Okay lure makers what are your thoughts on mixing some poplar bud oil with Vaseline for a water resistant beaver lure? And if it is a workable option what ratio? Thanks in advance. Looking for something to try on my floats as a change up to castor.

As good as a beaver can smell I would bet if you smell it, they can certainly smell it. Heat a tub of vaseline up and start adding some in. Isn't it clove that enhances castor? I would consider adding some to a portion as well, sweet and earthy, anise oil too maybe? Just my rambling thoughts.

It may work fine but I just want to point out that you do not always need a grease base to make a water resistant lure. There are other sticky, thick ingredients that may play better with the solubility of the product you want to mix into a base.

Last year, my friends and I collected about 8 oz of poplar buds. I put about 8 oz of olive oil with them and shook the jar every couple days. 4 months later, I ran everything thru a blender and put it back in the jar. The odor is very mild-to my nose.

This year I’ll put the buds in Everclear. The strongest we can get is 151 proof, which is 75%. We’ll see if the odor comes out any stronger.

My experience with floats for beavers is to not use them at all. We tried a dozen on back waters of the Mississippi and caught nothing in 2 weeks of trying.

To be honest, I’d rather snare beavers with an 8ft extension on my snares and staked higher up on the bank. This requires daily checks but when the beavers are migrating, it can be exciting times. It also lets me find the snares if we have a 2-6 ft water rise, like we had last spring.