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Lure making has always been sort of a mystery to me. When I learned to trap, I got into the habit of finding the right location, making a good set, and relying on lure from a reputable manufacturer to draw animals to the set. Making my own lure didn’t even register as a possibility. Like most things we don’t know much about, it’s easy to fall into the assumption that it’s too complicated for anyone to do, and without complex methodologies and well-kept trade secrets, we can’t possibly make an effective trapping lure on our own. As I’ve learned slowly over time, that isn’t true.
Once you begin to understand the basics of lure making, it all starts to seem much simpler than before. Learning the general concepts of the lure making art is the first logical step in the process, and that’s where Kellen Kaatz’s DVD, “In The Lure Room” is key.
This two hour instructional DVD from Kaatz Bros. Lures in 2012 takes you through the process of lure and bait making from the very beginning. Kellen starts by going over the basic essentials every lure maker needs to get started. He then describes the key additives and preservatives used in the business, and their main uses. He also goes into the process of tincturing, showing how to make tinctured beaver castoreum.
The main portion of the DVD covers the formulation of lures and baits for water animals, then for predators. These are covered separately and in enough detail for the viewer to take notes and repeat the process on their own, including specific ingredients and recommended portions. Once you understand the general process and components, then you can easily move on to experimenting with new compounds yourself, but it’s probably best to stick with the basics until you have the process down.
One key piece of information I learned from Kellen is the benefit of making a bait solution and the actual formulation of baits. In my trapping, I’ve usually relied on some type of untreated meat alone for bait, either fresh, tainted or rotten. But Kaatz uses a solution to help bring out the natural odors of the meat and enhance its attraction to the target animal. I’ll be trying bait solutions much more on my traplines moving forward to see what type of benefit they might provide.
“In The Lure Room” is packed with useful information for the lure and bait maker, and I highly recommend adding it to your trapping video library.
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