FREEZE DRIED SCENT LURE

Abstract

A dry urine-based scent lure is provided for hunting. The lure includes an absorbent member impregnated with liquid urine, and then freeze dried to remove moisture from the host member. The urine maybe a blended mixture from different animals so as to have desired properties. The urine is concentrated and then infused into the absorbent material, which is then flash frozen, followed by freeze drying. The resulting dry scent lure is packaged so as to seal out humidity, and produce a lure with unlimited shelf life.

Claims

1. A hunting scent lure, comprising: a host member impregnated with concentrated liquid urine and then frozen, followed by freeze drying drive moisture out of the member while retaining a sufficiently strong aroma to attract an animal.

2. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 wherein the host member is an absorbent material.

3. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 wherein the liquid urine can be a blend from different animals.

4. (canceled)

5. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 wherein the host member retains all the odiferous ingredients of the liquid urine.

6. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 wherein the liquid urine is free of preservatives.

7. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 wherein the liquid urine is substantially free from contaminants.

8. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 wherein the liquid urine is substantially free from feces.

9. A method of producing a dry scent lure comprising: infusing concentrated liquid urine into a host member; then freezing the host member to a solid state; and then freeze drying the frozen host member to drive out moisture while maintaining a urine scent in the host member for use without dehydrating.

10. (canceled)

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the freezing step is at a maximum temperature of 70 F.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the member is frozen using dry ice.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the member is frozen using an ultra low temperature freezer.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the host member is saturated with the liquid urine.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the host member is soaked in the liquid urine.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising, as a first step, blending urine from different animals.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the liquid urine is concentrated before infusing into the host member.

18. The method of claim 9 further comprising sealing the host member in a vessel containing the liquid urine.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising rotating the vessel to saturate the host member with the urine.

20. The method of claim 10 further comprising sealing the host member after freeze drying to preclude humidity absorption prior to use of the scent lure.

21. The hunting scent lure of claim 1 where in the host member is a unitary piece after freeze drying for use without rehydrating.

22. A method of using a freeze dried scent lure to attract an animal, comprising: unpackaging a concentrated wine-based freeze dried scent lure to release urine scent from the lure; and then setting the scent lure in a desired outdoor location to draw in an animal to the location without rehydration.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the method for producing the hunting scent lure, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Urine is collected in known manners so as to be free from contaminates, such as feces. Urine from different animals maybe blended to produce a liquid mixture with the desired properties. For example, doe or cow urine may be mixed with buck or bull urine. The urine may be collected at desirable times, such as estrus urine and rut urine during the breeding cycle. Natural additives maybe added to the urine, such as glands and glandular secretions.

[0021] The collected and/or blended urine is then processed to concentrate the urine. One example of the concentration process involves inverting the urine-containing vessel over a catch vessel, and then freezing the urine for approximately 8 hours. The frozen urine can then be thawed and then weep out a portion of the thawed urine to produce a concentrated liquid urine having a dark color and a strong, pungent scent or aroma. This concentration process may take 72 hours. The residual ice is discarded. The urine concentration step reduces subsequent freeze drying time, since a portion of the moisture is removed by the concentration process.

[0022] The concentrated urine is then placed in a vessel or container having one or more absorbent host members. The host members maybe any absorbent material which will not dissolve or degrade when saturated with the urine. For example, the host member may be a wick, a pad, a sponge, a felt material, or other cloth material. When multiple host members are used, these members should be placed in the vessel or container in a manner to simplify separation after the freeze drying process. For example, if wicks are used, the wicks can be placed in perpendicular layers to one another, or maybe stood parallel to one another within the container. The container should have sufficient urine so as to soak the host members to a saturated condition. The vessel maybe rotated or shaken to assure consistent distribution of the urine through the host members, as so as to expedite saturation time.

[0023] The vessel with the saturated host members is then placed in an ultra-low temperature freezer so as to freeze the host members. Urine does not freeze easily, due to the presence of salt. Concentrated urine retains the salt, which makes freezing more difficult. Thus, conventional food product freezers are not cold enough to freeze the contents of the vessel. For example, the freezer should have a temperature that can be lowered to at least 70 F. The freezing process may take up to 36 hours, or longer. As an alternative to an ultra-low-temperature freezer, the vessel maybe imbedded in dry ice, which typically has a temperature of approximately 109 F., until the host members are frozen solid. This preliminary freezing step minimizes the time required for the next freeze drying step.

[0024] The host members are then placed into a freeze dryer, which is run for a sufficient time to drive the moisture out of the host products, and thereby produce a dry scent lure. The host members may be separated before or after the freeze drying process. Once freeze dried, the host members are sealed to keep out moisture and humidity. The sealed product has an unlimited shelf life, and does not require refrigeration to preserve freshness.

[0025] In use, a hunter can take the sealed package to the hunting site. The package is then unsealed and the dry host member can be placed in any convenient location. The host member does not require rehydration, due to the strong concentrated aroma. The host member will remain in position wherever placed by the hunter. For example, the solid scent lure of the present invention can be placed on the ground, hung on a branch, dragged along the ground to create a scent line, or placed in or on a decoy. Each impregnated host member is a complete unit and will stay wherever positioned. If desired, the hunter can rehydrate the host member, which will absorb the water without run off.

[0026] The freeze drying process retains all of the odiferous ingredients and pheromones from the liquid urine, so as to be highly attractive to a buck. The freeze drying process eliminates the need for preservatives, as in liquid scent lures, and eliminates the need for refrigeration.

[0027] The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.