Animal-In-Heat, Urine-Based Scents
The animal-in-heat, urine-based scent market is huge. Everyone has their favorite including UFC champion, Brock Lesnar. The most popular are deer, elk, and hog, but other species are gaining ground. The idea is simple and has a firm foundation based in animal science. I am not here to challenge the idea but rather the products.
Urine is primarily comprised of water, urea, and amino acids. There are several score of other ingredients, but these are the basic constituents. Animal-in-heat urine has a slightly different makeup (the scope of which is beyond this simple post) that signals reproductive status to potential suitors. The fresher the urine, the more pronounced the signal, which is part of the problem.
Manufacturers go to great lengths to obtain the freshest and purest animal-in-heat urines possible. They are collected with meticulous care. Then they hit shelves, sit, and collect dust. Even in the absence of air, chemicals within the urine react and degrade. This is evidenced by the redolent ammonia smell that old urine emits. This ammonia is produced by bacteria and chemical breakdown which forms through heat and age. To avoid ammonia production, extra water is often added. This cuts quality but elongates shelf-life.
Even the best urines go bad, and when I say go bad, I mean the “in-heat” molecules have degraded. When used soon after being collected, these animal-in-heat urine scents are worth their hefty price tag of roughly $100/gallon, but as time goes by, it’s just pee in a bottle. Caveat emptor always applies. So what can you do? Not much. Keep your urine cool (around 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and away from sunlight, but even then, it is just a matter of time.
Animal-in-heat urines are big business, but you have to wade through the hype.
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