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Natural baits

Posted By: Wanna Be

Natural baits - 10/15/20 01:09 AM

Ok, first of all I’m a sucker for baits and lures. I could probably supply my entire State for the season. I like helping out lure makers and generally order a little something from all. Herein lies my problem, I have a ton of natural baits I use also...eggs, quail from dog training, quail remains, dove remains, duck remains, turkey parts, etc.
I use all of them during the cold months and will smear a dab of bait on them before going down a dirt hole. I might use 5-6 different baits on one property. I’ll always set a pipe dream set as my second set at a location (just to be safe for weather changes). During the cold weather (means no ants) the dirtholes shine. When multiple critters traveling together or just a real good location I’ll double, one on the pipe and one at the hole. But, I believe the dirthole connects first.
Does anyone use “natural baits”? And if so do you just use that natural bait and nothing else? I’ve been doing a lot of reading and watching videos this summer and experimenting with dogs. I finally realized I use WAY TOO MUCH bait/lure. And to be honest it’s probably worked against me more than it helped. I have half a freezer worth of natural baits. Sorta thinking of just experimenting on my first property this year and seeing what “really” produces.
Any advice or criticism appreciated. I’m always up for learning.
Posted By: Bob

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 02:08 AM

I have in the past used natural bait, but I don’t usually. I find it far more convenient to scoop a little paste out of the jar and smear it in the hole. As with most things in trapping, I believe bait is often overthought. Which brand, what flavor, how much, etc. I firmly believe in the KISS method with all things trapping. Sure, you might have to get creative to kill a particular coyote if there’s a problem animal, but probably 99% of coyotes in most situations can be caught with just about any bait and/or a squirt of quality urine and a dirt hole or a flat set.
Posted By: wrh1971

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 03:07 AM

most trappers I know say to set on location and bed the traps properly, and they do well
Posted By: Archeryguy

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 02:09 PM

I have had my best success with deer liver and deer lung followed by deer meat down a hole then covered with deer hair. Tried the commercial baits...Hiawatha Valley was the best performer.
Posted By: The Beav

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 04:38 PM

Got a bucket of fresh rat carcasses that will be used for bait on Saturday. Will let you know how It works out.
Posted By: Oreamnos

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 04:49 PM

I used to use lots of natural bait. Still do use some deer products for coyote. Mostly just lure and urine though. When I stopped using bait at every set my oppossum catch rate dropped a lot, along with other undesirables.
Posted By: Wanna Be

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 05:28 PM

Going to try things a little different this season. Trying to do better every year as far as catch numbers go. Believe it or not I haven’t tried deer yet, but I’ll start saving some parts to try out this year. I’m only able to use anything like natural baits when it gets COLD ants will have a dirthole filled in if it’s not.

And thanks Beav, I had completely forgot about the rats I saved from my DP’s. I have a bag of them somewhere in the back freezer. The wife won’t even open that freezer, lol.
Posted By: the Blak Spot

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 06:22 PM

Mainly use beaver liver
Posted By: garart

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 10:06 PM



And thanks Beav, I had completely forgot about the rats I saved from my DP’s. I have a bag of them somewhere in the back freezer. The wife won’t even open that freezer, lol. [/quote]

From your post, rats saved from DP's, sounds like your talking about barn rats. I believe the beav is referring to muskrat for bait, which works well for canines around my area as well as a lot of others.
Posted By: minklessinpa

Re: Natural baits - 10/15/20 10:14 PM

my cat has been bringing me 2-4 mice a day.i just thank her, put them in a plastic bag and freeze.
Posted By: Wanna Be

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 01:45 AM

Actually referring to cotton rats which love corn in a DP no matter where it’s set.
Posted By: obaro

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 03:05 AM

I'm going to try some prairie dogs this year. Always a few in my pasture that need 'culled', so I think I will try to use some of them and see what happens. Can't hurt anything I don't think.
Posted By: yoteguts

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 03:22 AM

Took a very old almost toothless female yote last in a trench set that was right on location with a piece of rabbit way down a deep hole. No lure or urine. I’ll use natural baits when it’s easy to do so and I’m right on a track.
Posted By: jabNE

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 10:17 AM

I believe I was reading in posts from that 1,000 coyote quest guy on here last year was using chopped pieces of muskrat carcasses and a little coyote urine at his sets. Said something about if your dog won't eat it neither will a coyote. He didn't seem to use lure either.
Jim
Posted By: The Beav

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 01:00 PM

According to Robert he uses NO LURE. But he does use a bob cat meat based bait that might be considered a lure/bait.
And the muskrat bait Is straight skinny. He buys rats for bait.
Posted By: Yes sir

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 05:42 PM

I wonder sometimes if some of the advantage of natural bait is the amount used at a set. I assume most people use more than a spoonful when using a natural bait.ltest all my bait bases by themselves and add one ingredient at a time and test. With that said its pretty easy to make a simple meat base significantly more attractive with a few ingredients. I've often wondered if coyotes can smell in a way that helps them determine how much volume of bait is down a hole and sometimes a larger amount of bait makes them more intrested in working a set.
Posted By: Wanna Be

Re: Natural baits - 10/16/20 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Yes sir
I wonder sometimes if some of the advantage of natural bait is the amount used at a set. I assume most people use more than a spoonful when using a natural bait.ltest all my bait bases by themselves and add one ingredient at a time and test. With that said its pretty easy to make a simple meat base significantly more attractive with a few ingredients. I've often wondered if coyotes can smell in a way that helps them determine how much volume of bait is down a hole and sometimes a larger amount of bait makes them more intrested in working a set.

