RUE

This is another of those "secret ingredients" professional lure makers are always talking about. It is both a fixative and a carrier of odors. I don't think its own odor has any value, but that's not why it should be used. No more than four to six drops should be used per pint of lure. (And trust me, that's a lot of lure.) Used mostly for fox and sometimes wolf lures.

SPEARMINT

Often used straight and in formulation for muskrat and raccoon. I keep meaning to give this one a try, but never have. Considering how the critters like minty, candy odors, I would imagine it would work well.

SWEETFLAG

My favorite muskrat lure. Also attractive to raccoon and beaver. if I had to work with only one muskrat lure, this would be it.

SWEET MUSK

A product similar to Muskaro, it's actually a combination of several ingredients. To be honest, I can't tell the two of them apart.

SWEET NORTHERN BIRCH
SWEET SOUTHERN BIRCH

When I was a kid, I used to love birch beer. (I think it's mostly called root beer these days.) Well, muskrat and raccoon still like it.

TONQUIN MUSK

Another of those "secret ingredients," used mostly for canines. Its fixative qualities make it excellent in formulation. Also used, relatively rarely, as a straight lure.

VALERIAN

Mostly known for its medicinal value, it's probably used mostly for canines, but is also used in muskrat, beaver, and raccoon lures. The extracted oil or tinctured powder is often used alone.

WINTERGREEN

Another lure attractive to muskrat and raccoon. The genuine oil, if you can find it at all, is pretty expensive, but the substitute is effective.

I'm sure I'll think of others later, but these are the oils most commonly used today. Next, I'll go into some of the glands, animal by-products and animal parts used in the trapping trade. as always, questions and comments are welcome.

Onward and upward,
airforce