The Economics of Everyday Things

7. Animal Urine

January 22, 2026

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  • Animal urine, typically viewed as waste, is a profitable commodity used primarily by hunters and gardeners to leverage natural animal communication signals for territorial defense and pest deterrence. 
  • Ken Johnson, known as the "P-Man" and operator of PredatorP.com, built a successful business by recognizing the market demand for predator urine (like coyote and wolf) to repel deer and other pests from suburban landscaping. 
  • The effectiveness of predator urine as a pest control method is scientifically mixed, but its appeal lies in being an all-natural product that utilizes an animal's innate instincts, leading to significant sales, including large agricultural exports to Japan to protect rice paddies. 

Segments

Introduction to Ken Johnson
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(00:01:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Ken Johnson, known as the “P-Man,” specializes in collecting and selling animal urine, which he equates to the smell of money.
  • Summary: Ken Johnson, an expert smeller, compares the aromas of different animal urines, noting Mountain Lion urine has a burnt umber smell and wolf urine has notes of earth. He operates PredatorP.com, selling a product most people consider waste but which he views as treasure. Johnson describes the product as the ultimate recycling, putting disposed material to natural work.
Origins of Urine Business
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(00:02:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Johnson’s business began marketing fox urine to hunters to camouflage human scent, but expanded after realizing its use as a garden deterrent.
  • Summary: Johnson studied forestry in Maine before entering the ad business and eventually taking over Foggy Mountain Hunting Scents and Lures in the mid-1980s. Hunters used fox urine because foxes are not deer predators, allowing hunters to get closer without alarming deer, which have 60 times stronger senses of smell than humans. A customer inquiry revealed that urine was being used off-season to repel rabbits from gardens, sparking a lightbulb moment about urine as a communication player in the wild.
Deer Population Impact
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(00:05:32)
  • Key Takeaway: The massive growth of the U.S. deer population led to significant landscaping damage, creating a high demand for coyote urine as a deterrent.
  • Summary: Development and suburban sprawl coincided with the U.S. deer population growing from 300,000 in 1900 to 32 million by 2020, causing havoc in new developments. Deer inflicted an estimated $250 million per year in damage to gardens and landscaping across just 13 states studied. Homeowners sought solutions, and Johnson provided coyote urine, as the scent forces deer to decide whether the risk of a predator is worth the food source.
Market Size and Products
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(00:06:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The animal urine market is robust, with coyote and wolf urine being top sellers, generating around $200,000 monthly on Amazon alone.
  • Summary: Products like coyote and wolf urine are sold in big box stores, and artisanal batches are available online. Coyote urine ($33 for 16 oz) and wolf urine are Johnson’s best sellers, with wolf urine being effective because wolves are the alpha predator that coyotes instinctively avoid. Other products include fox urine for squirrels/rabbits, bobcat urine for rodents, and mountain lion urine for wild boar.
Sourcing and Logistics
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(00:08:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Urine is sourced from zoos, game farms, and refuges via floor drains, then shipped in 55-gallon drums to Maine for processing and global distribution.
  • Summary: A steady stream of product is necessary to meet high demand, requiring collection from various animal facilities. The process involves collecting the urine via floor drains and shipping it to Johnson’s facility. From there, it is bottled and shipped worldwide, with Japan being the largest customer, using it agriculturally to protect rice paddies from wild boar.
Consumer Choice and Uses
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(00:12:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Consumers choose urine over chemical agents because it is an all-natural product leveraging instinct, though scientific effectiveness varies, and it is sometimes used for pranks or retribution.
  • Summary: One study showed bobcat urine reduced groundhog damage by up to 98%, while another found leopard urine had no effect on small rodents. Beyond pest control, customers use the product for pranks, spraying it on storefronts to deter loitering, and even as a form of retribution in legal disputes. Johnson’s business has supported his family for 37 years and is now being passed to his daughter and her husband.