You have a point there. I do use whole quail (tame used in dog training), generally a couple of dove parts, even quarter parts of rabbits and feral critters. Maybe there is something to more bait equals longer hang time which leads to more chances at a catch.
Posted By: WadeRyan

Re: Natural baits - 10/17/20 12:43 PM

I feed them puppies. Not a big fan of lure myself although I agree the prepared baits have lure qualities. Also why I’m not a real big fan of the poke hole dirt holes.

If they visit a set I want them to think they’re getting fed and dig to China to get it. By that time it’s all over. I’ve had really good success with straight mice here but I have trouble keeping badger out.

I plan to run some deer scraps just after deer season this year. Every coyote in our country knows what deer is after the second week of November. I’m sure a number of them live off carcass piles for a majority of the winter.
Posted By: patrapperbuster

Re: Natural baits - 10/25/20 05:09 PM

My top natural bait is mice. catch in summer & freeze. as good as it gets
Posted By: Rick Otts

Re: Natural baits - 10/27/20 04:16 AM

I mixed up some Deer burger with Muskrat and Beaver.I let it sit in a hole for 2 weeks then added Dobbins Bait sol and some extra castor.I stabilized it and it saat for 5 yrs except the bit I gave a friend.He said he loved it killed the Fisher on it so I gave him the rest.
Posted By: jabNE

Re: Natural baits - 10/27/20 10:37 AM

When we buy whole pork loins to cut up for boneless chops I save all the fat trimmings and cube those up into 2" pieces. I do same with carcass chickens save the trimmings and skins when I cut them up. I dont add anything just freeze them in ziplock bags for dirtholes. Same with guts and scraps, parts from pheasants, deer, rabbits, anything else we hunt and clean. All good natural baits.
I have a pretty extensive mouse line going on our property in fall. Catches go in ziplock bags and into the fur freezer. Nothing beats a fresh frozen mouse down a dirthole and a shot of fox pee for natural bait coyote sets. In hay meadows I make a double dirthole set two small holes opposite each other and trap bedded between them. A mouse down each hole and then use handle of my trowel to make a little mouse runway across the dirt pattern right to each hole. Looks just like the natural mouse runways you find out there anyway.
The game and meat scraps I use in late winter sets in bean fields. Kick up the bean chaff into a big pile, one one side push some scraps back up under edge of the pile and bed the trap our front. A shot of fox pee on the same side and that's my go to winter bait set. Ground too rock frozen solid to dig holes. Most picked bean fields have similar piles here and there from the combines. Mice live in the piles for shelter and I find stashes of beans in them where mice were storing food. Make my own piles in the field at a good spot along edges and travel ways and it works well for a set, looks like everything else around in the field. Fresh bait and pee seemed to work best for me.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Natural baits - 10/27/20 12:04 PM

Keeping notes and catching a number of targeted animals points you to answering your own questions.
Coyotes can be caught on any number of combos but efficiency demands you use the premier choices.
East of the Missouri River, I usually go small hole and maybe more lure as a rule.
West of the Missouri, my notes usually have me "give it to 'em!" Bigger holes, more bait by far.
South it can go either way.

Just doing what the dogs tell me they like BEST.
They know and they'll tell you if you catch enough of 'em.

Blessings,
Mark
Posted By: Yes sir

Re: Natural baits - 10/27/20 12:13 PM

Like Mark said,
Efficiency=premier choice= what is BEST
It take a fair amount of trapping or some testing to determine that.
Posted By: grubbie

Re: Natural baits - 10/28/20 01:43 AM

I am very much a beginner, haven't had a lot of luck with footholds. I am thinking this year keeping it simple and trying dirt holes with a pocket gopher stuffed down in there. Planning on using an entire gopher cause I catch a ton of them. But, is putting them in the hole frozen, during freezing weather going to work? They certainly won't taint that way.
Posted By: 20scout

Re: Natural baits - 10/28/20 02:13 AM

Originally Posted by Yes sir
I wonder sometimes if some of the advantage of natural bait is the amount used at a set. I assume most people use more than a spoonful when using a natural bait.ltest all my bait bases by themselves and add one ingredient at a time and test. With that said its pretty easy to make a simple meat base significantly more attractive with a few ingredients. I've often wondered if coyotes can smell in a way that helps them determine how much volume of bait is down a hole and sometimes a larger amount of bait makes them more intrested in working a set.

I've been using a mixture of commercial baits and natural baits this year on my canine line and and would say 80% of my coyotes have been with just deer liver and urine alone. Not saying the commercial lures aren't any good but perhaps they just don't appeal to the yotes in your area. Fox seem to favor one brand while skunks do another. Still way too early to say one way or the other as I know I have had times when they didn't care as much as the go to bait I used the year before.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Natural baits - 10/28/20 03:32 AM

Interestingly we had a trapper just clean up at last year's Academy. We caught 27 coyotes as a small army of 14 trappers on 6 checks and one particular trapper caught about 6 of those as I recall. Maybe 7 or 8. He always had something dancing. And he GAVE THE LURE AND BAIT TO EM. Not sure if he pulled dogs past other trappers cause we had traps as a small army set and ready. But I'd say in South Central Kansas in March you can not give them too much goo. I mean I was smiling while he did it, as in "dang son," but then next day....

You got another dog DZ!
You got another one!

Food got though.

Blessings,
Mark
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