Urine @ Dirtholes

[briankroberts]

Do use use urine @ dirtholes?? If you do what is your reasoning, if not what is your reasoning.

I probably use urine at about 20% of my dirtholes, the ones where I use it are large dug out type holes, and I use bait at these, but no other type of lure, and I always use it on the side of the set.

Most of my dirtholes are made along with a post set that I use urine at, so my reasoning is I want the post set to smell different than the dirthole, so I use no urine at the dirthole .....B.....

[mac]

Howdy,

For several years I used urine at dirtholes as though it were free. Why? What reasoning? Because reading Nelson's methods, Grawe's methods etc. I was convinced it would work well. Did it? Yes.
In the past several years I have changed my thoughts to some extent. Why? Due to experiencing heavy competition during the boom of the 1970's, and early 1980's, and perhaps too much reading. I sometimes think a guy would be better off letting the animals tell him what is working than to read all of the work written by trapping physcologists.
Do I continue to keep buying and reading books? You bet. Do I buy and watch videos? You bet. Why? Because I believe you can never learn too much. But, But, But, I still sometimes find myself looking back over my trapping career and wondering.
Wondering if we have not made things harder than they are. I honestly do not know.
I am now of the opinion that one should mix it up concerning urine use. I personally think if you are using urine posts in the vacinity of dirtholes that one would do better to eliminate the use of urine at the dirthole. Unless, you use a different type (ie. specie) at each.
Just my thoughts. And I am sure they will change, they always seem to.
Mac

[mike692]

I had been using urine at dirtholes, but have gotten away from it this season. Probably for the same reason as you. Each of my locations get a dirthole and a scent post.
When I do use urine at dirtholes, lure goes in the hole, urine on the backing. No reason, it's just the way I was taught to do it and it always seemed to work for me.

[17kiss]

As B said when using a urine post nearby no. From looking back, on fox in particular , urine at set is a benefit. Usually start out just lure , then add urine after a few days. Seems to make a difference. Years I have used more urine I have caught more fox. Next year am just going to mix lure 50/50 with urine in plastic squeeze bottles. tired of breaking lure bottles and ease of application. Just squirt and go.

[trappnman]

Bill Nelson would have been proud of me- I'm a urine fanatic ;D

I admit- I'm hooked on urine use- because I have always done it and it works. I strongly suspect I could use a lot less than I do- but also strongly suspect I'll continue on the same LOL

I have read the books on urine use at dirtholes not being natural and a fox doesn't urinate on a cached food area. I haven't a doubt in the world that that is true.

But I do not believe that the dirthole that 99.9% of the trappers make in any way, shape or form resembles a cached meat spot make by another canine.

A manmade hole with exotic smells coming from it?

I believe that a dirthole attracts a canine because of its curiosity factor. Yes, a canine might be hungry when he approaches the hole- but he works the hole out of curiosity- and thats the job of both the lure and the urine to a degree) to incite that curiosity and provoke certain reactions (if you haven't check out the "lure ingriedients" paper on the Logan Research Site- do it. If you trap coyotes- its well worth your time)

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I use urine primarily 3 ways:

1) at new sets. I just about always give the backing a good squirt and sometines the walkthrough guide, esp if that guide is a dropping.

2) at remakes. I've had real good luck at coyote remakes by misting the walkthrough after the remake.

3) at sets with rusty traps- I have proven to my own satisfaction that a trap made rusty after catches can be made servicible by a heavy misting over the entire set.

_______________________________________

Yo ucan always do like Johhny Thorpe suggests-- use cow urine. Its free and he says (and I have heard this same thing from many trappers) that urine is urine and it doesn't matter what knid you use.

Ah, it wouldn't be trappping if the truck didn't smell like fox urine....

[jsevering]

depends on what my attractor is in the hole.

If im using muskrat, bobcat,deer ect., in the hole, im generally backing the set up with a natural scent flat\post type set anyways, so wont use urine at the hole.

if im using a call type food lure ill use urine and or gland lure for that extra step as i feel they wont work the hole as hard, once into the season for awhile and may only get a squirt for my effort on a percentage of my sets, so i might as well try to direct the foot placement for the squirt if i can.

The guy I trap with on and off through out the season can go through a gallon of urine, in two weeks time and start eye balling yours, if you let him and his catch usally evens out with mine, give or take a dog or two,one way or the other, so who knows? Have alot of mixed thoughts and feelings, regarding the when and hows of urine asage and when and how to add a fresh turd to a set over the course of the season and still dont know if the exact effect im looking for is correct most of the time, guess thats what makes it fun, the thinking...jim

[z]

glad to see you made it jim........Z

[jsevering]

glad to be here z, steve created a real nice site!..jim

[Dusty]

...a guy would be better off letting the animals tell him what is working than to read all of the work written by trapping physcologists.

