Thread: No Conibears to be seen?

This' definitely a naive question, but I've noticed that conibears are basically non-existent in peoples' toolkits for trapping in NZ, and that has me a bit surprised as they're easily one of the most popular trap types out here. Is it that there are better traps for the target species (ferrets, possums etc) or are they banned? I've seen them take almost everything from muskrats to wolverines and 60lb beavers and if they're set right nothing gets away from them, and was expecting them to at least be used in box sets for possums and ferrets. I've looked around a bit and just don't even really see mentions of them?

Probably banned.... There are some funny laws around trapping

Whats a conibear?

Gotta penny...I mean a pic😆

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Fair enough - this might explain why I'm not seeing them

Not overly complex and if you set them right they're lethal. Highly unpleasant to have attached to you though...




I like this guy's tips. Especially the one handed method of getting the trap off your arm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=242HreO5bgc

You raise a good point canross - maybe we should be using them more - I looked at them once with a guy that imports them along with Victor traps and Havaheart cages - but I didn’t fancy getting trapped in one
But we all use other traps that are fairly lethal if you do something silly
I have a heap of Fenn6 traps - but only use a few to put in rabbit burrows - they are also a bit scary for hands

Traps tested | Welfare performance of traps | Landcare Research

https://pestdss.landcarereresearch.c...l-trapping.pdf

http://www.predatortraps.com/downloa...illsystem2.pdf

Bloody big trap for the animals targeted in nz as well. Just watched some beaver videos.... (not that type) had no idea they got that big. Possums and hares are about as big as you would need here, unless you go for pigs and deer

Originally Posted by 223nut

Bloody big trap for the animals targeted in nz as well. Just watched some beaver videos.... (not that type) had no idea they got that big. Possums and hares are about as big as you would need here, unless you go for pigs and deer

Deer leg traps are the most cruel things I've ever used or seen. Im ashamed I ever used them.

http://wildgametrappingnz.synthasite.com

Originally Posted by Tahr

Deer leg traps are the most cruel things I've ever used or seen. Im ashamed I ever used them.

http://wildgametrappingnz.synthasite.com

Have seen some shocking pictures...

A few specialist cat programs use them but generally​ I think we are trapping smaller animals so they are overkill and a pain to cart around

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They make different sized connibears. They make smaller ones for Martin that would work for possums. Have a watch of The Wild Norths channel on YouTube, he uses a range of sizes.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWildNorth

Originally Posted by Tahr

Deer leg traps are the most cruel things I've ever used or seen. Im ashamed I ever used them.

http://wildgametrappingnz.synthasite.com

Spoke to a bloke who popped out of the tight scrub last weekend with a small pack and gloves. Gardening I enquired. No he said ,snaring. Lost his gun licence but says he gets more deer than ever.

Yeesh... I didn't think leg snares would be allowed for medium and big game... I've seen animals that got a leg into a snare rather than their head and it's never been pretty... there are noose snares with/without power heads on them here for wolves/coyotes, but those're meant to kill outright, and even then they aren't as quick as would be ideal. Plus they're placed high so it's hard to accidentally get another body part.

Stug's correct in that they make 110, 220 and 330 size traps - the trap pictured above is a 330 and is meant for beavers up to 27-36kg (yep... biggest I've ever dealt with is 31kg). If you've got sneaky beavers you can make a 330 wide or 660 by cutting and welding two traps together. The small conibears would be perfect for possums and ferrets - the fact that they have a wide swing arc is both an advantage and disadvantage. The wide swing requires careful setup - like in box traps or funnels, but with that done, not many animals manage to set them off and get away - it's hard for them to trip the trigger and get out of the jaws in time, and the jaw style means it seldom pushes them away like some traps. If you do catch yourself in them it hurts like a bugger, but won't cause any permanent damage unless you catch a finger. Seems biggest thing about them is they aren't terribly intuitive to use and are a bit intimidating. If you're interested take a look at Marten sets - it seems they could be pretty easily adapted for possums at least - possibly ferrets as well. Bycatch might be an issue with ground based traps, but you can mount a box set vertically close to the ground like the possum sets I've seen, and it funnels their heads into the trap.

Here a lot of animals learn about metal smells and avoid them, but if your animals don't learn well, then you can make multi-traps which are double ended box traps with a conibear in the entrance of each end, and bait in the middle protected by a screen on either side. You insert the bait through a door in the side of the trap. That way the first animal won't clear the way for the second to reach the bait, so the second animal will try what appears to be the second clear path to the bait and get nailed as well. Doesn't work terribly well for smart, territorial, or opportunistic eaters who'll just eat your first animal and leave I don't know if there are non-target species that go into tubes, if so this might not be the best option.

Can you tell I'm a fan of conibears?