With the passing of Russ Carman it got me thinking about some of his lures that have reached “legendary” status like Canine Call.

There are Beaver lures held in the same high regard like Dobbins Backbreaker.

Muskrat? Lenons Muskrat Super All Call comes to mind.

What coon lures do you feel have reached that status? With the popularity of the DP trap coon lures have taken a back seat to bait. This coupled with fur prices I feel have slowed the growth of new coon lure development. But there has to be some from yesteryear that have reached a high status. Hawbakers?

I’ve always done well with Tutti Fruity made my Milligans I think? I don’t know if that classifies as legendary

Cavens moonshine

Fatal attraction should be on that list.

The original Stef Forget’s Pro Coon. Don’t know about the “new” manufacturer though.

Blackies blend had a couple good ones.
Boars delight
Night bandit

I like Cavens moonshine too

Hawbakers coon lure was great too.

Carmen’s coon lure was good. He had a couple different ones.

I used to run a jar or two of grawes big stinky coon bait. He had it labeled as a bait but a small amount on a stick worked well in pocket sets, more like a lure to me.

I’ve used all of the above with success.

A bottle of cavens shellfish oil was hard to beat for a coon lure, too.


Jim

Yes, if you consider Shellfish Oil a lure as opposed to an ingredient it is probably the most legendary coon lure. Whatever second place is there would be quite a margin separating it.

Dobbins Coon Candy and Cavens Moonshine are my 2 favorites. Ridge runner is a nice change up

Shellfish coupled with a fish oiled base ,.sprayed pocket,..trail lead ,..seems simple to me,..you are putting it in right front of them. If the coon are working down the ditch or river, creek,..you're set.
Here's a point one might consider,..air travel through high ditch bank.

Another vote for Moonshine . It never fails .

I even caught a grey fox on it last season

Good stuff.

Blackies fur king( smells good enough to put on a slice of bread) and hawbakers coon lure seems to work great in my area.

I make some pretty good stuff called English River Raccoon Lure, but Marak's #3 Raccoon Lure (formally produced under the Sheda's Lures brand, and currently produced by Backwater Baits) caught me more coons than you could stack in several trucks or even 8.

Back in the day, Nick Wyshinski's Shellfish Oil
This was legendary to me because I had my first 100+ Coon season on Nick's Shellfish Oil.

There are a lot of good ones because coon are easily attracted to a variety of oders. The one that stood out to me over the years would not be considered legendary because it was not available very long. Does anyone remember Crazy Eyes by Bob Gretski (sp?). Dakota lures? Very unique odor and very effective in dry land sets.

Coon Lures? Is there really that much of a science to it?

Hawbaker's will always be a top one for me if for no other than just all the good memories it brings back.

I never trapped them on purpose without DP or conibears.

I guess fish or shellfish oil trailing scent would've been my favorite lure.

Far as baits, Trapper Art Temptation and Blackies Fur King are always in my bucket.

Sardines in mustard.


At Pa convention Carlis Coon Dagger
spoke of his pet coon reaction to the aboves.

I think some lore salesman hated that lol.

Make a pocket set for mink

Beaver castor based beaver lures are great attraction, back in the days I used lennons rat lure it was great on coon.A bear attractint called green death that a Minnesota supply dealer carries is a great coon lure. DP guys better realize though a lure coon don’t like the taste of has no business in a DP.

Lenons muskrat lure...
Blackies Night Bandit...

Lenons muskrat lure is indeed a solid coon lure!

Gob of that on some sheeps wool in a DP put a pile in the truck for me

Trapper Arts, Coon Choice, has produced very well over the years.

Fried chicken and okra

X2
I used hawbakers coon #1 for years in cities & populated areas because it did not attract as many dogs.

So how can you tell the lure tastes good?, lol

Anise oil is another good one

Or your best coyote set.

Blackies blend boar’s delight for the rut

Good odors can make that cat food twice as good as it is by itself.

Blackies and Hawbakers.

Vienna sausages or cinnamon apple sauce.

On my line Carman's "Midnight" has always been my favorite coon lure and by far my top producer.

X2

Hawbakers was the first coon lure I tried since their fox lures worked so well. I was using it in plain dirt hole sets like I did with fox 100 and 500, and was not impressed.

The Crazy Eyes lure I stumbled on to at a convention worked exceptionally well and most impressive was how well the scent persisted. You could tell what scent you used days later when walking up to the set, and the coon caught in those sets wore it back to the skinning shed like cologne. But, I understand why Gretsky went out of business as it seems like I'm the only one whe ever used it.

Has anyone tried Locklear's Coon Crack? I'm looking at trying some in my DP's this year. Seems like it could be a killer lure.

Been so long since I targeted (non-nuisance coon) I had to think about this. Early, pre-freeze up: 1pint fish oil and 1 oz. shellfish oil. Good squirt above and in the pocket with a carp head. Also in the water if using what Pete Askins taught us to add. In baited bodygrips after freeze up, Blackies Boars Delight on every set. Turn around if I left home without it! Midnight Bandit cut with feed grade molasses in a squeeze bottle. I also liked his Sledge Hammer as a change up in cold weather.

Carman's Nocturnal- mink like it also. Hawbakers always makes me feel young again.

Dave Scifres Coon Tar. Dave Eckels has a great concoction that is pretty secretive.

Night Bandit

Walleye101, I remember Bob Gritski, seen him at some of the first Minnesota Conventions I went to in the early to mid 1980s. I used Crazy Eyes, it had a real unique odor, came in an amber bottle I think and I think only available in 4 oz bottles. Bob Gritski also had a book out, So You Want to be a Long Liner. If I remember correctly, I think he was out of Tabor. SD at that time. Not sure whatever happened to him. That's going back 40 plus years.

Those first Minnesota conventions I went to, right after I got my driver's license, we would walk around the booths in the dealer buildings all day, looking at everyone's photo albums and wanting to buy everything.

I remember Jeff Dunlap's Dad selling supplies at those Minnesota shows, he was out of Michigan. Ludy Sheda always had a big setup, he would have canopies coming off of his trucks, his workers slept on the ground right in the booth.

We don't sell a lot of 'coon lure, our best seller is probably Blackie's Night Bandit, or Boar's Delight.

Really hard to beat a chunk of fish in a pocket for water trapping coon and mink.

I remember old Ludy Sheda. He was always trying to wheel and deal. What a character from years ago. Always trying to give away fur coats.

Thanks Gerald, I was beginning to think I imagined the whole thing, but I still have a couple of bottles if the coon price ever takes off again. When Bob quit showing up to conventions I was able to track him down and asked if he would sell the formulation. I don't recall the price, but it was too much for a small time trapper so I passed. I do recall the formulation seperated quickly so you had to shake it up vigorously every time you applied some.

Yep, I remember Ludy and his carnival barking as well. Good times.

And the fish in the pocket is still the best water set. When you see one with a bullhead head you know it's one of the Waterville guys.

I the 50 years I have trapped, I have never purchased coon lure. Carp chunked up and put in coffee cans and put in the freezer until needed. When making a set (pocket set} usually. I take the lid off and let ithe can fill with water from the ditch with the chunks of carp in it, and shake it up and pour it around the hole then pin a chunk of carp in the back of the hole. This simple set has caught me many coon and mink over the years. No coon will walk by a chunk of carp and this carp juice water this makes.