The Power of Scent

Cody Harris, a talented senior wildlife student and avid trapper, recently whipped up a batch of "lure" and asked if I would be willing to test its effectiveness in the T.A. forest. Testing the lure with the game camera offers the opportunity to not only keep track of the species drawn in but also observe their reactions to this potent concoction. Trapping lure is a scent laden substance used to attract a variety of furbearers (creatures whose fur is commercially valuable). Cody's recipe reminded me a lot of a halloween witch's brew including things like beaver tail, dear meat, and fox urine. I have been using small amounts of the lure in front of the game cameras around the TA forest for the past couple of weeks and the verdict is in. This stuff works!

The species captured over the past few weeks stopping in to give the lure a sniff include gray squirrel, gray fox, red fox, porcupine, opossum, raccoon, and coyote. Some of the most notable videos are shown below.

This porcupine spent a while investigating the scent lure left on the upright stick. 

This red fox surely picked up some the pheromones from the fox urine in the lure and left a scent mark of its own. 

The coyote shown in the video strikes a perfect pose while remaining wary of any danger. 

A pair of coyotes arrive on the scene later on the same night to investigate the scent lure. 

One of the most notable observations from the use of the lure was the territorial behaviors it generated from some of the species. The red fox shown above leaves a scent mark of its own before departing. It is certainly possible that the presence of fox urine in the lure could signal the arrival of an intruder on its territory. The pair of coyotes shown in the last video is another highlight. The individual seen in the background seems a little rotund for the time of year and it is possible that this could be a female late in her pregnancy. Coyotes in Maine generally have their pups between late March and May making the timing almost perfect.