Hopefully you bounce back OK @time out.
I’ve noticed a real drop off in catches lately since October-November, I guess things will change when the weather gets colder and wetter.
Printable View
Hopefully you bounce back OK @time out.
I’ve noticed a real drop off in catches lately since October-November, I guess things will change when the weather gets colder and wetter.
Took my 7 month old buddy for a possum hunt
he was all excited and happy until I killed one of the possums
he took off and just sit in the car looking very sad...
Attachment 216345
Attachment 216346
I target lawn digging rabbits in the back garden using a Fenn6 in a couple of tunnels - I never know what might show up – a rabbit or a Norway – but I couldn’t believe it yesterday when I rolled back the cover and found a ferret.
About 30m away from our house and 10m away from our neighbours back door. About 200m away from the estuary where I got eight ferrets a couple of years ago – so it looks like they are back.
No doubt more family members around – but a wet night and nothing today.
A no smell female – so I put it in the freezer for PFBOP taxidermy.
I got a ferret at the park a couple of weeks back – lure was rotting rabbit and an old egg – haven’t seen one there for a year or so.
Attachment 217670
Attachment 217669
If you ever get a chance to hear Cam Speedy talking predator control, go and listen to him. Just had 1.5 hrs and it was blimmin brilliant.
A second ferret down in the garden – couple of days after the first one – the Fenn6 trap disappeared out of the tunnel – he was caught across the shoulders and had four feet on the ground so ripped out the ground anchor pins and gone – dog had a good look around but couldn’t find it in our garden or the neighbours garden – I was a bit worried about the size of animal that could rip out the pins – so didn’t ask all the neighbours – just in case it was a pet rabbit LOL
Couple of days later the neighbour shifted his car and found the missing trap and ferret under the car – thank goodness it was a ferret.
We have since ripped out 40m of hedge and replaced it with a wood fence - so I doubt the animals will be so keen to move through without cover
Attachment 223478
Feral cat caught a while ago - just by its finger nails! Then a hawk finished it off.
Attachment 224098
And a black bird caught - just goes to show not all traps are perfect or are they?
Attachment 224099
In my woodshed, I used 4 rat poisons - Pest Off, Double Tap, and Ratabate.
Ratabate from Conovations was what they ate and left the other poisons for the smaller rats.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19rD...usp=share_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q14...usp=share_link
Great videos @BillyXmas546 – very clear in the dark of night in your wood shed – cute wee rats having their last feed of Ratabate paste on that piece of wood – certainly tells the story about rat bait preferences. I imagine the wood shed is now clear of rats.
There was a good programme on "The Sunday" about feral cats.We sat Max down and told him to bloody listen!
Attachment 225257
This pile was from Mt Cook National park.
Attachment 225258
the photos above show the good the bad AND the ugly of trapping...a bi catch of a bird is unusual but not unheard of...a cat with long leg is same.... the fens shown have caught as they are supposed to do...I believe the issues with less than ideal killing is from traps that have been left set for long periods of time,spring not quite so strong...and or dirty/rusty steel so the bits dont slide past each other quite so good....
I watched same show Dundee..the cat lady was classic..and you can GUARANTEE if all cats had to be neutered and kept inside she would be letting them out and still breeding them.
She was bloody crazy alright and so was that other bit from spca
The Possum Master on a sloping log continues to trip them up – caught by the claws is not a great way to die, but generally they put their head in to bite at the rabbit lure and the noose clamps their carotid arteries and kills them rapidly. We have to keep trying to remove the Apex predator from the environment. I saw an interesting cat video on TV1 last night where DOC showed what cats are doing in the environment – right up in the Southern Alps killing Kea – even DOC recognize cats as the Apex predator.
Attachment 225263
They should of asked the "cat lady" does a cat have the right to kill a kiwi ? It would of been interesting to hear her answer. Bat shit crazy comes to mind ...
Yep I have never thought of a cat to be......"victimized" [emoji23]
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Bo doing a cat scan!
Attachment 225310
Bo on the coon tonight.
Attachment 225315
I never thought you have a cat, Mr. Dundee. But think back all your posts and threads, yes you are. I have similar one back home, 12 years old but still jumping around like she is still a kitten. Talk me all the time, just I can `t understand what she said beyond food, open the north door not the south, where is my toy, I do `t wanna go home now...etc.
To some people, a bullet in a cat `s head would have been too humane. Let `s look after our friends, no matter the costs. If I can send our cats away, or give them a "special treatments" once for all, I can have my residency years ago. But I can `t, I will not leave them behind. Do I agree to keep their number in control, yes I do.
