I'm glad you like this topic, but I sure wish I wasn't making you sick with it! smile Actually, I think that's how you know your lure is good--when it makes you upchuck, you know it's ready to use. wink

RACCOON LURES

Raccoons aren't too particular about what they eat. they definitely have their preferences, but I have yet to find a bait or lure that a raccoon won't take.

Many years ago when I was stationed at Offutt AFB near Omaha, I thought I would try my hand at trapping part time, on my days off. I don't know how many folks told me I was crazy. "All we have are corn fields, separated by a few clumps of trees," they said. "There aren't any raccoons around here!"

I had to laugh. Compared to where I grew up, that is just classic coon country. As an example, I was scouting around one day and found a bunch of raccoon tracks running from a culvert into a 400-hog feeder operation. I made contact with the farmer, and asked if I could trap on his land. As was typical, he laughed. "Raccoons? Here? All I have here are hogs!"

His laughter started ebbing when I showed him the coon tracks. He quit laughing altogether, when I showed him the contents of his hog feed: Fish meal, molasses, corn, and sorghum. Seriously, they should have labeled the feed sack RACCOON BAIT. And when I showed him all those raccoon tracks were leading directly to his feed troughs and he saw where his profits were going, he quickly gave me permission to trap.

I took over a dozen big raccoon from that farm is less than a month, trapping part-time. That was a quick $400, without a whole lot of work.

RACCOON-MUSKRAT LURE #1

To a quart Mason jar, add 5 oz. glycerine oil or propylene glycol, 1 oz. trout oil or other clean fish oil, 1 oz, beaver castor, and 1/4 oz. tonquin. Shake lightly, then add 1 oz. phenyl acetic acid crystals and 1/4 oz. honey essence oil. Shake well. May be used immediately, but will be better if allowed to age for a couple weeks.

RACCOON-MUSKRAT LURE #2

Mix 1/3 spearmint oil to 2/3 peppermint oil, shake lightly, and let stand overnight. A week of aging will improve this one also.

RACCOON-MUSKRAT LURE #3

1 oz. trout oil or other clean fish oil
2 oz. glycerine oil
1 oz. cherry oil
1/4 oz. beaver castor
1/4 oz. phenyl acetic acid crystals
1/4 oz. muskrat glands
2 drops tonquin

Mix well, let stand for about six weeks, shaking every couple weeks.

That should get you started trapping the bandits!

Onward and upward,
airforce