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About Mongo
Expertise
I can answer most basic questions concerning predator trapping and some water trapping. Questions about lures, baits, sets, traps, trap treatment, modification, sizes, equipment, usage, etc. I have been certified by the Okla. Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, First Okla. Trapper`s Assoc., and the Okla. State Univ. Extension Service as a trapping instructor, and in years past have given classes to people wishing to learn the sport...I also have a number of years experience in predator calling and can provide some basic answers to these questions as well.
Experience
Past/Present clients
As far as teaching what I know to others. I take this to be what you mean here... I have helped my son, and son in law, as well as a number of others in this area, to get started in trapping and predator calling... I have had personal instruction from professional government ADC specialists, and I have 30 years experience running my own traplines, and over a half century of experience in the outdoors...... I have a friend who is a troop leader with the Boy Scouts. In the past I have done several demonstrations on trapping and predator calling for the boys, and on a number of occasions have helped the troop to set up and run a trapline during the winter, with proceeds going to the troop.
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You are here: Experts > Recreation/Outdoors > Hunting/Shooting > Hunting > trapping
Expert: Mongo - 10/24/2009
Question
QUESTION: mongo im going to trap some beavers & muskrats this spring can u tell me how to dry them and put them up tell i want to use them in lures .thank u roger.
ANSWER: Hello Roger,
Now, I assume you are talking about the glands and castors when you say you want to dry them and put them up until you want to use them in lures.
Beaver castors... The castors are large, gray glands containing materials used to mark territory, and are located on the lower abdomen. Always cut them out so they stay connected, removing the membrane that covers them. Then hang them over a line or wire to air dry, someplace out of reach of pets or other animals, and in a sheltered area such as a barn or garage... I generally let them hang until they dry completely, then cut them up into small pieces with a pair of scissors into a bowl. I then grind these pieces up, put into a jar, cover with glycerin, and store to use later. For a thinner formulation of the castor to use in lures or baits, you can make a "tincture" by pouring 100 proof vodka over the dried, ground castor in a clean glass container with a lid. Shake it a few times a day for several days and then let set for a few weeks, shaking occasionally. The vodka will absorb most of the odor of the castor.(Don't use the drug-store Isopropyl alcohol, as it has a "medicine odor".) Vodka will also "extend" an expensive lure ingredient... When taking the castors I also remove the oil sacks/glands. The oil glands are about 2 inches long in large beaver. They contain the oil it uses to make its fur waterproof, and are located just below the castors... I generally squeeze the oil glands out into a previously made castor/glycerin mix....... One of the best beaver lures made is simply mixing your dried, ground castor with glycerin...For a bit of a change up you can also add a few drops of poplar bud oil.
Now, know that the castors and oil glands are encased in a thin membrane that must be separated from the glands and castors and removed.
Something else I might throw in, is when you are making castor based lures, and want to catch only the adult beaver, don't squeeze in the oil glands. Using the oil glands too will still catch the adult beaver...but it will also catch smaller/juvenile beaver as well.
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Muskrats... To tell you the truth Roger, I have never collected muskrat glands myself. The few times I have used them in lures I just bought them... But, I wanted to try to answer your question, so I called a friend of mine who does a bit of muskrat trapping and asked him... This is what he told me.............. Fresh muskrat glands will be pink in color, and will not have much of a smell. They do not freeze well, and do not dry out well without spoiling, so they must be preserved as soon as you collect them... Remove them, and remove the membrane that covers them, then grind the glands up right away, put them into a jar, and cover them with glycerin... The longer they set the better the mix will be when used in a lure.
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Now Roger, let me also throw this in... If you do catch some beaver, remember that the beaver makes some of the best fox, coyote, and bobcat bait you can get...and so does the muskrat... So, here is a bait receipe that I have posted at several forums that I go to. It is the one that I used the most. I thought you might be able to use it too..........
Making Chunk Bait... The Mongo Method...
If you do much predator trapping, you are going to be needing a goodly supply of bait. And if you have bought it, you know how expencive it can be, especially if you use it by the gallon like I used to... Instead of buying bait you can make your own chunk bait that works just as well, for a fraction of the price. Here is one of my favorite recipies for chunk bait....
Items needed:
1) Your meat for bait... rabbit, muskrat, deer, bobcat, groundhog, ect... or my favorite for chunk bait, beaver.
2)A knife
3)A spoon or something to mix with
4)A bowl to mix in
5)Jars with lids to put your bait in
6)Sodium benzoate, or plain(not idoized) table salt... Sodium benzoate can be bought at many larger grocery or drug stores, trapper supply houses, or chemical stores, and I do prefer it over the salt. It comes in a powder, or small flake form, and is generally used as a preservative.
