline?

metal ammo can with the gasket.

This is what I use, and it works very well.

Thanks.Will have to try that.

Yes. Credit goes to Paul on this. That's why I use it. Can't smell your stinky stuff at conventions till you open that box.

I'm getting away from lure more and more. The only jar that comes along these days is beaver castor, and it usually stays in the windshield bag

Put in 5 gal. bucket fill with earth and put cover on. Make sure to remove before freeze up.

Just like with real estate, the most important three things are; location, location, and location.

I use an ammo can. Works very well

old steel paint can with a clean- rim so the lid fits tight when put down
and use two lid removers and dont bend the lip when removing

there is something in the make-up of the skunk essence that dissolves the rubber

Started getting away from the S end of the N bound skunk lures a while ago. I had a mental aversion to handling wolf gear after exposure to Gusto and similar while working marten and wolverine sets.
It’s an easy problem to solve. Eliminate the unnecessary schmells.

No more drama with the postal carrier, wife, or figuring out how to deal with the stuff. Better for all.

This is because you carried it in your pocket! As in, open bottle, find a stick and pick out a glob of Gusto, (with the liquid dripping down the outside of the bottle!), and place stick. Then put bottle in the front pocket of the pull-over hoodie, and go to the next set.

I got Marten magic on the outside of the container my first year and no way was I bringing it home! I left it in a ziploc bag behind the shack in a pallet box where I store some marten boxes. Worked fine the next season. I was expecting a bear to take it but nope.

One other thing I have not seen mentioned here, is I would also suggest at the end of the season, get a small jar of Vaseline, dip a q-tip in the Vaseline, remove lure lid, swab the lure lid where it screws down and bottle lip with the Vaseline, and then put lid back on. Do all your lures this way before storing. This will help keep the lid from rusting and seizing on the bottle. Next year when you go to use it, you will thank me and not have to fight getting a lid off.

-TJ

I am going to have to try this and stick some in my lure cooler at the end of the season to see how it goes. Though, to be honest, going into my work shed and getting a slight hint of lure smell now and again is kind of exciting.

-TJ

For the small expense gusto is, I store any left over at the local landfill and replenish the next season. lol

Great tip!

This is good advice. I have a couple jars of lure that I had to open with channel locks because I didnt do this. And I actually had a lid on a bottle of Gusto rust holes in it one time.

Then boil all those Q-tips up and make a hearty soup!

Pete

Dip the top of the bottle in melted wax. Even the best human nose won't smell it.