Beaver Bait

[Leifer]

For those who trap beaver, has anyone here made the Lewis and Clark beaver bait? If so, what modern measurements did you use to make it? Anyone use castors that they bought? I know castors from a beaver you caught would be better. Anyone come across any other period beaver bait recipes?


Leifer

[beaudro]

"To prepare beaver bate, the castor [1] or bark stone is taken as the base, this is gently pressed out of the bladderlike bag which contains it, into aphiol of 4 ounces with a wide mouth; if you have them you will put from four to six stone in a phiol of that capacity, to this you will add half a nutmet, a douzen or 15 grains of cloves and thirty grains of cinimon finely pulverized, stir them well together and then add as much ardent sperits to the composition as will reduce it the consistency mustard prepared for the table; when thus prepared it resembles mustard precisely to all appearance." Lewis and Clark.
This is what I had for the L&C, my bait is similar in consistency I guess. If I buy the dry castor or extract my own I mix a little whiskey with it and make it thick. It won't pour, but you can dip a stick in it and get all the paste you need. I don't think you could get a standard measured recipe unless you have a measured amount of castor.

[Leifer]

The grains of cloves and cinimon, is that by weight?

[beaudro]

Makes you wonder how they measured grains, a powder charger? I have no idea.
The quote later says " it appears to me that the principal uce of the spices is only to give a variety to the scent of the bark stone"
This is twice I've seen a reason given for the variety of baits. I tend to believe it helps, if a beaver recognizes a scent to be something familiar he won't be encouraged as much, or his attention wont' be drawn away from the trap set in his path. If it's something new and means a new male is in his territory he will charge the mound without looking around for a trap. So if your using the same bait over and over and beaver are finding your set , I change the recipe to something else.

[Leifer]

For the life of me I can't remember where I read it, but I saw where allspice was used...presumably as a variant for the same reason.

[beaudro]

here's a few quotes I've collected of different recipes, Ike has a few on his blog too.

"The trap is baited with the "medicine," an oily substance obtained from a gland in the scrotum of the beaver, but distinct from the testes. A stick is dipped into this and planted over the trap..." WILD LIFE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS by George Frederick Ruxton

"The bait which is put on it is a mixture of beaver secretions (castoreum) with various spices and some whiskey". A JOURNEY TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN 1839 By F. A. Wislizenus, M.D.

"...and the Indians...have hardly any way to take them [beavers] but...by snares...where they dam up the Water. But the English Hunters have found a more effectual method. Take the large Pride of the Beaver, Squeeze all the Juice out of it, then take the Small Pride, and squeeze out about 5 or 6 drops, Take the inside of Sassafras Bark, Powder it, and mix it with Liquor, and place this bait conveniently for your steel trap."
---Col. William Byrd II, Virginia, 1738

It seems like I have also heard of one with allspice, I'll keep looking.

[isaac]

I have made it and used it with good success. I measured it like I do with all my cooking... by eye and smell (but not by taste with this one.).

IW

[Leifer]

....chicken... ;D

[blackhand]

Jun 27, 2013 19:37:54 GMT -7 beaudro said:

Makes you wonder how they measured grains, a powder charger?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apothecaries%27_system
A grain is a measure of weight equal to 64.8 mg or 0.00228575273 ounces.
As a matter of perspective, there are approximately 7000 grains per pound (for FFFg).

[Leifer]

This was in the MOFT 49:4

And Early Recipe for Beaver Bait

From the records of the Lemoin OIT Factory in 1810 come this attractant for beaver:
3 lbs. cloves
6 lbs. nutmegs
2 lbs. cinnamon
6 lbs. allspice
1 pt Lavender water
1 pt Essence of Lemons
1 pt Essence of Mint
1 lb asafetida & 1 lb devils dung or 1 gallon strongest kind of spirits.
6 dozen very small vials to put the liquids in when sold.

I'm noticing nothing about castors, which of course, isn't necessarily required.

Leifer

[Rod]

I got my Quarterly last night, and was reading through it today. I also noticed the lack of castor in this recipe---on the other hand, I looked up Devil's dung (had never heard of it before) and found out it's asafoetida. Apparently, this recipe isn't meant to make the beaver think there's a rival in their territory, but to make a smelly bait to get their attention and let curiousity bring them in.

Rod

[luke]

"Our bait was from the belly of the animal itself. Under the belly of all beavers is a cavity about 2 ½ inches long containing in two separate apartments what are called the oil and the bark stone behind it. The fluids from these two stones, smelling a good deal like asafetida are put together in some tight vessel…..I kept mine in a horn……They compose about ½ gill. The produce of the beaver would make bait enough to last two years but I generally renewed it with the first one I would catch in the spring. Some put asafetida with their bait. But this I thought would injured it. A little whiskey perhaps did some good. The bait was a little twig about as long as your finger with little splints made at the end, and this dipped into the horn."

This is an edited version of James Wade's description of beaver trapping in Kentucky from the Draper Manuscripts. It is an edited quote as the full quote, which I need to run down to the Filson and get off the fiche machine describes the horn with a wood plug and leather gasket, that he kept in his shot pouch.

[Leifer]

So this one might fall under the category of a "curiosity lure"...

I've got some beaver castor and I'm going to try to make the L&C lure and try it before season ends for me (May 31). Just for kicks I'd like to try to make this Lemoine recipe as well and compare the two.

Luke, do you have an approximate time for the Wade excerpt? Anyone familiar with the bait box he describes?

Leifer

[luke]

Its either 1789 or 1792, cant remember right now which one.

The full account is published in Dale Payne's Frontier Memories III, but that seems to be a hard volume to find, and since Ive got the Filson pretty close, am just going to go print out the actual account. Would have done that today but my dog and a coon went at it last night and so Im just back from the vet instead of at the filson like was my plan for the day.

luke

[luke]

also its a horn tip, with a wood plug and leather for a gasket that he carries in his shot pouch, not tied to a belt or anything like that