To begin I will cut my meat into chunks about the size of a walnut. I remove any fat, and allow it to set and taint at room temperature. I DON'T want it rotten. I only want a slight taint. The point where it has just a slightly unpleasant smell, and is grey colored, but if cut into is still red and juicy inside. After my chunk bait has reached the stage of taint that I want, I put my bait into a bowl, and sprinkle on a little of the sodium benzoate, and mix it up. I want to completely coat my chunks. If useing salt I do the same, but I use the salt a bit heavier than the sodium benzoate... I'll let it set, with a cloth covering the bowl, for several hours or over night, and kind of "soak it in". Then I check and make sure that all the chunks are still coated good, and if they are not I add some more sodium benzoate or salt, and mix until it is all completely coated. I then loosely pack it into jars until about 3/4 full(No fuller than 3/4, as gas will be forming that can cause pressure). Sprinkle a lite covering of sodium benzoate on top, or a couple of spoonfulls of salt, and fill it with water to just above the level of the bait so that everything is just covered, and put on the lids... Just to be safe, I will check the jars EVERY DAY, and loosen the lids to release any gas that may have formed. I will do this every day until it stops releaseing gas when I crack the lid... I then check on it and crack the lids occasionally every 4 to 7 days or so after this, just to be sure. And if it is not still releaseing gas, I store it back till season...... For a bit of variety a little beaver castor can be added, or if the chunk is to be used in extremely cold weather, a drop or two of skunk essence can be added to a few of the jars, as it helps the smell to carry when the temps get really low.
Well Roger, I hope this helps with your question, and gives you a little more useful information as well.
Take Care,
Mongo
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QUESTION: mongo im going to save some beaver meat and try chunk bait now if i make it this fall or wither here in ny will it keep tell next fall thank u roger
ANSWER: Good Morning Roger,
The short answer to that is "Yes".... However...it MUST be well preserved, and all the gas released, before storing it back. (Be sure to store it in a cool, dark place, away from heat or sunlight.)... And, as I have told you in the recipe above, I prefer to use sodium benzoate for preserving it. Sodium Benzoate seems to preserve meats better than salt if stored for long periods of time... I have beaver chunk bait that has been stored in excess of 10 years using sodium benzoate, that was still just fine when I opened it up for use... Now, you will find that some types of meat "stores better" than others... I have had some meat baits turn into a paste over time. This did not hurt the bait at all. I simply ended up with a paste type bait instead of a chunk type bait, and I just used it at the rate of about a heaping spoonful per set... But, if done properly, beaver meat will not do this, and will stay in chunk form for a good many years.
Let me toss this in while I am thinking about it.... When you use a bait at a dirthole set, whether the bait is chunk, paste, or liquid...never just pour it directly on the dirt or in the hole. Put a wad of grass, or some leaves, or even a cotton ball in the hole first. This prevents the bait and it's juice from "soaking into the ground"...and the same with lure. Don't pour it directly on the dirt or ground either. Put it on or in something...a wad of dry grass, wad of leaves, small chunk of dry porous wood, cotton ball, etc. Something to hold the smell and keep it from just soaking into the ground.... And here's a tip I will also add. This is particularly helpful if trapping fox or coyote... Put something in your hole to put your bait on, then add your bait... Now, take a loose wad of dry grass and loosely stuff it over your bait in the hole, then flick a little dirt over this. The fox or coyote will still smell the bait...but by doing this, he can't see the bait, and he can't easily just reach in and drag the bait out. He will have to stick around longer to dig the bait out, and in so doing, he will step around your set more, giving you alot better chance of his putting his foot where it will do you the most good.
Hope this helps Roger... If there is anything else I can help with, just give me a holler.... And good luck with the coming season.
Mongo
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: one more thing i for got to ask after the gas is out can i store it in mason jars quart size and do i need to heat them to seal thank u ROGER
Answer
Hello Again Roger,
You can store it in pretty much any jar... Just MAKE SURE it is well preserved, and is no longer producing any gas... But...DO NOT...heat them.... If you think it is necessary to help the lids to seal, you can place a piece of plastic wrap or such over the jar before screwing the lid tightly on....... For myself, I just used empty jars that things like mustard, or jelly, or mayonnaise, or preserves, etc., came in. These were handy and they were free...and besides, I don't like the "2-piece" lids of Mason jars for bait jars. That is just another thing to have to mess with and try to keep together. I much prefer just "regular lids", so I can just take the lid off, get out my bait, and put the lid back on......... I washed the jars and their lids out REAL WELL, with a dishwashing liquid and hot water, being sure to get in the threads where they screw together. Then I rinsed them REAL WELL using clean hot water... Then I set the jars somewhere out of the way, and laid the lids beside them, to air out for a few days or a week or so, to make sure all the smells of what was in them, or of the dishwashing liquid, were gone... Then I took a clean rag, or a few paper towels and wiped the jars and their lids out, and then used them.......... Again, let me say...Do NOT heat them... If you use good, clean jars they should seal just fine... Like I say, if you have any doubt, lay a piece of plastic wrap over the jars before screwing on the lids... And after you have them stored back, do not open them again until you are ready to use them.
Hope this answers your question Roger...and like I say, I am as near as your computer.
Mongo
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