388 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION 



DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING FETID BAIT OR SCENT FOR COYOTES 



There are numerous formulas for making scent or fetid bait for 

 coyotes. The following method has been used extensively by cooper- 

 ative state trappers vinder the directions of Field Foreman J. 0. 

 Miller, of the United States Biological Survej-, and lias been chosen 

 as the method best adapted for general use in California. 



1. Take one gallon of well-decayed fat fish which has rotted four 

 or five weeks in a warm place but not in the sun. Add a little water 

 so that the bones can be removed. Pulverize and strain through a fine 

 wire screen. Fat gromid squirrels or venison may be used instead 

 of the fish if run through a meat grinder and then allowed to rot 

 for six weeks, during which time the decoction should be stirred 

 occasionally. 



2. Take %2 ounce of powdered tongking ("tonquin") musk and 

 dissolve it in four ounces of 95 per cent grain alcohol for ten days. 

 Unless musk is dissolved in alcohol it remains in powdered form and 

 is liable to be lost. If tongking musk is not available, use one ounce 

 of common musk such as is used for perfume, or one oimce dried 

 musk glands of the muskrat. 



3. One ounce of triple extract of beaver castor. If this is not 

 available, dissolve one ounce of good gummy beaver castor in four 

 ounces of alcohol. 



4. One-half ounce of pulverized asafetida. 



5. One quart glycerine, or an equal amount of strained honey. 

 Mix the dissolved musk, beaver castor and asafetida (2, 3 and 4) 



with the glycerine (5), which latter helps to prevent evaporation. 

 Then mix thoroughly with the liquid decayed fish or meat (1). Then 

 strain, bottle, and cork the bottles loosely. When freshly bottled the 

 compound tends to blow the cork, but this will cease after a time. 

 This fetid bait or scent keeps well; some made six j^ears ago proved 

 very effective when used the past winter. One ounce of fetid bait 

 is sufficient for four or five settings of traps. 



The following scent made from the secretions of the coyote is 

 popular with professional trappers. 



Put into a wide-necked bottle the urine, gall and anal tract of a 

 freshl}^ killed coyote. Add water to make four fluid ounces. To this 

 mixture add one ounce of glycerine and one grain of corrosive sub- 

 limate. Let the mixture stand for ten days in a warm place, but not 

 in the direct rays of the sun. Then add one-half ounce of powdered 

 asafetida and shake well. The scent is then ready for use. 



