I got out my little grinder yesterday and ground up the beaver meat I had boned out during the season. Did five beaver, two large, one medium and two small. It ended up making 3 gallons of ground meat. I also included the empty oil sacks and castor from the two small beaver. I’ll let it cook till mid September then add some sodium benzoate and a little glycerin. It’s been 25 years since I made any. I know it’s a simple formula but it always worked well in the past. So I’ll use it along with one of my favorite commercial baits this next season.

I also did up some coyote gland lure. Ground the anal glands, bladders, pads and the little glands in the legs. That little Cabelas grinder struggled with the frozen pads but got it done. I miss my old commercial grinder. I could chunk up a beaver and just break up the hip bones with the back of a hatchet and it would grind them bones and all. Glands were never an issue with it.

My coyote gland lure is simple. Grind the glands. Twice. Large plate and then the small plate. Enough urine to make it mix well into a paste. I let it taint for two weeks then add sodium benzoate and glycerin. Once again it’s a simple formula but is effective and I use as a change up to some of the commercial lures I use.

I don’t claim to be a bait or lure maker. These have both worked well in the past.

You are a little ahead of us here Marty. I have some firewood from some large fallen cherry trees that I need to cut and split. All from a recent storm that needs handled now. Then its off to tackle the freezer loads of tails, glands and meat. I might suggest cutting back on the aging time of your beaver meat bait or do two batches, one of short age and long term age.

Thanks Bob. I’ll give that a try.

Back before Washington lost foot traps I alway ground up all my beaver with my commercial grinder and let it keep aging, sometimes for years. But I didn’t know much about bait making back then other than grind and let it age.

I haven’t been able to find them yet but I have several buckets still buried on a ranch I used to trap in Eastern Washington that I put there 30 years ago. May have to rent a metal detector to find them. I’m curious how it would be after all these years.

Nothing wrong with simple, if it works. And there is nothing wrong with that gland lure recipe. I've had as good or better response to 'fresh' gland lure as aged. I'm going to try a mix of slow aged (several years in a controlled environment 50-60 degrees) and fresh stopped glands and see how that works for me.

What is your "small Cabela's Grinder". I've been thinking about getting a small grinder to do glands.

Bob,

How short a time would you recommend if I split the batch between short and long.

Bearcat,

I’m spending the next several days with Mom but will get the grinder info when I get back.

Aging time and temperatures certainly will vary. It depends on if you are planning on aging outdoors or indoors etc. We do all our aging indoors in a controlled environment for a specified time. Each has their own idea of what they want as an end odor bait.

I’m aging indoors. Fairly stable temps. Lean to shed on the end of the garage. All enclosed and on the shaded side of the garage. Stays pretty cool in there

Sounds good Marty!