REGULAR AND MATRIX FOX SCENTS

You will often see references to "regular" fox scents and "matrix" scents. What are they, and what is the difference?

Fortunately, that's a question that is easy to answer. Matrix scents make use of glands, urines, and other secretions that are extracted while the animal is in its mating and breeding season. For canines, this is relatively easy to see, because their fur takes on a "springy," less prime appearance. You can also look for tracks that indicate two or more foxes are traveling together, indicating they have paired up. Before the mating season, foxes are generally solitary animals.

Unfortunately, the exact time of the breeding season varies widely by area. For the red fox, this can begin as early as December, or as late as April. To make matters even more confusing, grey fox do not begin their cycles as early as red fox. In some areas, grey fox begin their mating cycles as much as six weeks after the red fox does. Generally, canines begin their season earlier in the south.

For muskrats and beaver, the matrix glands are pretty easy to tell, since that is the only time their glands are full. Outside of the mating season, muskrat glands lie flat against the intestine.

I've already mentions a few canine baits and lures above. Here are a few more:

CANINE BAIT #1

A pretty simple one. It's simply a skunk or mink carcass that has the scent glands still intact. (As mentioned above, unless you have access to a mink farm, it's rare to find a mink that still has its essence.)

Cover the carcass lightly with dirt at a dirt hole set, or anywhere else you need bait for canines. This fox bait is as old as the hills, but it still works.

CANINE BAIT #2

Like it or not, you will occasionally catch a rabbit or squirrel in a snare or steel trap. If it's still alive, take it home and cook the thing. But more often than not, you will find it partially eaten by some other critter. I don't know why, but a partially eaten carcass is probably the best bait there is. And if all that's left is a skeleton and hair, it's even better.

Use it as bait at a dirt hole set as above. Or, if you want to entice a fox to use a certain trail where you have a trap set, simply throw the carcass a few feet off the trail, and the fox will use it to investigate the odor. (And you thought snaremen never use bait!)

CANINE BAIT #3

Cut up a cattle liver into chunks as you did with sun-rendered fish oil. Spread some ground beaver castor around the inside of a gallon jar, place the liver chunks in the jar until it's about 3/4 full, add a little more beaver castor on top along with a bout 1/4 ounce of tonquin, and process the contents as you did with fish oil, for roughly 12 weeks. When the process is complete, ad a quart of glycerine oil and allow to age until you are ready to use, still allowing for gas to escape.

This bait works well even during rainy periods, when other baits and lures weaken.

FOX LURE #1

Skunk oil, the directions are in the section on skunks, above.

FOX LURE #2

16 parts rotted mice, 1 part mink musk, 4 parts muskrat musk, 5 drops skunk essence per pint. 1/2 part asafoetida or valerian my also be added, at your discretion.

FOX LURE #3

1 part chopped skunk fat, 2 ground mice, 1 pair skunk sacs about 1/4 full, 12 muskrat glands. Rot all summer, then grind.

CANINE LURE #4

Place 3 oz. trout oil or other clean fish oil and 2 oz. glands (of either fox or coyote, depending on which you want to catch) into a jar. Add 1/4 oz. beaver castor and 1/2 oz. muskrat glands. Shake well, and let stand two weeks. Add two drops valerian extract, 3 drops tonquin, and 1 drop pure or 2 drops tinctured skunk essence. Shake well again and let stand for six weeks.

FOX LURE #5

Here is an example of a "matrix" fox scent:

3 oz. fox glands and/or secretions, well aged
1/4 oz. urine from female in heat
1/2 oz. clean fish oil, or glycerine oil
2 drops ambergris
1 drop strong lovage, or 4 drops tinctured lovage
2 drops tinctured asafoetida, or 1 drop pure.

Make this lure in mid-summer, and allow to age until ready to use. If skunk essence is desired, it can be added about four weeks before use.

FOX SCENT #6

2 oz. fox glands/secretions, well aged
1/2 oz. coyote glands/secretions, well aged
1 oz. pure fox urine
1 oz. glycerine oil and/or clean fish oil
1 drop cumin
1 drop ambergris

Let age six weeks or more.

FOX LURE #7

2 oz. fox urine
1 oz. anal glands, finely ground
5 drops skunk essence
1 oz. fish oil
3 drops tonquin
1/2 oz. muskrat musk, finely ground
5 drops tinctured asafoetida

let age two months or longer.

COYOTE LURE #8

Taint well 4 oz. reproductive glands and anal glands. Then grind, and add urine and glycerine oil, and 4 drops asafoetida. Let stand for at least six weeks.

Onward and upward,
airforce