Attachment 225326 These are bastards
Possum attacking dead possum in the trap. I've filmed this behavior quite a few times.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q8_...usp=share_link
Possum caught in a Possum Master
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s1m...usp=share_link
Thanks for sharing your experiences and especially your videos @BillyXmas546 – we can all learn so much about pest control by sharing experiences. Since we started this thread, there has been 150,483 visits to the thread to see what other pest controllers are doing – please keep on sharing your experiences - catches, trap placements etc - even if you think we have seen it all before.
We have only got five Possum Master traps at the Park and have just removed them for maintenance after about five years work. The manufacturer suggests that we place lure in a small zip-lock plastic bag tied to the bait holder rather than attaching fruit or meat directly on the bait holder – has anyone had success doing this – apparently the odour of the lure escapes through the plastic and animals can still smell it. I asked the question on ChatGPT and apparently most animals including Possums and rats have a strong sense of smell.
BillyXmas546’s video shows how incredibly effective the Possum Master trap noose system works – the team at Puketoki operate about 100 on their lines across the 100 acre reserve – no intruder lasts long at Puketoki – they get about 40 each year that come down from the Kaimais - all the operators love these traps – simple and effective with raspberry jam on a small piece of carpet clipped to the bait holder.
Talking to other trappers about possum trap options – it seems like the Flipping Timmy is cost-effective, works well, is simple to service, is well made and looks to last well – possums also seem to like them!
I saw some FB posts from DRC Contracting around Palmy – they have been catching stoats in the standard old Timms traps in the Turitea Reserve – the Timms is another versatile trap.
Looking forward to seeing some other pest control experiences.
Attachment 226820
Attachment 226821
Time to resurrect this great thread.
What is happening out there ?
I checked my high country lines a couple of weeks back, there are 80 plus doc 150's and I expected to get a few mustelids [i always expect to get a few but] after using cut up duck in and around the traps which I thought will murder them. 1 big adult stoat and 3 rats was the sum total, very disappointed I was .
My local traps it is just rats and weasels in the 150s and 200s and a couple of cats in the cage trap. H/hogs in hibernation I guess.
I have heard that there are quite a few rats up in the beech forests.
@sore head stoat
It looks like its only a matter of time before mine catches its first cat.
There is almost always a dead rat hung up in the kill bars as bait [emoji106]
Attachment 231891
Attachment 231892
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
I just re read you previous post of 31.7 and thought if you are catching rats you will be getting cats hanging around and then I see todays post :). Time to get a SA trap or a sentinal close by to get the cats :thumbsup:
The other day I got given what looks like a Timms trap , its red.
I believe it catches tigers better if it is on a ramp, something to do with approach angle ? So could someone please put up a couple of photos how to set it up on a ramp or shall I just put it on the ground ?
Another mate who is a very good trapper just text me this morning. He had a cat going in his cage trap but it wouldn't stand on the treadle. He put a bit of duck carcass right at the back of the cage and disconnected the treadle but wired the duck bit to the trip lever , one clever feral cat caught and out of the system.
Those red ones used to be a very economical Timms copy, unsure if they are still made!
I have never put them on ramps except in areas with kiwi. Quite a few of them have been screwed onto pieces of timber. It gets them off the ground a bit but also can make larger holes for pegging them into the ground with larger pegs.
The at220s sure do work. One of them had a pile a squished mice in/under it too.
Attachment 232079
@sore head stoat -
The red Timms “look-alike” trap is not a patch on the yellow Timms – they rust out, the rod caps often fall off, rods get rusty and get very hard to trip, - its hard to beat a real yellow Timms.
For many years, I have mounted a Timms on a large log or on a stump – seems to work well.
Attachment 232082
Attachment 232083
Attachment 232084
Thanks TLB and time out, exactly what I wanted to know :thumbsup:
What do you shoot them with?
Hi @kukuwai how is that at220 going ?
Need advice chaps!
My cage trap isn’t inviting enough for Mr Rat, my usual bait of sultanas didn’t entice him, same when I smeared the sultanas in peanut butter, then I added a bit of Chesdale cheese and still no rat.
I even left a sultana and bits of cheese on the ground outside the trap and they were left untouched.
Mr Rat has been dining on what appears to be pitasporum ‘fruits’ right by the trap and leaving the husks (and poos!) scattered around right by the trap.
Any other baits that might entice Mr Rat into the trap?
Chocolate? Nutella?
I would try scratching up a heap of them and put them in the trap. Mr Rat probably doesn't need to go in with all that food about.
Sorry @sore head stoat I just spotted that above post. Love the AT220. Just ordered some more lure to keep it rocking, honestly its a rat slayer [emoji106]
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk