# Hunting > Varminting and Small Game Hunting >  Bird Predator Control

## time out

For those of you that are keen on Wetland or Upland birds - this might be a good time of the year to consider what you could do to improve bird survival rates - for adults and chicks 
If you have had bait stations out over winter - it would be good to check them to assess where bait has been moving and replace mouldy bait - rats will not eat mouldy bait 
So what should be on the hit list right now - possums, cats, rats, hedgehogs, stoats and ferrets 
Possums and rats are destructive animals and will eat eggs and chicks on the ground or in trees  
In my opinion, feral cats are one of our most dangerous bird predators, their home range is large and they can be extremely hard to catch 
Hedgehogs are an underrated bird predator - they have a massive set of jaws and teeth and will eat eggs, chicks, invertebrates and many other animals that might be caught in a trap - I have seen the remains of a possum in a timms trap - just the head and skin survives - they eat the rest 
Mustilids are destructive animals and often kill just for the sake of killing - a ferret will quickly take out all your nesting hen birds - unfortunately, they are very difficult to trap 
If you would like to get involved in predator control there is masses of information on hunting forums - but this Landcare document has to be one of the best - this is my Bible for bedtime reading - enjoy it - http://www.landcare.org.nz/files/file/1110/pest

This thread could be a great place for us to share experiences on predator control - there is plenty to learn, plenty of traps and toxins - some of which are better than others  :Have A Nice Day: 

Hedgehog in DOC250 - once one has been in - they just keep on coming - 

Timms look-a-like - not as good as genuine Timms - must have got thirty or more on that log - 

Cat or hedgehog had a feed - 

Often get hedgehogs in Timms when they are on the ground - I mostly put a rat bait station beside my traps - home made and holds about eight blocks - 

Quail love safe ground - no rats or hedgehogs here - 

Snap-E trap - best you can buy - many others break in service with impact or possums - nice ship rat - 

Good that others have a feed - note Goodnature possum paste for bait - yum!

Goodnature gas operated trap - best kill was five rats under one - but there are some tricks required to make them effective - note Philproof rat bait station - holds bait on wire triangle -

T Rex trap - that large rat was still alive - they also break on hinges and possums tear them apart - 

Sentinel trap - my favourite - not many escape from these - 

Timms can be hair triggered to catch rats - 

Homemade box trap with Victor trap - designed for rats and stoats -


Hope this will get a good thread going - feel free to ask questions - Kiwi Hunter has taught me heaps

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## Pointer

What your best tips for trapping cats? Have been using an enlarged Timms with limited success. What is the best bait for cats?

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## Toby

> What your best tips for trapping cats? Have been using an enlarged Timms with limited success. What is the best bait for cats?



Those copper and lead pills bro

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## time out

> What your best tips for trapping cats? Have been using an enlarged Timms with limited success. What is the best bait for cats?


Only cats that I have caught have been in cages - various baits such as Whiskas cat tucker, tin of salmon or a chunk of fresh rabbit if I have one - currently trying two cages - one with a possum carcase - also Fenn6 traps but no luck yet 
Found a stripped hen pheasant carcase yesterday so mother cat is still hanging round - but she saw a couple of her kittens in cages recently so a bit smart for me 
I once saw four ginger kittens run out of some scrub I was cutting - caught them by hand one after the other - pretty wee things - without their ..
KH may have good advice

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## Pointer

I have shot mumma and 4 yearling kittens so far,and trapped one in the timms with the enlarged hole using a drumstick for bait. Any help would be good, there are tons here

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## Woody

Brilliant post Timeout.

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## Dundee

I shoot multiple hedgehogs under the trees where I dump the magpies.They love feeding on dead magpies.

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## kawhia

can of sardines with holes punched in them....works for cats and ferrets

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## kiwijames

> What your best tips for trapping cats? Have been using an enlarged Timms with limited success. What is the best bait for cats?


Try a GSP

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## Survy

I don't know what it is but I love seeing feral cats taken out !!! I got one a couple of months ago it was feeding at the carcass pit, didn't hear me creep up with the 12g and 2 meters away cat had a window view thru the middle of it.

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## time out

Had a quiet wander round the Park this morning for three hours - checked about thirty trap stations - got nothing - trapping is a frustrating business where you are torn between wanting kills or not wanting kills 
The GN gas operated rat trap is an interesting device - designed to attract rats with the odour from a lure bottle on the top - they suggest you give it a squeeze each month to push out some fresh lure 
I find the lure dries out, gets a bit crusty and then has little odour - so I remove half of their product and add orange possum paste and olive oil - sometimes some aniseed - chuck it in the microwave to get it more fluid - stir it up and get lots more odour - it also allows the lure bottle to dribble down the barrel for several weeks - I also add some GN possum paste inside the barrel - note Goodnature do not recommend this practice inside their device 
The barrel is always clean when I come back - not sure if it is mice or rats - sometimes the odd rat under the trap, sometimes some blood - seems that mostly they get cleaned up by other rats

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## Wirehunt

I find ferrets easy trapping, just time consuming.  Over a couple of months just chipped away and got around 15 ferrets from one house.
The trick with them is to keep the bait fresh, they aren't interested in anything to stinky, rabbit works very well on them with tunnel traps.

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## time out

Cats dont leave much behind - but I will get her - soon  :Pissed Off:

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## time out

Not quite what I had in mind this morning - but I will take him - I guess that where there is a mother cat and kittens - there must be one of these buggars - but the old girl is still around somewhere - they just never stop coming up off the main road carpark - they take the cat on holiday and let them out with the carpark bantams -  :Pissed Off: 

Poor pussy - I really want out - hope he enjoyed half a rabbit - 


Nice size - but not huge - he never hissed once which is strange for a feral - usually they make heaps of noise in a cage -

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## Boar Freak

> What your best tips for trapping cats? Have been using an enlarged Timms with limited success. What is the best bait for cats?


Try half a rabbit hanging from fence just out of reach with 1-2 legholds just below it set fine and covered carefully.

Works for me.

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## time out

I am keen to keep this thread going so will post a few reports 
Still never managed to get a stoat or ferret into a DOC250 - has anyone got any secrets?
I had a walk around the Park today - couple of rats and bait starting to move again - not a sign of a possum in 15 traps 
How plain is that - keep your fingers clear - quite useful to catch rats or possums in a Timms type trap 

Something has been trying it out 

When you are feeling better - come back - its full again

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## time out

Seems to have been a lot of rain round the BOP lately - damp conditions in bait stations result in mouldy bait 
Mouldy bait sucks! - rats just wont eat it - change to new bait and they wolf it 


Still picking up the odd rat - try to give them an option - toxin or steel - good choice rat - much faster 


I often put a rat trap alongside a possum trap - saves time checking 


Less predators mean more birds - seems to be a Tui up every tree at present and seeing Kereru every trip often pairs of them - after a year of work - I think the birds are coming back 


Saw this big fatty yesterday and he had a smaller mate with him

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## Dundee

Good work Time Out :Thumbsup:

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## Sideshow

When I was home last Dad was having trouble with the local minor bird population.
Being spring they where eating a load of eggs, new chicks etc.
Shot two off of the front step, then made up some small cradles out of some fencing wire sat them in it. 
Placed them out on his front lawn and put up to poles and a bit of camo cloth as a screen. Got a nice seat and a load of 7 shot. Spent the afternoon and ended the day with 48. They decoyed in a treat. Had the good wife supplying me with coffee and calling out when they where coming in from a blind spot off on my left.
Dads place is a long way from the neighbours so no problems with noise or scaring someone who no nothing about guns or pest control.
Dad told me later that the local small bird population was now doing very well.
If you look on some of the pigeon shooting UK sights  you can get an idear on how to make your own  cradels.
You can do it with magpies as well. Good for getting your eye in before duck shooting  :Thumbsup:

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## time out

I got this bastard today - same place as the one a couple of weeks back 
I hate to think how much damage cats are doing - they should be top of the list for predator control  :Pissed Off: 
Nice fresh rabbit for the next ones - Timms and cages

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## time out

Getting hard to find a possum - one today - still the odd rat around - two in timms today - not sure if they like apple or the possum paste

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## time out

If you use Victor Pro rat traps - they may need a clean up after the winter as the steel may rust unless coated with some form of protection or lubricant 
My traps are two years old and had stopped working - the pivot saddle for the bait/foot plate had rusted and prevented the foot plate from moving smoothly 
The foot plate can be easily removed to wire brush the pivot saddle - Prolan is a useful protective coating and lanoline is apparently attractive to rats or stoats
I have also altered my trap boxes by removing the 50mm entry end and replacing it with wire mesh for viewing the bait - I then removed the old wire mesh from the 85mm viewing end and turned this into a larger entry hole 
Most of my old boxes had been scratched round the 50mm entry hole - hogs that could not get in - now they have heaps of room with the 85mm hole - yuk - 50mm entry hole is just too small 






The changes to the boxes and trap maintenance has made a real difference - 8 kills in 17 traps at the farm yesterday - couple in Snap-E traps

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## time out

The Timms is a great trap - possums, rats, hedgehogs and cats - this cat is a first for me  
I knew she was around and nearly got her in a cage but she backed out - no backing out of a Timms - tempted by some fresh rabbit 
Only got one kitten so will be more of them around

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## Pointer

Have you enlarged the opening on the timms to fit cats?

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## time out

Rats, rats and more rats - they keep on coming - cant beat your one for size Dundee - they have worn the mould off the stays  :Wtfsmilie: 






The hogs keep on coming - cage them - Victor them  and DOC250 them - got 13 in the last month in the back yard at home - the Lady next door breeds them - they like looking at themselves in the mirror of my magpie trap 
Hard to believe how they get in through two sets of mesh in the DOC250 - squeeze - turn left - squeeze again - whack  :Nose Bleed:

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## Pengy

Back in the day, if one of our ferrets went walk about, we would leave fresh liver out overnight to attract it. Always worked for us

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## time out

A mate up Kaipara South Head caught this ferret yesterday - he is not on this forum but is happy for me to post it - a nasty little critter  :Omg: 
Hope the video works

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## Pengy

Looks like a little sweety  :Have A Nice Day:

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## time out

There is no end to these bastards coming in from the neighbours - you just have to keep checking the traps - only one rat and a mouse today - looks like he has been into my Pestoff bait - would give you the shits 



But the upside of all the trapping is more of these beautiful birds - they have been over in the orchards but are coming back in good numbers - watched this guy today for about five minutes

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## takeuchi

just bought 5 of those snap-e rat traps to use around our house. caught three on the first night. Baited with peanut butter. Interested what people recommend for bait, cant keep raiding the peanut butter. caught one mouse but a couple traps are getting cleaned out without going off. mice i assume on a trap thats not hairy enough? also one or two traps triggered with no catch, seems like a critter could approach the trap from the safe end and trip the plate and not get caught, could be the mice again too? there are a lot of mice around here at the moment nailed about 15 so far trying to move into our house!! Using the grey "better mouse trap" from the supermarket work really well on the mice.

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## 223nut

Saw a great mouse trap in a tramping hut, empty wine bottle on it side with peanut butter inside the neck, butter/oil on the outside of neck and hang it over the edge of a bench above a bucket of water. Was in the Eyre mountains for a mouse plague, 45 in the bucket in the morning, same again the second night!

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## Sean

86 possums for me in the last 2 months

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## Tommy

> Saw a great mouse trap in a tramping hut, empty wine bottle on it side with peanut butter inside the neck, butter/oil on the outside of neck and hang it over the edge of a bench above a bucket of water. Was in the Eyre mountains for a mouse plague, 45 in the bucket in the morning, same again the second night!


Diagram?

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## time out

Snap-E is a great trap takeuchi - peanut butter is pretty good but IMO - Goodnature possum paste is the best rat bait I have used and I have tried a few - but GN have new lures now for rats - one is chocolate flavoured so that may be good 
One great aspect of the Snap-E trap is you can hair trigger it - when setting it - carefully set the foot plate lower and lower until it just holds - blow on it and it will trip - no mouse will walk over that
I often get rats and hogs that are clipped by the kill bar and thrown clear - dead in the trap or a metre away - both are fine 

Sean - you are doing some great work on everything you touch - it would be great to go for a walk with you one day - it would also be interesting to hear some more about your huntstand app - looks like it might be useful for record keeping - I found a fenn last week that I hung in a tree with a hog about a year ago  :15 8 212:

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## 223nut

Googled wine bottle mouse trap but couldnt find any like the one I saw, few similar ones though

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## takeuchi

Found the good nature site cheers time out. will set the traps a tad more hairy. 
  hey 223 nut, we used to have a 44 gallon drum of horse feed at home when we were kids. when it was getting empty the rats and mice would jump in and couldn't get out. throw the foxy in there and he'd clean them up in short order. throw the cat in there and it would jump straight back out!! Never did like cats much.

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## Dundee

Another hog

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## Willie

> A mate up Kaipara South Head caught this ferret yesterday - he is not on this forum but is happy for me to post it - a nasty little critter 
> Hope the video works


Happy little fella that one, so grateful for being locked up! Bagsy not trying to get him out alive.

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## time out

This new Victor box is working well - big rat been dealt to by something that managed to turn it inside out - my mate reckoned it might have been a hawk - although I got my one and only stoat pretty close so maybe more of them out there 
Still getting a couple of rats and hogs each trip round the farm 
I live on a one acre section near the city - using a magpie trap with mirrors to clean up hogs - No23 had a look in the mirror last night - sick of them - I hope they hibernate in the winter





Tidied up and ready for the next one

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## time out

Just a note about the Predator Free NZ - Webinar - 5th of May 7.30pm - anyone can register and join in - with Darren Peters (DOC's resident trapping expert) 

Learn how to get the most out of your DOC traps (250, 200 and 150). Sign up for the online discussion on 5th May at 7.30pm by clicking this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/reg...35607911960068 

I sat in on the first PFNZ Webinar on Goodnature traps - it was excellent

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## Dundee

Another two hogs today.But missed a friggen cat :Sad:

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## Sean

Got 1 hog yesterday

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## Sean

I have just set a new trap in my chook coop. Hope I get that rat!

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## time out

Hope you are making progress with that rat Sean - keep trying and you will get him  :36 1 7: 

Had a quick look round some traps today - one rat, one hog and one possum - all helps the birdlife 


Rat became fresh lure in the font of a cage - fish fillet in the dish - might tempt pussy 


Possum and hog recycled over a steep bank 



Just ready to leave for home round 5PM - roosters calling up in the bush - so gave them a few hoots - back they come from all round and this one floats down and lands in the top of a ponga about 50m away - I was in full view by the car but we called to each other for about 5 minutes - light was bad but camera managed some good pics

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## Sean

I haven't caught that rat yet, yesterday I got a hedgehog and 4 possums, I am pulling my traps out now as I'm not getting much

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## Wirehunt

Bucket of water and a lead up are the best rat/mouse traps.   They keep killing even when you don't check every day  :Wink:    Spotlight for the hogs.

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## time out

Up the boot-camp today for odd jobs - driving up the drive and spotted a few Quail - as usual they run up the drive rather than fly - well after about 50m or so there must have been eighty of them - best number we have ever seen so if they can get through the winter and breed - there should be heaps of quail round the district next summer - sadly they wouldnt stand still for pictures - but about twenty in this picture 



Checked the trap line about 50m away down the boundary line - just one large rat out of about twenty traps - seeing the Quail made my day and seeing just one rat was great - right now - numbers are low

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## Sean

Went for a walk this morning - Three possums.

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## EeeBees

Bravo, @Sean...!!

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## time out

They seem to know they are safe - I havent been able to kill a bird predator for around a month - not even a mouse - checking about twenty traps several times each week - plus about ten bait stations - I think the Goodnature gas traps are making a difference - six out there at present - interesting to see the hawks flying very low over them looking for a feed  :Have A Nice Day:

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## time out

Bad decision Tom! - he should have stayed eating young rabbits - I saw where he got two nearby in recent days - thank goodness they werent pheasants 
He didnt even eat the leg of rabbit I left as bait in the cage 
First blood for the 17 - it is deadly accurate - just Savaged him 





And then there was a stupid rat that just got caught by the leg - I havent got much time for the T Rex trap  I have had a lot of leg traps and even body traps where they are still humping

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## time out

Silly Buggar - stuck his head in the box to check out some GN possum paste on a Victor - just clipped his nose 
Hard to find a dead predator at present - just a cat that I cant catch

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## FatLabrador

Where do u get possum past from

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## 223nut

> Where do u get possum past from


Middle of most rural roads in nz  :Thumbsup:

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## time out

> Where do u get possum past from


You can get Goodnature possum paste direct from GN - but more simple from Farmlands - bright orange colour - cinnamon flavour - from my experience most predators love it - I used it a lot in Sentinel traps - also in a milk bottle top in Timms traps along with a piece of apple - you get rats or possums 
I even got a stoat in that box in my last post - GN were surprised that a stoat would go for it 
My Mate prefers Smooth in a Tube - a blue lure - Ferafeed from Connovation - I am going to buy some tomorrow - http://www.connovation.co.nz/vdb/document/101

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## Dynastar27

good work @Timeout

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## time out

Thanks Dynastar - I hope you guys dont get sick of my predator control - but I do it for our pheasant, quail and native birds - I never shoot the game birds - they just overload on our property and head out into the wide blue yonder for others to enjoy - my predator control will never cease while I have this property - you can never say the job is done - because they keep on coming  
Today has been a great day at the farm - I have been searching for a grey cat that I first saw a couple of weeks ago 
I went up the hill to check the first of two cages - a black cat - I wasnt after you but never mind - some close work with the hmr - Jenny - very pregnant  
Up the hill another 50m to the second cage - yeh! - the grey cat - a bit more close work with the hmr - it was Tom 
Just imagine the damage that Tom and Jenny have done in their lifetime - the feathers from a rooster I found on Sunday will be the last they leave round here

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## 223nut

Don't have he gamebirds over here but we sure get some huge cats, have heard of them up to 20kg

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## Sean

How many diffrent traps  have you got?

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## FatLabrador

R those snap e rat traps any good can they kill stoats constantly or is a victor better

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## FatLabrador

And can these snap e rat traps be modefied. I like modifing the Victor Serch it up on da me cylinder "you tube"

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## Sean

3 hogs and a possum last night. All the hogs were within 20m of each other

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## FatLabrador



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## Sideshow

Man now that is flat!

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## FatLabrador

The rat must of thought the rotting rabbit leg and cracked egg looked appetizing. @Dundee do u got one of these traps

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## Sideshow

> The rat must of thought the rotting rabbit leg and cracked egg looked appetizing. @Dundee do u got one of these traps


I've had rats eat rats that have been done in by my traps. I check them once a day and once the weather gets cold they will get stuck to old mate almost once it's done. It tastes like chicken so no worries ah :Thumbsup:

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## Dundee

> The rat must of thought the rotting rabbit leg and cracked egg looked appetizing. @Dundee do u got one of these traps


Mainly just use the cage trap.

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## FatLabrador

Then give them swimming lessons  :Thumbsup:

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## time out

> How many diffrent traps  have you got?


Hope my wife doesnt see this note Sean - because I spend a bit of money and too much time on this stuff - at present I run - 
1 Doc250, two cages and a new one ordered, 6 GN A24s, about 25 Victors and Snap-E traps and 10 bait stations. Also have 3 Timms traps for possums and just got three more that I have drilled out for Whiskers 
I have only ever had one cat in a Timms but a mate is getting them with hole enlarged - I will try 100mm - also sick of rabbit bait going rotten so quick so am going to try cat or dog biscuits in a net tube with biscuits scattered inside and around the box - not sure how it will go

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## 223nut

It's all an investment time out and a bloody good one in my mind

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## Sean

> Hope my wife doesn’t see this note Sean - because I spend a bit of money and too much time on this stuff - at present I run - 
> 1 Doc250, two cages and a new one ordered, 6 GN A24s, about 25 Victors and Snap-E traps and 10 bait stations. Also have 3 Timms traps for possums and just got three more that I have drilled out for Whiskers 
> I have only ever had one cat in a Timms but a mate is getting them with hole enlarged - I will try 100mm - also sick of rabbit bait going rotten so quick so am going to try cat or dog biscuits in a net tube with biscuits scattered inside and around the box - not sure how it will go


Thats alot of traps!!! If you catch an eel and put a bit of it in a cage or smething that works good for cats

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## Sean

OOPS!

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## 223nut

Three little piggies/ hogs and a big bad wolf huh?

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## Dundee

Right next to the river :36 7 5:

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## time out

> Right next to the river
> Attachment 60951


Well done Dundee - hope your new dog doesnt get the pricker with you :Ouch...it Hurts: 
I got one yesterday in a cage - rolled him out and shot him subsonic - seemed to do the trick 
Shifted my Doc250 down near the road but suspect I will just get hogs - yuk 
Friends on 250 acres down near Merritt in Halcombe sent me an email yesterday - they got a family of five stoats in a Doc200 - one day after the other - on fresh rabbit

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## FatLabrador

Got my very first stoat today with the doc 200 
Sis took pic them sent it to me on snap chat. It stuck pretty bad been there awoley the rails in the fresser hopefully there be a swap comp next year. Got it at the duck pound

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## FatLabrador

The knife is a buck 112 it's about 18 centermeaters

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## Dundee

freeze the tail you will be in. :Thumbsup:  I saw a weasle on the way to town tonight.

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## FatLabrador

Dam atoecorect yes I meant tail

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## Dundee

Had a couple of pricks join me while I milked this morning.

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## time out

> Had a couple of pricks join me while I milked this morning.
> Attachment 61235


Are you putting milk in a dish for them Dundee? Milk is on the list of foods to avoid - 
Hedgehog Food List - What to Feed Your Hedgehog | Hedgehog Care 101
Never feed hedgehogs milk as it can cause diarrhoea; instead provide plain, fresh water in a shallow bowl. :36 1 8:

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## Dundee

Those two won't need milk where they have gone :Wink:

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## time out

Went for a walk up the Quarry Park today to check a few traps - 10 Sentinel possum traps and a few Snap rat traps - no possums but three rats - bait on Sentinels was stripped so installed more Snap traps - could be rats or mice 

He might have been there for a week 


A solid strike 


A bit on the nose 


Looks like this blue stuff might be good

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## Sean

> Those two won't need milk where they have gone


How did they die @Dundee  :Grin:  :Grin:  :Grin:

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## FatLabrador

This years ducklings staying around about 12 od must be the rats stoat and cat i killed with the doc 200 snap traps and 12 gauge  4 da cat :Thumbsup:

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## time out

Nice work FatLabrador - birds soon learn when they are safe from predators 

Went for a wander round the Park this morning - checked 10 stations -  each has a Sentinel possum trap, Snap rat trap and a Philproof rat bait station - no possums, just five rats - possums have not recovered in the last year - but the rats are coming back 
Proof that bait stations on their own dont work - bait not touched in the Philproof bait stations but rats caught in a Snap trap on the same tree - but if you were a rat - why would you eat Ditrac rat bait when there is so much summer feed around - and blue stuff in a Snap trap 

Silly young rat left his tail behind

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## time out

Had a great day today - found a furry creature that had been to the Doc - I had this trap running continuously for about two years all over the property and never caught a ferret - decided to shift it two weeks ago from central positions, rear and side boundaries and now down to the boundary nearest SH2 - where I often see road kill stoats and ferrets - bingo - got one 
I nailed the buggar on the post beside the Doc250 - maybe his mates will come looking and I read a few days ago that stoats are attracted to ferret scent - plenty round there!
Also been getting rats back up the Quarry Park - five a couple of days ago - but no possums - they have not recovered in the nine months I have been away - but looks the rats have recovered well

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## FatLabrador

Good job @time out good read this. Do u enter the sawp comp

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## Dundee

Coming back from river last night two kittens were on side of road,couldn't quite get a road kill.Too quick for the rifle.So I sent the dog into the bush and the feral moggy attacked my dog left her screaming like a girl and ran for home. Trap set now.

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## FatLabrador

Ur dog didn't losse an eye then. My labs had some close calls with a possum scratching 5mm away from eye. And a magpie pulling his eye lid.

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## time out

They keep on coming - only little and similar to mother cat I got recently - so there will be more - always another hog looking for a Pheasant or Quail nest 
Starting to see some juvenile Pheasants - leggy birds that look a bit untidy

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## FatLabrador

@time out u need some gumboots good 4 stomping on heads

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## time out

Trying to get back into my community work at the Quarry Park - nice quiet walk through the pines this morning to check ten sentinels and about fifteen snap traps 
Three rats and one possum after a week 

I told him it was already dead 


They seem to like the blue stuff - momentarily

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## FatLabrador

Good work @time out. Just saw a stoat in the garden run as fast as i could got the 20 gauge but he buggered off. Do stoats live in trees or on the ground?

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## time out

Stoats live on the ground 
I have never had much luck on mustilids FatLabrador despite operating a DOC250 continuously for a couple of years at the farm and five of them continuously for a couple of years at the Park - just not many around this area 
I am not a religious person - but my trapping bible is always close by - check out from Page 9 
http://www.landcare.org.nz/files/file/1110/pest
Best bait will be fresh rabbit and maybe some eggs in your DOC200 - if you get one - keep setting it to clean out the family - my Mate got five recently - maybe get them used to the box before you set it

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## time out

Swamp Comp Prize  :36 1 11: 
 @Dundee - great you can now see in the dark with your lantern - I got a Roman one man bivy tent from the Swamp Comp - but I dont plan on sleeping out by myself so it may not be useful to me 
I really appreciate Hunting & Fishing running the Swamp Comp each year - it encourages hunters to get out and kill bird predators - which is one of my interests 
The tent has turned up and I am going to send it down to @Sean - I hope he can use it - he deserves something for all the work he does on predator control 
I wish I had one for @FatLabrador - maybe next year young fella - you are doing a great job
I have got my first tail in the freezer for this year - a ferret - hope to get a few more
I am still getting a few rats around the traps - checked a line of 10 possum and 15 rat traps on Friday between downpours - just a couple of rats - bastards must stay under a log on wet nights - this silly buggar looked like your drowned rat @Dundee - but he has steel around his neck

----------


## Dundee

Top man @time out  :Cool:  Have hung my lantern in the porch handy when finding gummies in the morn as has a flashing button above the switch  to turn it on.Means I can leave lights off in the house when I leave.

----------


## Sean

> Swamp Comp Prize 
>  @Dundee - great you can now see in the dark with your lantern - I got a Roman one man bivy tent from the Swamp Comp - but I don’t plan on sleeping out by myself so it may not be useful to me 
> I really appreciate Hunting & Fishing running the Swamp Comp each year - it encourages hunters to get out and kill bird predators - which is one of my interests 
> The tent has turned up and I am going to send it down to @Sean - I hope he can use it - he deserves something for all the work he does on predator control 
> I wish I had one for @FatLabrador - maybe next year young fella - you are doing a great job
> I have got my first tail in the freezer for this year - a ferret - hope to get a few more
> I am still getting a few rats around the traps - checked a line of 10 possum and 15 rat traps on Friday between downpours - just a couple of rats - bastards must stay under a log on wet nights - this silly buggar looked like your drowned rat @Dundee - but he has steel around his neck


That would be awesome, thanks

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## Sideshow

> Swamp Comp Prize 
>  @Dundee - great you can now see in the dark with your lantern - I got a Roman one man bivy tent from the Swamp Comp - but I don’t plan on sleeping out by myself so it may not be useful to me 
> I really appreciate Hunting & Fishing running the Swamp Comp each year - it encourages hunters to get out and kill bird predators - which is one of my interests 
> The tent has turned up and I am going to send it down to @Sean - I hope he can use it - he deserves something for all the work he does on predator control 
> I wish I had one for @FatLabrador - maybe next year young fella - you are doing a great job
> I have got my first tail in the freezer for this year - a ferret - hope to get a few more
> I am still getting a few rats around the traps - checked a line of 10 possum and 15 rat traps on Friday between downpours - just a couple of rats - bastards must stay under a log on wet nights - this silly buggar looked like your drowned rat @Dundee - but he has steel around his neck



Good to see you only check those traps once the tide goes out :Thumbsup:

----------


## Wirehunt

> Coming back from river last night two kittens were on side of road,couldn't quite get a road kill.Too quick for the rifle.So I sent the dog into the bush and the feral moggy attacked my dog left her screaming like a girl and ran for home. Trap set now.


I assume you are now in the market for a dog?

----------


## Dundee

> I assume you are now in the market for a dog?


Getting another soon @Wirehunt the pussy dog was a town dog.I still have hope for her but not holding my breath.

----------


## Dundee

Cheers @time out  tent arrived yesty.Another hog to close to my pond got told to sit  :Grin:

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## Wirehunt

Fuck,  can't hold my tongue  :Grin:   The doc (spithere) traps are a ripoff, and a bad one at that.   If you like made in china crap that doesn't do the job go buy them,  cause doc are fuckers that should never be trusted. EVER!!! And those traps are fucking shit, and that was from their own trapper.
If you want to poison, best you don't leave the poison in those traps for weeks, never mind months.    Read the doc bullshit, and that is all it is, you will FAIL.

Dicks kill ferrets, ferrets live on rabbits....   If you want me to spell it out I will, but I shouldn't have to.   By all means get into it, but don't believe everything you read.

----------


## Wirehunt

Oh, and if you want to run trap DAILY or don't fucking bother.

----------


## time out

Round the Park this morning and got a couple of tree hangers and a rat - three hours work - pleased with the possums but the Snap-E traps are being tripped without the culprit being snapped 





Off up the farm this afternoon - quad is at home waiting for a service so had to check thirty traps on foot - three hours work for two rats - my wife serviced them all on Sunday while I was away hunting -  she got five rats - will soon be a qualified trapper and I can leave her to it, and go hunting  :Wink:

----------


## PillowDribbler

Love your work timeout. Got stoats doing this sort of thing to my rats. I see them and weasels around but they are hard work getting them.

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## FatLabrador

Got these at the runoff duck pond yesterday. 2 rats and one possum. All very maggoty  :Oh Noes:

----------


## time out

Snap - he didn’t like that!  :36 7 5: 
Maybe he is the bastard that has been getting my Quail

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## kukuwai

Nice shot - Good to see the SNAP-E has the capabilities.

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## Dundee

Another one the swamp comp. :Have A Nice Day:  Good work Time out

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## time out

Shit - I will have to go find the buggar - I biffed it over a bank - so excited about getting him - wasn't thinking straight - thanks @Dundee :15 8 212:

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## FatLabrador

I've made the same mistake with a weasel

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## kukuwai

@PillowDribbler... I happen to have a few things eating my rats, all of which came as a surprise

never thought these guys would be interested, this suspect is still at large.

fortunately this wild cat has since won a once in a lifetime cage diving trip :Thumbsup: 

hopefully this guy eats a whole bunch more  :Have A Nice Day: 

Trail cam has produced a few goodies!!

cheers fellas, good luck out there.

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## kiwijames

> @PillowDribbler... I happen to have a few things eating my rats, all of which came as a surprise
> Attachment 65534
> never thought these guys would be interested, this suspect is still at large.
> Attachment 65533
> fortunately this wild cat has since won a once in a lifetime cage diving trip
> Attachment 65535
> hopefully this guy eats a whole bunch more 
> 
> Trail cam has produced a few goodies!!
> ...


Liking the ruru pic. Didn't think they would do carrion.

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## time out

Welcome to the forum kukuwai - I love your pictures - so much to learn from game cameras - I am just guessing without one - hope you can post more of your activities 
The Ruru is very special - but sadly they eat poisoned rats and mice - I think I have wiped them out on my place 
I went up the Park last evening and pulled out a tree hanger and some rats - the Doc250 makes a mess of them and seven days later they are on the move again - yuk 
I must be desperate for the Swamp Comp entry @Dundee - I sent Cruz down the bank to find the lost stoat - no problem - be brought it back - tail and all - also got a hog, a couple of rats and a few mice

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## kukuwai

Cheers for the welcome time out, however truth be told I should be thanking you for much more than that. I have learnt a whole lot from your writings in this and the other H&F forum re trapping, so cheers. 

Regarding the ruru photo, I actually got 7 pictures of him over a 2 hour period that day some just of his back while he tried to get the rat free from the trap -amazing really. I checked the trap line the same day the pictures were taken and that rat was very fresh, I would think it was caught that night!!

On the subject of game cameras - if you or anyone else is interested keep an eye on the cabelas USA website, they come on sale often. Wait for one that has good reviews and even with the postage (aprox 1 week) they work out considerably cheaper than in nz.

With respect to my project : My partner and I own a property with a 7 ha wetland on it and this year we set up a line with 40 traps - fenns, victors, snap e, PCR 200s and a couple of cages which are not always set. We just cracked 50 kills so happy with that. Mostly rats, a couple of possums, 3 hedgepigs, 4 cats and 1 weasel. Still waiting for the first stoat.

I do have a question for you if you don't mind...I noticed a spot of blue Connovation paste on the fence stay below the snap e with the stoat in it (gota love the scratches on the stay) was that the bait that got the stoat?? I have been using it recently on my victors seems to be quite effective on the rats.

Cheers and good luck out there!

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## kukuwai

Went for a walk in the rain around the wetland today, 4 rats and 4 mice.  That added up to 12 rats, 9 mice and 1 possum for the week.  Seems like the smoked fish wing bones were good bait in the boxes at this rate 100 kills fast approaching. here's a couple of the highlights  :Have A Nice Day: 

This very large rat was no match for the Fenn!! :Thumbsup: 

Got this bugger on the way out with a bit of crumbed fish still in his mouth!! Didn't want the old smelly pilchard, fine dining f#*ked um 

cheers fellas

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## Sean

Set 2 traps today

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## Sean

Set 2 cat traps today

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## FatLabrador

Two rats today one in cat trap and other in doc 200.

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## time out

Looks like a wonderful project Kukuwai - I would be keen to see how your TNZ recording program works for you - I am just using a spread sheet at present 
I did morning prayers at the Park yesterday - 10 rats and a hog - numbers are ramping up from 5 and 8 for the last couple of trips 
I am also shifting traps off the ground - onto ramps and branches - I am thinking that pests get used to what they have been seeing for the last few months and also taking note of paper I saw on PFNZ - 
Tree traps - a good alternative? - Predator Free NZ

Not much point posting pictures of dead rats - one squashed rat is similar to another - a week in the life of a dead rat in a trap is a long time and they get pretty ugly - the scary thing is that some of these rats are very big and must be producing plenty of off spring 
Picture below of my spread sheet graph - two of us working on the job at present - but most kills are coming out of my area at present 
If anyone round Tauranga is interested in predator control or knows someone that might be - please let me know - I want to get this job done before the next bird nesting season - I expect that graph will hit several hundred in the next few months  :36 7 5:

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## kukuwai

Firstly @Timeout re TNZ recording program: It doesn't take long to set up but I had trouble imputing the trap locations using GPS co-ordinates, for some reason it thought I was in the North Island, so gave up and just entered each trap manually as best I could on the map and that worked ok. It is easy to record trap kills (my partner can even do it on her phone), produces a good map showing trap locations and kills so easy to see hotspots. It also has a good reports section and can generate monthly totals, graphs, bait profiles etc.  So far so good.

Secondly I caught my first stoat today, happy to get one but sad to know they are around!! I hit a rabbit with the hilux 2 days ago so chopped it up and put the back legs in a couple of 200 boxes and that's what got him :Have A Nice Day: 



At the point when I realised it was a stoat I remembered all the info I have gained from reading these forums:

1. Rub it inside the boxes (I took it for a walk and rubbed in in a few of them).

2. If its fresh squeeze its belly and rub the urine on the box too. (I was surprised how easy this was got some on a couple of boxes)
3. Keep the tail - Swamp comp - How and when does one enter the tail??  Its in my freezer  :Have A Nice Day: 

Cheers Fellas

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## Dundee

Hi Kukuwai,swamp comp entries are handed into your local H&F store in the month of November. Good work on catching the sod.

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## Russian 22.

> Hi Kukuwai,swamp comp entries are handed into your local H&F store in the month of November. Good work on catching the sod.


What pests qualify for the swamp comp?

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## Dundee

> What pests qualify for the swamp comp?


Just the musteloids....ferrets,stoats weasels.   But any rat and cat is a bonus for the environment but can't be entered.

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## Russian 22.

> Just the musteloids....ferrets,stoats weasels.   But any rat and cat is a bonus for the environment but can't be entered.


Don't think I will see any in the Auckland doc blocks but I'll give it a go

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## FatLabrador

Mail day got 5 of those modified Victor stoat rat traps https://www.traps.co.nz/modified-vic...t-and-rat-trap  plus the long life musteloid and rat bait https://www.traps.co.nz/mustilid-cat...rox-100-per-kg https://www.traps.co.nz/rat-lure-baits
And got a big water rat in doc 200 today

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## FatLabrador

Three rats for the weekend. All killed with modified victor  :Thumbsup:

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## Dundee

ya missed one :Mouse:

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## FatLabrador

Shoot em with the escort dundee

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## time out

Great work on the stoats and cats guys - I wish I could get some more tails but they dont seem to be around 
I had a wander round the Park this morning - just one possum and a couple of rats for three hours effort - all the Snap-E traps were tripped by the heavy rain 
I have been up six times in the last two weeks and have got 3 possums and 27 rats - 129 predators since New Year - so making some progress - but probably still just scratching the surface 
I am spending more time putting old logs around possum trap sites to create interest - and also trying to get the rat traps up on ramps - seems to be working - have also changed back to GN Possum Paste which doesnt go mouldy so quickly

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## kukuwai

Looking good timeout  :Have A Nice Day: 

Heaps of mice (or baby rats -I can't tell the difference) 5 rats and 1 hedge pig for me this week. Now at 104 predators for the year so its adding up  :Have A Nice Day: 

Have ordered some good nature traps to add to the line so looking forward to the arrival of those. This was made possible thanks to the QE II Trust and for that we are very grateful. 

Keep up the good work guys!!

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## Dundee

Me young fela has been trapping and got a cat in the leg hold trap....bonus! :Have A Nice Day:

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## FatLabrador

Got 2 hawgs at the duck pond first for the doc 200 and victor both caught using the muslite stuff https://www.traps.co.nz/mustilid-cat...rox-100-per-kg

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## Dundee

Two cats the young fella has caught in leg hold traps now. Shot this prick on the way home from river last night waited for it to cross the tar seal then gave him one.

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## time out

Nothing exciting to report - just rats and more rats
A steady stream of them at the farm - Victors, Snaps and Timms doing the job - usually 4 or 5 each day I go around the traps 
There seems to have been a rat explosion at the Park - two of us really getting into them at present - 84 rats and 7 possums for April - 42 rats and 1 possum so far for seven days in May - many more to come as we trap new areas 
During the last week or so I have been seeing rats stripped to the bone on a couple of trap sites - I wasn’t sure if it was a cat, stoat or maybe a big rat 
On one site I had a ramp with a single trap - I caught several rats that were stripped - so I installed a second trap and more ramps - I got another rat that was stripped - back again a couple of days later and got a very large rat that was still alive - so I assume he was the cannibal - I left him on top of the ramps to see what might eat him - back again yesterday - the cannibal was untouched - but two of his mates had come to check on him - so I have left three dead rats on the site - will see what has come back tomorrow - all lured in with GN Possum Paste 
I have tried moving more traps from near the ground, up onto ramps - often with instant results - I reckon they like something different like running up a ramp 
Kill numbers at the Park are good but we are just scratching the surface at this stage - we just got 10 GN A24s with counters - so need to put them in some hard to access places - gulley’s are shit places for old fellas 
I have been trying a few different lures - changed from Connovation blue stuff to GN chocolate paste but now gone back to my old favourite GN orange possum paste - they love it 

Three rats stripped on this ramp 


The big cannibal - still very much alive - for a few moments 


The cannibal and two mates that came to check on him

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## rockland

@time out... big investment in A24's by your organisation, I'd be really keen to hear how they go. Are they the new model with auto lure pump?

You got climbing asparagus eh! we have been trialing different spray mixes on it with some success in my area. 
Good work at the Park mate. I always go for a walk there when visiting Tauranga.

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## Dundee

Another entry for the swamp comp

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## time out

How did you get him @Dundee? - well done anyway 

Took the Cooey for a walk today - did a closeup job on this cute little buggar - but they do the damage - fresh bunny must be very tempting - got a third bunny in the Fenn6 today - a big bucket of pieces in the freezer now 


He looks odd without his tail Dundee - I wrapped this large cage in black plastic sheeting - warm and dark in there - he wouldnt even get wet if it rained - bunny tied up on the back wall of the cage

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## kukuwai

Well done both of you guys  :Thumbsup:  @Timeout the black plastic over the cage is a good idea - cheers, I've been using a rug over mine but that's not too good in the rain!!
Only rats and more rats for me lately !!

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## Dundee

I cheated again never shot or trapped it.It was found dead under a native tree on our section.Still fresh only two blowies on it and when I whipped the tail off the meat was pink so can't have been dead long.Got a few rat baits up at the shed,maybe it ate a poisoned rat.

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## FatLabrador

Got any tips to stop the victor rat trap from rusting. I've just been wire bussing and then spray with cry zinc. @time out

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## PillowDribbler

They say zinc plated but it is more a mist.I just make sure the trigger is shiny and dont worry about the rest.

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## kukuwai

Giving them a good spray with fisholine oil helps, costs about $20 a can @ repo or 'lanalox' is another similar helpful product which is lanolin based.

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## time out

Not sure I would worry too much about rust @FatLabrador 
A year or so back I gave some of mine a spruce up - the main thing I was trying to do was clean up the saddle that the foot plate pivots on - when they get rusty the foot plate wont move freely 
I always have a tin of Prolan in my bag so if anything is stiff - they get a good squirt of lanolin oil 
I understand the foot plate can be bought pretty cheap - the owner of this business offered them to me - Grantley Imports - Welcome to Grantley Imports
Some of my Victor Pros are four years old - they just keep on going - at present they are mostly catching mice so are very sensitive to small rodents

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## bumblefoot

Just a heads up about those damn rats.....  Be really careful when you handle them....

I caught a bad lepto infection  that the doctors reckon I picked it up from rat urine through a cut or scratch.... I'd been really crook for about 4-5 days, but being a typical male thought "It'll pass". In the end I decided I'd better go to A&E. Got admitted at about 10pm but the old blood pressure was so low they wouldn't ship me off to the ICU til 9am the next morning.... So.... 2 1/2 days in ICU and another 3 on the ward I was finally allowed to leave.

Gotta admit it's knocked the shit out of me. I've been out 14-days now and it took over a week before I could walk more than 25-metres. Lepto is bloody nasty..... I lost 9kgs in about 10-days and am just taking things day by day. Hopefully be back to work in another week to 10-days, but still being really careful. The scary thing was that the doctor said that if I had left it any later going to A&E I may not have made it..... 

Funny how life can change so quickly.... Anyway; just don't take things for granted when handling those rats.....

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## Dougie

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## EeeBees

One thing I learnt recently about rats is that they do not have a bladder ...

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## bumblefoot

> One thing I learnt recently about rats is that they do not have a bladder ...


No doubt :-) But I just picked it up from where it had peed at some stage.

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## EeeBees

That would have been a very scary thing ... I can mildy tolerate the odd mouse, but rats ... :Omg:

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## Puffin

I've just put in an A24 for stoats with the rabbit meat lure in the south eastern Ruahines  - doing my bit to reduce the need for DoC to contemplate using 1080 in this neck of the woods. I've had two or three occasions when the buggers have run right past me when taking a breather while stalking so I know they are about. 

Any additional tips beyond what is in the brochure please for placement, baiting and the likes ?

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## Russian 22.

When you catch one eventually rub it'd ass hole around the trap as it has glands which attract others. And cut the tail off and enter it into the swamp comp.

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## time out

Fantastic that you have made the investment in an A24 @Puffin - hope the counter registers some good numbers 
Great start with the GN traps @kukuwai - a mouse will make a good feed for a rat or a stoat  hope you left him there 

Just rats, mice and hogs for me today - this big prick made a bad mistake - another one stuck his snout in a Victor Pro and pulled out - dead  :36 7 5: 


Most of the Victors are catching mice at present - looks like they make a good feed for a rat  :36 1 8:

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## kukuwai

Also got this guy today





Presume its a weasel given the short tail.  I chopped it off anyway  :Thumbsup: 

The traps are having a good week this week  :Thumbsup:

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## time out

Going well on the stoats @kukuwai - good work 
Three ferret tails and a stoat tail in the freezer so far this year @Dundee 
Half way up the drive today and a cage is tripped - a cute wee face is looking out of the darkness - the full black plastic sheeting and big chunks of fresh bunny is doing the job - warm and dry in there 
Had to go and get the Cooey to do some closeup work - tempted to put my hand in there to see if it was as friendly as it looked - but put the Cooey between the wires instead 
Other than the ferret - just hogs and rats - they just keep on coming from somewhere 
The Fenn6 down the large bunny burrow is doing the job - a head clamp again - some hungry animal took a back leg last night so I have left a heap of firepower outside today - a Doc250 and a Timms with fresh bunny and a Fenn 6 outside the burrow - will be interesting

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## FatLabrador

Always a good read time out. The tails of ferrets look identical to possum tails  :Wink: . Have you ever thought about skining a ferret

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## Dundee

Good work @time out.  @FatLabrador ferret pelts were fetching $60 in the 80's

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## Maca49

And then we released them to the wild when the price dropped! Who was the dim wit that signed off Ferret farming, makes you wonder about the quality of polys. Was Nick there then? :Grin:

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## FatLabrador

One day I mite catch a ferret in a cage and get it stuffed, ah dreams

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## Dundee

I got one done years ago,a bit faded now.

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## time out

If anyone is having the odd breakage of the trigger mechanism in KNESS rat traps - there is a simple solution - I have been losing a few - hard to say what is causing it but likely heavy rain tripping them and no rat body parts to soften the shock of steel on plastic parts - the most delicate part being the trigger mechanism - it may also be caused by mice that trip the trap and miss the kill bar causing a heavy shock to plastic parts
I have been talking with the supplier (Key Industries) - who in turn have been talking with the manufacturer - Key Industries have been very good to me over the years and have replaced a few - but the manufacturers are not so keen to help them 
The simple solution is to purchase new trigger pieces from Key Industries - $1 each - pull the pin - remove the broken bits - put the new part in and replace the pin - all done - trap as good as new in less than a minute 
The pin needs a good grip with long nose pliers- 90 degree turn - the back end is tight in a small hole so might take out a bit of plastic from the base as it turns - if the odd pin is tight going back in - just file a bit off the bent end  

Broken and new trigger parts 


All you need -  $1 each


LHS - pin removed & shows slight damage to plastic hole in base - RHS - pin and trigger replaced - good as new

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## time out

Checked the traps round the farm yesterday - two rats and a hog since Sunday 
A bit of garden technology tripped up Mr Prickles - I had a box of Fenn6 traps not being used so decided to put one out in a tunnel - couple of short pieces of 150mm novaflow, and a large pot plant container over the trap- a piece of bunny beside the Fenn6 for lure - a couple of ponga fronds over the top - most pests cant resist checking out a box, a tunnel or a ramp especially if something has been there previously

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## MSL

it certainly works

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## FatLabrador

Good work MSL. Caught a rat in the doc 200 today useing a quail wing as bait  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Cordite

> just bought 5 of those snap-e rat traps to use around our house. caught three on the first night. Baited with peanut butter. Interested what people recommend for bait, cant keep raiding the peanut butter. caught one mouse but a couple traps are getting cleaned out without going off. mice i assume on a trap thats not hairy enough? also one or two traps triggered with no catch, seems like a critter could approach the trap from the safe end and trip the plate and not get caught, could be the mice again too? there are a lot of mice around here at the moment nailed about 15 so far trying to move into our house!! Using the grey "better mouse trap" from the supermarket work really well on the mice.


The "Better" mousetrap is excellent for mice compared to the spring-wire-n-wood traditional type which classically gets picked clean.  Sorry, peanut butter IS still best.  Use the non-crunchy variety and push it well into the pressure plate nobbles.  

Of course you don't want to feed mice and it could be playing on your mind that the little critters are picking your traps clean.  If that is so, don't react by being stingy with bait!  Rather, place _as much as possible_ of your chosen bait on the pressure plate, stopping just short of triggering the trap: you have now set a hair trigger.

That being said, some "Better Mousetraps" could be better off the shelf than other "Betters" - try numbering them and see if it is always the same ones that get picked.

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## Marty Henry

Mix plaster of Paris with the peanut butter, makes it go further and will cause extreme constipation usually leading to death to anything that cleans out a tripped trap

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## Dougie

Hopefully this doesn't seem a silly question, but can you trap pukekos? Is that legal? Do they ever stray and pop a nosey head into a trap and BAM? 

We have a mouse problem at my house. We basically live in the middle of farm land but still close enough to town for food scraps a plenty. I'm interested to set some outdoor traps but needing to be dog safe. 

Thinking of making just a few tunnels or box traps. 

I also am not adverse to whacking the rabbit family that live in the front hedgerow. 


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## kukuwai

Hey dougie I could be wrong but am pretty sure if you have a pukeko problem ie "too many of them ransacking duck nests/chicks etc" you can call fish and game and get a special permit to shoot a few!!  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Hutch

Yeah, I asked about that, the guy said he would give me one if they were wrecking the vegetables garden or capping in troughs, but not if they were killing the mallard ducklings. Hmm?

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## Dougie

I just wondered if they ever get into traps. We have a few round here but not safe to shoot, they don't really bother me anyway. Just curious if they would go after an egg bait in a rat trap. 


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## Hutch

As you say they are  very curious. We had one go check out the chook house when we let the ckooks out. When the chooks spotted it they rushed back and attacked it. So I'm sure you would be able to trap them.

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## FatLabrador

Caught this guy today at the duck pond

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## kukuwai

Haven't had much to report for a while with mostly rats and mice being caught.

Did manage a good one today though.  

First blood to the Holden Kill trap, I hadn't had much luck with it set for possums so decided to put it in a box (just so I wouldn't catch the dog) and set it for a cat.  
Its had a rabbit leg in it for the couple of weeks and today a cat. Yipee!!

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## time out

Very little to report Kukuwai - got a flu that has knocked me over for a week or so - but back into it today 
At the Park - a month or so back - I changed all my Kness and Gorilla trap lures over to Nara plugs in the hope they would work better in the rain - must be sixty of them in service and got just two rats in about a month - wish I had done more research as I now know others that dont rate them - they lose their smell too quick in the outside environment - maybe better in commercial buildings - either the rats are all dead or they dont like Nara 
I decided to box a line of ten Kness traps to see if the rats will come in on possum paste - I built ten new trap boxes to put up a boundary line in the bush at the Park - a wall of steel traps with yummy possum paste in nice warm boxes - 30m apart - put them out last Tuesday so will give them a week before I check them - stuff the Nara plugs - I hope possum paste pulls them in 
I have put out six new A24s at the Park - been out for a month or more for two lousy rats - I dont rate chocolate lure even if it is in an ALP - I have changed two over to possum paste a week or so back - checked them today and one kill at one site and two big rats at the other site -so that is five rats on A24s - I will change them all over to possum paste next week - but they dont do possum paste in an ALP - so will mix them with olive oil so they dribble - I have noticed that most of the chocolate lure gets down to the trigger and glugs up in a ball - so I am not sure that is going to work well for six months unless there is an influx of rats that lick the trigger clean 
I am also in the process of covering all my exposed traps with coreflute open ended boxes - a bit flimsy but will keep the rain off the trap and stop the lure from being washed away 
I checked about 20 stations today where I have First Strike bait in tea bags on wires in large Philproof ground mounted stations - three new servings of tea bags to date - bloody bags are strewn all around the place - not sure if it is rats or maybe some possums - but they must be feeling sick 
Photobucket has got me screwed at present - so I cant do any posts with pictures until I sort out an alternative service provider 
Great that you are doing well on predator control Kukuwai - I love the harriers flying over the A24s - they are clever birds

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## time out

I had a good walk round the Park on Saturday with my wife and dog - pests are getting harder to find so maybe I am getting on top of them - 326 down so far this year 
A silly possum wandered into my patch - I have always got ten Sentinels waiting for them - I have been watching Bryan Ritchie’s possum trapping videos - so now changed over to lots more flour and icing sugar blaze up the trees under the traps - this possum liked it - 



I checked about thirty rat traps - but got just one rat that tried out a “Designed2Kill” box that I was gifted by a supplier - it has a Gorilla trap in it - the rat made a very poor entry to the trap and it got him across the back - I don’t think this would be a NAWAC compliant setup - a painful way to die - he even tried to exit the box - the trap got me twice before I got it back in position and set again - a very tight trap position - I am glad I only have one of these boxes - I hate to think how Mum and the Kids would handle one of these if they had one in the back yard - it is very hard to beat a standard wooden tunnel with mesh on both ends 
I am also trying a Bryan Ritchie possum lure around both the possum and rat traps - peanut butter, margarine, flour, icing sugar and vegetable oil - looks and smells lovely 



Yum yum yum!

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## FatLabrador

Tell us how you get on with that lure time out

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## FatLabrador

How'd the lure go @time out

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## time out

Hard to be conclusive FL - but the first lot is gone - and the second lot is finished today - two of us are using it at the Park - we have sloshed a lot of the mix around the traps and in the back end of trap boxes - also heaps of flour mix blaze around the trap sites - downside is quite time consuming and going mouldy in the boxes in wet weather - still using possum paste on the trap 
It is getting cleaned up by something pretty quickly - outside the trap boxes and kill rates in the boxes have improved a lot particularly along the boundary block where there is no control over the fence 
We have got the 2017 numbers up to 343 a few days back - after more than two years with five Doc250s with rabbit bait - we just got our first stoat - in a Snap-E trap - on bloody peanut butter 
We are losing a few rat bodies in trap boxes - two of the pictures were 90m apart on a steep track - I suspect it might be a cat or stoat - its too muddy for hedgehogs 
I am going to have another cook up tomorrow - a possum trapper Mate has got me a 10kg box of outdated freeze dried fruit pieces - human food grade - I will mix it with peanut butter/margarine etc - the possum guys are scattering it in the flour blaze round traps and reckon possums love it - well I do anyway 
We try to catch rats using a bit of lure on a trap and hope that a rat will get interested enough to stop and have a feed - I reckon I must increase my chances significantly with a heap of lure around the trap site - homemade lure is cheap when you consider the time involved in running trap lines - I burn up three to four hours each trip now - I want results - increased kill numbers or the job under control

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## kukuwai

@time out good job on the stoat, peanut butter  :Wtfsmilie: 

Same thing is happening here with the wet and mouldy boxes, bit hard to avoid it seems at this time of the year. 

I reckon its ants cleaning up my GN possum paste, its not rain as all of my traps are in boxes, the paste isn't lasting long - only a couple of days.
I seem to be finding ants everywhere at the moment, inside plant covers, trap boxes, rotten logs etc.

One thing I did try the other day was just a piece of apple in a few of the boxes, I've got one of those possum masters and the rats keep eating the apple in it b4 a possum comes along.
Maybe it wont get so mouldy... we will see.

Would be really interesting to know what was getting those rats, I've seen a few like that also. 
You got a spare timms you can put up there with a rabbit leg !?!  :Have A Nice Day: 

Keep up the good work always enjoy your posts.

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## time out

My most prolific rat kill sites round the farm are Snap traps on post stays - leave them open or cover them to prevent bird strike 
When a rat gets snapped on a stay - he gets really pissed off - and it runs down the stay - next time a rat or a stoat walks past - he will go up the stay to check out that delicious smell - sweeten up his experience with some Goodnature Possum Paste, Connovation Smooth in a Tube or Peanut Butter, stoats seem to like them all on the trap - Possum Paste is best in wet conditions as it wont go mouldy 
I got a rat on a stay last Wednesday and it had been chewed - maybe rat eating rat? - but on Saturday I got a stoat on the same stay - so maybe he or his family had been chewing out the rat
I had to cut off his tail to make him look bigger @Dundee - I didnt know they made them this small - but I will take them any size

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## kukuwai

Excellent stuff  :Thumbsup: 

Im not a 100% on it but reckon that first little one could be a weasel. (short tail and it doesn't appear to have a black tip, also being much smaller)
You can clearly see the black tip on the stoats tail in that last photo. 
Someone who is better at id than me might be able to confirm.

Either way its a great catch and good for the swamp comp  !!
I was looking up the weasel a while ago on the nizzel and remember reading that they are hugely detrimental to invertebrate populations having wiped out some colonies of lizards and weta etc.
 @time out I checked the A24s I installed on ramps last week one of them had 7 strikes, I was blown away. The ramps defiantly work!!
Cheers, looks like ill have to get a few traps on some stays too  :Have A Nice Day:

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## 2Quack

Victory!!! Finally got this big sucker tonight, me and the mighty Jack Russell have been chasing it ( hopefully same one although not confident ) for over a week, Lou dog finally caught it in a culvert and dispatched it, Job done for now

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## Blisters

You guys have inspired me, so i Started trapping at home and have got one rat  so far and a mouse yesterday, I really enjoy it and think i want to do more around my area, we have quite a few large duck ponds on council property should I try have a yack with someone at council about setting traps?

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## 7mmwsm

I'd say the first one is a weasel too. Just based on the tail.

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## FatLabrador

> You guys have inspired me, so i Started trapping at home and have got one rat  so far and a mouse yesterday, I really enjoy it and think i want to do more around my area, we have quite a few large duck ponds on council property should I try have a yack with someone at council about setting traps? 
> Attachment 74576


Just get out there and do it with some victors  :Have A Nice Day:

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## time out

Victors have to be the lowest cost option Guys - this supplier has the best price I know of - 
https://www.deadrat.co.nz/shop-%26-o...sPage=t/victor
I prefer the Snap-E trap for ease of use - but the triggers can fail - but easy to replace and the above suppler offers them free 
Some of my trapping Mates are gun-shy and wont handle the Victor or the Gorilla - the Gorilla is very powerful but is a mongrel trap that is hard to set if wet or high humidity 
The amazing thing about a Victor is they just keep on killing - mice, rats, hogs and stoats - gives them a rush of blood to the head and prepares them for the next meal

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## time out

I really like the concept of the ALPs in the Goodnature (GN) A24 traps - but I have had very little success with the chocolate lure in the ALPs - I am sure it is fine if the rats are close to the trap, but it seems to have very little pulling power if rat numbers are low and the rats are a bit further away from the trap 
I have removed all of the chocolate ALPs from our A24s at the Park and have replaced them with possum paste (PP) lure containers made for the A12 possum traps - I have also mixed in some olive oil to ensure they dribble down the barrel - I have had some success but I dont think they will be as good as having an ALP pumping out the PP 
I have now converted the chocolate ALPs to PP and have been installing them in A24s around the Park - a bit early to report on success yet but they must be better than an open vented lure bottle made for the A12s  
The conversion process is simple - gently squeeze the chocolate out of the ALP and refill with PP from a standard pouch - the tube on the pouch fits nicely into the neck of the ALP so no mess - just inflate it to about what they look like from GN - put the cap on and you are ready to go 
The conversion will allow the ALP to gently pump out PP over the next few months - I accept that the consistency of PP is different to the consistency of chocolate - so it may separate and leave me with a dry blob of PP in the ALP - but it is worth a try - I now have a heap of chocolate lure to sweeten up with something - I might use cinnamon or aniseed 
I have advised GN of what I am doing - they are keen to get some feedback - I will let you know how it goes

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## Blisters

Thanks guys I have bought 20 victors and will see what I can do to the local rat population

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## FatLabrador

First ferret caught in a doc 200 at the duck pond

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## FatLabrador

Attachment 75164
First ferret caught in a doc 200 at the duck pond

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## kukuwai

Great stuff       @FatLabrador that's a bloody good catch at any duck pond  :Thumbsup:  keep the tail, one for the swamp comp !!

Also @time out great thinking with filling those ALPs, pretty hard to come by the old plastic containers. 
I ended up just buying the A12 possum refills and putting them in the A24s, it added up tho !!

Any idea why GN can't just put possum paste in an ALP ??

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## time out

A farm report - it took me a month to get this one - I saw it slope off one day and it was a bit quick for me to get it lined up - put the dog through the area but it didn’t flush - I pulled in three cages from around the farm - kept the rabbit parts fresh and even tried out sardines - but nothing worked - but they usually make a mistake and yesterday was the day - sadly it was a mother cat with milk - so months more work ahead to catch the rest of them 
I have left lots of rabbits around, so flying and land based predators have plenty of options - a few rats and hogs keep on coming out  



Not sure what is killing these young pheasants - but it is not eating them - seen a few lately

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## FatLabrador

Been catching nothing caught a hawg at the start of October lots of ducklys getting to juvenile stage and till a few new ones hatching

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## time out

Same place - a lovely warm saddle under a shelter belt - 10 days later - different cage - thought it would be kittens - but it was Tom - kittens will come later
Where do these animals come from? - 1km from the road - bush behind and to one side of us - farm the other side

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## Russian 22.

Dumped pet probably

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## Sparrow

One for the good guys ........ 
Chicken neck in a live capture, then not so live . 2 hogs this week too!

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## FatLabrador

Haven't caught eny rats for months but got there two last weekend out of 5 traps the modified vicktors sure wack em in the right spot  :Cool:

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## time out

Nice paint job FL - good to whack them where they die quick - I have had a few lately in Kness Snap-E traps that confirm it would not pass the NAWAC requirements - I understand that under NAWAC a strike in front of the eyes although it may kill the rat, is not fast enough - a strike behind the eyes or on behind the head or mid thorax is pretty rapid death and is generally NAWAC compliant - but I have seen a few lately caught by the tail, a foot or today one across the back - he was very much alive - for a while - Cruz got to the trap site first and was barking his head off at this poor rat 



Not a lot to report - just a few rats - but a few young ones starting to come out now - couple of pics below of today's 4 rats - and a big Norway rat shit on a log above a trap site - I guess that is telling me something - the bottom rat picture is in a Gorilla trap - it just would not set again - they are all failing - bastard traps - we have got the Park spreadsheet up to 474 predators - 43 possums, 417 rats, 13 hogs and 1 stoat - I had a goal of 500 by Xmas - should get there
The Goodnature A24s are still a challenge - the best of the eleven in service over six months has 8 strikes - the worst has 1 strike - but rat numbers are low

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## FatLabrador

I think I can smell them from here. That's the thing I hate about trapping in the summer they farking stink. Hope u all got your tails in for the swamp comp.

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## time out

Hard to hold your breakfast down sometimes - the possums are a bag of maggots within a couple of days 
i got my five tails into H&F a few days back - staff on the counter had never heard of it - they had trouble with their breakfast when I put my milking gloves on and opened up a yogurt container with three stinky ferret tails, plus a stoat and weasel tail - I counted them on a sheet of their advertising material  :Omg: 
I hope @Dundee has remembered his tails

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## kukuwai

Haha I dropped 3 tails off a couple of days ago too and got a similar reaction.... a very blank look from the frontline staff. 
Had to get the boss who was a good bugger and very interested in the trapping, he gave me an entry form to fill out and showed me the prize list which I must say was very impressive. 
Not the main motivation for any of us I'm sure but a good added bonus if you manage to win something.
Trappings been pretty quite for me lately apart from a few rats, mice and a couple of hoggs but ill take them all  :Thumbsup: 

Good luck fellas in the comp and with the trapping !!

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## Sparrow

> One for the good guys ........ Attachment 78982
> Chicken neck in a live capture, then not so live . 2 hogs this week too!


So the one above was a Tom, got a female on Friday with a Timms around the pond wasn't really in milk but looked like she'd been suckling not long ago, thought here we go....... The kittens were kind enough to pull themselves out in the sun today, cleaned them up with the rough but effective vineyard single shot .22 . Not the nicest but nipped 4 for future problems in the bud! Still rebated my 4 live captures 1 Timms and 2 docs and will keep pulling hogs I expect!

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## FatLabrador

> Thanks guys I have bought 20 victors and will see what I can do to the local rat population


How things going @Blisters?

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## time out

Four hours and 9000 steps - checked about forty rat traps and 15 possum traps this morning - never saw a single rat - but one less tree climbing nest wrecker on my favorite log  - bird predators are getting harder to find  :36 1 7:

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## kukuwai

@time out Nothing wrong with bird predators getting harder to find  :Thumbsup: 
Well done mate

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## kukuwai

> So the one above was a Tom, got a female on Friday with a Timms around the pond wasn't really in milk but looked like she'd been suckling not long ago, thought here we go....... The kittens were kind enough to pull themselves out in the sun today, cleaned them up with the rough but effective vineyard single shot .22 . Not the nicest but nipped 4 for future problems in the bud! Still rebated my 4 live captures 1 Timms and 2 docs and will keep pulling hogs I expect!


 @Sparrow get stuck into them fella you'll see the successful nesting improve for it, for sure  :Thumbsup:

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## Dundee

yeah i got a few stinky tails entered @time out

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## time out

The door was closed and the smell was awful - very dark in there with the polythene - so I lifted the door a bit to look underneath - he flew at me and hit the door - I got a real fright - I have never seen a cat or a ferret snarl and bark like this bastard - he would leap from one end of the cage to the other to get me - glad the wire was there! 
Out to dinner tonight with a Mate who had one for a pet - I sent him a text and picture and asked if he wanted it - yes please - but I had to turn him down - told him it needed a pacifier and too much stink - very nasty critter

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## kukuwai

Found a sun baked weasel today  :Thumbsup: 
Still managed to wip its tail off tho !



Only trap set off out of 58 !!!

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## FatLabrador

Always after the swamp comp at least he was only caught last night whipped his tail off.

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## time out

Well done FL - you are doing well on stoats 
Quail got some relief yesterday - I got rid of a couple more hogs with Victors - 

one got a whack across the snout 



the other got caught by the back leg - poor buggar what a way to go!

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## time out

Sold the farm and left on Thursday - so just trapping public land now - took a walk around part of my trap line at the Te Puna Quarry Park yesterday - found four victims - all in bad shape - is it a Shippy or a Norway - a bit hard to tell after ten days - Jeeze - I am going to miss getting cats and  ferrets - haven't even got anywhere to shoot a rabbit

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## kukuwai

Jeeze @time out I'm gunna miss your pictures of caught cats and ferrets. Hopefully you'll find somewhere to shoot a rabbit or two.
Thanks for the very valuable info you have shared with us all and good luck with the public land trapping.

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## kukuwai

I had a wipp around the trap line this morning.

Pretty lucrative with two hedgehogs, two Rats, two Mice and a weasel all in varying stages of decay !! 
None of which enticed me to take my gloves off, get the phone and take any pictures.

Then there was this guy. Nice and fresh so he got his picture taken before having his tail cut off  :Thumbsup: 
Carried it with me for a while and gave a few other boxes a rub.
ALWAYS so good to see them dead!!!



 @time out I have had no change to any of the numbers on my good nature traps since putting in new ALP's 2 weeks ago !!  (all chocolate)

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## FatLabrador

Enyone know when there gonna do the swamp comp draw? Or has it already happened?

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## kukuwai

> Enyone know when there gonna do the swamp comp draw? Or has it already happened?


I gave the nelson h&f store a call last week and asked them that question. He seemed to think mid Feb in line with their catalogue release as the winners list will be in it.   

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## time out

Great day @kukuwai - must be satisfying to get those critters 
 I have had eleven GN A24s around the Park for the last six months - best count is 10 and worst is 1 - just the odd one moves a digit but haven’t seen a body for quite a while - continually changing ALPs - the air pumps are working well and blowing up the air bag like a balloon with all the lure gone - I have given up and just leaving the new ones as chocolate now so don’t expect to see any action - the sign on the top is a laugh - see you in six months - yeah right!
Still getting a few rats in Snap and Victor traps - some rats are young - got a possum yesterday on my favourite log - total kills on the 2018 sheet is 28 - 21 rats, 4 hogs and 1 possum
Quail numbers around the Park are great - often see good numbers of chicks in family groups - a sure sign that the predator numbers are very low

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## time out

Just when I thought we had them beat - back they come again!
It has been fairly quiet around the trap lines for the last month - hard to find a victim - my line in the Park has around 40 traps - most sites have bait stations with Ditrac bait - hopeless stuff!
Wet weather and wet tracks have kept me away for nine days - so out on a mission yesterday - four hours and 8000 steps (on my Samsung Gear) and I cleared eight bodies - seven very rotten and one fresh under an A24 
Hard work keeping your breakfast down clearing a rotten body full of maggots - if you dont clear the Snap-E traps properly they are hard to reset - also frustrating having to clear all mouldy chocolate and blue bait - stuff those baits - I am going to stick to GN possum paste in future - very stable and wont go mouldy 
My Mate got five on his line on Wednesday - also a great result - fifty on the 2018 spreadsheet now - so I guess we are heading back to a 500 target this year 
Birdlife is improving noticeably - my simple measure is Quail on the ground - good numbers of families - most with six to eight well grown chicks - also seeing good numbers of Pheasants and other native birds
If you game bird hunters want to improve your results - you need to control cats, rats, hogs, possums and mustilids - in that order - dont waste money on gas traps - Victor Pro and Snap-E traps do the job well  
Looking forward to the Swamp Comp results Guys - example of a nine day rotten rat below -

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## 223nut

For those that have counters going up but no bodies under them there is an answer....

Mate had a camera set up on one of his, A bigl tom cat would come round and pick up the fresh rat by for breakfast, problem solved by putting a cat trap out as well!

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## FatLabrador

Anyone got the swamp comp draw results

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## kukuwai

> Anyone got the swamp comp draw results


Page 50 in the new catalogue suggests that it has been drawn and there was 111 winners but buggered if i can find the winners list on their web page surely it will be up any day. We'll just keep looking  

Good to see its on again for this year !


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## kukuwai

@time out   @FatLabrador @Dundee

Swamp comp results are up 

https://www.huntingandfishing.co.nz/swamp-comp-results

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## FatLabrador

Says opps page 404 not found  :Sad:

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## kukuwai

> Says opps page 404 not found


Yea that's real strange i can't find them now either. 

They were there earlier on in the day, just in the competitions drop down menu on their website. 

They are defiantly not there now tho. Sorry about that.

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## FatLabrador

Did ya win anything?

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## kukuwai

> Did ya win anything?


Yep cage trap ! - very useful for me .

Hope i still winning it when they put the results back up  


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## Dundee

Results should be out at the end of the week fullas,they made a cock up and had to withdraw the price list.Hope it doesn't affect any that have seen the list already @kukuwai

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## FatLabrador

Nice surprise to come home to  :Cool:

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## kukuwai

Well done, me too 

Good effort by all 2000 tails.
Interesting stats 2000 predators at 1 kill per day per year =  730 000 kills saved 

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## time out

A nice surprise in the mailbox tonight - thanks for your info on the prize draw @kukuwai, @FatLabrador and @Dundee 
Fantastic competition that H&F run each year - thanks Andy Tannock - 2000 mustilid tails - that must make a huge difference to game bird survival

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## time out

I like to mount traps on ramps - fence post stays or just old branches leaning on a tree - I like the concept of a trapped rat pissing down the ramp - I am sure that it is a powerful attractant for the next victim that walks past - might be a rat, mustilid or even Harry the hedgehog. I can hear you saying that Harry is a ground based predator - but I have caught them in a timms trap 1m up a 30 degree sloped ramp.
I got Harry and his mate on Tuesday - one on a ramp and one in a Doc250 - what a mess 9 days between checking traps can make 
Three of us are currently trapping about 50 acres in the Park - some intensively and some sparsely - the 2018 spreadsheet has 83 victims - 5 possums, 7 hogs, 1 cat and 70 rats - the bloody cat managed to get inside a Doc250! - this time last year our 2017 spreadsheet had 62 victims - 10 possums and 52 rats 
So even with intensive trapping and poisoning - we are really just running a control system to stop predator numbers from exploding - a bit demoralising really - but we have to keep going
Trapping can be a lonely business - but for the past three months I have had a new Mate who was keen to learn the trade - Girls can do anything - she pulled Harry out of the Doc250 on Tuesday but I couldn’t get her to clean out the live bait on the bottom - she can even set a Doc250

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## Sparrow

Well done in the comp fellas, I didn't manage an entry this year although since October have removed 7 cats and 30 odd hogs.

Had two ferrets turn up from no where this week a junenile in a doc 200 and an adult behind the pond in a Timms, they must be getting mobile now the easy young birds have all Buggered off or something? so that's at least 2 tails in the freezer for the next 8 months keep the traps  going fellas

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## kukuwai

> Well done in the comp fellas, I didn't manage an entry this year although since October have removed 7 cats and 30 odd hogs.
> 
> Had two ferrets turn up from no where this week a junenile in a doc 200 and an adult behind the pond in a Timms, they must be getting mobile now the easy young birds have all Buggered off or something? so that's at least 2 tails in the freezer for the next 8 months keep the traps  going fellas
> Attachment 83989
> Attachment 83990


Bloody awesome effort @Sparrow 7 cats is gunna have to make a difference !!

Well done on the tails in the freezer too 

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## Sparrow

yep its great getting the cats have a tom giving me the runaround currently and someone has seen a kitten couple of times so here we go again….  :Thumbsup:

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## time out

Great work @Sparrow - hard to know which of these bastards do the most damage - I suspect cats kill to feed themselves but I understand ferrets and stoats kill for fun 
Hogs kill everything on the ground - birds and much more - a seriously underrated pest - but some people are fascinated by them 
I got sick of the cricket yesterday so jumped in the car and did half of my trap circuit up the Park - hour and a half and got 4 rats and found Harry came back to check on his mate from Tuesday - big buggar - how did he get inside that box? - missed a possum in a Timms - bloody string snagged on the corner of the mounting board so he pulled out - I bet he wont come back!

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## time out

I am just trapping a public Park these days - not catching any stoats or ferrets, but they must be around as I see them dead on the highway 
Rat numbers increased during March - despite very low kill numbers in January (23) and a slight increase in February (36) - kill numbers during March have increased to 114 - four of us cleared 34 on one day  
It looks like they have had a great summer breeding season and the younger ones have left home and are on the move - looking for a good feed of possum paste and some steel around their necks 
We are seeing aggressive feeding on trapped bodies - some completely or partially devoured back to the box trap entrance and some removed from the tunnel traps 
Some Ditrac bait starting to move this month - but that won’t do them much harm  
Other than the rats,  we got 4 possums and 8 hogs in March - 195 bird predators so far for 2018 
I am starting to get a few bodies under the A24s - two sites with double kills and three sites with single kills - so they do work - but mainly young rats learning some “hard” lessons
I am always looking for a new set and continue to find fallen logs to be very successful - often over-night results - possibly the younger ones checking out something new 
Not sure where these rat numbers are heading - but Predator Free NZ seems to be a long way off using traps and bait - we got 500 bird predators during 2017 and it looks like we will see that sort of number again this year 
Quail numbers are looking good - several coveys of 50 or more - great to see them doing well

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## Sparrow

A good double yesterday with 2 hedgehogs


Changed out some rabbit that had done its dash for some chicken necks and bang.

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## kukuwai

> A good double yesterday with 2 hedgehogs
> Attachment 85432
> Attachment 85433
> Changed out some rabbit that had done its dash for some chicken necks and bang.


Minta !! Well done @Sparrow. Did the cat get a Morgan Score 

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## Sparrow

ha … would of done alright was the biggest Tom yet   :Thumbsup:

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## time out

Great double Sparrow - which is the worst predator - I would go for the ferret which is an indiscriminate killer - but both are ugly 
I have been operating 5 Doc250s around the Park for nearly four years and never tripped up a mustilid - just hogs and rats - but yesterday was payback for our efforts 
I always thought it was a good set - alongside a farm fence, bush on one side and nice grass on the other, plenty of rats, rabbits, Quail and Pheasants to eat - what more could a ferret want - well maybe some very manky “Chef” salmon and chicken cat tucker - or was she heading for the plastic eggs - when I am desperate - I will try anything - ironically I was ready to buy some chicken necks for a change 
Also got three rats and a couple of Mates got five rats each - 215 pests so far this year

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## PillowDribbler

Love your guys work,i see that ritchie is trying those Victor traps. Victor with the white shroud are pretty good i reckon,they get that bar across the ears and lights out.

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## Sparrow

Nice one Time out, not sure which does the most damage but the ferret wins on smell how they hunt anything is a mystery.

I'm not getting any rats at work at all from a combination of cage traps, doc 200's and A24's( which don't seem to get anything) would like to think because they are not there but unlikely, any info on where is the cheapest place to get victors from would like to put a few on fence stays around the place, saw em in H&F for $15 at the weekend though that was a bit rich.

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## madjon_

> Nice one Time out, not sure which does the most damage but the ferret wins on smell how they hunt anything is a mystery.
> 
> I'm not getting any rats at work at all from a combination of cage traps, doc 200's and A24's( which don't seem to get anything) would like to think because they are not there but unlikely, any info on where is the cheapest place to get victors from would like to put a few on fence stays around the place, saw em in H&F for $15 at the weekend though that was a bit rich.


https://www.traps.co.nz/content/imag...-rat-trap.jpeg
$7.50 +gst

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## Sparrow

Thanks for that, wasa lazy arse way of me finding out, knew H&F were taking the piss.

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## kukuwai

Theres alot of useful stuff on this sight   @Sparrow.

www.traps.co.nz

I have quite a few of their PCR copies of the doc200 and they are going well.

Victors for $7.55 +gst. Also modified ones or even can just buy the white shroud and bait trigger and fit yourself.


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## time out

Hi Sparrow - this site is lowest cost I know - but looks like out of stock - https://www.deadrat.co.nz/shop-%26-o...olsFocus=false
MS Woodcraft is pretty good - VICTOR TRAPS NZ
Should be around $6 to $7 
Give them a good soaking in boiled linseed oil for a few days before you put them out - should protect the wood for a while 
Change the A24 lure over to possum paste with a bit of olive oil mixed in to help it dribble down the barrel

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## Sparrow

Spoke to soon..... 2 days after saying haven't had a rat.  got him in a doc 200
And 1st Weasel too thought the Timms had missed closer inspection found the little guy pinned to the roof  

While I'm on a roll...........I've never shot a 14 pointer   :Wink:  

Ordered 6 victors and a couple more docs from traps.co.nz about 10am yesterday and they were waiting for me when I got home from work today, no messing about....... Best get them out there then.

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## kukuwai

> Spoke to soon..... 2 days after saying haven't had a rat. Attachment 85662 got him in a doc 200
> And 1st Stoat too thought the Timms had missed closer inspection found the little guy pinned to the roof  
> Attachment 85663
> While I'm on a roll...........I've never shot a 14 pointer   
> 
> Ordered 6 victors and a couple more docs from traps.co.nz about 10am yesterday and they were waiting for me when I got home from work today, no messing about....... Best get them out there then.


Good shit get that tail in the freezer  !!

That's one thing i have noticed with those trap nz fellas their delivery time is brilliant, wish nz post was 1/2 as good.

Best of luck with that 14 pointer 

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## time out

Got this big Norway today - one of 5 - they dont come any bigger than this - must have weighed half a kilo - he had choices - a timms or a Doc250 a couple of metres away - apple and possum paste was more attractive than manky cat tucker

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## kukuwai

Well I had a day off today and hadn't been round the trap line for a while so me and the young fella (school holidays) loaded up with fresh eggs and smoked fish skin from the freezer and were off.

It turned out to be a bonanza  

First was a small cat that had managed to get its leg caught in a doc 200 while going for a rabbit leg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...990577d018.jpg

Then a ferret in a fenn mk6. The first one we have ever caught. 

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...316ed56629.jpg

There were 6 rats in total all varying stages of decay. One of them was bloody massive.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cb91c692fa.jpg

There was also another weasel, i have now caught 7 of them since starting trapping so there is obviously a breeding population of them present in the area




And just when you think the A24s arnt working.....boom !!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cca4a0e470.jpg


Great results, the young fella loved it 



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## FatLabrador

Great job @kukuwai !!!
I haven't rebaited or checked the traps in awhile will have to give the smoked fish skin a go   :Cool:

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## kukuwai

> Great job @kukuwai !!!
> I haven't rebaited or checked the traps in awhile will have to give the smoked fish skin a go


I now keep all the bones and skin off our smoked fish, it goes in bags in the freezer.  

It has proven a very successful bait for me on all manner of critters. I gave some to the trapping fella at the local golf course the other day. He caught 3 rats the first night using it so was very happy.

I think sometimes its just the change of bait that works. However looking back at my records smoked fish has been the most successful.   

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## kukuwai

@time out 

Here's a picture for you.

That garden technology of yours works equally well on these south island hogs.

This is #5 in this trap since setting it up and I've never put any bait in it 

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## kukuwai

9 rats today. 

7 of which fell victim to the smoked fish skin.
2 under GN traps.

You know there must be a few about when your catching them like this !



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## FatLabrador

I think mice are rading all the smoked fish out of my traps

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## time out

I thought you might be interested in my experiences with Goodnature A24 rat traps at the Park - we got eleven traps and started the install 1 June 2017 - so some have been out for nearly a year 
We decided to put the A24s around the perimeter and in hard to get at places - steep ridges etc - thinking that they would be the answer to our control system in those areas - but there are a few issues with the A24 that require regular hands on management. 
I have never been a fan of GN chocolate lure on snap traps - not a strong smell and goes mouldy etc - we found that the ALP chocolate flavoured lure dispenser is not that attractive to rats where numbers are low - we would often get a couple of local residents, but then nothing - the ALP is supposed to last for six months but they often fail in a couple of months - some form a blob on the trigger and some eject all of the lure and blow up like a balloon. We have found that GN cinnamon possum paste is the best lure for rats - far better than chocolate - so we converted all of the A24s to possum paste - sometimes reloading a new ALP - but now we just use the A12 possum paste lure container - mix in some olive oil to help it dribble and squeeze it out a bit each time we visit. 
We found it frustrating to continually revisit the A24 and find minimal or no movement of the counter - some A24s were sited in prime rat country where it is unlikely that humans had been for a long time - sometimes we got a couple of residents but then nothing - so I carried out experiments with a Snap trap mounted beside the A24 - both using the same bait - possum paste - bingo - killed a rat the next night - this happened on several sites and on a number of occasions - it proved to me that a rat would rather eat out of a Snap trap than put his head up the barrel of an A24
Strike numbers have increased a lot in the last month or so with younger rats roaming around - this was also confirmed with the kill rate of young rats in Snap traps in the same areas.
I have just done a check of strike numbers on all the A24s - trap number one to trap number eleven - 13, 7, 10, 15, 9, 12, 11, 15, 8, 6, 14. - total strikes on counters = 255 - in total it is better than I had thought, but keep in mind the cost difference of an A24 compared to a Snap trap in a box or tunnel - during the same period we killed 450 rats in around 200 Snap traps in the same area 
Hope this is useful

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## Dundee

Good shit! Beats that poison. :Cool:

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## Sparrow

Cheers Time Out, I had pretty much given up on the 3 A24's we have they hadn't fired in 7 months all baited with chocolate, I think I have seen a A12 possum bait in the shed so will change up and see what happens

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## kukuwai

I agree that the ALP is certainly not "see you in 6 months" as they claim. As you say @time out sometimes only 2 months. Its pretty close to false advertising i reckon !!

Haven't had any action out of my A12 possum traps for the last year but do get a few rats with the A24s. This picture from a couple of days ago.

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## FatLabrador

I understand the foot plate can be bought pretty cheap - the owner of this business offered them to me - Grantley Imports - Welcome to Grantley Imports
Some of my Victor Pros are four years old - they just keep on going - at present they are mostly catching mice so are very sensitive to small rodents 
[/QUOTE]

 @time out you wouldn't have a couple of theses left would you? And where do you buy your snap e traps looking at getting a few of those for the new place ( old man sold runoff for bigger runoff), has got 30 hectares in total of trees I think there blackwood trees anyway some habit for native birds, pheasants and quail. So gotta start traping this new place before spring. Shot 4 possums and caught 1 cat so far.

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## time out

Cruz dealing with his last possum last Wednesday - he had a massive bleed from a tumor on his heart that night - he bounced back a bit in a few days - but ultrasound imaging and xrays yesterday confirmed an ugly tumor - he had another event this morning so we had him euthanized
I have had nearly 50 years of long living Labradors - Cruz was just 9.5 years - too short  
Not sure how I will handle trapping without a dog - he was a great Mate 
We had one last gentle walk with him on Sunday - he loved it. 
Love your dogs while you have the chance - they don’t last forever!

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## dannyb

family not pets, sorry for your loss sounds like he had a great life

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## PillowDribbler

Bugger

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## Frogfeatures

Sorry mate, never easy to lose family

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## Dundee

Sorry to hear about your loss @time out :Oh Noes:

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## Dundee

Had 7 leg hold traps set the last few nights only one rat  :Mouse:  up at the pond. No coons so set them off.

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## PillowDribbler

Time Out have a look at these.Tully Trap from Scotland available later in year.

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## kukuwai

Had a wip around the trap line today before the rain.

7 GN A24's = total 11 strikes no carcuses under any of them. Highest number strikes was 6 lowest was 0.

8 rats and 1 mouse from the victors.

1 Weasel in a doc 200. 

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## time out

Getting very hard to find a pest around the Park - three of us checked about 150 traps this week - four rats and one possum - mostly invading around the boundaries - so the birds should be fairly safe during nesting 
I had to find another Lab - I located Marley with a breeder closely connected to Cruz - he is 15 months old so still a big puppy, eager to learn and still has to grow to match his sire and dam - I have been showing him around my trap lines - 

A nice big buck for you to carry around! 


Fifth rat here since I changed the gas bottle - maybe pre-feeding works - a month or so of eating the lure bottle and they keep coming back for more - suckers!

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## Sparrow

Love your work time out.

I volunteered for a trapping programme last year and it took a while to roll out , funding applications etc but the organisers did a great job.  We then built 100 Doc 200's and took a couple of weekends to get them out round an estuary near home I must have ld my hand up too high as I have ended up co ordinating the field work but finally got to see the fruits of the labour last couple of weeks checking my easier line with my boys and the other yesterday, the other volunteers have been reporting a few critters also.



Soon to add a Timms/ trapinator every 10 traps also to deal to the cats  :Have A Nice Day:

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## FatLabrador

Got a ferret in the cage trap last week tail in the freezer.

Caught a cat

Should help out the birds out need to get some of those Snape rat traps wheres the best place to buy them?

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## Dundee

Awesome guys! What bait you using in the cage @FatLabrador  ?

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## FatLabrador

Funny you ask that @Dundee my post isn't in order and I caught the cat first so I cut the tail off the cat and tie it to the roof of the trap hopeing it would wiggle in the wind plus I put a possum front leg in.

Then the next day I caught a hedgehog and it ate the possum leg and tried to eat the cats tail. I rebaited it with another possums front leg and a few days later I caught the ferret.

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## Sparrow

Installed a few trapinators in my estuary lines over the weekend haven't used em before and they are easy to operate, looks like they work too, this is the only one i had out a week earlier 1/1 

My favorite doc 200 is 2/2 in the same line 

And at work the bosses had previously told me they hadn't had a Possum on the vineyard in 22years of owning it, this guy came in for a bit of hare leg that was intended for vineyard cat no.15 since november this one is giving me the run around, oh well bit of surprise fluff for the bag a bonus.  :Thumbsup:

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## kukuwai

@Sparrow That whole post is just frickin awesome !!! Well done  

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## Dundee

@Sparrow I love that catanator trap!

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## Sparrow

I think Doc developed them it's basically a Timms you fix to something firmly the bar still comes under their chin and I suppose it's all over a bit quicker cos they are hanging........ But your right Catanator would of been better  😄

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## time out

Great work @Sparrow - getting the kids involved is great - I love the picture of your Son with the straw in his mouth - the family will love that picture forever!
So good to see the cats and mustilids coming out - all destructive animals and this is the time of the year to get them before the birdlife is nesting 
Looks like the Trapinator is a lethal tool - so much better than the Possum Master - steel around their neck is more humane than a piece of string to strangle them 
My Mate was showing me how to rebait and reset a Possum master a couple of weeks back (he has been operating about 30 of them) - nicely reset and turned the safety off - he bent down to put flour around the tree trunk and the bastard thing tripped and the handle hit him between the eyes - ironically the next one he checked did the same thing but didnt hit him - it might have been the rain on the trip mechanism  
I hate using the Warrior traps - even though the steel safety frame makes them safe to work on - I dont like putting my hand in there - the sharp steep jaws must be a very rapid death - give me a Sentinel every time!
If anyone wants to read a great test report on all types of possum and ferret traps - this document has to be the best - 
https://pestdss.landcareresearch.co....e-trapping.pdf

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## kukuwai

@time out looks like that new dog is enjoying its walks 

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## kukuwai

> If anyone wants to read a great test report on all types of possum and ferret traps - this document has to be the best - 
> https://pestdss.landcareresearch.co....e-trapping.pdf


Man I just had a decent read through that attachment. It is very, very good. Loads of great info. Thanks for that 

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## Dundee

Tell us more about your dog @time out or have I missed it in the dog section?

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## time out

> Tell us more about your dog @time out or have I missed it in the dog section?


Next week  @Dundee - it is a very sad story - a fabulous dog but I have to take him back to his breeder tomorrow - 15 months old and he has early signs of ED :Sad:

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## Dundee

Bugger @time out. My young fella is selling Lab puppies if your interested.

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## time out

Marley checking out his last rat with me - sadly we had to take him back to the breeder as he was limping on a front left leg after modest exercise - they took x rays back in May to see if he was OK for breeding but decided not to keep him. Our Vet was able to access the x rays for us and I was fortunate to have expert Vet friends who advised us he had early signs of ED  and advised us to take him back. 
After owning him for six weeks - it was a sad process to give him up! We are again looking for a young Labrador - we have had five puppies throughout our lives - so not going there again.

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## kukuwai

Sorry to hear that @time out

Best of luck finding another Lab. It, like those before it will be a lucky dog to be rolling with you 

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## Sparrow

That is a really rough break timeout, hope all works out for the best.

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## MSL



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## time out

It’s been hard work trapping rats lately - numbers have dropped right off - monthly numbers at the Park from January this year to date have been  - 23, 36, 114, 67, 40, 17, 18, 8, and now 12 for September - I was getting a bit despondent but got 5 of the 12 on Sunday and anther 4 today - so they are on the way back - mainly juveniles in the last couple of days - poor wee fellas didn’t get a chance to learn 
I did get a couple of big Norways from the same spot this month - must be a family around that area. I got a young Shippy on Sunday and his mate came back to find him today.
Still getting the odd strike under the A24s which is pleasing.
Possums have been very hard to find around the Park lately - but one has been enjoying the Rose Gardens in the central area - a bit dangerous with kids around for a kill trap - so I have provided him with a special meal of Pestoff in a Philproof bait station up a tree for tonight.

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## Sideshow

@time out How are you finding that A24 trap? Worth the money?

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## MSL

Got another in the doc200 last night

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## time out

> @time out How are you finding that A24 trap? Worth the money?


I did a report on Page 18 of this thread - it covers most issues 
I checked a few yesterday that still had 01 on the counter - after I changed the gas bottle a couple of months ago and gave them one test fire - so no kills yet - but rat numbers are very low at present 
I still run them on Possum Paste in an open A12 lure bottle - but have to give it a squeeze each time I check them and top up the container as required - i dont like their ALP system with chocolate lure 
Best if you invest in trap boxes with a Victor Pro or a Kness Snap-E trap - you would get a lot of those for the cost of an A24
Good luck  :36 7 5:

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## kukuwai

@Sparrow

Great article in the latest Predator free NZ trust newsletter.

  'Young trappers keen to help on Ashley         estuary'


Good on ya mate, keep up the good work.

Awesome for the kids. I know mine love it !!!


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## Sparrow

Thanks kukuwai, that article was due to the encouragement of time out. 
Interestingly they posted it on their facebook page also where it recieved alot of positive support but negative also, how wrong it is to teach kids to maime and kill animals that kind of thing, reminded mewhy i dont use fb (the wife does).

I'll be honest made me 2nd guess myself a little until i asked Arlo 5 you know why we trap in the estuary eh? and he knows its for nest and bird protection but also so they dont get his grandads goldfish apparently, i always talk to him about how any thing we kill is a pest or for food and about the importance of a humane/quick kill.

After that i felt better and settle on the fact there is just some judgmental f@#k wits out there.  His school are allover it with full support.

We are currently on holiday in bali and my kids are the ones counting andchasing geckos and looking at the cool bugs and stuff while i see others still on the ipads, i know what i prefer

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## kukuwai

> Thanks kukuwai, that article was due to the encouragement of time out.


That makes     @time out an inspirational character then doesn't it !! He has encouraged me to do a few things awsell and I'm yet to meet him 




> but negative also, how wrong it is to teach kids to maime and kill animals that kind of thing, reminded me why i dont use fb (the wife does).


WA@#KERS, I have never and will never be a user of Fb. Infact i would go so far as to say i despise it. Blows me away that some people are more concerned with a virtual life than the one in front of their eyes. Know which one id rater be living!! 




> my kids are the ones counting andchasing geckos and looking at the cool bugs and stuff.


"I'll bet they are, good on you enjoy your holiday and keep up the good work!!! 

PS. Don't forget to put those smoked snapper and kahawai bones in the traps, they are great bait 



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## time out

Thanks for your support guys - I love what we all do and I know it is for all the right reasons - largely for the protection of our birdlife - I reckon Kate at PFNZ did a great job with your story @Sparrow - Arlo should be proud of what he and his brother are doing  
I guess you will all know that the Great Kereru Count 2018 has started and runs up to 30 September 2018 - https://www.facebook.com/OtoKiwiHous...7859874651679/
I decided yesterday about 4pm to take a quick walk up the Quarry Park to start my Kereru count - I did one short trap line and saw seven Kereru - that was over about 30% of the Park - three years ago I was lucky to see a single Kereru - and it was one that a friend at the ARC - BOP saved and released for us - the birdlife in general is amazing at present - it seems like there is a Tui up every Rewarewa - I am so looking forward to the Rewarewa  flowering season soon 
But I did get a big ship rat out of a Timms trap on the wattle log - I knew he was eating my apples - and eventually he made a fatal mistake 
Only one of the Kereru was photogenic for my wee belt camera - but at 5m range and in full view I couldn’t go wrong - he was checking every new shoot on a small Kowhai tree - they keep them stripped at present 
We went up to Auckland today and picked up our new black Lab - Jordy - he seems lovely - 16 month old - he has heaps of spring in his step - he is going to miss his five kennel mates tonight - I guess I will sleep in the nearest room to the garage

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## Russian 22.

> Thanks for your support guys - I love what we all do and I know it is for all the right reasons - largely for the protection of our birdlife - I reckon Kate at PFNZ did a great job with your story @Sparrow - Arlo should be proud of what he and his brother are doing  
> I guess you will all know that the Great Kereru Count 2018 has started and runs up to 30 September 2018 - https://www.facebook.com/OtoKiwiHous...7859874651679/
> I decided yesterday about 4pm to take a quick walk up the Quarry Park to start my Kereru count - I did one short trap line and saw seven Kereru - that was over about 30% of the Park - three years ago I was lucky to see a single Kereru - and it was one that a friend at the ARC - BOP saved and released for us - the birdlife in general is amazing at present - it seems like there is a Tui up every Rewarewa - I am so looking forward to the Rewarewa  flowering season soon 
> But I did get a big ship rat out of a Timms trap on the wattle log - I knew he was eating my apples - and eventually he made a fatal mistake 
> Only one of the Kereru was photogenic for my wee belt camera - but at 5m range and in full view I couldnt go wrong - he was checking every new shoot on a small Kowhai tree - they keep them stripped at present 
> We went up to Auckland today and picked up our new black Lab - Jordy - he seems lovely - 16 month old - he has heaps of spring in his step - he is going to miss his five kennel mates tonight - I guess I will sleep in the nearest room to the garage 
> 
> Attachment 95586
> 
> Attachment 95587


How far away is this park? Is it open to the public? I am going to go uppjnt Auckland and mount Williams with my girlfriend but all the birds seem really cool.

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## time out

Open all day every day - https://www.quarrypark.org.nz/

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## Russian 22.

> Open all day every day - https://www.quarrypark.org.nz/


Ah. I think my mum has taken me there's the quarry gardens. Nice place 

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## Sparrow

Back off hols this weekend and just squeezed in a couple of Line checks in the estuary, 1 mouse, 2 weasels and one 3 weeks dead Tom cat  :Sick:  from 27 traps, the boy came with and managed the 4km with only 1000 questions, good fun.

Will refresh everything at work tomorrow    👍

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## Sparrow

Sorry for the big pic I'm not very tech savvy, a bait that is proving good and easy for cats in particular is Cheerios/cocktail sausages btw.

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## Russian 22.

Keep the tails for the swamp comp. I think you can win stuff at hunting and fishing

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## time out

Great work @Sparrow and your Son - another classic picture! - Cocktail cherrios are on the shopping list today - not much lure flavor in chicken legs that I have been using in the doc250s - bloody flies are back big time - rats and meaty lure turning to maggots very fast 
Nothing exciting to report - dragging a few trap boxes into Puketoki and putting them beside old logs - also some of Bill Griffith’s clever coreflute boxes around the farm boundaries ( I can get six in the Mountain Mule) - but so far nothing where I would have expected to find them - so having to resort to snap traps in the cafés where there is bait chewing activity - give them two choices - Contrac or kill trap 
Not a lot of action in the Park - about 200 trap sites and we are jointly getting about 4 predators per week - my lot for all my run in two trips has been a couple of young rats, one and a half possums and a hog - a hog is good as the Quail will be nesting soon - total predators for 2018 is 385 so might get to 500 again this year 
My new companion is growing in confidence - a big transition from a show puppy to a bush dog - he is a ball of muscle but he still won’t carry a possum or swim - up to his belly in water is all so far - I might have to get in with him!

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## FatLabrador

Beautiful looking lab there time out. Where did you get him from?

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## kukuwai

This ones not gunna have to wait long in the freezer 





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## time out

Not a lot to report really - hard work finding anything at the Quarry - just the occasional possum and rat - 397 pests for the year to date 
I am still doing a perimeter line at Puketoki - we have about 70 possum traps in the 100 acre reserve - we get about 30 possums in there each year - invaders from the Kaimais and surrounding farmland - I am starting to get the team focused on rat trapping - mostly traps in existing bait cafés which is not that efficient and also produces ugly results - a mixture of Snap-E traps and the dinosaur T Rex traps - I am starting to get a bit more confidence with the Possum Master traps but not sure I would like to view the strangulation process - three possums and a couple of rats a couple of days ago and very low level bait take 
We are thinking about shifting Puketoki control to a new level - to create an “Inland Ecological Island” - no pest fence but intense pest control to allow native plants, birds and animals to recover - is it possible? - recent tracking tunnel results show low pest levels - but still too high for birdlife!
https://www.facebook.com/Puketoki/ph...type=3&theater

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## Sparrow

2 days to get your tails into H&F if you are doing it, wouldn't want anyone to miss their chance of a freebie for their efforts  👍

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## time out

About a month since my last post - 50 more predators have come and gone at the Park - mostly rats but the odd possum has checked things out! 
I have been using Connovation solid state cinnamon lure tubes on my Sentinel possum traps for several years largely because possum numbers were low and soft lures like peanut butter and possum paste were eaten out by insects or rats - just remove the bite block from the bait tray and tie on a tube - set them and forget them - maybe slosh on a bit of extra possum paste on if you walk past 
I have a couple of Sentinel traps out on a boundary ridge - sometimes hard to go down into the gully and up onto the ridge - well I did a couple of days back and found a dried out possum skin in a trap - the rest of him was rotted out on the ground 
I have just bought new solid state tubes so I am in the process of changing out all the old ones for nice fresh new ones  
I am sick of changing apples in my Timms traps - so I am going to change over to solid state tubes on the bait rod - a bit of tape to stop it sliding down - it looks simple and should work well - might throw a slice of apple inside the box for an added attraction 
Rats and possums become a mess very quickly at present - hard to hold onto breakfast at times 
I decided to purchase nine new Doc200 traps from Haines - sorry Sir - about one month waiting list - so decided to build them myself - bad move - the time involved was awful - I would recommend being patient and wait for Mr Haines to deliver. The purpose of the exercise was to target stoats and hedgehogs as something seems to have decimated our Quail population - but may also have been cats 
My target for bird predators from the Park this year was 500 like last year - we have just got to 445 so will have to pull out the finger to get there by New Years eve 
Foolishly - I put my hand up too be a street coordinator for Predator Free Bay of Plenty - they are trying to get a rat trap every fifth house around urban areas of the city - they gave me 20 traps and boxes to spread around the 29 houses in our rural/residential street - the conditions were to list your trap on their PFBOP web site and register all kills - so far 13 traps are registered and 7 predators killed - slackers! - something for free is too easy! - I got 3 hogs on my place
Merry Xmas to all of you trappers

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## Dundee

Good work how many entrys did you enter for the swamp comp this year?

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## time out

> Good work how many entrys did you enter for the swamp comp this year?


Just two this time - both ferret - how about you @Dundee 
I see you are doing some great long range shooting with the .22 - I need a good bolt action with silencer and scope for sub-sonic on rabbits - do you know where there is a good Stirling?

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## Dundee

I had two entrys bagged and labeled and my youngest son had one bagged and labeled in the dog tucker freezer.The old man is 84 ish and cleaned out the dog tucker freezer and biffed anything that didn't look like dog tucker.Negative on the Stirlings @time out my two stirlings aren't for sale.

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## Dundee

> Just two this time - both ferret - how about you @Dundee 
> I see you are doing some great long range shooting with the .22 - I need a good bolt action with silencer and scope for sub-sonic on rabbits - do you know where there is a good Stirling?


Hi @time out just seen a post from Silverfin Sports in Foxton with a stirling 14p  with silencer 021 887 423 for $300 Bolt action,10 shot mag.

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## Sparrow

FInally got out to do my overdue estuary lines last night and the Mrs came along for the stroll hence there a couple of better pics, were still late on the tides after work so we had a laugh as we crossed the estuary between line with her on my shoulder with the water nearly chest deep.   😅
Was expecting some stinky messes given the recent heat ( and there was rats and a weasel) but interestingly my first Stoat and Ferret of the estuary lines were very fresh, within 48hrs I reckon.


Fresh bait was was well spent so had to think they came for the egg, with chicks mostly fledged looks like they maybe getting desperate, so get after em!!! (They were both adults)
The estuary wade, my mai mai is way down the other end.
Setting a trapinator in action haven't caught a cat here for a while but fresh tracks in the sand make their presence obvious hopefully fresh skin on hare is the key.
Stopped for a soggy jug or 2 on the way home and had a giggle with the Mrs how date night has changed over the years but I think she enjoyed it although she may not tell her mates.  5 tails in freezer already could be a big year.  👍

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## muzza

Guys locally have success using cheese slices as bait . The individually wrapped ones work well - but then we have the factory that makes them right  here in our little town so supply and cost isnt an issue .

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## time out

Predator Free BOP backyard trapping is growing well - 705 pests now dead - https://www.predatorfreebop.nz/
We are making some progress in our street with around 20 traps amongst 29 houses - all sections are about 1 acre and the street boundary is estuary and orchards - total pests trapped to date is 21 
Most of the action is on sections closer to the estuary - one Guy woke up with a screaming noise on his lawn at 3AM - he went outside to find a ferret in his kids rabbit hutch - he beat it up with a garden stake but it escaped when he opened the hutch and tried to grab it - it was a bit big for his rat trap so I set up a Doc250 and a cage - but it never came back 
Another Guy had his Snap-e trap smashed by something big - I replaced it with a Victor Pro and he got what I thought from his picture was a young stoat - but maybe it was a Weasel - he reset it and got a big Norway 
I have had a four hogs and one rat around my section - hogs in a cage - the Guy next door loves hogs in his garden 
I often see rats run across the road at the top of the street - maybe from the orchards but maybe they come up the underground concrete highway from the estuary - the stormwater system (currently very dry) with sumps all the way up the street - last sump is at the top end where they come out for a look around 
We are starting to see a lot more Quail with chicks around the subdivision - so maybe backyard trapping is working 
If you live in the BOP and would like a free trap in your back yard - just contact the team - they need a trap every five houses down every street - eventually 12,000 traps

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## kukuwai

Good stuff @Timeout

I had a walk around my trap line yesterday, 9 rats and 3 hogs all pretty disgusting!!
Doesn't take long at this time of the especially with the very hot weather of late.

I did find this but not sure of what the culprit may have been.



Also put out some vespex so hopefully that sorts out a few of the wasps too !!



Keep up the good work fellas 

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## kukuwai

Got some new victors from these guys. Arrived today, very sharp price $4.80 +gst each 



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## Sparrow

Been a bit slack posting catches of late but walked my 2 estuary lines last night as the tide was right, catch was a bit lower than late 3 rats and a hog, and this hua in the sand dunes where its only been a few rats and weasels to date.


Also noticed @kukuwai was using a bucket to cart every thing so thought i'd give it a crack, man so much quicker than a backpack 27 traps at 100m spacings and 1km stretch in the middle all eggs and baits changed just inside 2hrs with know broken eggs inside the bag to worry about   :Thumbsup:

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## Dundee

> Good stuff @Timeout
> 
> I had a walk around my trap line yesterday, 9 rats and 3 hogs all pretty disgusting!!
> Doesn't take long at this time of the especially with the very hot weather of late.
> 
> I did find this but not sure of what the culprit may have been.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How do you apply Vespex,I have a wasp nest under our house and can't penetrate it with spray.

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## kukuwai

> How do you apply Vespex,I have a wasp nest under our house and can't penetrate it with spray.


Most of the time wasps are hunting sugar but for a small period of time they look for protein (about now) 

During this time just put it out as a bait. It is a protein based bait, thus making it safe to use around bees. If the wasps are in their protein phase they will take it to their nest  & only need to take a little bit and the nest is history.

Won't work on paper wasps as they won't take bait, only hunt live pray.

You will find all the info you need here Dundee 

https://www.merchento.com/vespex.html

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## Sideshow

That Puk looks to have been eaten by a hawk I recon but I don’t think it killed it eaten once dead. Why no surrounding feathers plucked and then carried to that spot?

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## time out

Hard to say what killed the Puke @kukuwai but I have seen a few pheasant carcases carefully picked away to the bones - as per my pic - set a cage and get a cat most times - seems they are very careful to eat the good bits and don’t crunch the bones 
I am getting sick of broken Snap-e traps so just got two boxes of Victors from Carol - I am going to soak them in boiled linseed oil to protect the timber before they go out and get wet - I took the treadles off first - oil is not cheap though - about $18/litre 
I am going to cut a couple of new lines through about ten acres of bush that we have never trapped - it is steep so will have to poison as well as trap as I wont be over there often - I was going to invest in more A24s - but after reading this report I will just shift some from our well trapped out areas - give them some new work to do 
https://www.naturespace.org.nz/news/...we4eM898rCAmRA
Our un-trapped area is producing our invaders on my perimeter traps - possums and rats seem to like to run along a log to a trap - great places for a Timms and seems to get them frequently 
Seems to be plenty of young Quail around so we may be on top of the hogs and rats 
This thread has had 22 pages of postings, 552 likes and 33,699 visitors,  is it still interesting or has it become boring? - there are only so many ways to kill a bird predator - let me know if I should give it a rest

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## dannyb

Keep up the great work, not boring yet  :Thumbsup:

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## Dundee

Keep at it time out we wouldn't be following the thread if it was boring.

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## tiroatedson

Its a great resource for people to look at and get ideas. No not boring 


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## Sparrow

Yep keep it up great thread there are little tricks to be picked up from your pics and info and it inspires me to get out there and check the lines if I might be feeling a bit lazy.

Took 2 new volunteers out last 2 nights to show them their new trap lines, they are both starting from scratch so I am gonna point them in this direction, it's a great resource with no frilly bits   :Thumbsup:

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## Moa Hunter

> How do you apply Vespex,I have a wasp nest under our house and can't penetrate it with spray.


Dundee, I would flick a dessert spoon full of Actillic dust into the entrance of the wasp nest. Returning worker wasps will tramp it inside. Actillic is an organophosphate insecticide used mostly for protecting stored grain and seed from insect attack. You may need to treat twice if it is a big nest

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## kukuwai

First blood for the steve allen kill trap...



Target species too it seems 

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## PillowDribbler

Phark that would have been a bit ugly to clean out.

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## kukuwai

> Phark that would have been a bit ugly to clean out.


To be fair it wasn't that bad, no rain of late and its still pretty dry around here so that helps.

Its also a well designed trap and you don't actually have to get your hands right in there to set it !!

I was sceptical that a wild cat would actually walk up the ramp but it seems they will 

Also had two very dried up rabbits in fens Mk 6's today so a reminder to get round the line at regular intervals as a fired trap with something in it can't catch anything else.  my bad, been a bit busy lately.

Other than that only one rat and one hedgehog caught. Of all the clean outs its always the hog that's the worst. Gets me every time !!!!

Still searching for this years first tail in the freezer. . 
 @time out in regards to your last post, don't ever stop posting mate. This thread is  100% a phenomenal resource and I along with many others enjoy reading your stories. !!!  




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## time out

Good work on the cat Kukuwai - wish I could do that around here but one is Bengal Tiger worth $1k  
I have been a bit lazy with posting lately - but I am keeping busy trapping several places and the street  
Predator Free BOP total is now 1198 - our street total is now 55 animals in four months - predominantly rats but a couple of ferrets, lots of hogs and some mice
The expensive cat is leaving a trail of destruction behind - but that’s life and there are plenty of Pukes to go around - although Quail are living in the same area - we had a family of six Quail shelter under our hedge a few days back - they must know our yard is fairly safe 
I saw a mouse run in from the garage and under the dishwasher - full access to under a timber floor - first night he got the peanut butter off a mouse trap - couple of days later I got him in a Snap-E rat trap - they have an amazing hair trigger function that will get a mouse every time

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## Tahr

I run a trap line in a Wellington park, but yesterday got one in my own garden...

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## Sparrow

good ol peanut butter.... nice work fellas same boat @kukawai with work being full on and my lines due a check hopefully this weekend i will find some past stinky remains, some one gave me one of those steve allen traps a while back but didn't know much about them and due to its medieval appearance was a little reluctant to install but i think i will now.   Keep at it all   :Thumbsup:

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## time out

I had a short break from the bush last week due to a back problem - so most of my lines at the TPQ Park were two weeks since being checked - too long - what a mess 
The last couple of days I cleared out 1 possum, 14 rats, 2 hogs and 1 ferret - many traps had already been cleared by cannibal rats - total predator kills so far this year is 128
The ferret I got this morning was fresh - lure was manky chicken necks, egg  and PP Balls - medium size female - minimal smell so I cut off the tale, four legs and most of the skin - should be some good lure for my 15 doc250/200 traps - also got the tale in the freezer for the Swamp Comp @Dundee

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## Dundee

Good work folks keep posting the kills and methods.

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## kukuwai

I had a few left over fence pailings....

Rather than take them back i have put them to good use 



Worked out real good 4 x 1.8m pailings made 5 victor boxes with next to no wastage !!!

Looking forward to getting them out there 

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## time out

The young one came back to find Mum - I went back to the ferret site a few days later to see if there were any family members around - but nothing - so I put a slice of Mums skin and fur in behind the Trap - I also had a fresh rat from a nearby site so I put it on the top of the box with a couple of pieces of wood to hold it still - back there yesterday - bingo a young one had been back to check on Mum - so this time I left one of Mum’s legs in the bait end of the box - will see if there any more around in a few days. It’s a smelly business legging and skinning them but seems to work.
Good work with the boxes @kukuwai - I see you are doing swivel tops - I have reverted to nailing the box closed and doing a hinge mesh rear door with a core flute floor slider

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## Sparrow

Nicely done fellas, checked one of my estuary lines yesterday for 6 rats and 2 weasels, and another 2 rats in the 2 boxes identical to the boxes you have made Kukuwai at the mai mai.

Yesterdays catches saw us break trough 200 critters taken from the estuary since july last year, doesn't mean much but nice to hit milestones.

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## kukuwai

That is some smart thinking re those ferrets @time out well done. 

I wonder if we should start chopping up the stoats too?





> I have reverted to nailing the box closed and doing a hinge mesh rear door with a core flute floor slider


You got any pictures id be keen to see some. 

The main reason i made those wooden boxes is to replace some of the original ones i made from old real estate signs they are buggered. Sun has just turned them brittle.



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## time out

Any length will do - but ripping an 1800 paling into four pieces is simple 
I go to ITM and tell them I want joinery timber for trap boxes and they give me clears 
A smear of PVA glue - 6 nails top and bottom - block stack them with some weight - all done!
Staple mesh on back end - hinge front end with staples at the bottom - a screw at the top to keep the kids out 
Make a slider out of Real estate agent signs 100mm wide - close to full length - cut a slot for the egg to sit or for your finger to pull it out 
Currently using Victor Pro traps - a couple of office staples through the slider into the trap - or a couple of small screws through a Snap-e trap into the slider 
Another alternative might be a couple of slits in the slider around the length of the trap - slit it sideways and bend it up to catch the trap as you slide in and out 
A 450 length box is a bit long but 3 cuts through the 1800 paling is simple - build a nest inside for the egg if you want the natural look 
Bait to suit your taste - as always - I use GN Possum Paste - one of my traps pulled in a stoat a couple of days back - he wasn’t dead and didn’t give up without a scrap - I wasn’t around so had to get one of the Girls to clear it - LOL - two rats killed at the site in the last few days - rat piss is a very strong stoat lure!!!!

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## Dundee

Bag the tails.

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## StrikerNZ

I'm keen to get a few traps out around the garden/garage/water race and see if I can deal to a few rats before they make it into the ceiling. However there are a few friendly cats about that I definitely don't want poking at the traps, so I assume I would need to set up some tunnels or boxes to keep them out?

Any recommendations for setups?

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## Sparrow

You can't go wrong with the victors in the boxes as the guys have done above , people do make tunnels out of core flute or you can buy them  
also if you don't have time and have budget farmlands are doing the victor trap in wooden box for $30 at the mo , not sure if thats cheap but is handy.[URL="https://www.traps.co.nz/pcr-kill-trap-tunnel-for-stoats-weasels-and-rats"]

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## StrikerNZ

One A-grade bodge-job later using whatever I had lying around in the garage (Mainly old pallet wood)

Plus a trap that caught my eye to remind me at Pak'n'save after I forgot to visit Mitre10 for a victor while across the other side of town. (At that point I just want to leave town again, not make another trip across..)

Set in the garden beside the compost bin now, will see if it's fit for purpose.

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## StrikerNZ

Nothing in the rat trap yet after 2 nights out, but my also-bodged mouse trap has finally earned a gold star after a week or so sitting in the corner of the garage..

Two floaters today..


I gather the best setup for a bucket trap like this would actually be a drink bottle or can on a wire (as long as it can spin freely on the wire), but on my way to track a bottle down I spotted an old funnel while walking past some shelving "That'll do for a test". Popped a couple of washers over the bar, that tuck into the tube of the funnel slightly. Any movement dislodges the washers and causes it to drop slightly, hopefully enough to shake them off. Hopefully it will also spin them into the water if they depart from the centreline by much. Pop a bit of peanut butter on the outside so they have to reach for it and unbalance the whole setup.

The real benefit of a trap like this if you can get it working correctly (Don't use mine as a good example..) is that it's essentially unlimited in how many it can trap, and doesn't require resetting between kills.

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## time out

It’s hard to find something exciting to report - mostly it is just rats and hogs but a few young stoats starting to show up at the Park - clamping them across the shoulders in Snap-e traps that don’t kill them - we put out a small sample of Contrac in all bait stations - some is gone in a few days - the total trap kill this year is 198 pests.

Back to “Back Yard Trapping” with PFBOP - we are doing well around our street - 29 houses - about 24 PFBOP trap boxes as well as about another 15 trap boxes owned by individuals.
The street total is now 87 pests killed in 6 months - all varieties from ferrets to mice - if they have four legs and fur or prickles on their back - we will trap them - except for cats. 
Yesterday I tripped up a monster Norway - on the perimeter track around the street sections - orchard one side and houses on the other.
I got the Norway in a box with a Victor Pro - he got whacked on the head - confused and ran down the wrong end to get out - but then he had a rest. The box is 450mm long so that buggar had to be close to 420mm and must have weighed half a kg - I should develop a Morgan score for rats.
Take a look at the PFBOP trapping map - our street is out towards Omokoroa and has the biggest yellow blob - interesting to magnify various blobs to see what is happening - the blue house icons have a trap - the yellow blob is a kill or kills - click on them to see numbers or type of animal - it is good software 
https://www.predatorfreebop.nz/

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## Sparrow

That is a pretty cool initiative,  and that app is a great way to keep track and people keen, hopefully other councils including mine will follow suit.

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## Tahr

Over the last 3 weeks I've caught 18 mice and a rat in my vegetable garden. Just an open vector (no tunnel) against a brick wall.

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## kukuwai

Round the trap line after work today with the boys.

1 hedgehog, several very wet and rotten rats. Most traps set off but many were mice.

There was however this fella. First one for ages...



Tails in the freezer 



Also decided to put a new trap up at the house, will see if it manages to get something.



The boys loved it...fully entertained and so excited by the catches

Love it !!

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## kukuwai

Had a few of the new & not so new lures dropped off today will be interesting to see how they go....



This is a great deal from pics, there is a lot of peanut butter in that tub.

https://shop.predatorfreenz.org/prod...eid=a307591495

Treacle gold  (green) looks interesting, claims to be mold resistant we will see. Most things mold in the wetland I'm trapping.





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## Sparrow

The steve Allen trap takes no prisoners this is its 3rd ( and a big bastard) in just over a month i have a timms about 100m away that has caught zip!

Cat #25 in 19 months at work now have the target to make 30 in 2 years its crazy where they keep coming from

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## Sparrow

Estuary lines by head torch tonight as need a low tide, 
7 rats
2cats
1 weasel, 
24 doc 200's and 4 trapinators 
Was the 1st time using the Good Nature Stoat lure instead of meat just to give it a try (no stoats) results were on par with usual but thought it did speed things up.
Amazing what can fit through a 60mm hole  caught by a couple toes

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Some have just got to go and some just got to stay.
KH

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## time out

Great to see you @Kiwi-Hunter - I always learn from you! 

Still doing my trap lines at the Park - putting out a lot of Contrac bait at present - but mouse droppings in the bait stations, so they may be getting most of it  
I got a big Norway in a doc250 a week or so back - poor buggar had his tail and legs chewed off - so I left him on top of the box to look out for his mates - checked him a couple of days later and found the rat gone and a good size cat in the box - hard to believe they can get right in - a dead rat on top of the box works really well as a lure 
Still getting the odd rat under the A24s and a few new strikes on the counters - so they still work but not great value for money 
Also a couple of albino hogs for something different  
Ants stealing possum paste so fast - I have changed over to Connovation blue stuff - blue seems to be working well










Backyard trapping around the street is going well - 124 pests in six months - a Guy down the end by the estuary got his third ferret last week - he was a big buggar 
I got a big Norway last week - got a whack on the head with a Victor - confused and went down the wrong end of the box for a rest 
I tried out some PCR Trappers Feeder Paste - Aniseed flavour - but it is very soluble and runs all over the trap in wet conditions - but I did get a rat on it
Quail are coming back - 20 walking around the lawn most days - back yard trapping is working well!

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Great to see you @Kiwi-Hunter - I always learn from you! 
> 
> Still doing my trap lines at the Park - putting out a lot of Contrac bait at present - but mouse droppings in the bait stations, so they may be getting most of it  
> I got a big Norway in a doc250 a week or so back - poor buggar had his tail and legs chewed off - so I left him on top of the box to look out for his mates - checked him a couple of days later and found the rat gone and a good size cat in the box - hard to believe they can get right in - a dead rat on top of the box works really well as a lure 
> Still getting the odd rat under the A24s and a few new strikes on the counters - so they still work but not great value for money 
> Also a couple of albino hogs for something different  
> Ants stealing possum paste so fast - I have changed over to Connovation blue stuff - blue seems to be working well
> Attachment 114017
> 
> ...


Kind of you to say so timeout.
Good results with the your pictures, thought your line may have slowed down a bit.
I was out on another line today and happened to have a walking bang stick with me.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

He called and I answered him, cheeky little fella to come to where I live, now he doesn't.
Hopefully the rest will understand if they come to the pigeons tree.
But anything that sees two moon's has a problem.
KH

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## Sparrow

hit my target yesterday of 30 cats at work in 2 years .... with nearly 4 months to spare   :Zomg:   , this one was the biggest fattest yet hence the pic with the vineyard work horse for scale.

I wish i had kept better record other than count but, only 5 were shot outright with the other 25 mostly trapped in live capture and dispached (like this one). A couple did fall foul to a timms and more recently a few to a Steve Allen.

I would say all but maybe 7 or 8 were tabby.
It has slowed a bit of late so bring on nesting season and lets see if there any noticable improvements   :Thumbsup:

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## kukuwai

Had to get the rain jacket on and go make a few rescue's today.....





The joy's of trapping a wetland i guess

Pretty bloody wet in there today 

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## kukuwai

Plenty of mice under the A24s today







Good to see that they are working 

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Had to get the rain jacket on and go make a few rescue's today.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The joy's of trapping a wetland i guess
> 
> Pretty bloody wet in there today 
> ...


Thats dedication going after the swimmers :Thumbsup: 
KH

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## time out

I have been away for three weeks - so decided to get around my lines in the Park - checked about 80 traps - most were still set but lure was gone - just two rats - so numbers are low 
I have eleven Sentinels around the bush edge along with some Timms closer in the Park - I went back yesterday to check a couple of Sentinels on a perimeter ridge - one site keeps on catching them - maybe they come back to check on their old mates that I leave hanging in a nearby tree  
My Sentinels are about six years old, rusty and the covers are mouldy and breaking up - so I am giving them a fresh look with new core flute covers - most are on pine trees so they should get some visitors while the pines are in flower - fantastic traps with solid state lures on the bait tray - set them and forget them - a trapped possum will wait to be cleared 
I removed my street traps while away - put five back out a few days ago - one rat first night, left him on top of the box - another rat in same box second night - left them both on top but nothing more - they often come in pairs - hard to beat a pile of old toitoi for a rats nest

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## kukuwai

Good to have you back 

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## sore head stoat

Welcome home.

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## sore head stoat

We get the odd weasel around locally but..

last week i got a weasel, tuesday a rat, wed a rat and weasel, today a weasel...

I actually dont understand trapping really. I have a line of 6 traps along about a km stockwater race. I changed the eggs a couple of days ago apart from one trap [in the middle of the line] which has caught nothing in the year or so its been there with the view i am going to shift it. I am walking to the trap i am going to shift and the flagging tape isnt showing which indicates the trap has been tripped. There is a weasel in the trap with the egg that is way past its due date.. How does that work ? I will leave the trap there i think lol.

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## kukuwai

Here you go fellas

Catch of the day 





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## Sparrow

I bet he is only 300mm long now  :Wink:

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## Sparrow

Did the estuary lines with my boys yesterday, my 4 1/2 year old has started to enjoy being hands on and does well considering its just over 4km,  being chief egg smasher keeps him interested too!

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## kukuwai

> I bet he is only 300mm long now


Hahaha Yep 

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## sore head stoat

Good stuff Sparrow.

Anyone caught a ginger rat ? One of the ones i got today fair glowed when it was in sunlight, i had never seen one like that before..

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## time out

These buggars look ginger to me @sore head stoat - a special species living under the chestnut trees - likely eating lots of chestnuts - I hate chestnut trees - spikey balls all over the ground for most of the year - can’t take a dog near them as they spear above and between the pads - had to get surgery on one earlier this year to remove spikes   
This box is part of our PFBOP street trapping system - they have gone on holiday and no one checking the trap - so as I walk past with the dog - I started to bait it - four big shippies in five days - two were hit behind the neck and still alive 
Rats are hard to find round most of the street - but we have killed about 155 pests in 9 months so might be getting on top of them - got a mouse on one of my lines today - he left his tail details behind  
We have come to a halt around the Park at present - I had nothing in the last three trips - my Mate had nothing in two trips - a bit demoralising - but the birds that are nesting will be happy

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## Dundee

Got a rat on my possum line yesterday. :Mouse:

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## Russian 22.

How do you deal with trap shy critters. Do you do pindone or 1080

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## time out

Trap shy critters could be a problem @Russian 22 - but if they are hungry you could try some Contrac poison - single feed Bromadiolone based - looks like you are not keen on poison with brodifacoum - so stay clear of Pest Off - but definitely a single feed poison 
If you see this snap-e type trap with the red sleeve on the kill bar - I would give it a miss - it is great on mice - and rats if they get hit between the eyes and the ears - but if they get hit further back - likely they will pull out - I am finding them tripped and turned upside down in the box or just tripped and empty. It looks like they have either soft springs or perhaps the red sleeve reduces the point impact and they can pull out. 
The trusty old Snap-e is killing well when hitting between the eyes and the ears - see pic of a big one today - but a bit further back on the neck they are often still alive - maybe this is often the case but if we check a line weekly likely they will be dead - I am currently checking this line around the street every morning so they may have only been in the trap over the night hours - I may need to carry a hammer to finish them off
This patch of about 20 chestnut trees has thousands of chestnuts on the ground and looks to be infested with big rats - looks like you will find rats where there is food!

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## Tahr

> Trap shy critters could be a problem @Russian 22 - but if they are hungry you could try some Contrac poison - single feed Bromadiolone based - looks like you are not keen on poison with brodifacoum - so stay clear of Pest Off - but definitely a single feed poison 
> If you see this snap-e type trap with the red sleeve on the kill bar - I would give it a miss - it is great on mice - and rats if they get hit between the eyes and the ears - but if they get hit further back - likely they will pull out - I am finding them tripped and turned upside down in the box or just tripped and empty. It looks like they have either soft springs or perhaps the red sleeve reduces the point impact and they can pull out. 
> The trusty old Snap-e is killing well when hitting between the eyes and the ears - see pic of a big one today - but a bit further back on the neck they are often still alive - maybe this is often the case but if we check a line weekly likely they will be dead - I am currently checking this line around the street every morning so they may have only been in the trap over the night hours - I may need to carry a hammer to finish them off
> This patch of about 20 chestnut trees has thousands of chestnuts on the ground and looks to be infested with big rats - looks like you will find rats where there is food!
> 
> Attachment 121147
> 
> Attachment 121148
> 
> Attachment 121149


What's that bait that you are using? 
And did you go to Canada with Lesley & David??
Ta
B

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## time out

@Tahr - went to Canada and Alaska Passages with Lesley and David - they are seasoned world travellers and looked after us well - probably wouldn’t have gone without someone to get us started - Lesley and Rosalie were in the 1st and 2nd intakes for Motor Reg when set up in Palmy - close friends since - ended up living fairly close near Tauranga 
My home bait is peanut butter, rolled oats, margarine, vegetable oil, icing sugar - that lot had a bit of possum paste as well - 50/20/20/10 type mix - microwave so it can be mixed to a paste - but anything like that will do 
Just been around the chestnuts with another box and changed all the traps to Victor Pro - should sort them out - more boxes required - it is infested

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## Tahr

> @Tahr - went to Canada and Alaska Passages with Lesley and David - they are seasoned world travellers and looked after us well - probably wouldnt have gone without someone to get us started - Lesley and Rosalie were in the 1st and 2nd intakes for Motor Reg when set up in Palmy - close friends since - ended up living fairly close near Tauranga 
> My home bait is peanut butter, rolled oats, margarine, vegetable oil, icing sugar - that lot had a bit of possum paste as well - 50/20/20/10 type mix - microwave so it can be mixed to a paste - but anything like that will do 
> Just been around the chestnuts with another box and changed all the traps to Victor Pro - should sort them out - more boxes required - it is infested


All good. I just noticed that you were in Canada at the same time as them so guessed that was the case. I would like to see them sometime.
That brew of yours is complicated - is it better than straight peanut butter and worth the trouble?

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## Dundee

Thumping the rats but its not increasing my fur payday.Might have to relocate the traps.

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## Sparrow

One for the good guys fresh rabbit was his undoing

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## charliehorse

Marked for destruction tomorrow. Thought my implement shed smelt a bit pissy yesterday.

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## time out

Been out of action for the last month with a knee sprain so staying off the hills. Still checking about ten traps around the street but nothing for three weeks. Cleaned out about 30 rats and mice under the chestnut trees - then they just stopped - I thought they were all gone - but persistence and about a kilo of my peanut butter mix seems to have paid off - a rat came back today - poor buggar didn’t even get a feed. Its hard to keep peanut butter on traps when ants and other insects are around - the rolled oats help to keep something on the bait tray - the Victor Pro is a great trap even for mice and huge slugs that crawl all over the traps. 
Don’t ever get tempted to plant chestnut trees - they are lethal for dogs feet all year around - one of those spikes in the top or bottom of a foot will cost you Vet surgery while they try to find a hidden spike in an infected foot. I need to find a dog boot solution right now - wish I knew what boots to get. 
I just had a rummage through the freezer and found 2 ferret and 2 stoat tails - time to get them into H&F for the Swamp Comp - always amuses me how the sales staff turn up their noses when I put them on the counter for tail counting.

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## sore head stoat

I lent a couple of DOC 150 traps to a mate.. they have just bought a 10acre block..
The traps are set and for a week nothing. Then Sat morning he has a stoat in one of the traps. Sunday morning another stoat is in the same trap. He checked the traps this afternoon and both traps have dead stoats in them ! Be interesting to see what happens tomorrow ?

Making a few of us look like amateurs, lol.

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## sore head stoat

Tomorrow , which was yesterday he had another stoat in each trap !!

That is 6 stoats in 4 days from only 2 traps !!!

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## bumblefoot

A little bit of advice please...... Which live capture rat or mouse traps are the best bang for buck? I don't want anything that will rust out but also haven't got megabucks to spend on them either..... It's hard as there are so many on the market and you never know whether it's a good model or not.... Thanks :-)

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## time out

I wouldn’t want to be a mustilid anywhere in your neck of the woods “sore head stoat” - you are no amateur! -  I love getting your text messages with a picture of the next victim in a trap - I can’t resist posting your pictures of your 65 tails on the top of your freezer and your last stoat (hope you don’t mind) - good luck in the Swamp Comp - you should do well - you do some amazing work for the birdlife around your patch - hope you can tell us more about how you do it 




Not much to report around here - I strained a medial knee ligament - almost repaired it but tripped on the sore leg and tore it all apart again along with some inner knee parts - I never realized how critical knee ligaments can be - had a steroid jab on Monday so hope that fixes it 
So if all else fails - draw up some plans for some easy trap lines and send my Wife out to check  them - not sure why she can’t follow simple instructions cause it seems she is doing a bit of bush bashing - but the dog is loving all the new places she gets to go - my wife can manage a Doc250 and a Timms but thank goodness she hasn’t had to reset a Sentinel yet - mainly hogs in doc200/250s - yuk! - buggar all rats around at present 
I got itchy feet one day last week and decided to drive around all the easy doc200s - no victims but found a young possum in a Timms on my favourite log - Mindi is not sure about possums - so in the freezer for dog training later - she is not keen on fur yet

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## Sparrow

Awesome, hope that knee heals fast  @time out and you can get back to it proper in the new year. And great work @sore head stoat you doubled my tally so feel free to share any tips, great pic I can smell those tails from here.  :Grin:

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## sore head stoat

To get my 68 tails i run 2 trap lines a local line and a high country line. 

My high country line is to try and protect the crested grebe. My local line is to try and help local birds. Locally we have a few fantails esp in winter and waxeyes. Bellbirds are close by but we have seen none where we live. We also have finches, nesting mallards, quail and odd pheasant. Roughly the tail split is 50/50 split between local and the high country line. I have 50 traps in the high country and roughly the same locally. Most are 150s with the balance 200s. I also have several Victor Pros locally. Its a waste of time having them in the high country as mice  steal the bait and or trip the trap. I am currently catching truck loads of rats in my high country traps with the mast year even though there is minimal beech where i trap. Locally it appears h hogs are the go to animal at present.

My main bait is eggs as they dont get moused unless they are cracked. I try and replace my eggs every 3 weeks. Winter is tough on eggs in the high country as they crack when they freeze which could be days on end.  I have tried the Erayze type bait but mice give it a hard time unless you use a mouse excluder. I have tried dried salted duck and pukeko that i either hunt during the season or get as road kill. What i have found extremely successful is duck feathers. I place them in the trap end of the box so the treadle/plate is completely covered. Feathers have a great smell for a day or 2, maybe more ? The downside is not every trap is suited to feathers, if the trap is exposed to rain they go soggy and loose all the smell and can interfere with the operation of the trap, if the trap is in a windy location they blow out.  I guess 1 in 15 places where i set my traps is ok for the feather treatment ? However those traps catch mustelids.  I only run single set traps, no double sets. I do like the idea of double sets but roughly 1/3 of my mustelid catch would be weasels.. i do wonder if you can set a double set trap finely enough for weasels ? I often catch stoats in consequtive traps which suggests they are travelling in pairs or groups and that is where double sets work well catching the 2nd animal. Another thing i have done is cut a notch in the top of my trap box, i tie a piece of orange flagging tape to the handle on the kill bar and it comes out of the notch , does this make sense ? i can then see if the trap has gone off from quite a distance... if the flagging tape isnt showing the trap has sprung. My local traps i check pretty much daily as i bike past them looking for the flagging tape, its very quick and time efficient. 

I am close to 2 other trapping groups and look frequently at Friends of Rotoiti site. I love getting feedback from other trappers and find it extremely motivational. I very much value time outs input into my trapping and thank him for posting the photo of my tails.

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## sore head stoat

Oh the last stoat was actually a weasel.. I have never seen a weasel that colour before.. i wondered if it was a variant colour or an old grizzled weasel.

I would love to catch a pure white stoat or very close to it. I have caught them with a a lot of white but [ sorry i am hopeless at running a computer so cant post photos ] not pure white. The white of these stoats is white white not the usual cream, quite stunning. You may be able to see one of the winter stoats in the middle of the right hand side of the pile of tails. Half of the tail is white.

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## kukuwai

Unreal you guys 

Just catching up on the forum and the above posts are all truly inspirational.

Good stuff you three, thanks heaps for posting !!
 @sore head stoat....that's real interesting about the duck feathers !!

Merry Christmas and keep catching 



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## Sideshow

I know exactly what this rat is thinking!

What you dont like my new necklace bling :XD: 
Im sure I look good in this?

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## Sparrow

Last Check for 2019 in the estuary had the team out early to beat the tide, better return than of late 3 Stoats, 1 Weasel, 1 Hedgehog and a big Ship eat.

Merry Christmas all and keep smashing em in 2020.

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## kukuwai

Spotted a dead duck on the side of the road yesterday, so along with fresh eggs a few of mine got duck feathers today 





Cheers for the tip, stoat's beware 

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## sore head stoat

Hey kukuwai how did you get on with the feathers in your trap ?

I got a good haul of 4 weasels and 2 stoats just before Christmas in my high country traps and less than 2 weeks later got exactly the same plus a rat and hhog.

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## kukuwai

> Hey kukuwai how did you get on with the feathers in your trap ?
> 
> I got a good haul of 4 weasels and 2 stoats just before Christmas in my high country traps and less than 2 weeks later got exactly the same plus a rat and hhog.


Checked them a few days ago and there was a big old rat in one of them so sure fooled that fella. They still look bloody good. Easy to see how it fools them, very realistic 

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## Padox

Damm it just realised I forgot to put my tails in for the swamp comp

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Went for the nightly constitutiona with my sonl! And picked up the new supply of bait for the cages and what ever else I may use it for :Thumbsup: 
Using unsalted rabbit at the moment and it doesn't last long in this weather.
Along with the rabbit there is a slice of apple and cinnamon in the cage! This way the cage becomes a double unit and it works for me.
KH

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## Sideshow

Wife has the bird feeders out at home. Heard a bit of a crash one night, though ok must be a rat so set up two bucket traps. 
Only been a week first one for the season  :Thumbsup:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

It's a hard call, but I will go on record and give my two cents.
Firstly some of the areas I have to deal with ! Have people who for there own good reasons release domestic cats.
The cat will find a home or go ferrell very quickly and because he knows human behavior and has been dropped off in a box or cage he will not go near it, unless  needing food, so there's a narrow window of opportunity for capture.
I have trail cam footage of this type of ferrell cat that won't go near a cage and it doesn't matter how I've tried to disguise it.
So that leaves only a few options.
The main one I use is shooting ! But it's the right time right place stuff !which isn't always going to happen.
I have at present two litters and minus a couple of parents in a 240 acre area.I haven't seen them for two weeks and I am almost every day looking for them.
So this is what some people will be offended with! is my second choice of capture.!
But it hasn't let me down, leg hold possum traps are still used and are considered humane :Have A Nice Day:  so I narrow an area like you would a possum and staple a leg of rabbit to a tree, I use at least three traps in such away that if it jumps out of one its into another and I don't mind taking its feet out of a couple either.I usually shot them from distance, because as soon as they see you they explode into a fur ball and I have had one that wasn't held well break out, on that occasion I was quick enough, but I don't take them for granted that they'll hold tight.
There are others methods but the above should do for success.
In another post I am running cages and haven't said about this method!buts its deployed aswell.
Cats are a sensitive subject and it draws a lot of dysfunctional behaviour from cat owners on the disposal of cats.
I saw this week for the first time in over twenty years a wood pigeon resting in a tree in the area I am trapping, It was low down on the branches.
Hopefully I can remove its predators and give it a chance of ongoing residence.
As a hunter a dead soundless bush isn't the same as life flying around and the sound of living !as I move slowly taking in all smells and sounds.
It's just something I can't put here on paper to any depth of the imagination.
KH

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## SickShooter

Patrolling the area every day is a good approach.  I wish I could spare the time!  I see feral cats about once every month or two, usually just a glimpse in the distance or a blur on the camo-cam.  Their poos are easier to spot (just as distinctive but not as mobile!) but it's frustrating to know they are out and about hunting while I'm nose-to-the-grindstone in the office.

A neighbour has an unused trap, so I might borrow it to give it a go.  Remembering to take a rifle with me whenever I'm out would be a good idea too.  Nothing worse that spotting a feral moggy in plain sight within easy range when all I can do is throw rocks and shout!

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## Kiwi-Hunter

A sort of a carry on from yesterdays thread.
The possum traps just a few more for the catching of cats ! But when not doing a trap line, I can play with what I put out. I usually try and get the best of both predators, in this case today a couple of possums. I used rabbit as bait plus possum paste! This way you an have a mixture anything from possums,Mustelidae, rats, cats.
KH

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## Sparrow

Team Sparrow was out for my estuary lines today first check for the year
"hurry up dad it stinks" 


3 fat ship rats , 1 hedgehog and 3 stoats provided the action over the round trip of 4km making for a quiet evening and an uninterupted cold beer   :Thumbsup:

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## Micky Duck

sore head...try a ping pong ball.....they work just as good as an egg and dont go off.....havent tried a golf ball yet but they SHOULD work in windy area,would definately need the ol 3 nail cradle though as they would hold floor plate up if rolled the wrong way. saw a moggy at mates place so set timms close by...got a hedgepig on 2nd night so not total waste of time,cleared rat from doc200   man they easy compared to the heavier 250 and hindging the whole top of trap box,sides n all not just lid makes clearing trap childsplay compared to sliding/swinging lid.... Ive had sucess with putting freshly dead (and not so fresh) hedgehog in bait area of trap.....caught both ferrets and hedgehogs like this. been really slack and dont clear the traps often...maybe every 2 months but they still catching.
keep up the great work folks.

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## time out

Great work Guys - I have got buggar all to show for my efforts - I did a couple of my lines in the Quarry last week - about 80 traps - nothing  - they were all at the higher level and on ridges - very dry country at present - most traps were still set but insects had got the lure since they were last checked 
My Mate over the other side checked his line of about 50 traps and couldn’t remember last time he got nothing - similar result for another line of about 15 traps on a centre ridge 
Another Mate decided to do a small line down by a couple of creeks yesterday - about 10 traps and he got 5 rats - so like most animals - they need water and are living there at present 
I have done a couple of walks around my old line at Puketoki - a lovely bush walk under huge native trees and a nice stream for the dog to take a swim - possum on the first trip and yesterday a big Norway left his message beside a café - he didn’t go in to sample the Contrac or the lure on a T Rex - again down near the creek - I need to get a doc250 in there
So 12 days into 2020 at the Quarry and we have 6 animals on the sheet - end result from 2019 was 284 - 24 possums, 212 rats, 40 hogs, 3 cats, 2 ferrets and 3 stoats - 2017 total was 500 - so we are making progress but predator free NZ is a long way off!

A rare Puketoki possum - about 30 each year 


I reckon this Norway is trying to tell us something about a rat café

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## Sparrow

Definitely closer with your efforts @time out and any one else who knocks off a few.
Keep chippin away

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## sore head stoat

> sore head...try a ping pong ball.....they work just as good as an egg and dont go off.....havent tried a golf ball yet but they SHOULD work in windy area,would definately need the ol 3 nail cradle though as they would hold floor plate up if rolled the wrong way. saw a moggy at mates place so set timms close by...got a hedgepig on 2nd night so not total waste of time,cleared rat from doc200   man they easy compared to the heavier 250 and hindging the whole top of trap box,sides n all not just lid makes clearing trap childsplay compared to sliding/swinging lid.... Ive had sucess with putting freshly dead (and not so fresh) hedgehog in bait area of trap.....caught both ferrets and hedgehogs like this. been really slack and dont clear the traps often...maybe every 2 months but they still catching.
> keep up the great work folks.


Ping pong balls... nah. Stoats hunt with there nose and my guess is an egg smells a bit nicer than a pp ball ? Yip they go off but i get around my traps every couple of weeks at this time of the year and just replace the eggs as i do so.

I have 50 traps in my high country line and last trip got 11 mustelids 8 stoats and 3 weasels plus a couple of rats and a hhog. Saw another stoat crossing the road as i was leaving so there is at least 1 left.

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## sore head stoat

Who is using double set doc traps ? Experiences ? 
A fair part of my catch is weasels and i wonder will they catch weasels as the double set trap has to have a fairly heavy treadle spring off weight. If they are set to lightly as 1 trap springs shut it can set the other trap off. I reckon mustelids travel as a pair or family group often and that is where double set traps are at there best. Best bait for a stoat is another stoat..

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Wind made it hard going! missing standing shots last night, so went bipod which helps, but after up and down a few times the body new it wasn't young. The night vision from ground shooting wasn't the best because the eye relief wasn't the same.
Nevertheless manage to bag up something for the effort.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Who is using double set doc traps ? Experiences ? 
> A fair part of my catch is weasels and i wonder will they catch weasels as the double set trap has to have a fairly heavy treadle spring off weight. If they are set to lightly as 1 trap springs shut it can set the other trap off. I reckon mustelids travel as a pair or family group often and that is where double set traps are at there best. Best bait for a stoat is another stoat..


The only advantage of double is that they can enter either end and yes it will set the other off if set very light a stoat has enough weight to trigger it.
I prefer the fenn traps as they are set on the ground and covered by a tunnel.
Cost is always worth a look how may traps for out lay.
As for bait what they feed on, I use salted or fresh rabbit and egg here, but anything that stinks! the sardine tin with holes sounds good.
KH

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## StrikerNZ

> Wind made it hard going! missing standing shots last night, so went bipod which helps, but after up and down a few times the body new it wasn't young. The night vision from ground shooting wasn't the best because the eye relief wasn't the same.
> Nevertheless manage to bag up something for the effort.
> KH


Grab yourself some shooting sticks. Quick and easy to drop to a knee behind them, and very stable for short and mid ranges.