That just needed said again.

I almost never use urine - my criitters tell me they aren't impressed by it. When I do, I use frozen dog urine (usually with yellow food coloring to add to the visual appeal - watered-down pee from a well-watered dog isn't too bright).

I'll never again use that canned brown crap you buy. It smells like someone went on vacation without flushing the toilet first - not that I'd know. If I do use urine, I want it to smell/look like some brave puppy from the pack down the street has shown up and pissed all over something he shouldn't have. If I wanted any other reaction (and I get other reactions with the canned brown stuff), I'd use something besides urine.

That said, I know at least one person who catches a lot of fur almost exclusively on pee posts, and collects pee by carrying a gatorade jug around with him. Of course, I'd bet that urine is still fresh and yellow, not brown and putrid.

I haven't seen dirt for several months, and won't for several more, but I only use urine at pee posts when I use it.

[trappnman]

Dusty brings up a point..in a roundabout way...

Is all "storebought urine" the same? Some people have made a study of what foods produce what type of urine. Many claim collection pen arrangement and methods make a night and day difference between quality of urine.

I do know that "good" urine smells to me like a fox just peeded in the bottle- it smells "foxey" or "coyotety" as the case may be.

One thing to keep in mind- many properties of urine evaporates or otherwise breaksdown- leaving pretty much the same smell from urine to urine.

[Stef]

Like i said many times, I like to double set for fox with "Hole sets".
1 set with call lure
second set any kind of lure with urine deep in the hole.

For coyote i mixed more my sets, post, flat hole etc.. and 99% don't use urine at dirt hole as mentioned by some above.

Stef

[jsevering]

(lol) Wheres Bob Wendt?

I think it was bob that made mention that urine was the closest thing to the written word a canine has.

I belive that statement and also belive what dusty said about some bottled urines, also belive alot of your urine back in the seventies was nothing more than bottled up cow urine with a shot of sweet skunk (lol).

I feel the brine quality of the urine can make or break a set when urine at the set counts the most.

Have alot more feelings and beliefs on specific urine use other than the diet, thier feed but they'll just get me in a world of grief.

what the hey, heres a couple

If sexualy mature coyotes come into heat once a year and males follow the heat, whats the urine that was collected at a community urinal late summer doing for me at a sleeper set in january\ febuary?

Does the age of the coyote, that the urine was taken from this time of year come in to play, with the actual response or responses?

last of all dont mind me its sunday and Im bored...jim

[briankroberts]

Some good opinions here so far,

One thing I want to mention , the quality of urine was brought up.

I skin fox and Coyotes for some hunters and always check the bladders, about half are full, this I save Fox in one jar and Yotes in another, then I freeze this and use it sparingly at post sets next year and there is a world of differance between this stuff and store bought.

The fox urine from wild caught foxes is almost swwet smelling and the Yote well it smells like a wet yote.....B.....

[dj88ryr]

I use a LOT of urine, at dirtholes, walkthroughs, post sets, and if I made them, spring holes. Why?? I always have and had success, I hate change. I usually mist the whole pattern area after excavating the bed and dirthole. I then mist the covered trap, the backing, and after I stand up, I mist the spot where I kneeled and stood. I used to think I did it to cover any scent that I left at the location, then I started thinking, that we have worried too much about scent left behind, I discarded my gloves and set bare handed, but still use the mist technique.
I do believe there is a difference in quality of urine, all store boughts are not created equal and some are definately of good enough quality to work for me. I would like to have someone prove to me that I didn't need to do this, at the present time, I go through about 4 gallons a season.

[Zagman]

Due to problems with the nightmare-population of whitetails we have, I made a concerted effort to use LESS urine this year, probably used it 50% less than I used to....

My catch is down about 25%.....

Coincidence?

Zagman

[jsevering]

Guess your dogs are just pissers , zag

noticed that the post type sets were producing a little better early on with the wet weather we had...jim

[Stef]

My catch is down about 25%.....

Coincidence?

Zagman

Maybe

Stef ;D

[dj88ryr]

Zags,
The yotes were probably too busy pissing all over themselves laughing when they saw you checking traps in a suit and tie ;D ;D

Question though, are you going back to more urine next season?

[Zagman]

I have not singled out the lack of urine use as a definite reason.....my main reason continues to be weather. I quit early, like a baby, and went back to work rather than play in the mud. I was never able to make up the numbers part-time that I would have taken had I stayed on vacation.....

Still, I can register this less urine use as a big change from other years and have no doubt that it may have contributed in some way to the decline. Cannot prove it, though.....

I can say for sure, though, that I had less deer problems (snapped traps) than in years before...but was it at the expense of a couple animals.......perhaps.

Zag

[z]

you tell em' dj......... surprised the "pocono puppy trapper" ain't jump on this yet........ zz