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## dannyb

> Wind made it hard going! missing standing shots last night, so went bipod which helps, but after up and down a few times the body new it wasn't young. The night vision from ground shooting wasn't the best because the eye relief wasn't the same.
> Nevertheless manage to bag up something for the effort.
> KH


 @stug showed me a neat idea for standing shots the other day, hopefully will chime in here shortly to share  :Thumbsup:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Grab yourself some shooting sticks. Quick and easy to drop to a knee behind them, and very stable for short and mid ranges.


Yes, thanks for the thought, I have a mono and another type as well, still not stable in the wind for me.
Thought the sleathpodx might be ago, but hands are full with stick,monocular and rifle which is slung around the neck now, still find I am chopping and changing in the dark for comfort and position.
I was finding it hard to judge distance and wind rocking me last night and needed a good platform to shoot from and even then! just getting by.
I do okay for the amount of body damage but it gives limitations and sometimes more than others.
I was happy enough with the out come! but can I find something that will help? It's the season of life I am in. Whatever will work only has a limited time with me at the end of the day, as they say! Whoever they are. :Grin: 
KH

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## stug

Make yourself a set of quad sticks. Really steady for standing shots. Plenty of vids on YouTube about them. One vid shows the difference between different types of sticks. I’ll try and find it.

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## stug

Here is the vid

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zj3cLEP74FM

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Here is the vid
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zj3cLEP74FM


Thanks stug.
What they don't show is lugging them and setup and the rabbit at 50 to 75yrds in the dark is difficult shoot with no light.
Second is my hold is about the even with trigger guard or mag which doesn't help to stabilize the rifle the best.
I'll take a look to find what weight they are and other videos on them to see how they go ! going down a bank that sort of thing.
I perfect conditions I can still do some fair shooting off a bench, but that's not what we find in most hunting.
KH

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## Micky Duck

yes the ping pong ball is purely a visual thing....but Ive caught enough hedgehogs and mustilids to proove they work...particularly for a lazy bugger who doesnt check traps often enough.

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## Sparrow

2 for the week 1 to a cage the other the Steve Allen and a few hedgehogs to various things all to freshish rabbit

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Yes, for the rabbit.
KH

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## Sideshow

> Thanks stug.
> What they don't show is lugging them and setup and the rabbit at 50 to 75yrds in the dark is difficult shoot with no light.
> Second is my hold is about the even with trigger guard or mag which doesn't help to stabilize the rifle the best.
> I'll take a look to find what weight they are and other videos on them to see how they go ! going down a bank that sort of thing.
> I perfect conditions I can still do some fair shooting off a bench, but that's not what we find in most hunting.
> KH


 @Kiwi-Hunter yep carry the sticks around is a bit of a pain but they are solid to shot of.
There’s one with a foot loop that you put your right foot and then pull back this gives you a very steady shot (for right handlers left foot for left handlers) but once you start useing them you will find them great as you can take longer shots. Also less misses. Yes you do need to practice with them but once you get the hang of them (15 to 30 minutes) you won’t leave them at home.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Hopefully someone is always going to work.
Some days you ask the question how long do I do this for? well the answer seems to be !enjoy the season your in.
That's it ! the season isn't a natural season! it's worked out in the course of ones life.
One day,the wind blows or the tide brings change and the season is over and something new begins to unfold.
To all who work at predator control. Cheers for making an effort.
KH

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## time out

Great work on the cats Guys - I don’t know how cats get into a doc250 - this one at the Park was a real mess to get out - next victim was a hog - same messy problem 
Good size family groups of Quail around the Park now - 45 less hogs has made a big difference - I saw one family of about sixty and one of about 20 this morning while driving up the main track 
I did a small line today - couple of juvenile rats and a large hog - the rats will be back soon

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Timeout, you should know how a cat gets into a doc box, someone left the door open. :Thumbsup: 
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

If its hungry or inquisitive it's going to poke around and you just end up with results.
KH

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## sore head stoat

Nothing scientific here just my observations...
I cleared my high country traps today and thankfully the Christmas rush of stoats into the traps has subsided. Whenever i have got a fresh stoat i have always sqeezed its back end to get a bit of wee on the trap, chucked the stoat away and carried on. Today i carried it further so to speak. My process is now..reset the trap, cut the tail off on the trap lid, stoat goes into a strong heavy walled plastic bag nose to the bottom of the bag and bum end just out of the bag. Squeeze with the flat of your knife between the stoats legs until a bit of wee spills on the trap lid. Next trap, replace bait trap lid down and knife between Sammy stoats legs and press until a bit of wee comes out, wipe his butt around on lid, repeat next traps until Sam runs out of liquid. I reckon i got 4 or 5 traps done that way per stoat. My mantra is nothing attracts a stoat like another stoat. When i have stayed overnight in the high country and have checked my traps the first day and have caught a stoat and squeezed the stoat that day so many times i have caught a stoat the next night in that same trap. I have always just squeezed the stoat the once but never carried it to the next few traps.. will be interesting to see if it ups my catch rate ? Thoughts please...

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## time out

Great work SHS - we all learn heaps of good stuff by sharing experiences with each other - that is how this thread started with help from @Kiwi-Hunter 
The dead body, body parts and the last few pees from a predator is a powerful lure to the next predator whether it be the same or different animal type 
If I am free mounting traps in the bush or around the farm - I like to use a ramp or fence post stay - the dead rat pee runs down the ramp to attract the next predator 
Rats seem to love chewing out or dragging off the last rat in a trap - but they can’t always get the head and trap past the mesh - so many rats are cannibals and stoats seem to check out rat pee or the scent of his family members caught in a trap box - I so often hear people say they got a stoat then got the rest of the family 
I always leave a dead rat on a trap box or near the trap - it is a powerful lure to get the next one 
Some pics below of a rat infested site - started with chewed out body parts so wasn’t sure if it was a stoat or rat - but it turned out to be a large rat that couldn’t quite get his head out of a trap - but he was still alive 
These pics are from 2017 so have been on here earlier

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Just in and little rain came in so called it a night so far.
Had my youngest shooting tonight and because it's been rough weather down here or they knew a little bit of rain was coming we were able to pick up a new supply of bait. Also just good spending time with him and passing on a little knowledge.
KH

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## Sparrow

Good work fellas Swamp comp results are on the website btw, good luck

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## Sparrow

Got round the estuary lines today , bit late as had been away ( Stewart Island)but way more stoats than any other check bit of a worry
5 stoats, 3 rats,1 weasel, 1 hedgehog 

1 cat dispatched was a pretty fair trade for my first couple of kiwi I seen in the wild down on the island .

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## kukuwai

I'm loving that second photo.  

We managed to sniper one out the hut window down on Stewart Island too. 

Man it was tricky tho, a very cagey cat... had to stake him out and it took a few goes.

A big ginger tom so happy to see him out of the gene pool.


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## kukuwai

Made it round the trap line today 4 hedgehogs, 4 rats one weasel and one dried up stoat which was caught in a trap with duck feathers 





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## time out

Its hard to find a good Cherry tree in the bush - mostly I slash them - but this one might be useful to mount a new trap
Carol from Grantly Imports Ltd DeadRat.co.nz - sent me a Flipping Timmy to try out for her - then she got a possum on her own deck at her home - so she is an experienced trapper!
So I mounted the Timmy on a Cherry tree this morning - best place I could find and beside a Timms that has produced well in the past  
I like the look of the new Timmy - a very similar trap presentation to a Possum Master and a Sentinel - very simple to bait with an apple, close it up and load it - hope the possums like the concept 
A bit warm up in the bush this morning - too hot for a black dog - but she just sits, watches and waits - nothing to get excited about today - rats all gone!

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## kukuwai

Interesting looking trap that   @time out  Good to see that flour blaze too as that will definitely help 

I noticed a few broken branches on a couple of my two year old sugar gums two days ago and suspected possums.

Set two leg hold traps on a couple of pines close by.....two possums in the last two nights so hopefully that's my trees safe for a little longer 

For some reason they weren't putting their heads in the sentinal but the switch to leghold sorted it 



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## kukuwai

Righto fellas i have to post this one as its relevant to what some of you have been talking about lately @sore head stoat .

So I left that weasel from a few days ago (minus his tail) sitting on top of the trap.

I was driving past today and stopped out of interest to see if it was still there.

It was gone but was replaced with a tailed one in the trap.



So it is now the tailless one on top of the trap and i am left with no doubt that the smell of a predator is a great lure for another. 



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## sore head stoat

Well this is interesting. 

I checked my high country traps the other day 5 days after last checking, short turn around, its usually 10 to 14 days.. I was convinced that i was going to murder the local mustelid population after putting pee on a few traps.. I caught 1 and a half rats.. [the other half was eaten by something] and NO mustelids .. I was thinking oh how am i going to put this on the forum lol. I have seen enough to know that the smell thing has merit and is worthy of doing but not the magic bullet i had thought ? .. Oh and to add insult to injury , as i was walking back to my vehicle a stoat ran out in front of me not 20m away from a trap  :Wtfsmilie:  Hopefully he will be in it when i next check !!

I would be interested to see how you set up the Victor in your box for weasels, do you use the Landcare shroud ? I have caught the odd weasel in a Victor rat trap but generally not clean kills like a 150. Much cheaper option though.

Kukuwai, next time you get a freshie try rubbing his butt and squeezing it [through the plastic bag] so it pees on a few traps and see what you think then.

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## Sparrow

7 rats, 2 Hogs, 1 weasel,1Stoat,1 Ferret tor the round yesterday fresh rabbit still doing the biz although I need to up the check frequency as all were caught earlier in the piece.
On another note drove down to Wanaka last week and was amazed by the Ferret numbers on the roads obviously attributed to the rabbits

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## sore head stoat

Good work Sparrow  :36 1 11:  :36 1 11: 

I read somewhere the other day that one species of rat prefers protein and the other carbohydrate.. found it , it was the Farmlands magazine but it doesnt say which prefers which. I am not catching many rats in my local traps at present but what i have noticed in my last few captures is the rats i am catching are all on eggs as a bait in DOC 150s. I have a peanut butter Victor traps within 20m but zilch in those... coincidence or ? Maybe they have preferences at certain times of the year ? Your thoughts and comments please...

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## Finnwolf

My ‘around the house’ cage traps are baited with peanut butter smeared sultanas, normally works good and get one every third night or so but caught nothing for six+ months and likewise the mouse traps, one last week but that was the first for over six months.

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## time out

Well done the Sparrow team - just love the look on the young fella’s face! 
I wish I could find something with proper fur on its back - mostly just getting rats with prickles 
Checked about 60 traps on Saturday - just one stinky possum - lots of rat traps tripped but no victims - maybe protein feeders getting the bodies - I understand that Norways are cannibals - but I have seen plenty of Shippies that also eat bodies  
I am using Eraze rabbit jerky in my Doc boxes - bloody hogs keep coming back for a last feed - they wont stay away once the hog smell is there 
I did another line this morning - about 20 traps and got 4 rats so they are still around - one bastard had been cleaning out the blue stuff I had been putting around a Timms and a double rat trap set - but the blue death got him last night 
I found out that I set the Flipping Timmy wrong - I couldn’t trip it - the red sleeve is an adjuster for the bait rod - slim end hard set - thick end softer set - see picture in last post - found their web site which is good - Carol has access to their gear - https://www.envirotools.co.nz/flipping-timmy/
Got the first kill for two months in a street trap a few days back - a mouse - PFBOP did a report for me - for last 14 months - 221 kills - 126 rats, 70 mice, 21 hedgehogs, 3 ferret and a stoat - the dawn chorus is amazing 
I got a fancy hunters chair from the H&F Swamp Comp - what did you guys get?

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## sore head stoat

Well done time out.

Further to my above post, i went for a bike ride this evening to check a few traps. I caught another rat and again it was in a 150 with an egg bait and not 10m away was a completely untouched peanut butter baited Victor. Coincidence ???
time out , I wonder if your blue goo is a protein based lure or carbohydrate ?
I have got access to 14 day old dead chickens and tonight i have baited up a couple traps with them.

For the swamp comp i won a UFO cooker. Thank you Hunting  and Fishing, its appreciated. 
Oh and this afternoon while checking traps i caught a stoat and it was a tad manky but instead of a tail it just had a stump  .. dont know if it had been eaten or what ? That aint much use for the swamp comp LOL

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## Sparrow

Interesting about the rats, there are no carbs in my traps at all at the moment  (egg and rabbit) and last round it was 6 ships to 1 Norway, so not a good test model. I occasionally get a half eaten ship rat but wouldn’t know what’s having a chew on it.

Thanks @time out that’s my youngest(5) in the pic who now does the 4km without a grumble, was our last trap of the day and he was happy it had caught “something big”.   :Grin: 

Swamp comp was good I received an A24 with a Bluetooth app , haven’t had the best time with the A24s at work but will start this one fresh and manage it better somewhere useful,   Happy days  :Thumbsup:

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## StrikerNZ

Found an unexpected package in the letterbox this morning.. turns out my 2 or 3 (cant remember exactly) ferret tails were still worth the effort of collecting and entering. Couple of possum leg-hold traps from the swamp comp. Nice.

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## Sideshow

He looked to be in a real hurry  :XD:

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## Dead Rat

Here is the new *Flipping Timmy*. I look forward to anyone else posting photos or opinions about this possum trap. It is so user friendly, a great way to vertical trap. If you want to try this trap, let me know.

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## kukuwai

Hi @Dead Rat good to see you on here 

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## time out

I recently mounted a NZ Auto Trap for a neighbour three sections away from me - he has a large partly bush covered section that runs down to the estuary - part of the day it is wet mudflats with plenty of scrub and rubbish on the other side - a haven for rats that run across to his section. He is overseas a lot and values his birdlife highly so has invested in about ten Victor boxes, three GN A24s, numerous bait stations and just recently two new NZ Auto traps. 
He wanted the traps where he kills lots of rats - in a specific tree (so I had to install a post) - as well as on a nice cabbage tree at another site - in each case using a half round ramp for the rats to run up to the trap. 
This has to be my most ugly trap mount ever - but I was required to ensure that Ringo and George were not able to access the trap - so I figured a mesh tube on the ramp might stop his wife’s beloved cats from having their heads reshaped. After mounting the trap, the ramp and the mesh tube - I left it to him to modify the top end of the tube to ensure the trap was cat proof - a bit messy but rats will climb over most things - will be easy to change if it doesn’t work. 
I had the pleasure of filling the lure container and connecting the battery - watched the wheel turn around and I waved a piece of agapanthus between the light sensors - Whammo! - the spring power seems very similar to a Doc250. 
No possums in the area so he is solely after rats and mustilids. I saw him just before the lockdown and he told me there was evidence of an animal having been smashed in the trap - but no victims left on site. 
This is an impressive piece of kit (if you can afford $330) - in the right situation it will no doubt perform well for a year with no attention - and will kill anything from possums to rats. I was intrigued to see they provide a flexible rat ladder at the bottom of the trap to touch the ramp - up the ladder and into the kill zone of the trap - something we may be able to utilise on some other sets. 
https://nzautotraps.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O736QM-wzo8

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## kukuwai

Far out that is impressive !!!!

One hell of a ramp to get up into the kill zone.

Never heard of them @time out. Good on you for posting !!

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## sore head stoat

Going to be interesting to see how it goes, time out please keep us updated.

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## kukuwai

Freshened up all my traps today.

Got a surprise on the way around, haven't seen this very often.





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## Sparrow

Yep well I got a surprise also with my swamp comp prize, 
Put it on the side of my compost heap where I know there’s mice and the odd rat  and the hog is all I have caught in nearly 4 weeks.
 1 Kudos for the A24 tho .... stone dead.

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## kukuwai

Brilliant  

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## sore head stoat

Beats getting them out of a 200, lol.

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## kukuwai

Seen this one sneaking around here on three separate occasions. 

Seeing that I'm home every day at the moment, thought I'd bait the cage trap.



Today was the 4th time id seen it and I won't be seeing it again 



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## Sparrow

Obviously not the priority at the moment but they mentioned in the news they have discovered ferrets were subseptable to covid 19, hence that’s what they are testing the first vaccine attempts on.

Possibly a silver lining but also possibly another nightmare waiting to happen if they can transmit it, I have no idea, time will tell but another reason to glove up when dealing with critters   :Thumbsup:

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## time out

Can’t beat a cage to catch a sneaky cat kukuwai - they always make a bad mistake at some stage 

I had an interesting experience at home - an RCD tripped a couple of days back - just as I put the jug on its base -thought it was stuffed - but the RCD didn’t trip again and the jug was fine - strange??
Out in the garage yesterday - something smells strange around here - searched high and low - nothing 
Out in the garage this morning - I can smell death somewhere - maybe in the freezer - has it shit itself? - no still going fine - checked a TRex in a box on one end of the freezer - no bait - bloody mouse somewhere - pulled the other end off the freezer - ahh - there he is - across some terminals - that's what tripped the RCD
A good lesson - its getting cold outside - they are looking for a warm spot somewhere in our houses - so I set up another four trap boxes around the garage and under the Heat pump compressor unit - bastard Snap-e got my thumb while I was setting a hair trigger - going black now

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## sore head stoat

Time out I remember you sending me a photo of you with 2 black thumb nails, sorry mate couldnt help myself LOL.

I am almost catching a mouse a night in my shed they certainly are on the move into warmer places. I reckon those little wooden base Victor mouse traps are the best catchers, they dont take any prisoners thats for sure.

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## xtightg

Looking in the window on a rainy day nope none of you are getting in.

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## kukuwai

> I would be interested to see how you set up the Victor in your box for weasels, do you use the Landcare shroud ?


No Landcare shroud, i use the victors with the yellow tread plate and set the trap forward in the box with bait behind the trap.



Its not a specific set for weasels just the way i set all my victors. Often i bait them with smoked fish bones/skin as that is what i have in the freezer. Seems to be a good lure for a range of critters.

Some of my victors are two and three years old and still going strong. Just give them a brush and a spray every once and a while. 

Out in all conditions and still working 



I have caught 7 weasels in them so far this year and some have been quite small/lightweight so may not have triggered a DOC 200 ???

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## time out

I have been checking a few lines in my exercise Park up the road - I can just about see a possum in a trap from my front windows - accompanied by my wife and dog so I am fairly safe 
I had a three week break for leg surgery so the rat traps are a disaster zone - tripped and scavenged - the odd part head and some fur is best evidence of a kill 
Hogs in doc250s - yuk - it’s been a while since possums came over the gully and into the danger zone - but they now seem to be on the move - a bad decision for about six of them recently - Sentinels are always ready and waiting - one trap got torn off a tree a month or so back so he must have been a big one - I can confirm for you @Dead Rat - that your Flipping Timmy does the biz - even with dried out apple - but as an experiment - I have mounted it a bit lower on the tree and fitted a Connovation lure tube on the bait rod - the same flavour that I use on the Sentinels - I love the smell of aniseed - still leaving the possum with a choice of a Timms on the stump or the Timmy on the tree 
Mindie cant understand why I leave dead possums up a tree - too high for her to reach or she would cart it back to me - just realised why she is slow to follow me off a possum trap site - little buggar likes the blue stuff I plaster on the tree and licks it off 
Always amazes me how a rat gets into a doc200 and gets killed on the way out - what lousy luck
I am still running about six boxes around the street perimeter track - getting a few mice and a rat every day - got a big Norway a few days back - bloody mice in the garage have got me beat - but it was cold and wet this morning and pretty sure he ran back outside

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## sore head stoat

Mice in the garage or shed,, get some of those "take no prisoners" victor wooden base mouse traps with the yellow plastic treadle, problem solved.

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## Dermastor

Is it a Shag? Its not a Weka.

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## Hiawatha

> Obviously not the priority at the moment but they mentioned in the news they have discovered ferrets were subseptable to covid 19, hence thats what they are testing the first vaccine attempts on.
> 
> Possibly a silver lining but also possibly another nightmare waiting to happen if they can transmit it, I have no idea, time will tell but another reason to glove up when dealing with critters


Where did you hear that?

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## kukuwai

> Where did you hear that?


I can back that up as i listened to head of the australian company conducting the tests on ferrets being interviewed on RNZ last week.

He said they have used them (ferrets) before when testing for the SARS 1 virus.

He also said that the ferrets lung structure closely resembles that of a human making them an ideal lab animal for respiratory testing.

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## sore head stoat

Level 3 and i went and cleared my high country trap line today as they are in my region/ district. They had been out for 5 weeks.

First line i did was 11 traps and filled 7 of them with mustelids 5 stoats and 2 weasels in various states of decay...2 of the empty traps had been tipped over by possums ? and were never going to catch. Some bastard animal had eaten the back half off 3 of the animals tails and all gggrrrrr lol.

Next line of 50 traps and in the first dozen traps i was on fire getting another 5 mustys, (the stoats in these traps were quite freshly caught) and 2 rats and then it all slowed down getting another 6 mustys and another 2 rats from the balance of the traps.

Anyone else get out today ?

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## Kiwi-Hunter

The chook thief, was active and hadn't seen what was going down. My first reaction was a cat.
So the cat traps went out but no success. Then one morning I saw the shadow of what it might be.
Made a feed tray and a leg hold, two days passed and kept the hens locked up.
On the third day there was no resurrection for the murdering thief,just taken for relocation.
KH

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## Sparrow

Finally Covid restrictions, work and tides aligned to allow me and my boys to go and peel some critters out of my estuary traps after 7 weeks.
 mumified cat

cat pancake
And finally a cat in a cat trap 
All up 4 Ship Rats, 2 Hedgehog, 2 weasel and surprisingly 6 cats ( 5 in doc 200s)
Bloody good to be back out there.  :Thumbsup:

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## kukuwai

If i could, I would 'double like' that mate.

Awesome stuff. 

Looks like a nice day too. Lets hope we are looking at the back of covid 

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## Sparrow

From memory it was a mix of rabbit or liver, have caught a couple before on separate occasions but this was unreal, amazing how they get in ............. but they don’t get out!

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## BillyXmas546

Hello I'm new to this forum, just enjoying the photos and advice. this is a test to put up a photo. I'm up in South Head on the Kaipara

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## Sparrow

Welcome to the Forum  @BillyXmas546  if your gonna post in the other threads they appreciate it if you post something in the introductions thread. But a dead ferret is a good ferret so you are all good here    :Thumbsup:    How did you get it?

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## time out

Welcome to the forum @BillyXmas546 - I wouldn’t want to be a predator around your trap lines - looking forward to seeing some of your trapping systems 
I have done three trips around the Quarry in the last few days - devoid of victims in the traps but I am sure they are getting dragged away - the only body I found was a rat in a Doc200 
I have been trying out a D Rat trap around my street line - it seems quite powerful and has an easy operating handle on the side - swing the handle up to reset and it drops the rat out on the ground for the next one to have a feed

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## BillyXmas546

Thankyou Sparrow and Timeout, the ferret was a couple of years ago (we just doing a test run with photos). Some wanker had a fitch farm up here and released them when it went arse up, I was trapping a lot of them in cages with blue stuff on apples (probably following rat smell) in Timms with fresh rabbit bait in doc 200s and 250s with rabbit and also in tunnels, it was quite exciting then I ran out of them, probably the rabbit population shrank with the calicivirus. I've 5 or 6 trail cameras and have only filmed one since. If I could catch another live one Id keep it and use its bedding in  most of my traps.  Today's possum - I really rate these Possum Masters very versatile they will catch almost all pests

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## sore head stoat

How lucky do you get , no not me...

I checked a line of my high country traps yesterday. The week before i had done another line up there where in 1 trap i had caught a freshly killed rat. Lets use this as bait i thinks to myself. I put the rat in a Doc 200 set up and checked it as i was going home yesterday. Bloody hell the box has been stolen as it wasnt where it should of been, then i think nah it wont of been stolen as they would of walked past 2 other traps which were still in place. So i have a scramble thru the matagouri [which is always loads of fun] and there is the box 10m away upside down with the egg inside but Mr rat gone... How blimmin lucky, I know there is a feral cat hanging around but couldnt believe it had the luck to go in an upside down trap box completely missing the treadle.. That particular trap has never caught anything in the 2 years it has been there despite being in a great location... put a rat in there and .... not quite a cigar but fingers crossed it will be next time. I have been catching a few mice in my shed and am putting them in an old freezer to use as bait, look out cat !.. 

Seems we are in winter catch mode now with not lots of activity, I am starting to use a few bits of salted road kill pukeko as the heat [lack of it] and flies wont affect the meat baits to much instead of eggs. The eggs freeze and the shells crack letting mice have a feed .. I will go back in a month if i can wait that long lol.

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## time out

A “bloody” big Norway that was running around our street adjacent to an avocado orchard 
Just checking out some trap options under the hedge 
He had a good choice of food on the site - peanut butter in a D Rat, chocolate in an A24, peanut butter in a trusty old Victor and a day old rat laying under the D Rat from yesterday
Bad move - he checked out the Victor - brain dead so he pulled out and up on top of the box - then crawled away about 500mm 
A big Norway takes a bit of killing - but may depend where the kill bar hit him

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## Dermastor

Hey guys I'm going to try and get a neighbourhood trapping program up and running in West Auckland. What would be you suggestions for rat traps and where to get them for people to purchase so they can get stuck in? Thanks

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## kukuwai

> Hey guys I'm going to try and get a neighbourhood trapping program up and running in West Auckland. What would be you suggestions for rat traps and where to get them for people to purchase so they can get stuck in? Thanks


I would go for victor traps. Incredibly versatile. Give carol a call 



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## Dermastor

Thanks guys for the info. I will contact Carol. I notice that they have the Victor plastic power kill cheaper than the old school Victor pro. Whats your experience using these easy to set traps. They would be easier for novice users in a neighorhood group to set. Do they get as many rats?

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## sore head stoat

> Thanks guys for the info. I will contact Carol. I notice that they have the Victor plastic power kill cheaper than the old school Victor pro. Whats your experience using these easy to set traps. They would be easier for novice users in a neighorhood group to set. Do they get as many rats?


I have bought both the pro and power kill traps. My preference would definitely be the Pro trap, it is more sensitive imo. The easy set traps are better for more sensitive type trappers in that they dont have to come anywhere near in contact to the guy that "got the bad news"

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## Kiwi-Hunter

https://youtu.be/pRPoquhkzx8pRPoquhkzx8
KH

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## Sparrow

Fun for all the family. ( photo heavy)

Estuary traps were due for checking today despite tides and daylight not really playing ball, the entire family was keen for the walk which is always cool, except it took me 5 trips across the tidal creek in a keen south Easter to get them across by the 4th parts of my anatomy had gone north for winter the only positive was the dog likes to swim.   😆. 

Catch rate was nothing like the previous round with only 2 cats this time, 1 weasel and a ship rat but still made for a great afternoon 





Happy as 
The slog back across , where the little guy usually gives up 

Following the tip from here put a handful of freshly plucked mallard feathers in a few Traps with my usual baits so keen to see results, not much info in the post but the mrs takes good photos so I thought Id share I know all our trap rounds are different.

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## bing

Ran leg hold traps post lockdown. Took 46 feral cats and the same amount of ferrets and stoats combined (mostly ferrets, half dozen stoats). I've been refining techniques for a while and have come to a few basic conclusions re effective trapping which is mostly applicable to the high country though some ideas will translate to all areas in NZ. 

Maintaining / frustrating the predator at the bait station for as long as possible is key to success. To that end I've been securing fresh rabbit pieces under a large rock with a few similar rocks either side to both hold the bait and channel the cat directly over the trap. The rock needs to have enough mass to stop the cat being able to move it off the rabbit piece. Having an edge of the bait protruding is fine and helps with smell luring the animal in but no more and it should not be visible from the air or your traps will fill up with harriers (unintended victims which can be messy, distressing, illegal and renders one trap of no use for predators). Rabbit which has skin attached makes a much better smell than skinned rabbit and lasts longer in the trap. One rabbit gutted and chopped up into bits with a hatchet or clever will do about 20 traps. Areas of moderate rabbit concentrations during late Autumn trap well for both cats and ferrets as there is some competition for food. Cats like the dry areas that rabbits also prefer and ferrets prefer to be within 30 meters or so of water and close to rabbits. Dragging a rabbit carcass which has been opened up (split from bum to head) from trap to trap lays down a useful scent trail but only really works in dry weather. A trap which has been tripped and the bait stolen is one educated predator - a trap that has the bait stolen but has not been tripped is a half caught predator and you'll probably get it next time. A sparse covering of dry grass over a trap (sometimes called hazing) in order to help hide the trap loses more animals than it gains. The grass acts as a slippery medium which allows the paw to be pulled out. Using a grubber to bury a trap so that it is just proud of the earth or shingle level can help but the underside of the trip plate must be free of soil so it can be fully depressed. Freshly disturbed soil attracts both cats and rabbits so best not done when the young rabbits are out as you will catch them and not the cats (another clogged up traps situation). 

There are no silver bullets here just attention to detail which is what makes for effective trapping - it's really hard to catch the ones that have had a narrow escape with a trap so putting the work in on the first set is the go  :Have A Nice Day: 

Happy tapping .

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## Sideshow

@Sparrow You really needed to say that lot in a squeaky vioce after 4 crossings :XD:

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## Gapped axe

Some photos its aweka and yet in others its a shag

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## BillyXmas546

Helen and I share the trapping for SKLC, we make our own corflute rat boxes - they were originally designed for mustelids, Helen has had about 6 of them around her farm catching rats and occasionally the odd weasel. Last week a catering outfit was throwing away a large container of cheap mayonnaise so she grabbed it and put it on her rat traps, she got these 4 weasels that night. the trap in the boxes is a Victor Pro

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## Kiwi-Hunter

My son has been working on a 200 acre block setting up for pest eradication.As a family with the children growing up we have done a fair bit on this block over the years! But it's now under new management and they are upping the eradication program.
Controled poisoning which hasn't been done to any great degree, plus more trapping, night shooting and cameras to detail what pest movements there are ! This helps so there can be a effort to bring in more traps or baits that may be required for the reduction of that particular pest.
Camera footage is always been great over the years, seeing what's moving about and they don't always go to the chew cards or ink pads as the footage has shown! if the cameras are set right and are of fair quality,they should pick up most movements.
It's a learning process! I had a lot of false triggers in the early part but learning is what takes place.
Cameras  weren't used like they are today and the technology is far superior.
These two ferrets in winter coats are his official catch's and a good start to the program.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

The sister is catch of the day. Three this week 1 male and two females, the young fellow is going well.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Catch of the day.
KH

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## BillyXmas546

nice pics Kiwi Hunter. Do you find painting the Doc trap black makes a difference?

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Haven't done it BillyXmas546, I had some blue possum masters and painted them black! But couldn't say there was a remarkable difference.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Hi Mimms2, some taxiderm,y not too much of late.
But good to find a good use of the fresh one's.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

This is today's catch, But iam about to go night shooting,so it may not be all as it's not midnight yet :Have A Nice Day: 
KH

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## sore head stoat

> Haven't done it BillyXmas546, I had some blue possum masters and painted them black! But couldn't say there was a remarkable difference.
> KH


Commercial possum trapping by DJ [Dennis] Moresby mentions painting possum traps light blue. My guess was they were longspring traps or 1 1/2 size traps which would of held front foot captures ?

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## time out

Possum Master do make black traps for some customers but blue is the main line - I put five in a couple of months back and my Mate reckoned they are hopeless as the possums always seem to go for a nearby Timms - but today one hung itself in a blue trap
Great pictures Guys – those mustilids put my catch to shame – first mustilid this year - not sure if it was a weasel or a small stoat - so small I lost its tail somewhere   
Doing regular trips around my lines at the Quarry Park – most rat traps are losing the possum paste lure within a day or so - I suspect due to insects – around 25% of rat traps are tripped and many of those have fur or wax eye feathers on the kill bar. It is rare to find a body in a trap these days so I suspect the cannibal rats are cleaning them up and we also often find boxes dragged down the banks so I suspect we have a serious cat problem. 
A cat was seen on Saturday with four kittens – so I put a doc250 and 4 doc200s together where she was seen – but no luck – she had moved on. I have opened up the mesh on all of my doc traps – maybe I will get some cats up to half grown.  I have mounted some Timms traps on ramps with rabbit bait and I may have to get some Steve Allen cat kill traps. 
The doc traps still pull in regular hedgehogs  and the odd rat - by chance I found a small mustilid in a doc200 a couple of days back  
I have just got twenty new Kness Snap-e traps for the Quarry to replace old Victor Pros – they are all in open coreflute tunnels and the possum paste lure on the yellow foot plates seems to be a big attraction for wax eye birds – I am hoping that the lure will be less obvious in the black Snap-e trap lure cup 
I checked the top line this morning and found a cat in a doc250 – not a pleasant problem to solve – but female so I guess it will save many cat problems in the future. 
I decided to pull in a couple of doc250s from the bottom end today as they needed a clean – one had a kitten – so I guess it was one of the four seen a few days back. Now cleaned and back out for the next ones – maybe a chicken neck and some erayz will pull them in. 
My  main success has been rats at one end of my street circuit – big buggars coming up out of an avocado orchard – in the D Rat and in an old victor pro - should have had the tape measure and scales - must have weighed half a kilo 
A ferret was seen down by the estuary last week so I put a cage down by the water’s edge – fresh rabbit legs – first two nights caged local cats that were released unharmed – but no sign of the ferret yet – cages are definitely safer than doc250s. 
So always some bird predators to trap.

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## kukuwai

Cheer for that @time out. Enjoyed the read. That is a weasel in the first photo  No black tip on the tail & it much shorter!! 

Those tails are easy to lose, my boys have lost a couple, much to their disappointment as they too appreciate the swamp comp !!

Also with those weasels, once you have seen a few I think the main body color is slightly different from the stoat but that is only a personal observation and my be site specific on my behalf ?

On the cats.... I really recomend giving the steve allen a go.  I have got a couple in my one that I've seen on the cameras and arnt sure i would have got in a cage!?!
 @Sparrow how is your one going?

@ KH & Billy Xmas, I don't get many ferrets around here but I did get one once in a cage trap it was without a doubt the STINKYIST thing i have ever caught 


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## Kiwi-Hunter

I like the cat pictures timeout :Thumbsup:  good to see the work and pictures you fellas put in as volunteers and it makes a difference.
But it's a continuous process and one that doesn't have a let up at this point in time, at least where I am and suspect where you are.
I encourage you to find others of like mindedness who can find others of like mindedness.
A family member a local! because some of us have health things and end up having the wrong timeout :Oh Noes: 
Iam having a run at the moment, night shooting and fumigation of rabbit warrens during a day and my son trapping and setting up new trap lines and bait stations.
The forum is a mix of people that aren't as dedicated as the ones who contribute here or on what little pesties! Dundee's post.
Even I have runs and mostly come and go from the forum! I may not be here, but be sure I am out there! not so much in the rain these days,at least I can pick and choose what weather I work in now. 
I don't know how to put a link to the post on carbon monoxide in rabbit control, it's work in progress and on the smaller block's that can't be shot, its working.
Yet to be tried on rats that have gone into a locals bird cages and set up their warren's under the concrete floor.
Camera and baiting has shown large Norway rats, hopefully this week we will try this method as well. 
Rats are more likely to come out as they will react to the carbon! As for the rabbit! It just goes to sleep down in the warren.
KH

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## Sparrow

Yep, the Steve Allens are very effective  @kukuwai , unfortunately mine is sat idol at present as I have changed jobs and no longer have my trapping round on private land it helped take over 40 cats in the 2 and half years I was there most going to cage traps, which is what I had mot of.

Still have my rounds on public land but the S A takes no prisoners so am a bit paranoid of a foxy or Jack Russell sticking its snout in, dont need the drama.

Looking forward to getting round them this weekend.   👍

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## time out

Here is your carbon monoxide link @Kiwi-Hunter - 

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....control-62058/

Bloody rabbits are driving me mad at home digging up the lawn - fortunately up in the Park - Council have taken over control with a night shooting contractor who at long last has purchased a thermal scope - so its no longer coming out of my pest control budget 
We rarely find rabbit holes - so many rocky banks where they seem to live they don't need to waste time digging
We have been lucky with good weather lately - but winter is coming - might take the shine off checking trap lines :36 1 5:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Thanks timeout for the link, I know it's not quite in line with the post.
But someone may take up the idea on their patch.
It's affective with out using more serious poisons! which the application has to be handled right.
KH

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## sore head stoat

Great posts fellas. 
Just snuck over the 100 mustelid tails for the swamp comp.  :Thumbsup:  frightening what happens in a mast year.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Good effort sore head stoat.
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Carbon monoxide.
Yet to be tried on rats that have gone into a locals bird cages and set up their warren's under the concrete floor.
Camera and baiting has shown large Norway rats, hopefully this week we will try this method as well. 
Rats are more likely to come out as they will react to the carbon.
This fellow was trapped today.
KH[/QUOTE]

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## time out

That’s a big Norway Kiwi-Hunter
I went back up this morning to check a couple of boxes - rare that I see a trap the very next day - the lure was gone off most of them and there were no furry victims - must be insects - ants or roaches 
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can keep ants etc off traps?

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## sore head stoat

> That’s a big Norway Kiwi-Hunter
> I went back up this morning to check a couple of boxes - rare that I see a trap the very next day - the lure was gone off most of them and there were no furry victims - must be insects - ants or roaches 
> Does anyone have any ideas of how I can keep ants etc off traps?


Move to a colder climate ? LOL, Sorry mate couldnt help myself  :36 1 11:

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## sore head stoat

What sort of pack/bum bag set up do you guys run when carrying your tools, replacement baits/lures, gloves etc when checking traps. I have an original NZ made Macpac frameless single bag pack that is 40 ? years old. Its light and comfortable but its a pain to find stuff in when you want to find a screwdriver or knife , what ever you want is always right at the bottom of the pack.

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## Sparrow

My estuary lines are obviously pretty flat so i just carry a 20lt bucket with every thing in so its accessible and the crescent in my hand/pocket for opening the traps, started with a pack but was always rummaging for this and that and breaking eggs    :XD:

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## kukuwai

Yep thats me too...

I find the bucket quicker and easier than the backpack, however I also am not walking miles 

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## time out

Too cold for me down there Mate - keep moving north to find warmer weather but still no good
I used a twin bag frame pack for years - but could never find things - so got an army surplus pack about three years ago - comfortable and works well as I can strap it in to suit my gear - my wife keeps telling me to get rid of the gear that I don’t use - but I might need it - always carry a small slasher, doc250 setting tool, hammer, screw driver, screws, bait etc - just about due for replacement 
I like my hands free to carry a pole and hold onto stuff 
https://www.armyandoutdoors.co.nz/co...25l-olive-drab

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## sore head stoat

Thanks for the replies, a bucket isnt really suitable for me, i am like time out i carry a mountain stick for balance and like my other hand free. I will have a look at that pack, thank you.

I like how your wife tells you about getting rid of gear... My mantra if you call it gear you never get rid of it... if you call it stuff, you get rid of it LOL.

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## sore head stoat

Its blimmin cold alright, i went to a lamb sale today and at noon when i left it was 4 degrees... My guess is my high country traps will have a bit of snow on them.

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## sore head stoat

Another question, i have a few traps set locally that i bike or walk past when taking the dog for a run/walk. I have a bit of flagging tape that protrudes 25 to 50mm out of the top of the box so that i can see at a distance if the trap has been sprung or not.. I have been doing this for a year plus.. Any thoughts that flagging tape puts off animals from approaching the trap ? I have caught plenty of animals in these traps but am always thinking of ways i can improve my catch.. thought please..

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## bing

I've used all sorts of tapes (fluoro orange, pink and differing lengths etc as well as spray can orange paint ) and have not found any difference between unflagged and flagged traps. It was very interesting to look at footage from trail cameras that were placed overlooking DOC 150's and DOC 250's as many predators would visit the trap many times before actually entering the trap - they can be very cautious. Autumn is certainly a good time of year to be trapping for ferrets and feral cats especially if the rabbit population is unusually low. Had to shut down the traps a little early as snow was coming in down to 500m but got some good results including this largish cat and an albino ferret.

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## sore head stoat

Thanks bing. Cool catch that ferret. I have caught a couple of stoats that were way whiter than usual in the middle of winter and know that a few pure white but not albino stoats are caught by one group trapping on the main divide. Yip winter is here.

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## Orcrist



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## Orcrist

Also a possum and two rats. Have been trapping for a bit but usually rats and hedgehogs. But the dog puts the possums up the trees for me. Was a bad day for vermin.

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## sore head stoat

Welcome Orcrist,
Well done on the weasel, i always that Banks Peninsula area would be a blimmin dangerous place for a predator to be... lots of traps and some great work being done over there.

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## Orcrist

Thanks sore head stoat. The peninsula would be a great place to put a predator fence across the narrow bit and go to town on extermination of nasties. The weasel I saw on the road just down from my house and missed running it over. When I came home I shifted a couple of traps down to the road and managed to nail it. Not heaps of mustelid thankfully but lots of possums and rats.

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## kukuwai

Had 10 new ALP's to put into some A24s today....out of 10, 6 of them looked like this.



Gave them a good dose of fly spray ?!?

This however was the catch of the day  Good old school styles  note the duck feathers @sore head stoat !!!





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## Sparrow

Good stuff seeing you all still giving the critters a hard time
Cleared 28 traps today for one insomniac hedgehog.

Evan have done a good job clearing the wilding pines along my dune line but you have to ask yourself why they couldn’t of left a couple of specific stumps 30cm higher.     :Wtfsmilie:

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## kukuwai

[QUOTE=Sparrow;1024448] Attachment 143112[/QUOTE

That is just crazy stuff right there !!!
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## time out

Great results @ Orcrist – keep showing us the results – puts this post to shame 
I had to take a trip to Auckland to see my Son’s new house – long grass on sections all round him so I took four new boxes with new Victor pro traps soaked in boiled linseed oil 
Relaxing in the family room and we spotted a mouse playing around under the fridge – no worry – we can sort him out so got a Victor out of a box and put some peanut butter on the foot plate – positioned it beside the base of the bench unit beside the fridge 
Only took the mouse a few minutes to come out and check out his new dinner – a bit embarrassing really as he accessed it sideways – in and out numerous times and had a few feeds – I thought maybe I had left too much sticky oil on the foot plate saddle - it took about ten minutes before he made a fatal mistake and climbed on the front of the foot plate – jeeze it made a bang when it tripped – poor little buggar 
A good example of how a narrow box or tunnel ensures the rodent presents correctly to a trap

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Attachment 142951Attachment 142950


Well done and my you continue to deplete the area of them. :Thumbsup: 
KH

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## sore head stoat

Went and checked a high country line today, only 13 traps in the line but it is a bit of a walk.. 13 traps , 2 sprung empties, 4 not touched and 7 stoats in the balance... The back end had been chewed off all but 3 of them so no tails. 4 weeks since last checked. I did see a cat so might have to get a SA cat trap off Carol at Dead rat. Thoughts please on,  would it be the cat that is cheweing the back half of the bodies off my stoats ? I am running all DOC 150s up on that line with fairly tight entrances...  The sprung empties i suspect the cat is rattling the boxes and triggering the traps as quarter of my captures are weasels and i have a light trigger/spring off on my traps. I am now starting to put big rocks on my traps to stop any movement if the cat rattles the box. Thoughts please on the cat eating the bodies ?

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## kukuwai

@sore head stoat it could a cat but don't discount further stoats. 

I have seen it before when having a run on weasels in a certain trap that if i have not checked it fast enough.....all that is left is a head. 

Reset = another weasel

Having a camera or two if can answer a lot of guestions if you can source them 

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## BillyXmas546

Sore Head Stoat (or all head no stoat haha) I had a camera on a trap that caught a stoat and everything in the bush came over for a lick and a chew, cats several times, a possum also rats and hogs, we need to bottle that smell. Kiwi-Hunter I had a tunnel trap that I painted black inside and outside including the trap and it was about 6 months before anything went in it then it started catching everything maybe the paint smell put them off for a while, I also have a tunnel trap with the sides and top made of white corflute very visible and it catches all the critters and shitloads of possums.

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## sore head stoat

> Sore Head Stoat (or all head no stoat haha) I had a camera on a trap that caught a stoat and everything in the bush came over for a lick and a chew, cats several times, a possum also rats and hogs, we need to bottle that smell. Kiwi-Hunter I had a tunnel trap that I painted black inside and outside including the trap and it was about 6 months before anything went in it then it started catching everything maybe the paint smell put them off for a while, I also have a tunnel trap with the sides and top made of white corflute very visible and it catches all the critters and shitloads of possums.


Gday Billy, I am getting sick of getting half stoats, probably 10 or 15 of them now gggrrrr, lol. Yes mustelid must be a powerful stimulant/attractant to other animals.

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## BillyXmas546

Weasel caught on fresh rabbit only put the trap there a week ago, the rat caught using blue stuff. Remember Helen caught 4 weasels using mayonnaise well she got another one using mayonnaise on a golf ball, the weasels on my trap lines are a bit fussier.

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## BillyXmas546

Sore Head Stoat can you hang a weasel above a leghold, might get number one predator

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## Dermastor

I have just made the first boxes for my Doc200 traps. I noticed a few thinks when they were finished. One of the traps needed a hammer adjustment to the trigger mount which was too high. When the trap was activated the trigger arm snaped to the rear of the trap but the trap didn't slam closed. That was an easy fix. I bashed it lower. The other thing is they are both difficult to set. When you lift the wire setting loop the trigger doesn't locate on the sear and you have to get your hand down there in the danger zone to get it right. Is this normal? or is it me or the traps?
Thanks

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## sore head stoat

> I have just made the first boxes for my Doc200 traps. I noticed a few thinks when they were finished. One of the traps needed a hammer adjustment to the trigger mount which was too high. When the trap was activated the trigger arm snaped to the rear of the trap but the trap didn't slam closed. That was an easy fix. I bashed it lower. The other thing is they are both difficult to set. When you lift the wire setting loop the trigger doesn't locate on the sear and you have to get your hand down there in the danger zone to get it right. Is this normal? or is it me or the traps?
> Thanks
> 
> Attachment 143598


I have never had to bash a trap , they have worked perfectly esp from new.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TaZxIHtsMo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11t9II2FpFk

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## sore head stoat

> Sore Head Stoat can you hang a weasel above a leghold, might get number one predator


yip few number 1 s about but i can only get to my high country lines once every 2 3 or 4 weeks, so leg holds are not an option for me.

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## sore head stoat

Another question.. I have done this more than once. The other day i cleared one of my high country lines, the half stoat line lol.. On the way back home i pass another of my lines and i stopped and checked a few of those traps. I moved 1 of the traps 10m from where it had been for a couple of years and when i checked them today it had a stoat in. Now i have done this before, moved a trap and whammo next check it has an animal in. i have also put a new trap 30m away from a long established trap and the new trap has caught something.. Do you think the animal caught had been in the area all along and knew the other traps were danger but this new object was worth checking out ? Thoughts please.

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## Orcrist

Sorry don't have enough experience to answer your query sore head stoat. 
 Rats can be smart but also really stupid. I noticed my fake eggs in my chook coop going missing. One was hard hollow plastic the others solid rubber. I guessed it was a rat. So I put a fenn in a box in the coop and a couple of days later got it. The rat was taking the fake eggs out of the nests about three feet off the ground and down a ramp and disappearing with them somewhere. Why? It couldn't eat them.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

A thieving dirty rat. Orcrist you wouldn't believe he was capable of carrying off hens eggs.
He looks so innocent swinging there. :Thumbsup: 
KH

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## bumblefoot

Speaking of eggs..... A few years back I saw a stoat running across the road rolling a chook sized egg in front; it didn't even break stride. Pretty impressive when you consider the off-centre shape of an egg

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## time out

I don’t have the experience to answer your question @sore head stoat – I could count my mustilid kill numbers on one hand – but one thing I do know about ferrets and cats – patience is a virtue! – you know the buggars are around but you just can’t catch them – but they usually make a fatal mistake 
I like the concept of moving trap boxes slightly and kicking the ground clean so they can see something has changed – but most of my trap tunnels are fixed on roots or branches – so they always look the same – moving rat boxes successfully conflicts with the often held belief that rats are neophobic animals – not in my experience – they seem to be curious
Some of us are still trapping around our street – we have 280 entries in the PFBOP system so I would guess that is well over 300 kills. About two weeks back - one of our neighbours who looks down onto the estuary spotted a ferret running around on their lawn in daylight – so I put a cage down there with a fresh rabbit leg on the rear mesh – we got a cat first night – then another cat – then nothing – both released unharmed – it took about ten days to trip up the ferret last night – I left a leg in the cage and a tail in the freezer – maybe he will have a mate. It is good that we got him as there were 18 fabulous Royal Spoonbills sitting near the cage yesterday – they live around the estuary so we need to make it safe for nesting this year 
So at last I have an entry for the swamp comp – pitty they don’t take cat tails!
I love to see the Fenn traps in action – they don’t take prisoners! – well done @Orchrist

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## Kiwi-Hunter

1+ on fenn, like that ferret timeout.
KH

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## Orcrist

Nice ferret Time Out. 
They can be pretty clever Bumblefoot. 
We occasionally are visited by a stoat. Several times the Neighbour has called out and I will rush over with the shotgun but haven't managed to shoot it. 
However we have a stream at the back of our place so I put a trap by the foot bridge as I figured they that they are smart and would use it rather than swimming. It's the only bridge for quite a distance. 
Well its my first one so I'm pretty stoked.

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## sore head stoat

I remember a mate saying that stoats love running over bridges and a trap either end of the bridge is the deal. He would often drop a log over a creek to make a bridge and place a trap either end of the log bridge.

I am using eggs as bait/lure and when i take out the old egg i have started putting them under the trap box and breaking the egg. I also like the idea of scratching the dirt up around the trap.

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## sore head stoat

Today i went and checked and replaced a few eggs in one of my high country lines. Eggs this time of year freeze and crack with the expansion when freezing. 

After checking the first 6 traps i had already caught 2 stoats, a standard coloured stoat and a real light ginger one. I had to wait another 30 traps to get another... Every year i seem to catch one with what i would call a genuine winter coat on.. Cue in time out . I am crap at running any sort of technology and so hopefully time out will add the photo for us.

Cheers s h s

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## time out

Danger at trap No 73 – definitely a sore head stoat 
Amazing colour in some of these animals that live in colder climate areas – great work sore head stoat – and you to Orcrist

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## time out

On the edge of the estuary - I got the old fella nine days back - now the young fella today 
The old ferret leg had gone from inside the cage – he had torn the manky old rabbit leg from the rear mesh but soon lost interest in that 
Cut off his tail and four legs for the freezer – some skin in the top of the cage - dribbled pee all around the trap area - a new rabbit leg on the rear mesh – I guess Mum is around somewhere? 
Hard to beat a cage if it can be checked easily each day – a rabbit leg is great lure and still works well when a furry creepy mess.

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## kukuwai

Awesome  Well done !! 

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## time out

The sweet smelling cage has done the job again last night – a young female – wow did she stink! – she had eaten the rabbit leg while waiting for assistance to get out. Another tail and four more legs in the freezer so plenty of lure to put in doc250s around the Park. 
Picture of the trap site by the rope fence – amazing what is running around on your front lawn – muddy tidal estuary with a small river just on the other side of the scrub – ducks, Canadas, Royal Spoonbills, rats and ferrets love the place.

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## Micky Duck

> I don’t have the experience to answer your question @sore head stoat – I could count my mustilid kill numbers on one hand – but one thing I do know about ferrets and cats – patience is a virtue! – you know the buggars are around but you just can’t catch them – but they usually make a fatal mistake 
> I like the concept of moving trap boxes slightly and kicking the ground clean so they can see something has changed – but most of my trap tunnels are fixed on roots or branches – so they always look the same – moving rat boxes successfully conflicts with the often held belief that rats are neophobic animals – not in my experience – they seem to be curious
> Some of us are still trapping around our street – we have 280 entries in the PFBOP system so I would guess that is well over 300 kills. About two weeks back - one of our neighbours who looks down onto the estuary spotted a ferret running around on their lawn in daylight – so I put a cage down there with a fresh rabbit leg on the rear mesh – we got a cat first night – then another cat – then nothing – both released unharmed – it took about ten days to trip up the ferret last night – I left a leg in the cage and a tail in the freezer – maybe he will have a mate. It is good that we got him as there were 18 fabulous Royal Spoonbills sitting near the cage yesterday – they live around the estuary so we need to make it safe for nesting this year 
> So at last I have an entry for the swamp comp – pitty they don’t take cat tails!
> I love to see the Fenn traps in action – they don’t take prisoners! – well done @Orchrist 
> 
> Attachment 144246
> 
> Attachment 144247


I sure hope you rubbed its smelly bum all around the trap.......that will often get its mates...we managed 5 stoats in a week from same trap that way.

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## Micky Duck

your rats look much better than the ones Ive caught here in town...3 so far...2 in last week,the ears are all scabby and cauliflowered almost like front row prop and tail all scaly too...dirty huas are "good rats" now.

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## Flyblown

Hardly something to get too excited about, but worth pointing out the effect of a trap upgrade. I've been struggling with my old traps - false trips, or no trip and stolen bait, etc. So I bought a box of 12 Victors, used some scrap timber to knock up some boxes, and since then every time I've found the trap set off, there's a dead rat. The upgrade to the large plastic bait tray and double sprung kill bar is totally worth it. 

Using fresh beef steer liver as bait, deadly. 

Bought 5x DOC200 traps at the same time, all these mustelid photos have inspired me, just gotta knock up the boxes.

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## Orcrist

Nice one fly blown. 
The boxes do help the vermin present themselves well to the trap. 
Does anyone know of any buyers of possum fur around chch?  Have some fur and want to buy some more traps. 
It's great how possums pay to kill themselves.

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## kukuwai

I don't have much experience with the DOC 150 so thought i would try some. Plenty of weasels around here so the lighter trigger might be the go. Knocked up a few boxes.



Made sure the holes in the mesh are big enough for a hedgepig tho 



I am about to set up some feeders for the pheasants so each of them deserves to have a trap as I'm sure the feed/activity will attract a predator or two  

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## time out

Nice new boxes and traps Guys – it will provide benefits 
I had a couple of weeks off from checking my lines around the Park – got back into it on Friday/Saturday – must have checked fifty or more sites and never saw a victim anywhere – have changed out about 12 old Victors for new Kness Snap-es – not many traps were tripped but all were bare of bait – so seem to be feeding the ants and roaches 
Loaded a couple of doc250s with fresh ferret legs. Repositioned a Possum Master from a tree to on the ground beside the stinky doc250 – a fresh rabbit leg for lure – target is cats or mustilids – maybe it should have been up on a log?
My Mate got a couple of cats over the other side of the Park last week – one in a doc200 and one in a doc250 – small to medium size – seems the place is full of cats 
Got another ferret yesterday down at my estuary cage – three males and one small female so still looking for Mum and more of the kids – wow - did the last male stink – my neighbour can see the cage from his house and goes down on his lawnmower to deliver the lead pill – ferret didn’t sit still so now I have a big hole in the treadle – all I need to do is rebait and reset the cage – a stinky business saving legs as well as tails – had to wash all my clothes yesterday 
Still getting a few Norways in a D Rat up the street but my other line of six traps is very quiet.

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## Sparrow

Got round my 28 estuary traps yesterday for pretty skinny returns, but family enjoying the sunshine.
1 cat (Trapinator)
2 Norways 
1 ship rat 
All traps rebaited  with fresh hare and eggs with the odd handful of duck feather garnish  :Thumbsup: 

A sizeable Norway

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## sore head stoat

Gday Sparrow,

With your trapinator catching cats.. do you catch big adult cats, have you opened up the hole where they stick there head in ?

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## Finnwolf

Hi Sparrow, I’ve just come back from West Coast and at a Kiwi focused reserve area noticed a lot of the trap boxes had a square hole in the lower corner at each end, didn’t look big enough for a ferret ie looked to be maybe 30mm by 30mm or less.
Obviously would get stoats, rats and mice.
Would that have been the plan?

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## sore head stoat

Maybe not ferrets in the area ?

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## Sparrow

Hi  @sore head stoat   Opening up the holes on the trapinators is something I have thought about but they are on public land and I don’t need the drama of someone’s foxy or Jack Russell sticking their head in.

I have caught adult cats including big fully grown toms BuT also a couple of cats that have only stuck a paw in, one looked like it had been there a while and I had to dispatch, the other was dead but wouldn’t of been quick and no one wants that if it happens many more times it could be time for a rethink.

The trapping program has always used Timms furtheR up river But as they weren’t Doc approved an trapinators are they made us use them in the estuary.

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## Sparrow

Hi @Finnwolf it is surprising what gets through a small hole, but I imagine those small holes are to deter kiwi and weka, did you notice if there was a second baffle or greater distance to the mechanism than a standard Doc box?

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## Finnwolf

> Hi @Finnwolf it is surprising what gets through a small hole, but I imagine those small holes are to deter kiwi and weka, did you notice if there was a second baffle or greater distance to the mechanism than a standard Doc box?


Sorry Sparrow, didn’t look that closely. I did notice these square holes were at each end of the wooden box sides right in the lower corner.

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## Sparrow

An adolescent cat through a relatively small opening.  👍

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## Sparrow

Ah and the wire on each end had no openings? So the kiwi can’t get its beak round the baffle maybe, some one will know.

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## sore head stoat

Probably like that for keas. A guy i know was telling me someone was setting off DoC 150 traps up in Arthurs Pass. It was a why the hell would someone do that. They hid a game camera on a trap. A couple or 3 keas turned up, one grabs a stick pokes it thru the wire mesh , nah it doesnt fit, gives it a bit of a sharpen , nah it doesnt fit, bit more of a whittle and pokes it thru again and the stick hits the trap treadle , whammo the trap goes off and they all get a fright and scream like hell and off to the next trap. They now fit louvre type fittings and side entry on the new traps i believe.

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## sore head stoat

https://predatorfreenz.org/key-tips-keeping-kea-safe/

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## sore head stoat

They will be double set traps with the opening at each end.

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## Flyblown

Stoked to get this cat. Big fat female. Was glassing the paddocks and saw the cat from 350m away, stalking a rabbit. Damn was that an urgent scramble down the face to the creek, and along the watercourse, hugging the meagre cover all the way, desperately trying not to be seen. Luckily the cat was facing away from me, and totally preoccupied with its dinner.

Got to a small slip at the bottom of the paddock below the cat, slithered up through the mud on my belly under the electric fence, 75m head shot with the .22LR subsonic. 

YEAH

Funy thing was, the rabbit just froze, so I reloaded and shot that too!





The rabbit looks like its tangled with a cat before...



Wanna know how desperate Soutie was to kill this particular Varmint all over again?

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## time out

Ferret No 5 today in my estuary cage – its been a bit quiet since the last one – the rabbit leg was just skin and bone - so I decided to give them something a bit more interesting – from my previous experience with cats and ferrets – if all else fails try some sardines – two days and he tried the sardines – bad move ferret! - a big stinky Male 
Set up a new rabbit leg and the other half tin of sardines – should be irresistible – dog was obsessed with the smell of sardines 
Still looking for the adult female and more young ones 
No rats anywhere in the Park or round here – I set up a Steve Allen cat trap in the Park – thanks for the SA trap to try out Carol – you are very generous – hope business is good

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## sore head stoat

Are fresh sardines better than canned ones ? I have tried rubbing fresh sardines on top of the trap box and in the bait end but have not found catch rates increased with the sardines.. maybe i should try canned ones ? Thoughts please.

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## Micky Duck

Ive used dry burley pellets from warehouse...look like big turkey turds...they worked. a simple ping pong ball works too.... its said they think its an egg and go for a look.still got one plastic egg from $2 shop left.
when I checked n reset traps last weekend after months of neglect..has 3 stoats,3hedgepigs and a rat..... no way any of those traps had strong odour still. have found the best bait for hedgehog..is dead hedgehog LOL.... rabbit bits,duck bits,hare bits are OK but it seems the smellier and more rice risotto like the better it works.
have tried trout frames...no good.

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## Dermastor

I finally got around to setting some trap boxes yesterday around the crn in the park. We live in Titirangi close to the city fringe and the Waitakere Ranges. There are lots of small creeks, bushy reserves, parks and a duck pond in the neighbourhood. I set out six trap boxes to see what the pest numbers were like. All in native plantings beside a creek. There are lots of native birds around but more is always better so I will see what difference I can make.

I checked them this morning and got 3 rats so I suppose that’s good and bad as it shows there are probably a few of the little buggers around. On the following days the kill  numbers dropped off. One trap got a rat most days but some didn’t get anything. I then put out 2 more boxes to extend the line and moved a box 10m that hadn’t caught anything. The next day all those boxes had dead rats in them, non in the others. It seems that you quickly catch the easy rats in the area then nothing.

I put my mobile # on the boxes and was contacted by a local Eco group who are also running A24 traps in the local parks. So I will probably work with them though I’m a fan of traps and frequent trap checks so will keep also doing my thing.

I will post some dead rat photos when that option is back online. Who doesn't like looking at dead pests.

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## Dermastor



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## Finnwolf

‘Something’ has been eating the peanut butter off my grey plastic mouse trap, the piece of bread I sat beside it was unmolested.

This is not the first time this has happened, I doubt the trip plate is sticking but think more it might be an insect doing this as the bait is completely gone but the trap not sprung.

Any ideas anybody?

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## sore head stoat

> ‘Something’ has been eating the peanut butter off my grey plastic mouse trap, the piece of bread I sat beside it was unmolested.
> 
> This is not the first time this has happened, I doubt the trip plate is sticking but think more it might be an insect doing this as the bait is completely gone but the trap not sprung.
> 
> Any ideas anybody?


what brand of trap ?

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## Finnwolf

> what brand of trap ?


‘The Better Mousetrap’ by  The INTRUDER inc.

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## Micky Duck

tie piece of cotton around and around through peanut butter and under plate...drip of bacon grease of two on bait wont hurt either... I reckon the rodents teeth catch the cotton and trigger trap....

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## sore head stoat

Sorry Finnwolf,  i cant help. The only suggestion i could make is put the peanut butter closer to the lip of the treadle plate to increase the sensitivity ? I have a couple of those in my garage along with a knees and the victors and they all catch just fine.

Try MDs idea, failing that go and buy a Victor and Knees and do a comparison ?

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## kukuwai

> Any ideas anybody?


Ants ?

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## Finnwolf

> Ants ?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Don’t have them down here but I did think it could be beetles of some sort.

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## Finnwolf

OK, hot glued some wheat to the trap bait plate AND smeared some peanut butter on.

We’ll see how that works out!

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## Dermastor

An interesting read on stoat eradication projects in Fiordland.

https://predatorfreenz.org/eradicati...eid=7f4a83c7d3

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## XR500

Mice can definitely eat the peanut butter off a trap without triggering it. You should really use cotton to force them to apply more pressure when attempting to negotiate the cotton.

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## sore head stoat

> Something has been eating the peanut butter off my grey plastic mouse trap, the piece of bread I sat beside it was unmolested.
> 
> This is not the first time this has happened, I doubt the trip plate is sticking but think more it might be an insect doing this as the bait is completely gone but the trap not sprung.
> 
> Any ideas anybody?


How are you getting on ?

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## trapperjohn

> Something has been eating the peanut butter off my grey plastic mouse trap, the piece of bread I sat beside it was unmolested.
> 
> This is not the first time this has happened, I doubt the trip plate is sticking but think more it might be an insect doing this as the bait is completely gone but the trap not sprung.
> 
> Any ideas anybody?


possibly leopard slugs if you have any in your area, plentiful up north, have an appetite and not usually heavy enough to trip trap but occassionally one does get chopped.

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## time out

Most rat traps will catch a mouse if they are forced to walk on the front of the foot plate in a narrow box – most of them can also be hair trigger set with some risk to your fingers – Victor Pro and Victor Power Kill are great for mice 
I use peanut butter/rolled oats/vegetable oil to create a very sticky molten mix that will drop off my gloves onto the trap in a heavy blob – also plenty around the entrance to the trap – you need to get them keen on having a good feed before it kills them 
I don’t use large blobs of GN Possum Paste on my trap lines in the bush – just enough to hide in the bait cup – or birds see it and peck it 
I have just done a trap line in the Quarry Park – maybe 50 sites rat/possum – traps are still set but bait is gone – but I got a very rare possum on another line a few days back – but no rats – no idea where they have gone – I guess there is an end to them in winter/spring 
No mice or rats on my rat line close to home – ended up with 7 ferrets in the estuary cage – plus a couple of big rats plus a few hogs – my neighbour shoots the rats but lets the hogs out – then tells me to put more sardines in the cage – I might have to shift the cage along the water line to where I can manage it better  
I have been getting a few rats up the top end of the street – they are coming up out of the avo orchard – it looks like they feel safe with bodies around the trap –  the D Rat trap is working well and they seem happier to walk up a ramp rather then enter a nearby box – pics are from last four days  - might have got the cannibal

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## Finnwolf

> How are you getting on ?


Well neither of the traps have been sprung and the wheat I hot-glued to the plates is still there so I can only guess there to mice around?

(I figured the extra weight of wheat grains plus glue would make the trap even more sensitive?)

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## Dermastor

I have also had rats getting eaten in the traps. Is it just rats that do this or something else?

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## Dermastor

The local reserve is proving a great resource for pests. After 6 weeks I'm still getting 2-3 rats a week. I have just taken delivery of 4 Timms traps. The possums are hammering the Totara. One 6m tree provided 3 in 3 days. I have run out of tomato plants to put them under. The plastic Victor traps are proving to be very reliable also taking mice if you preload the paddle a bit.

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## time out

Predators are where their food is – especially rats 
We have about 20 chestnut trees in a group about 100m long down one side of the street properties – a large kiwifruit orchard alongside the chestnuts – I got about 20 rats there this time last year. The ground is covered with sharp, prickly burrs that have now opened with masses of nuts available for hungry rats. The burrs are lethal and can penetrate gloves so I don’t know how rats move through them – I generally sweep runways to clear ground to the trap boxes. 
I am using a couple of PFBOP boxes with Victor Pro traps as well as six coreflute boxes with Kness Snap-e traps. BillyXmas546 designed the boxes and had some made – he gave me 6 to try out – I reckon they are a real winner – so easy to shift them around and the rats seem to enjoy the internal features of real estate advertising, Snap-e or Victor traps and my peanut butter lure mix. 
In the last couple of weeks I have killed 23 Ship rats and may have wounded a few more that pulled out. 
Predator free BOP is a distant dream for the future – but I guess it keeps a few people employed and some of us active.
I had a look at a YouTube clip that was on the Predator Free sites – The Cacophony Project – it is a bit slow but worth a look and might explain why our traps are often empty – it seems that 90% or more animals walk straight past our traps - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mAF...ZLandcareTrust
So we cant assume we have got them all – we never will.

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## sore head stoat

Not alot of a future for rats in your neighbour hood LOL. well done , great effort.

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## Micky Duck

> Most rat traps will catch a mouse if they are forced to walk on the front of the foot plate in a narrow box – most of them can also be hair trigger set with some risk to your fingers – Victor Pro and Victor Power Kill are great for mice 
> I use peanut butter/rolled oats/vegetable oil to create a very sticky molten mix that will drop off my gloves onto the trap in a heavy blob – also plenty around the entrance to the trap – you need to get them keen on having a good feed before it kills them 
> I don’t use large blobs of GN Possum Paste on my trap lines in the bush – just enough to hide in the bait cup – or birds see it and peck it 
> I have just done a trap line in the Quarry Park – maybe 50 sites rat/possum – traps are still set but bait is gone – but I got a very rare possum on another line a few days back – but no rats – no idea where they have gone – I guess there is an end to them in winter/spring 
> No mice or rats on my rat line close to home – ended up with 7 ferrets in the estuary cage – plus a couple of big rats plus a few hogs – my neighbour shoots the rats but lets the hogs out – then tells me to put more sardines in the cage – I might have to shift the cage along the water line to where I can manage it better  
> I have been getting a few rats up the top end of the street – they are coming up out of the avo orchard – it looks like they feel safe with bodies around the trap –  the D Rat trap is working well and they seem happier to walk up a ramp rather then enter a nearby box – pics are from last four days  - might have got the cannibal 
> Attachment 148674
> 
> Attachment 148675
> ...


if neighbour is releasing HH...its time to set a DOC 250 ....release is problimatic when they are used....

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## Micky Duck

I believe anything getting eaten is eaten by stoat/ferret I had couple of ferrets eaten then caught a HUGE ferret....maybe make up a double set box eg trap at each end or place dead rat in back of box so whatever wants to eat it has to climb over trap to get it...works a treat with DOC250S and hedge hogs....the more rice like the bait the better...

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## BillyXmas546

I thought maybe we could look at what modifications we do to traps and what traps we build ourselves. I'll start with what I'm doing to my Victor traps. Remove the yellow plastic treadle get a 1 lt milk or drink carton
put a piece of wire or half a dozen nails in the bottom to let the oil under the trap,put the trap in pour in some boiled linseed oil and let it soak for a week. I bought one back from the bush after 3 or 4 years and it was still in reasonable condidtion. The pic shows a sinker on the trap to stop it from floating.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> I thought maybe we could look at what modifications we do to traps and what traps we build ourselves. I'll start with what I'm doing to my Victor traps. Remove the yellow plastic treadle get a 1 lt milk or drink carton
> put a piece of wire or half a dozen nails in the bottom to let the oil under the trap,put the trap in pour in some boiled linseed oil and let it soak for a week. I bought one back from the bush after 3 or 4 years and it was still in reasonable condidtion. The pic shows a sinker on the trap to stop it from floating.
> Attachment 151335


That boiled linseed has a real attraction, especially on wood.
KH

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## Finnwolf

> How are you getting on ?



We eventually something tried my trap with the hot glued wheat - and I caught the little bugger!
First mouse for ages (first rodent of any sort!).

And there’s still some hot glued wheat left for the next one...

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## time out

I have been using A24s for about eight years – with varying degrees of success – we have eleven in the Quarry just over three years old – I am just in the process of installing new gas bottles – put a test shot through a couple a week or so back to check the counter – one split in half and one cracked. Not great for a high quality device – but GN have been great and replaced the two broken ones. They broke while I was holding them loosely so I could look down the barrel and tweak the trigger with a twig. The third one did not split but I decided to hold the barrel tightly in my left hand to absorb some shock – dumb arse trick – hurt like hell as the shock waves went through all the joints in my hand. I think I know what Mr Rat feels like as it massages his head.
Rats have become hard to find lately - but hogs still keep finding their way into my doc traps - 250s don't always kill the big ones.

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## time out

The ferrets seem to move on from my original cage site on the estuary – seven was good – then just the odd rat and a few hogs. So I brought the cage home. I got a call yesterday morning from a resident down the bottom of the street – they had seen a ferret running across their lawn. I took the cage down last evening and set it up with a nice fresh leg of rabbit – a lovely spot at the top of a walking track up from the water and outside the owner’s bedroom window. Nice big section of about two acres on the edge of the estuary – plenty of young rabbits running around – perfect place for ferrets. 
Phone rang this morning to say we had caught a ferret – took the .22 down and dispatched the cute little buggar – large nuts but no smell. Left a leg attached to the rabbit leg – so hope for another one tomorrow.

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## kukuwai

Awesome last post @Timeout somehow I missed that one  

Just heading into my local H&F 6 weasels and two stoats less on this property.



Don't forget to get those tails in fellas 

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## Sparrow

Nice one @KuKuwa had bloody forgotten and am away next weekend so would’ve missed out just dropped our 31 off thought we were in for a much bigger number early on but last couple of months have been sparse .... a good thing of course.  :Wink:

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## kukuwai

> Nice one @KuKuwa had bloody forgotten and am away next weekend so wouldve missed out just dropped our 31 off thought we were in for a much bigger number early on but last couple of months have been sparse .... a good thing of course.


Shit mate with 31 tails you'd be pissed off if you forgot  

Good luck  

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## time out

We continue to feed feral cats on our trap lines – they drag rats out of trap boxes and it is now rare to find a rat body in a box – often an empty trap is jammed into the opening in the mesh - sometimes just a head in the trap kill bar  - often the box is dragged down a bank – it must be a large animal to do this. We seem to have attracted a new predator into our environment – feral cats are seen on a regular basis in varying sizes – even a mother cat with kittens recently. Feral cats are difficult to manage without suitable traps - the Steve Allen trap works well but is not suitable to use where people could touch them – so we are trailing the Possum Master set on a  natural log ramp - it seems to be very effective. A couple of blocks of Connovation rabbit jerky is a long lasting lure when tied on the bait holder. The large Tom cat below was a well fed example of a feral cat – possibly the most destructive animal in our native bush environment.

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## rugerman

That's a big bastard

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## time out

We have many forum members working on predator control – working in back yards, community reserves, special areas, DOC grounds to name a few – sadly – there seems to be no end to predator control - but every pest that is removed allows some part of the environment to flourish – birds, animals or plants. 
A few of us flick stories and pictures to each other – one picture that I am going to share with you is from Sore Head Stoat (hope you don't mind Mate)– he was counting a pile of stoat and weasel tails that were heading off to H&F and the Swamp Comp – 152 tails – amazing work on your Canterbury trap lines – one in the cold high country – well done @sore head stoat. 
I am sure there are many other success stories that we would love to see.

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## kukuwai

That's awesome 
Well done that man 

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## Sparrow

Awesome  @sore head stoat hope your name is near the top of the prize board although thats not why we do it its still a commitment.    :Thumbsup:

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## Orcrist

Dog put this up a tree in the garden last night. I've never seen one with a tail colour like this before!!!!

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## Sparrow

Estuary line checks this morning, 5 Stoats and a rat won’t be seeing in the new year.   :Thumbsup:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

I'll post a couple of pictures here one already posted on the peste post.
Couple of days to do something different. But the baiting continues. For good reason. 
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Two for one combo! Special Order, Limited time!


A mate of mine was wondering! why it took two rats to set it off and how did they manage to get so far through?
KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Must have been racing for it!
> Snapped down on the head of one today. Those are only little ones.
> Could probably do with a bit of a clean.... but it still kills.


Yes, that's what I said. But the plate must be getting stiff to get onto it that deep. 
Mine a mouse will set it off. 
KH

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## time out

A nice combo @mimms2 – a great old trap – do you use an internal mesh to direct them onto the foot plate?
I got five 250s in 2015 – they were very sensitive back then – small rat been in and nearly out – but due to neglect they are a bit slower to trip now – a wee hog just about got to the food last week – his sibling not so close today - the big hog didn’t get too far in another box a few days back – no rats around at present so just hogs and a few small cats 
Bloody cats have got me beat at present – seen regularly – mother with kittens yesterday – it’s a great place to release cats – I put out a large entry Timms yesterday – rabbit jerky and chicken neck for lure

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## Sparrow

Swamp comp prizes are drawn and on the H&F website for any one who put tails in good luck  
 :Grin:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

No bird food for this one either. 
KH

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## sore head stoat

Sometimes you just get lucky...

Last winter i had quite a few caught stoats eaten in the traps [mainly 150s and a couple of 200s] and of course it is the back half that is eaten including the tail, ggrrr.

Today i was clearing a trap that had caught a stoat a few days ago and there lying beside the trap was a complete stoat tail. I thought you silly old bugger, you cut the tail off last weeks stoat and forgot to bag it... imagine my surprise when i opened the trap lid there is a stoat head and shoulders only.. what ever had eaten the trapped stoat had chewed off the tail and left it !!!

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## time out

Nice work on the stoats Guys 
I have given up trying to get cats to put their head in a Timms or Possum Master  I have reverted to cages  got three cats that were decimating our Quail flocks in a couple of garden areas - shiny new steel or rusty old steel  they still work well  still catching a few rats, amazing how they like to scramble up the same old ponga trunk  just 16 on the spreadsheet so far this year 
  @BillyXmas546 has been telling me for some time to use  a de-hooking gripper when handling rotten animals from traps  I had thought that a good quality pair of gloves would keep me safe 
I recently got a serious skin infection on my inner thigh  likely from gloves rubbing on my trousers  always washed my gloves but did not always wash my trousers - it required a some serious antibiotic treatment  both internal and external 
So I have bought a set of Burnsco hook grippers  and it does feel a lot safer  I will also start using disinfectant on my hands when I use my phone 
Pic of a possum I found in a trap yesterday  a week in a trap is a long time at this time of the year  YUK  I removed the colour so it didnt put you off your breakfast 
Stay safe Guys - H&S 101

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## Orcrist

Nice work on the cats. I figure any cat that doesn't have a collar is feral

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## Puffin

I remember when this report came out:
https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz...-grey-warbler/

Every week we have pieces of bread turning up in our property.  One of our immediate neighbours is putting it out. 
The Riroriro - along with the Shining Cuckoo - are favourites here.  Considering a 50% reduction in terms of the effect of conventional predators, does anyone here then keep the introduced bird population in check,  or at least do nothing to encourage them?

That sort of thing would not be popular though: 
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-...EZGPOQGRQZOHA/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/...nd-distressing
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/690...ed-in-auckland

I suspect that in time  _Predator Free 2050_ will need to extend to include a reduction in introduced birds - beyond the Mynas, Magpies etc. 
I wonder how accepting the suburban environmental warriors will be of that ?

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Well Puffin
Only light shines in darkness. 
I know there's agenda benders happening! What was once right is now spoken against. 
Still some just keep doing what's right in the first place. Remember Puffin! the first banana out of the box is the one they skin. 

KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Well Puffin, I timed out on the edit, so repost. 
In part answer to the first study, I wouldn't base or read to much into it or place to much faith in the findings. 
Also you wouldn't even apply one set of findings, If true to the all. 
But of course they will try and sometimes it does happen! because the blind are leading blind. 
Very hard to tell a man who has natural sight he's..... I'll move to were the tin foil hats won't matter. 
For example, we had a move 3 years ago and there was no bird life to speak of. 
There was a large rat population, which I started into at least 3 weeks before the shift. 
My wife at the same time put out a feeder nothing happened for weeks. 
Even after we had moved in, then one day sparrows turned up then black birds and thrushes and that went on for a few days or a week, I can't remember the exact time, then the first Tui, a few days later a Bellbird and then the pigeons. 
We now also have a large number of sparrows at hen feeding time, this hasn't upset the native birds at all. 
They have remained and come and go. Mean while the rats have never got a foot hold again. 
This is my findings and is true. 

Only light shines in darkness. 
I know there's agenda benders happening! What was once right is now spoken against. 
Still some just keep doing what's right in the first place. Remember Puffin! the first banana out of the box is the one they skin. 

KH

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## BillyXmas546

This little guy has an attitude. This a new style of trap I'm experimenting with, there is no floor on the trap it sits on the ground -the ground is level with the treadle on    the  Doc 200 or Doc 250. I'm going to make all my traps this way its a more natural presentation and if something is rotting away in there I don't have to clean it out - just shift the trap

Please click on the link to view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NFP...ew?usp=sharing

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## kukuwai

> This little guy has an attitude. This a new style of trap I'm experimenting with, there is no floor on the trap it sits on the ground -the ground is level with the treadle on    the  Doc 200 or Doc 250. I'm going to make all my traps this way its a more natural presentation and if something is rotting away in there I don't have to clean it out - just shift the trap
> 
> Please click on the link to view
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NFP...ew?usp=sharing


Hey billy, any chance you could wack up a few more pictures of that trap box. It looks to make a lot of sense, keen to see how its put together.

Cheers 

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## BillyXmas546

Will do Kukuwai

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## Kiwi-Hunter

I can't lay claim to this one, but the catching method was passed on with results.
KH

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## BillyXmas546

Kukuwai sorry to take so long, I had to go down to the bush to take the pics. 
This shows the trap from above with the bait holder on your right.


The trap on its side sitting on the bait holder, the trap part will be buried to make the treadle level with the ground [all fittings Stainless Steel]


This shows the hole it sits in


OK the bait holder, pic 1 shows the cover sitting in its slots plastic mesh stops flies and wasps but lets out the smell.
Pic 2 the cover and bait holder.
Pic 3 the slots, the bait holder can't slide through and hit the treadle as it's stopped by hitting the outside of the hole. See pic 4.
 
 

I made the trap 600mm long to get 2 out of 1200mm but I am going to make it 800mm and get 3 out of 2400mm, I think a longer tunnel catches more critters

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## sore head stoat

Bill, I appreciate the time, explanation and the photos. Thank you.

Question, bait is raw untreated rabbit ? If it is that how long does you bait last even with flies wasps not able to get to it ?

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## kukuwai

Excellant stuff thanks heaps billy 

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## BillyXmas546

Sore head stoat,  No1 bait is rabbit also fish, chicken, gutted rat and other mustelids. Time bait lasts is 2/4 days depending on the weather. I went down the lake yesterday hadn't rebaited for 3 to 4 weeks and had a weasel in one of the traps still fresh no-fly eggs on it, can't have been the bait. I try to rebait every 4/5 days. Get your fresh rabbit, gut it, chop off the claws, and put it in the freezer when it's frozen solid I saw it up with a rusty old handsaw - very easy as long as it's gutted.

One weasel was caught using Connovation's Blue Stuff obviously the other using a fish head. We have caught a few mustelids as a bycatch using Blue Stuff for rats and possums.

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## time out

I had a couple of weeks off the hill with a skin infection moving from leg to arm – thank God for anti-biotics – I will keep a safe distance from rotten bodies in future. My trapping Mate who also has rotten hog problems had a worse lot of the same skin problem as mine – all over his body. I am reluctant to go near doc250 traps and rotten hogs now – fortunately the one today had a big fresh rat. 
I have set a few Timms traps on large wooden ramps lately – 100mm holes in the box – erayz rabbit jerky on the bait rod and a sachet of cat tucker in the bottom of the box – they have not been successful. But the one pictured in a post a few weeks back - mounted on a stump was soon tripped but no victim – I replaced the lure and checked it today – bingo – a big cat – they like Whiskas cat tucker in the Timms and in cages.

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## sore head stoat

I have tried fish bits [oily sanma fish ]  in traps, rubbed on traps, under traps, on top of traps everyway possible and NEVER caught a damn thing.

Hi Time out , What are the blocks with holes drilled [?] in them where you have the eggs pls ? I have had the shits from handling dead stoats i reckon. I wear thick leather gloves and always carry hand sanitizer now,  cheers, K.

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## time out

I use fish flavored cat tucker sachets – or sometimes sardines in a cage – fish seems to be a strong lure. 
I made the wood block with holes to hold the three ping pong balls – but they blow around in a strong wind. I should clean them out and stick to real eggs. I sometimes take chicken necks for lure as they are lower cost compared to erayz – but always have some erayz in my pack. My main target is hogs so both chicken necks and erayz work fine for rats and hogs.

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## sore head stoat

I make an egg cradle out of nails to put my egg or eggs in as my eggs quickly freeze expand and crack if they are in contact with the ground esp the high country traps. They do eventually freeze /crack but just seem to last a bit longer if elevated.

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## kukuwai

@sore head stoat just a note on the fish.

Ive been putting smoked snapper bones from the frames and wings in my traps for several years now.

Only in the snapper season obviously, but i have found them to be a great bait. Even long after the flys & ants have eaten all the meat, the bones retain a strong smell and keep catching.

I would rate them as the best long lasting bait I use. Interesting how everyone's experiences are different. Different sites, different targets i guess.

Happy trapping fellas. 
All the input on this thread is outstanding !! 





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## sore head stoat

What kukuwai said about  the input, outstanding.

I would love to put smoked snapper bones in my traps...but i aint caught a snapper for years lol. Funnily enough i am off to Pelorus tomorrow so that might all change, fingers crossed.

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## sore head stoat

I will be trying smoked snapper frames  :Thumbsup:

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## bumblefoot

> What kukuwai said about  the input, outstanding.I would love to put smoked snapper bones in my traps...but i aint caught a snapper for years lol. Funnily enough i am off to Pelorus tomorrow so that might all change, fingers crossed.


 @sore head stoat What about buying some cheap fish frames form the fish shop and smoking them? I'd say any fish frame would do. Often takeaways fillet their own fish so maybe a cheap supply too?  :Have A Nice Day:

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## sore head stoat

Buying fish frames... Its gotta be way cheaper than what i spent on catching a few snapper, but not as much fun LOL.

Most takeaways down here use rig [or you may know it as lemonfish ] i would guess, no bones just cartilage.

Snapper frames in brine now, tomorrow they will be smoked.

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## sore head stoat

I would be blimmin astounded if my smoked snapper frames made it to my traps, they look damn delicious to me  :Yum:  :Yum:

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## time out

I have been unscrewing Timms traps that are mounted on logs and stumps for years - to replace an apple - I am sick of it!
  @BillyXmas546 told me a year or so back to cut a slot in the front of the box to let the bait rod come out - replace the apple - put it back in the box - reset and job done - I am a slow learner but mine are all getting a slice at present - a bit rough but they should last - why dont they make them like that? 
Lots of juveniles out there at present - some with just their head left in the trap - also some big well fed Shippies nearby

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## Seventy Six

Well after reading this thread a week  or so ago I set up the cage trap I had  by the house, 3 wild cats so far.
  Im sure theres another one as the trap is tripping at night, cage shy I guess, am prefeeding an unset timms ( yellow one) trap tonight,

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## MSL

Two close to the house today.


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## sore head stoat

Sometimes you just gotta have faith and trust your judgement. 

I have a local trap that hasnt caught anything for ages maybe 18 months ? The number of times [as in everytime i go past it ] i have thought i should shift that trap its bloody hopeless, no i say to myself its a good spot.. last night it caught a weasel !!! The last time it caught something was a rat , i found a fresh dead duckling on the road and thought i know where that can go and next morning, mr rat was in the trap.

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## sore head stoat

I have a problem with a DOC 200 trap. 
It is catching hhogs but they are getting caught across the face and not being killed out right, 20% would be alive. What have i got wrong. The only thing i can think of the animal is coming across the treadle and not approaching straight on to the treadle . Would making the hole bigger to the trap chamber be of use ? Currently the entrance into the trap isnt in line with the entrance to the trap chamber, should i make it so the animal doesnt have to do a dog leg in the entrance chamber. Sorry i am shit at computers and cant post a photo. All my other DOC 200s i have no problems with and this one i have made identically to the others.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

So the hog has a sore head as well, nice.
Seriously, I get a few like that, they set the trap off to quick! by sniffing as they go with the head or spines being first to pressure the plate.
Just take a sticker with you and finish the hog off. 
You could open the second mesh hole bigger, some of mine will take a big kitten.But it may not always help either. 
Nice having a plate that triggers well, I wouldn't be to concerned, hedgepigs are just part of it with the doc box. 
The original size entrance that most of these come with! is never big enough to be a versatile unit, a little snipping always made mine take other pestie. 
With the odd one held by the spines or head.
KH

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## time out

It’s good to adjust a Timms trap to trip with a “gentle” slap on the side - the sensitivity of the trigger action can be adjusted by bending the bait rod where it contacts the cross rod. Bending it toward the front of the trap will make the release action more sensitive. If the trap has a sensitive set – a rat should trip the trap and take a ride to the top of the box – if he is going to steal your apple, then best that you catch him or he will be back for the next one. 
I checked this one yesterday and found that the trap was gone – Buggar! – so down over the side to see if I could find it – 10m away under the old tree log with a big buck firmly attached. 
The red plastic box is getting old, and he ripped out some plastic around a couple of mounting screws – I have never seen that happen with a genuine yellow Timms made by 
Stallion Plastics in Palmy.
I have trapped a lot of possums on that stump - they seem to come up the old log from down the gully.

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## Dead Rat

Hi Pointer.
The SA2 Steve Allan trap is made for feral cats and possums. It is a monster of a trap, not for beginners. Steve Allan has been making traps since way before DOC was in existence. He makes these traps himself and his crew, including his wife Debs. 
The SA2 has passed the NAWAC testing for both pests, so it can be used on DOC land. 
I stock these traps and currently have over 100 in stock.
My web site is www.deadrat.co.nz   Or contact me. 
I have attached a photo of the SA2 trap.  

I trap and import rat/mouse traps from the USA. I buy direct from Kness and Victor factories and pass my good pricing to you.

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## Dead Rat

Hi Time Out. I don't think I have sent you my Flipping Timmy yet. I can do that. I have about 150 in stock. This trap is so easy to use, comes with good wood screws. It is such an approvment to the Timms trap. I've caught over 18 possums in this one trap. It is made in NZ and the designer/manufacturer has a 5 year warranty on all of his yellow traps. 
For anyone interested, my prices are very good. 
www.deadrat.co.nz

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## Dead Rat

Hi MSL. Great photo of the Victor Pro. 
I import these original Victor traps and sell them at $3.50 each. It's not all about the profit, but saving our native birds. I buy direct from Victor in the USA. What a great trap that lasts a long time. Anyone can buy on my web site. www.deadrat.co.nz   [ATTACH]164796

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## Dead Rat

If anyone needs the yellow paddles for the Victor Pro, just go onto my web site and order them. 

I just ask for the cost of the freight. 

I sell the Victor Pros and after years of asking Victor factory in the US, they finally let me buy the paddles from them. 
I don't use your details or send out emails, so no strings attached. Just free yellow paddles to keep the Victor Pros out there working for you. It's all about the birds, keeping them alive. 
www.deadrat.co.nz

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## Seventy Six

Well well, turns out it was magpies messing with my cat traps and tripping them, caught 2 in the end, they were released under fair play rules.

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## Sideshow

> Well well, turns out it was magpies messing with my cat traps and tripping them, caught 2 in the end, they were released under fair play rules.


What was the pass word that you released them with? PULL! :Thumbsup:  :XD:

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## Sparrow

6 critters from 28 traps this morning (1 rat , 2 weasels, 4 hedgehog) not setting records but chipping away, one of my most successful traps unfortunately educated a lucky critters as the handle jammed against the opposite wall of that happens again Ill take them off.

The dog then pulled out and bailed a possum right next to the last trap of the day, something I thought I had trained out of her a couple of years ago, however she presented it in such a way I could dispatch it quickly with an  undersized  crescent resulting in the start of my winter fur bag ang only a mild reprimand, fluff ace herself told off but still happy.  :Wink: . .

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## kukuwai

@Sparrow 

Hey mate what's going on in the floor of that box, is it painted or have you got some foam in there??

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## Finnwolf

First rat for this year, caught in a cage trap with my favorite bait - sultanas.

Dispatched using a Crossman BB rifle, planted in the rat garden...

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## kukuwai

Must have been a day for cage traps today, I got a bloody pukeko in mine 

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## Sparrow

@kukuwai well spotted its actually just sand that blows in from the estuary, if I turned it 90 degrees it would swamp the treadle and render it used, buggered if I know why the weasels live around there , but they do!

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## kukuwai

The trap i won in the swamp comp (outdoor outfitters 150) had its first catch today.



That's two stoats and one weasel this week. I always seem to get a few in a row, patches of them.

Other than that a few rats and mice. I have been making an effort to round my line weekly of late and that sure makes a difference.

Plenty of traps to set each time, so its definitely worth it  

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## Trout

No way he s getting out of that trap alive.Good prize there.

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## time out

Thats a nice simple doc150 box  @kukuwai  the internal diversion board might be more effective than a mesh  especially for hogs that might struggle through an internal mesh  the nest egg looks great 
My doc250s are placed around the external boundary lines and seem to be catching large hogs from adjoining properties  like you  @sore head stoat  they are mostly head shots but they seem very dead when I see them  I reckon large mesh holes at the entrance and even larger at the internal is best  they just need to divert them to the foot plate 
My doc200s are placed around internal roads and just seem to be catching rats and the odd hog  we have reduced hog numbers considerably and Quail breeding has gone well 
I have a few rat few traps around our street track  just starting to get regular rat kills again  I have a specialist cannibal on one site  he usually eats out the head but last night he just chewed out the brains and left the rest of the head  I will get him soon 
Bloody rabbits digging and peeing around our lawns have been driving me mad  I got a few with the slug gun but mostly when hit they keep on running  I have given up and reverted to a Fenn6 in a tunnel  fantastic medium sized animal trap  first night a rabbit, next night a big rat then a break until digging began in the lawn yesterday  then a second rabbit today  they cant resist running through a tunnel  I extended a short length of tube on one end with an open box and a dirt floor  a bit safer for the neighbours cat  dirt is the most attractive entrance end and easy to scratch fresh dirt each day around the entrance  they love fresh dirt 
Great work trappers  keep the reports coming in  they are so interesting

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## kukuwai

Yep that's how i will make all my Doc style trap boxes now. Heaps easier to make and uses up all the scrap bits of wood.

Also it is so much easier to clear the trap of a  kill. You don't have to wiggle it out thru the hole in the mesh.

 If its a bit nasty you can even just flip the box upside down with the lid open and let it fall out. Great for hogs, i hate touching those buggers !!

Had a good catch here today, couldn't find any rabbits the other day for cage bait so I shot a spur winged plover and thru that in.

Worked a treat 



Its only the second one we've ever caught so Im no expert but was surprised by the size of it.  What do you guys reckon ? For a female, normal size or bigger than average??



Anyway its back in the trap for bait minus its tail 


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## Seventy Six

> What was the pass word that you released them with? PULL!


Now theres an idea with some merit  :Have A Nice Day:    Bit like the old fashioned clay bird shooting, when there was no clay involved.

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## BillyXmas546

Guys watch RNZ podcast " Fight for the Wild" incredibly beautiful it will make you want to get out there trapping straight away.

*https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild* - copy and paste into your browser

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## kukuwai

> Guys watch RNZ podcast " Fight for the Wild" incredibly beautiful it will make you want to get out there trapping straight away.
> 
> *https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild* - copy and paste into your browser


Excellant post, thanks Billy !!

I had not heard about it but have just finished watching it with the whole family. Great viewing I'll be keeping a look our for part two.

Cheers heaps  

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## Dermastor

Pests use farm fences as 'highways' to reinvade native forests.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/natio...?ocid=msedgntp

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## kukuwai

Another strike for the old school fenn today fellas 



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## sore head stoat

Thats an interesting entry hole into that trap... because its a fenn trap or ??

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## kukuwai

> Thats an interesting entry hole into that trap... because its a fenn trap or ??


The box is on its side in the photo. Its actually just more of a wooden tunnel (no floor) that has two fenns in it.

One at each end with an egg in the middle. The entry hole is usually on the ground but it is quite a small hole as i wanted to keep the hogs out of this one.   They are an absolute pain to get out if a fenn !!

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## sore head stoat

Is this going to work ?.. A mate gave me a few [as in lots] of parries which i breasted that will end up in salami and bier sticks. I like using fresh feathers in selected dry and not windy traps and as i was breasting the birds i thought what about using the feathers with skin on. I remember Time Out telling me about a fella trapping in the Manawatu and he liked rabbit skin in a trap. Now the bit will this work... I am putting a bit of skin with feathers on in the bait end of the box with my egg bait but also putting in the entry chamber a bit of the skin/feather to entice the animal in the trap. Will this entice the target further in the trap or will it just bugger off with the skin ?? Thoughts please people.

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## kukuwai

Well I reckon it has to be worth a try....

I had never put a spur winged plover in a cage trap before as bait and look what it lead too 

Let us know the results 

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## sore head stoat

will let you know if i think its worth mucking around with.

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## kukuwai

> Guys watch RNZ podcast " Fight for the Wild" incredibly beautiful it will make you want to get out there trapping straight away.
> 
> *https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild* - copy and paste into your browser


Part 2 

Up on youtube today 

https://youtu.be/omq1zYDJUYA

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## BillyXmas546

Sparrow, this is how I stop the handle from jamming the corflute end tells me if the trap has gone off when it's down a bank so I don't have to climb down to check it  till its time to bait and it has enough resistance to hold the handle back

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## Sparrow

@BillyXmas546  very cool thank you will add that to any new traps i place

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## BillyXmas546

"question" should we wash out the traps after killing a cat in them. I never seem to catch anything or another cat in a trap for a good while after killing a cat in that trap, with possums get another the next night. What has got me wondering about this is that I have 6 traps in an area approx 10m x 300m, 2 cages and 6 kill traps each trap has caught a cat once only, when I'd caught 5 I knew where the next one would be caught, in the trap that hadn't got one yet and that's what happened there is obviously a lot of cats in this strip along the edge of the bush, can the cats smell that they will get killed in there?  I know its overkill that many traps in a small area but they're hidden from old ladies walking past with cameras and then social media. Any thoughts?

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## sore head stoat

Great observation and question. i know that a trap that has caught a hhog is like a magnet to another hhog but as i catch minimal cats i dont know , will watch with interest.

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## time out

Nothing exciting around the Park – just the odd possum, hog and rat – numbers are low after we put a session of Contrac through the place 
We had a cat stealing rats from boxes up one ridge – so I put a possum master on a ramp – a piece of rabbit for bait and got him in a few days 
A bit of action around the Street –
I got a cannibal down the side track – a very large Norway – the Victor didn’t hold him but he was stunned and had a long rest in the box 
Getting big Norways coming up from the avocado orchard 
I have been after a rabbit digging holes in my lawn but he doesn’t seem keen to run through the tunnel - I got a bit excited when I found an animal in the Fenn6 – hoping it was the lawn digger – but turned out to be another big Norway – the Fenn6 clamped him but he was still very much alive – so I had to go and get the air rifle for a head shot – I was surprised that the Fenn6 didn’t kill him – but he was big and strong 
I have a cage on a property down the bottom of the street – the owner found a half-eaten rat pulled out of a Victor Pro – a very delicate eater so thought it would be a cat and suggested he put the rat body in the cage – he found a ferret in the cage next morning – so they are still around 
Amazing to think we have Norways and ferrets roaming around our properties – no wonder the dog gets excited about scent trails on the lawn

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## Orcrist

I cannot catch rats at the moment. I've got them in the roof of the house and chicken coop. 
I've used peanut butter, blue smooth paste, walnuts, eggs, mayonnaise, biltong, salami and cheese. Nothing I'm using will catch the mongrels. 
There must be so much food around they won't go in the trap. 
GRRRRRR

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## Orcrist

Finally managed to catch a couple of rats. First one was with walnuts the rat was walking over the trap treadle. It had gotten jammed up. When I freed it next night got one. Then no more. So I  enclosed the hole they were coming into the chook house under the wall, with pavers and set a fen in the tunnel. Got the big male last night. He was really cunning wouldn't go in a trap. Might have to rethink the size of my entrances in the traps cause he is bloody huge.

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## sore head stoat

That is one big rat. well done

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## sore head stoat

Last year during the winter i had a few stoats on a line with the back end eaten off tail included grrr.. I have just been up and checked out a high country line and had 3 of the 5 stoats eaten  BUT this time the bodies were almost picked clean and the tails were all intact LOL

Trying a couple of new trap ideas. sorry i cant do photos  :Oh Noes:  but they are double set traps 1.1m long, both run thru types, both with a dirt floors and traps set at ground level, both baited . One has a viewing gap right around it so the stoat can see the egg/rabbit lure no matter where it is . Will keep you posted.

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## Micky Duck

we had a few ferrets eaten in traps...then I caught a BIG ferret...how the heck it managed to get head into and over trip plate of doc250 was surprising...I have cut the square in mesh larger by one line in each direction so 5x5 not 4x4 which helps no end clearing hedgehogs...as does getting rid of bottom wire in middle section.

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## BillyXmas546

The video links are of a deer trap I built - it shows the deer going in and the deer escaping a few hours later, When we checked the trap at 4am it was sleeping so we decided to wait till daylight 7am before dealing with it. It got out at 6-30am. I will continue my story in the next link.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/141z...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z-o...ew?usp=sharing

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## BillyXmas546

OK to continue, a large Kanuka tree fell over the deer fence and wrecked it. I don't want to repair it till we cut down the other 15/20 large kanuka trees that are ready to fall over the 100/150 meters of broken fence, meanwhile, the deer are coming in eating all the natives I've planted. So we built a deer trap and I tacked the net to the door intending to fix it later after it was proven to work. I checked the whole bloody thing but the door was up and I never noticed it. However, the deer wasn't panicked notice how it just walks away when it gets out. It was back there at 11 that morning and back in the trap the next day and night. The trap has had 4 deer in it at the same time.  I've repaired the trap and will be setting it again when my neighbor is available to shoot and gut it. I don't want to sound useless but I don't have a rifle and need to watch how to gut a deer before taking it to the butcher (also a mate) for sausages (trying to avoid criticism)

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## kukuwai

> I don't want to sound useless


With all due respect Billy there is absolutely no chance of that !!

Your opinion on all matters trapping is greatly appreciated. As is your knowledge and wisdom.....you have a huge amount to share.

Awesome looking setup 

Gunna be tasty sausages 

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## BillyXmas546

kukuwai, I plan to build a smaller version approx 600x600x1200 for cats and possums, I've filmed them walking around the traps a lot more than going in them so something double-ended covered with small mesh netting that's too large to be noticed as a trap or a danger, maybe with hazing at both entrances.

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## kukuwai

Make sure you keep us posted 

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## time out

A local friend is running 120 Possum Masters in a reserve near the Kaimais – checking two weekly so needs lure to stick to the trigger – previously using solid state lure tubes but now converted to a small piece of carpet clipped to the trigger. The carpet is smeared with raspberry jam so insects have difficulty extracting it all from the carpet – so the possum enjoys a last bite of sticky jam. 


I have trouble keeping an attractive lure on my Sentinel traps – the solid state aniseed lure tube tied to the trigger plate loses it’s odour fairly quicky and although I apply some possum paste each time I go past – the result is short lived and I don’t catch many possums. 
So I decided to try jam on my Sentinel traps – so I decided remove the solid state lure tubes and go back to the original bite blocks – with jam on both sides of the bite block and also on the back of the trigger plate 
I checked the first five yesterday and got a big possum – looks like he nearly got away with the bite block that was not installed properly – they are a bloody difficult trap to deal with while mounted and fully set. 


But today I tried one with carpet and raspberry jam on a gum tree they have been ripping into – will see what happens 


Rats are rare around the Park – but plenty of them around our Street – some big Norways coming up from an avocado orchard or the estuary – but plenty of Victors waiting  for them

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## time out

I spotted a large cat shit in the reserve a few days back – so I hauled a SA trap and a Possum Master trap up there and mounted them together – both on ramps – checked them today and found a large female cat in the SA trap and the PM trap also tripped – all chicken neck baits were gone so must be others involved. She had the same markings and short tail as the others we have been getting in recent months. About five mice and a rat inside her - full of fat so must have been living well. 
Relocated the SA trap about 100m away and put fresh cat liver on the ramps – should be tempting if there are others around.

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## sore head stoat

Great catch  :Thumbsup:

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## kukuwai

The steve allen doing the business for me too @time out. Rabbit backstrap bait 



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## sore head stoat

My inept computer skills wont allow me to do photos so i will try and be visual with my writing skills which are also woeful .

I have 2 high country trap lines. Trap green 3 has been in the same spot for a year and caught zip. It got moved about 5m 3 trips ago, next time it was checked it had caught a stoat. Last time it was checked it was stoatally full of dead stoat. When i mean full it was full of the biggest stoat i have ever caught. I bought it home and measured it, from the guard hairs on the tip of its tail to its nose was 460mm long.

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## time out

> My inept computer skills wont allow me to do photos so i will try and be visual with my writing skills which are also woeful .
> 
> I have 2 high country trap lines. Trap green 3 has been in the same spot for a year and caught zip. It got moved about 5m 3 trips ago, next time it was checked it had caught a stoat. Last time it was checked it was stoatally full of dead stoat. When i mean full it was full of the biggest stoat i have ever caught. I bought it home and measured it, from the guard hairs on the tip of its tail to its nose was 460mm long.


Thanks for the pictures Mate – I can post them for you – amazing work you are doing in the high country - that is one large stoat!

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## techno retard

i'm also not smart enough to do photos. However i've been the leader of a group doing a trap line north of the Maramataha River, South Block, Pureora for the last 10 1/2 years. Started with 20 single set boxes with DOC 200's, eggs for bait. After a year 66 double set boxes with DOC 200's were added & bait changed to Eraze. About a year ago I started putting in mutton or beef fat rendered  down and set in ice cube trays as an extra. Catch no's seemed to up a bit after this. To date we have caught 3305 Rats, 160 Weasels, 92 Stoats, 17 Hedgehogs, 8 Ferrets, 21 Mice, 10 Cats (kittens up to 1/2 grown.

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## sore head stoat

Thanks Time Out

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## sore head stoat

> i'm also not smart enough to do photos. However i've been the leader of a group doing a trap line north of the Maramataha River, South Block, Pureora for the last 10 1/2 years. Started with 20 single set boxes with DOC 200's, eggs for bait. After a year 66 double set boxes with DOC 200's were added & bait changed to Eraze. About a year ago I started putting in mutton or beef fat rendered  down and set in ice cube trays as an extra. Catch no's seemed to up a bit after this. To date we have caught 3305 Rats, 160 Weasels, 92 Stoats, 17 Hedgehogs, 8 Ferrets, 21 Mice, 10 Cats (kittens up to 1/2 grown.


I was listening to Cam Speedy [i think it was] and he also like mutton fat. I never rendered it down but just rubbed raw mutton fat in the boxes, cant say it made any difference to my catch rate. Next time i cook a bit of mutton i will save some fat and try it.

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## kukuwai

Good work fellas 

That is a hell of a stoat @sore head stoat.

Re: The posting of photos....if you guys are using smart phones to take the photos. The easiest thing to do is download the app Tapatalk. You then just access the forum thru the app, it makes posting photos so easy ! 

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## charliehorse

One less in the world tonight. Just looked out the window while we were having dinner and this joker showed up

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## BillyXmas546

Got this large weasel yesterday, I'm going to have a go at removing the glands to use as an attractant (more on this later) the string stops the handle from jamming and has a corflute flag so I can see it's gone off as I drive past.

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## BillyXmas546

I bought this trap from Tomahawk Traps USA, it's one of my best cages 6 or 7 cats in approx 5 or 6 weeks I also imported a Comstock double-ended cage from the USA it's probably my best trap

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## BillyXmas546

This is how to remove scent glands from mustelids (thanks very much to Amanda) I'm experimenting with them and canola oil at the moment. The mustelid smell is probably our best attractant, I've filmed cats, rats, hogs everything going into a trap after trapping a stoat. Scent glands leak yellow fluid testes don't.

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## Tahr

My cat trap.

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## BillyXmas546

This I count as 2 possums for Landcare's totals. Because the rats lick the lure off I've put a piece of pipe in the lid and using the same hole cutter have made a lid for it. Then I remove the bait block and put a piece of apple in there with lure smeared all over it that lasts a lot longer. I made the trap have a hair-trigger by putting the twig in the photo under the trigger rod.
Bill

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## Orcrist

That's a great collection of dead cats!!!!! Excellent.

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## time out

If you are locked down and want something to read  take a browse back through this Bird Predator Control thread  many skilled trappers from around the Country have contributed

But if you would like to go to a more independent source of information  take a look at this material put together by the Braided River Aid group - BRaid was formed by people from all across the South Island.

https://braidedrivers.org/ - then go to Threats and Predators - https://braidedrivers.org/threats/predators/ - what an amazing source of information

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Still keeping a few traps along with the pest control shooting. Raining, so night off and a post for timeout.
The motors are for gassing rabbit holes. Have made up two of these new ones along with my original one! a converted leaf blower. 
Just a mix bag of pictures timeout, most in the last couple of weeks. 

KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

No berg243, and the skinning days are over. I haven't see an A grade among them.
If you have a plucker let me know by a pm.
The plucking by machine is different than by hand as far as sales go, this is my understanding.
For the we few that we get this way it's not worth the effort. 
I could make a soak tank and slip the fur off, but as said, the few isn't worth the effort at this point and time of life.
KH

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## time out

Great work @Kiwi-Hunter 
Not a lot of action for me at present with a bad case of PF in my feet a few days before lockdown – my two Mates that do lines at the Park had been unable to leave the City so my Wife has been doing the whole area. She learned not to mess around with an ugly old Victor Pro and came home with bruised fingers. Yesterday she checked about 60 traps and came home as a certified Sentinel operator. I placed it on the ripped gum tree a couple of months back with jam on a piece of carpet for lure – it took a while and a lot of new jam – but it works, and she can re-set a sentinel. All those rat traps and not single dead rat to be seen – maybe they don’t go out in the rain.
I hate throwing old Victors away – so often screw them on a branch around one of my Street lines – nothing for a while with peanut butter so I sloshed a bit of possum paste on top – bingo – two big Norways.  
A few less lawn digging rabbits around home – they keep walking through the tunnel – the dog enjoys the back straps and the rest goes in Doc250s.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

In sickness and in health, good wife you have there timeout.
Just taken on another project on possum control, shot it the other night and ran a trap line yesterday as sampler for numbers.
Did pick up a cat which is always pleasing in a native block along with a few apple eating tree bears.
Pest control, in level 4! has exemption, we shot and checked trap lines as usual.
Some others couldn't because of the policys of certain groups.
We had no problem here in level 4, although we work alone. 
I was able to have my son working with me and he is also a registered contactor.
So those who look after Reserves should of been able to travel to work. 
Most don't know this fact and as far as nightshooting goes, it was better! no traffic around no people where they shouldn't be.
KH

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## BillyXmas546

Got 2 hogs on a chicken neck, I reset the traps, and a couple of days later got another 2 hogs,  on the same chicken neck I got 6 hogs. This trap had caught nothing in about 4 or 5 months, we put some mustelid smell in there and got a stoat almost straight away - a couple of small cats have squeezed their way into the trap as well.

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## Dallas

Hi Guys, Do stoats and ferrets eat weasels? The reason i ask is that over the last ten years of trapping i have caught lots of stoats/ferrets/cats etc but never a weasel. Now i only get one or two stoats a year, where i got 45 in the first 18 months. However, recently i got 2 weasels which was a first then my old man said he reckoned the stoats etc would eat them and now i have knocked them back the weasels are moving in???

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## sore head stoat

Interesting question do stoats eat weasels... I think ?? I remember reading about how weasels are attracted to areas where stoats have bedded down and the further comment was "even though a stoat will kill a weasel" So my answer would be yes. Where I trap in the Canty high country roughly 20% of my catch would be weasels but that figure has remained constant even though I reckon I have knocked the stoat population down a fair bit. hope that helps ?

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## kukuwai

@Dallas welcome to the forum. 

Definitely i would say a stoat would eat a weasel. We often find half eaten predators in traps.

However i doubt the weasels are moving in because you have got ontop of the stoats. It is my understanding that the stoat has a larger home range than a weasel.

It is also interesting to note that their target species for food is quite different. Lizards, insects, mice etc for weasels and larger species for stoats.

We catch alot of weasels here as they thrive in wetlands with the abundance of mice. It is very common to catch them in runs.. Often one after the other after the other so make sure you keep your traps set.

Especially the ones catching and I hope you can stomp them out.

Look forward to any updates  

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## time out

First picture may be missing

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## time out

The text for the above picture -
Tried and true – the trusty old Victor Pro – removed from a line at the Park as they were not popular - I struggle to biff old traps and found a place on my street line for these two – just screw them to a tree  or branch propped up as a ramp – rats like ramps!
A couple of months back I posted a picture of a couple of rats that I trapped on my street line on 12 August – I left them on the ground and they got dragged off - but despite always keeping those traps set with peanut butter – there was no action until 10 November when my wife changed the lure from peanut butter to possum paste – bingo – two young ones. Left them on the ground and gone next day – but the next day there was another learner. 
So as Cam Speedy has been telling us on the PFNZ webinars – if it is not working - make a change! Those webinars are great – Cam Speedy is an amazing trapper. 
Don’t forget its November – enter your tails in the Swamp Comp – I got a new one a few days back – about 4cm  long.

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## sore head stoat

Those traps look like they have been round the block a few times LOL

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## kukuwai

> Dont forget its November  enter your tails in the Swamp Comp  I got a new one a few days back  about 4cm  long.


Dropped mine in yesterday mate.

1 ferret
4 stoat
5 weasels

All caught on the property, happy to get them 


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## Kiwi-Hunter

Still doing a bit and a post for time out.
I thought to bring my companion through the night, as he's as busy as me and sometimes more. 
He definitely deserves a bit of praise. 
Day picture of dog is one he found that I couldn't in the dark and we had the thermal as well, but was well hidden where it died.  The other picture is dog on night shift. 
KH

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## GWH

I bet theres not much that would take this big feral on,  he met his match tonight!

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## Flyblown

I got up with the very first of the light this morning, it’s wet here today, a soft gentle drizzle.

The bellbirds were just magic to listen to, even the dog was impressed. I’ve owned this block for 16 years and this summer is the first we’ve had bellbirds turn up. We have more pheasants, quails, pukekos, ducks than ever, kakas and kereru in increasing numbers, heaps of passerines. 

The one neighbour has been running a trapping program for a good while - 125 traps all over the valley, a mix of DOC 150 / 200 and Victor rat traps. He’s retired but fit and busy, and his Tuesday trap run is a helluva good walk for an older fella. I shoot feral cats (sssshhh), dozens of magpies and trap on our block. The main farming property is a renowned riparian regeneration block with national awards. 

It’s all starting to come together. We have a couple of problem people who let their cats roam, but that problem might be solved by the SA2 traps, hopefully.

Bellbirds feels like a big win.

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## GWH

> I got up with the very first of the light this morning, it’s wet here today, a soft gentle drizzle.
> 
> The bellbirds were just magic to listen to, even the dog was impressed. I’ve owned this block for 16 years and this summer is the first we’ve had bellbirds turn up. We have more pheasants, quails, pukekos, ducks than ever, kakas and kereru in increasing numbers, heaps of passerines. 
> 
> The one neighbour has been running a trapping program for a good while - 125 traps all over the valley, a mix of DOC 150 / 200 and Victor rat traps. He’s retired but fit and busy, and his Tuesday trap run is a helluva good walk for an older fella. I shoot feral cats (sssshhh), dozens of magpies and trap on our block. The main farming property is a renowned riparian regeneration block with national awards. 
> 
> It’s all starting to come together. We have a couple of problem people who let their cats roam, but that problem might be solved by the SA2 traps, hopefully.
> 
> Bellbirds feels like a big win.


Awesome! The bird song of our natives is a beautiful thing, one of my fav parts of quietly stalking thru the bush at stewart island.  Great to hear it like that in your back yard.

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## Kopua Cowboy

> I got up with the very first of the light this morning, it’s wet here today, a soft gentle drizzle.
> 
> The bellbirds were just magic to listen to, even the dog was impressed. I’ve owned this block for 16 years and this summer is the first we’ve had bellbirds turn up. We have more pheasants, quails, pukekos, ducks than ever, kakas and kereru in increasing numbers, heaps of passerines. 
> 
> The one neighbour has been running a trapping program for a good while - 125 traps all over the valley, a mix of DOC 150 / 200 and Victor rat traps. He’s retired but fit and busy, and his Tuesday trap run is a helluva good walk for an older fella. I shoot feral cats (sssshhh), dozens of magpies and trap on our block. The main farming property is a renowned riparian regeneration block with national awards. 
> 
> It’s all starting to come together. We have a couple of problem people who let their cats roam, but that problem might be solved by the SA2 traps, hopefully.
> 
> Bellbirds feels like a big win.


I met one last Sunday, scruffy old thing who let me get within 2 meters and we whistled back and forwards. No idea what we chatted about but it was a neat moment  :Thumbsup:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> I bet theres not much that would take this big feral on,  he met his match tonight!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


That IR is certainly got your motivated GWH, he was well lit up then
I give you a 50 point sore on it :Thumbsup: 
KH

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## kukuwai

Just been round the trap line with the lads we missed it last week (too busy fishing).

Amazing the difference a week makes...mostly just clearing rat fur from traps today.

I have charged them up with a whole heap of smoked snapper bones from last weekend so i reckon we will get a few inquiries this week 
 @Flyblown absolutly aggree with what you say above.  We are running about 100 traps here & have owned the block for 6 years.

There has been a notable increase in bird life in that time.  Pheasants, quail, ducks and natives also. It is a reasonable commitment  but i have no doubt it works !!!  

A couple of interesting things from today.

1. We picked this up, pretty sure its an Owl pellet, can often hear the little owl at night.



2. This trap was re gassed & lured about 2 months ago. I see it at least twice a week. I have not seen anything under it in that time yet the counter shows 9 strikes.



I am utterly convinced that as the ALP releases a droplet of lure (see that one on the tree below the trap) It knocks the trigger wire on its way past (i fail to see how it cant) recording a strike !?! 

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## time out

I guess many of you have tried out most of the snap-back rat traps that are available on the market - there is a wide range of traps from good quality to junk – most of them work and either kill or frighten the daylights out of Mr Rat
I say Mr Rat as some of the buggars are big and take a bit of killing – if you just frighten them – they may not come back. 
I don’t use a camera, so I don’t know a lot about what happens at a trap site – perhaps KH can help, I often find traps that are tripped and there is no victim or lure to be seen. Maybe he pulled out, got eaten by his mates or a cat, or maybe it was a clean miss.
If you want killing power in a snap trap – it is hard to beat a Victor Pro – it will clamp and hold most large rats or give them a severe head knock that kills them close to the trap. If you want an easy to operate plastic trap there are plenty of options but top of my list is the Kness Snap-E – followed closely by the Victor Power Kill. I have tried a few other plastic snap traps and rate them from soft and near useless to very powerful and almost dangerous to the user. I tried about 20 Gorilla traps as they have a steel trigger that will not break – but they were difficult to set, often tripped for no reason and our users disliked them – so they got hammered or biffed. 
The Envirotools D-Rat traps with their safety hoods are powerful, user safe and would be good for tree trapping – but a bit more expensive. 
I have tried most of the options on trap lines that are serviced by others (including my wife), and I always come back to the Kness Snap-E trap. It is user friendly, reliable and generally hits them around the head or neck providing a humane kill – but not always - perhaps due to the age and condition of the trap. 
The line that I look after at the Park, is generally free of public so I use a simple core flute open ended cover - held on a log or tree root with a single screw so I can tilt it back to service the trap. Some of the covers have been chewed by rats and are a bit scruffy but they keep the trap dry and direct the rat to the front of the foot plate. The traps are held on roots and old logs with two screws - but some logs are rotting and the screws are getting pulled out by rats that are a bit pissed off with the process – I need to tidy up and get some longer screws or shift the trap position. I recently lost the last of my Gorilla traps that was only held by a single screw – we are pleased that the bastard thing is gone - I replaced it with a Snap-E. 
Our trap lure continues to be GN Possum Paste as it does not go mouldy in winter and the cinnamon flavour is quite strong - but in summer I revert to Connovation blue smooth in a tube – if available. 
Around my street lines I generally use a peanut butter/rolled oats mix as it is a low cost option. 
So where to purchase traps – plenty of options but Carol at Grantley Imports (also trades as Dead Rat Ltd) is my first call, she has the best prices and a great range of products – www.deadrat.co.nz
Just in case you get sick of multiple pictures – I put a few of the Kness Snap-E pics on one page

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## Kiwi-Hunter

I did a lot with cameras at one point and now years later it's common practice and with some who I have come in contact with.
But at present I am more involved with night shooting to top up the pension. 
The camera's give your real information on what's turned up and what to target differently! if what's in place hasn't done the job.
The pictures are from one of the reserve a friend is involved with and the deadline are mine. 
He runs two or three cameras at different locations and times, just depending on what feedback he needs.
The cat didn't go into the cage. 
If I went through some of my pictures I would post more, there's stoats ferrets, rats and cats that just passed on by. 
I am a believer that you have to mix up your methods of traps, bait and placement and the camera will give you details on a trap that has produced. 
By doing this the trapping and the methods used keeps the pressure and the progress active. 
Otherwise you just get in a routine that can produce very little other than your walk and a little bait top up, yes your numbers drop in time! but the ones that remain are trap wise and bait shy. That's why it's good to think out side the box so to speak and it's always good to have a win over a cunning opponent, rewarding for the effort that goes into all the hours of predator maintenance. 

KH

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Just saw a auto spelling error. 
I am a believer that you have to mix up your methods of traps, bait and placement and the camera will give you details on a trap that h̶a̶s̶ [*COLOR="#FF0000"]hasn't produced[/COLOR].* 
KH

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## sore head stoat

> Just saw a auto spelling error. 
> I am a believer that you have to mix up your methods of traps, bait and placement and the camera will give you details on a trap that h̶a̶s̶ [*COLOR="#FF0000"]hasn't produced[/COLOR].* 
> KH


I completely agree with this. The number of times I have shifted a trap and than the next visit there is an animal in that trap is uncountable. One trap in particular I had out for 18 ? months with no catches. I moved it a maximum of 5m and next 3 consecutive visits mr stoat has got the bad news. Last few visits it has been empty.  I reckon that stoat recognises that a particular area is dangerous, I am in 2 minds if it recognises that a trap box is dangerous. Yip I think it may be game camera time.

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## time out

Thanks for the morepork info @kukuwai - I never realised they regurgitated indigestible material  did you check out what it had been eating?
Just two ferret and two weasel tails this year in the swamp comp 
I am just starting in a 10ha bush block on the west side of the Park - we have never trapped it as it is hard to get into  a young guy is keen to help me  the bush is thick and steep but he can climb and operate a chainsaw better than me.
I am going to set up a sentinel with an A24 about 50m apart up a few ridges to see what is around  not likely to be many possums as we got them as they came over our side 
I put out four A24s  two with chocolate ALPs and two with possum paste in A12 lure containers  so far 3 strikes on possum paste and 1 strike on chocolate so I removed the ALPs and changed back to possum paste 
I like to mount the A24s on a root or sloping  tree trunk  the chocolate ALPs were just blobbing down the side of the barrel and touching the trigger but it didnt cause a trip  
Still trying to work out how to attack the rats in the new block  poison, A24s or snap traps  but steep access is not easy until we develop tracks

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## sore head stoat

I have just purchased from Carol at Dead Rat a cage trap. 

https://deadrat.co.nz/shop-%26-order...p-1-meter-long

I would like your tips and tricks in trapping feral cats please.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

This was set up the other day by a mate to check if it was active.
It's now looking at the base for predators. 
KH

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## kukuwai

> Thanks for the morepork info @kukuwai - I never realised they regurgitated indigestible material  did you check out what it had been eating?


Yes. It was actually really interesting and I regret not taking further photos. Mostly just indistinguishable fur but there were at least a few feathers and 4 definite weta legs !!!  






> Attachment 185763


This is an excellant set that has got me thinking !

I know that you are a fan of the ramp set and your reasons for that but I'm wondering if it might solve my issue also?

Set in this fashion the droplet released by the ALP will most likely dribble down the plastic sidewall and potentially miss the trigger. Therefore not resulting in wasted gas and fictitious strikes on the counter  

I will be well interested in your thoughts and observations mate 



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## kukuwai

> I would like your tips and tricks in trapping feral cats please.


Here are a few that spring to mind 

1. Cover the floor of the cage and the trigger plate with a good layer of stuff that matches the area. Have used grass, sand, beach mulch leaves.



2. I have cameras on some cages & sometimes encounter a cat hesitant to enter the cage. What can encourage them is to turn the cage into a tunnel, ie open ends. Have used a sack, an old rug, scrub etc. I remember  @time out posting a photo of him using black plastic once which i thought was a good idea especially in wet areas 

3. Make sure there are no twigs or small seeding plants in the arc of the swinging door when it closes. I lost one in the early days of cage trapping. Got it on film. Bloody coprosma robusta seedling stoped the door closing tight. Cat was out straight away !! 

4.They always make a mistake at some stage..... & come in all colours and sizes 




 @Kiwi-Hunter those pictures above fully illustrate the value of a camera. Great shots mate thanks for posting, we are all about the birds round here. I love that stuff 

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## time out

Nice cage @sore head stoat  made in USA - they last better and work better than those Chinese ones 
Best results I had with a cage is wrapping it in black polythene under a hedge  some rubbish on top  a dry black box seems to attract both cats and ferrets  keeps them warm until you get there  some old carpet or a large sack would be fine 
Best bait for cats or ferrets has to be fresh rabbit  but even rotten rabbit will get them  other bait options that work well for cats is Whiskers fish flavour cat sachet  or just plain sardines in a tin  ferrets love sardines

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Thanks Kukuwai
The pic was taken off the short video, which I didn't find easy on the phone.
Camera's doing the monitoring has always made sense as to what's really happening in a given area and of course the time stamp. 
KH

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## Sideshow

> Here are a few that spring to mind 
> 
> 1. Cover the floor of the cage and the trigger plate with a good layer of stuff that matches the area. Have used grass, sand, beach mulch leaves.
> 
> 
> 
> 2. I have cameras on some cages & sometimes encounter a cat hesitant to enter the cage. What can encourage them is to turn the cage into a tunnel, ie open ends. Have used a sack, an old rug, scrub etc. I remember  @time out posting a photo of him using black plastic once which i thought was a good idea especially in wet areas 
> 
> 3. Make sure there are no twigs or small seeding plants in the arc of the swinging door when it closes. I lost one in the early days of cage trapping. Got it on film. Bloody coprosma robusta seedling stoped the door closing tight. Cat was out straight away !! 
> ...


Arrrr come on @kukuwai we all can clearly see that you caught just the one white catthe coloured it in with that vivid  :Wink:  :XD:

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## BillyXmas546

I've been trialing the new ceramic lures for the last 3 weeks put 20 out and got nothing, so I put in the trusty ole mustelid glands and
 got a stoat.  Also, I've built a new kind of trap using fibrolite for the door and a Victor rat trap for the trigger I put it in the orchard
 caught a rat 1st night 3 rats the next night, and 2 two rats the night after, then got a cat all live catch. since then the blackbirds keep
 getting caught will have to set it after dark the bait has been a rotten avocado.

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## Dallas

Have tried to put up a link to the article but it has been taken down - a lady in lower North Island caught ten stoats in one trap in one day. She was mucking around with the horses and saw a stoat so set a "trapinator trap". A while later while walking past noticed she had one so went to empty the trap and another ran out of the trap, it had been eating the caught one. Soon after she went past and noticed she had caught another and it was also half eaten. Eventually over the course of the day she had caught ten, she did say that one was bigger than the rest [it was hard to tell from the photo] so maybe a mum with a large litter. They may have been hungry as mum may have been struggling to feed such a large litter but it does prove that stoats will eat stoats, even there mum?, so i guess they would eat weasels under some circumstances which kinda answers the question i had asked earlier on.

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## kukuwai

I have just spent a few hours with the youngest lad sorting out the trapline. 

Since its been a bit quiet on here lately I thought id give you an update.

We have had an abnormal amount of rain around here lately so plenty of mouldy baits and slimy messes to clean up...o the joy's of trapping 

Gave all the boxes a good scrape out, traps a grease up and fresh bait  



We were rewarded for our efforts with all the usual suspects, left this one on top or the trap, i can almost assure you it won't be there next time.



Never underestimate the power of the $6 victor pro or the ability of a hedgehog to get thru a small hole.



And one for the freezer even if it was on the way out !!



Was out of possum paste so ordered some last week. Very disappointed to only be able to get the small size pac, won't take long to finish that up !!



One interesting thing that happened today was we spooked a kahu off the track in front of us.  Turns out he was eating a rat !! He was only 4-5m from one of our traps. That trap was set off with some fresh looking rat fluff in it so I reckon he stole it out of the trap. Clever bugger !!

How are the rest of you getting on ??
  @time out  @sore head stoat  @Kiwi-Hunter  @BillyXmas546   @Sparrow (u still doing the trap line or too busy with the new biso)

Hope you are all going good 

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## sore head stoat

Hi kukuwai, With your fishing posts I am surprised you have time to check traps LOL. Enjoy your posts. Well done on your captures.

I am going to check my high country traps lines monday and tuesday and will have a fish while I am up there. I will report in but I expect a few manky captures  :Oh Noes:  
Trapping has been slow locally with mainly juvenile hhogs being caught although I did get 2 weasels locally last month.

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## Sparrow

Yeah @kukuwai , had to give up my lines got very time poor very quickly, but another volunteer has taken them over, still have a couple round the mai mai, and do a few possums occasionally.  Keep at it fellas

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## sore head stoat

My high country lines produced 12 mustelids, 3 rats and a few to many hhogs which I hate with a passion because they go manky in the summer heat so quickly. All were in various states of decomposition due to not being able to check them for a month  :Oh Noes:  Interestingly my catch of weasels is usually 20% of the mustelid catch, this time it was 8 weasels and 4 stoats. Will check again in 2 weeks, fingers crossed.

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## time out

Great to hear from you Guys - @kukuwai – no doubt that the Victor Pro traps just keep on killing even as they rust – but I took all of them out of the Park and replaced them with Kness Snap-e traps – the trapping team were not happy with the Victors and don’t complain about the Snap-e traps - although I keep finding filthy broken ones in the trap cupboard waiting for a sucker to clean and repair the triggers – which still keep breaking 
I injured an abductor muscle about six weeks ago doing a careless lift and run – so having some time out from the Park – first time back this morning doing some easy stuff and shifting three doc200s that is put in one place for some kittens – fortunately my wife just took over my lines, she checks all the traps on my lines every week – she has accounted for 33 victims so far this year (4 rats and 2 hogs yesterday) also taken a couple of possums out of Sentinels. No cats on my lines at present, so she just has to put some fresh rabbit in the Steve Allen and a Possum master setup for cats and top up all the doc200s – all with fresh rabbit
Its hard to believe that a couple of years ago we would have had about 200 predators by this time in February – total to date this year is 2 possums, 35 rats and 17 hogs from around 200 traps 
Don’t you just love cleaning up hogs after they have been in a doc200/250 for close to a week – Yuk! The reduction in hog numbers is showing up in a continually increasing Quail population – but Quail make an easy feed for cats when they turn up 
I continue to check a few old Victor Pro traps around the edge of our subdivision – switching from peanut butter mix to Possum Paste now and again – the lure change to possum paste is almost always a winner – they are suckers for a change in lure – four young rats in the last few days  
Most of my recent trapping success has been on the back lawn catching bloody rabbits - they visit at night and dig and shit all over the lawn – but sometimes they walk through my tunnel and step on a trusty old Fenn6. The Fenn6 just keeps on keeping on. I get a rabbit every two or three days. I have a box full of chopped up rabbit bodies in the freezer for the doc traps at the Park. The residents round the street seem happy to breed rabbits and have them on their lawns - but they move around and often make a mistake at my place. I find it a lot easier to get a head shot in the Fenn6 than using the air rifle – but I had to take a knife to one this morning
Amazing work on your high-country lines @sore head stoat – well done!

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## sore head stoat

Brilliant post time out. 

I think ? you once mentioned a trapping mate around Palmy Nth that wouldnt set a trap without rabbit skin ? I reckon he may be onto something. Rabbit skin with a bit of fat on the skin retains i believe quite a bit of smell imo.

It wasnt that good a result on my high country lines , they should of been checked 2 weeks ago but I blame that bloody kukuwai as him and his Nelson mates keep showing snapper photos and I have been side tracked trying to catch snapper in Pelorus sound... not very successfully  LOL

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## kukuwai

Sorry about that  @sore head stoat but all going well I am hoping to get a few more of those snaps the day after tomorrow, ill make sure i post up some pictures 

I 100% Agree that post above was an excellent read  @time out, however most of you posts are !!

Hopefully that abductor muscle comes right soon and you can unleash the freezer full of rabbit on your park 

Great to hear from you guys, its an awesome thread this one so we must keep up with the posts on it !!

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## sore head stoat

> Sorry about that  @sore head stoat but all going well I am hoping to get a few more of those snaps the day after tomorrow, ill make sure i post up some pictures 
> 
> I 100% Agree that post above was an excellent read  @time out, however most of you posts are !!
> 
> Hopefully that abductor muscle comes right soon and you can unleash the freezer full of rabbit on your park 
> 
> 
> 
> Great to hear from you guys, its an awesome thread this one so we must keep up with the posts on it !!
> ...


Bastard LOL 

Yip its a great thread  :Thumbsup:

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## kukuwai

Put out a few ink cards last week with my youngest. He heard about them at school and was super keen to try them in our wetland so i got some.

We used different bait for them all, some saw more traffic than others it was a very interesting exercise 





We replaced them with fresh cards today 

Heaps of rats and one more weasel tail in the freezer from today's round !!

GN possum paste (deployed last week) was a winner on the rats @time out 

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## time out

Interesting prints on the ink cards @kukuwai – great for the kids to suss out what predators are around – what is the one with the big feet?
But it’s only when they put their foot on the trap plate that matters – then the kids will get excited 
We always use the small GN possum paste tubes – they are so easy to manage and squeeze out a little lure in the trap cup – we use in excess of a hundred each year 
Of all the products that GN manufacture – possum paste is one of the best – but they won’t print – For Possums and Rats on the tube – they keep promoting the chocolate stuff as Rat lure
When the Rat lure first came out – they sent me a box of tubes to try out – our kill rate went from about twenty a week to just a couple a week – so we reverted to possum paste and got the good numbers again 
Rats are back on peanut butter around my street line and seem to be enjoying it – I got mother rat and seven young ones in one box – probably the whole family - one each day 
My wife is still holding the place together at the Park – she is also doing the east block now as my Mate has got covid and is out of action.

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## kukuwai

@time out We are pretty sure its a hedgehog with the big feet. Some good resources online showing all different types of print and what they belong too.

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## kukuwai

Geeze this guy gave me a fright...



5 rats, 3 mice and 2 hedgepigs made up the rest  

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## Finnwolf

OK, advice on catching a cunning rat or mouse in my garage.

I’ve got a box/cage trap set and used sultanas with a smear of peanut butter for bait on the hook.
Also have a couple of ‘lead-in sultanas on the ground outside the trap entrance.

Those sultanas kept disappearing so I threaded more sultanas on a piece of thread and attached the thread to the hook so that the bait on the hook doesn’t have to be pulled by the rat but pulling the sultanas on the thread will trip the trap. (Has worked in the past)

Still no luck so I also set a mouse trap nearby.

This morning again neither trap was tripped but the ‘lead-in’ sultanas were gone.

Anybody got an extra cunning idea on how to catch the little bastids?

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## sore head stoat

My guess it is a mouse. 

Go and buy a quality USA made Victor wooden base mouse trap [accept no other especially if its going inside], put a bit of peanut butter to the treadle, bad news for Mickey mouse will be the result.

https://www.victorpest.com/victor-ea...-trap-bm032-24

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## Finnwolf

> My guess it is a mouse. 
> 
> Go and buy a quality USA made Victor wooden base mouse trap [accept no other especially if its going inside], put a bit of peanut butter to the treadle, bad news for Mickey mouse will be the result.
> 
> https://www.victorpest.com/victor-ea...-trap-bm032-24


The thing is SHS, the mouse trap is baited with a sultana and the cage trap with a peanut smeared sultana yet while the ‘lead-in’ sultanas outside the cage trap get taken the two traps (which are only a foot away) are left alone.

Would blood from the last rat I killed in the cage trap scare off the rat/mouse?

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## sore head stoat

This is interesting. Time out where are you, just sent him a text he should be along shortly lol...

I have a person around the road and she has rats in with her rabbit , she sees them on a motion camera, they are clearly trap shy, she gets the odd rat every now and then which I suspect is a new rat into the area or a juvenile ? If it is a rat it may be wary of the trap after seeing his mate get the bad news ? I dont know about the blood scaring off another rat. I would change the location of the trap by 5m and change the bait to nutella or some chocolate based lure, mix it up a bit. 

I would also put peanut butter on your mouse trap.

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## time out

I have seen several situations lately where three rats are seen in broad daylight around houses and people ask for help – I have put three boxes where the rats were seen – but in a week or so no luck – I suspect they have local food – perhaps local fruit trees and are not interested in trap bait – avocado, feijoa, citrus etc make great rat food 
I have a few traps around the street tracks and two boxes get something most days – blood and bodies lying nearby don’t worry the new victims – if it’s a family they just keep coming  

Seems to be lots of mice around at present – I know mouse traps are good – but I keep using the trusty old victor pro – mostly single kills, but occasional double and treble kills – the fluid is Rentokill ant kill gel – great stuff  https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/rento...200ml/p/141801

I watched this mouse walk all over a new Victor Pro in a kitchen a year or so back – it wasn’t until he climbed over the front of the foot plate that he tripped it – a good example of how they need to enter a trap front on – or in the case of a trap on a ramp – it keeps them in line with the trap and even trips up the big buggars 


Round the street I am using peanut butter with the occasional change to possum paste or blue stuff – a change is often a killer

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## sore head stoat

How did you get on Finnwolf ?

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## Finnwolf

> How did you get on Finnwolf ?


 @sore head stoat Update: yesterday I put two more lead-in sultanas on front of the cage trap plus threw two small bits of bread into the trap, this morning one of the lead-in sultanas was gone as well as the two bits of bread.
The grey plastic mousetrap was untouched.

Thinking of using bread as bait in the cage trap.
(Havent bought a Victor trap yet.)

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## Ned

Try this.
https://youtu.be/f49Kd5Ql_2E


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## Trout

Bit of toffey lolly hard for the rats and mice to get off the trigger plate.They cant resist it.

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## Finnwolf

@sore head stoat : Success! Just checked the cage trap and there’s a mouse in it, as you suggested I move the trap plus smeared peanut butter on the sultana on the hook.
I noticed the cunning bugger (or it’s mate) had somehow removed the sultana I had squashed into the bait plate of the plastic mousetrap, first time I’ve had that happen.
Time to dispose of the mouse and rebait and reset the traps!

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## sore head stoat

Great result, no more stealing the bait  :Mouse:  :Mouse: 

Where there is one there will be more. 

Mice are caused by unclean living , maybe you have to get a bit tidier.. I should know I am catching at least 1 a night and last night got 2 !!!!! LOL

Well done, keep us informed and remember that Victor trap, great bits of kit .

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## sore head stoat

Unclean living alright... I got one this afternoon in my shed  :Wtfsmilie:

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## Finnwolf

Caught a cunning rat in the cage trap tonight.

Tried:
Sultanas 
Bread
Peanut butter
Jam

The sultanas I left on front of the trap always disappeared so I knew there was a critter - and that it was cunning
All to no avail until I used bacon rind -  bingo! Rat in trap - now a very dead rat!!

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## time out

Not much predator control to report – just the odd kill on our lines at the Park, although my Mate is still getting good numbers on his side using egg Mayonnaise 
We had a couple of ferrets check out doc250s a few weeks back – boxes about 200m apart

Saw a rat run into our woodshed one day – so closed the door and tried a doc250 and some Victors – but no luck – thought I would have to empty the shed to find the smell of death – but Mindie found it in the wood bucket – rats walking around in daylight are often sick 

An old lady down the street had sleepless nights for a couple of weeks until she asked for help – a D Rat trap above the manhole got him first night – not sure why people grow vines up their walls – ladders for rats 

I got a big Norway in a Victor Pro down a street track line yesterday and today – nothing like the smell of blood on some peanut butter to bring back his mate – both whacked on the head and trying to get out the wrong end of the box – the rusty old Victors are still doing the job


Hope all you trappers are staying warm – the rats can wait for a month or so

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## Trout

Thats one fat rat,good trapping.

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## Finnwolf

Anybody noticed is there more/less rats and mice around so far this winter?

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## sore head stoat

> Anybody noticed is there more/less rats and mice around so far this winter?


Our local predator trapping group figures are way up on both rats and mice.

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## kukuwai

The biggest issue in this wet weather is mouldy bait, which catches bugger all !!

Definitely need to visit the line and refresh the baits regularly in the winter if you are serious about catching rats 



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## stingray

Massive increase in mice locally, traps are full in the morning and after work, just when I think Im on top of them a couple of empty traps another run occurs. This is an urban sleep out. 

Moving to a new pad next year, will be picking peoples brains for info, new home backs onto a hill side planted in native seedlings, long grass , and a small trickle of a creek. Expect it will be rat / mice central.

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## kukuwai

Pretty cool package arrived in the mail today 
Excited to set it up, test it out... see how it goes !!

Will have to wait till the weekend tho...



Reckon I will need to read the instructions 

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> Pretty cool package arrived in the mail today 
> Excited to set it up, test it out... see how it goes !!
> 
> Will have to wait till the weekend tho...
> 
> 
> 
> Reckon I will need to read the instructions 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk



I think if you feel around with your hand Kukuwai, you'll get to work it out. 
These are going be tried soon in a large number, cost wise I don't know, but I suppose if its paid labour then may be. 
Personally cameras give a very good indication of what's happening and then targeting that area. 
But we all have our thoughts, as one size does not fit all. 

KH

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## Finnwolf

> Pretty cool package arrived in the mail today 
> Excited to set it up, test it out... see how it goes !!
> 
> Will have to wait till the weekend tho...
> 
> 
> 
> Reckon I will need to read the instructions 
> 
> ...


Yep, looks like you’ll need a DC7 pilot’s licence to fly that sucker! :Grin:

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Happy flying
KH

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## kukuwai

> Happy flying
> KH


I have got a few cameras about KH. I will set one up on this trap....once I get my hands in there and see how it operates 

Also I agree with you on price. Fortunately this one was a gift so very grateful to have the opportunity to try one out.

Personally I would be keen if it caught feral cats as well !!!! 



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## Kiwi-Hunter

[QUOTE=kukuwai;1339179]I have got a few cameras about KH. I will set one up on this trap....once I get my hands in there and see how it operates 

Also I agree with you on price. Fortunately this one was a gift so very grateful to have the opportunity to try one out.

*Personally I would be keen if it caught feral cats as well !!!!* 


Personally I agree. 
KH

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## kruza

find out where the mynar birds are nesting. get there just before light with a mate and a  couple of shot guns. just as you hear them getting started up for the morning, ( just on light) put a shot into the tree and be ready! they all lift en mass and let them have it. usually about 3 months or so before they head back in. works a treat. First did it up kaiwaka on a mates farm I was working on a few years back.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> find out where the mynar birds are nesting. get there just before light with a mate and a  couple of shot guns. just as you hear them getting started up for the morning, ( just on light) put a shot into the tree and be ready! they all lift en mass and let them have it. usually about 3 months or so before they head back in. works a treat. First did it up kaiwaka on a mates farm I was working on a few years back.


Hi Kruza
Do your best, we don't need them coming down south.
So that puts you on the coal face so to speak. 
KH

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## kruza

arnt they down south? lucky you. they're a major annoying pest, competition for food that native species eat. I hate them. same with rosella's and I'm not keen on the kukabura's around wiarewa way. ( released by govener gray way back. fortunately they haven't spread and are few and far between. yes I have seen one, and can confirm they do exist there, all be it years ago.) crows in hawks bay. its a sad state of affairs for natives in nz.

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## kruza

don't even get me started on sparrows, starlings, pheasants and gawd knows what else.

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## Kiwi-Hunter

> don't even get me started on sparrows, starlings, pheasants and gawd knows what else.


kruza, as long as you're started, many are not.
Some have racks of firearms and mostly all they see is gun oil or a piece of paper. So don't get me started. 
KH

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## sore head stoat

> Pretty cool package arrived in the mail today 
> Excited to set it up, test it out... see how it goes !!
> 
> Will have to wait till the weekend tho...
> 
> 
> 
> Reckon I will need to read the instructions 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


A mate has a couple of these at his work and raves about them. he caught 4 possums in one night with one of these.  if it was a gift someone thinks you are a good fella  :Thumbsup:

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## time out

I am staying off steep ground while waiting for a hip repair job – so hope you guys can keep this thread going 
My wife checked around 60 traps yesterday – not a single rat – this predator might have been cleaning out the rat traps - she looked to be well fed – I caught her in a rusty old cage a couple of weeks ago but she busted out when I put it in the back of the car to take her for a ride home 
The Possum Master set on a log ramp has been quite successful  - but I had expected the weekly fresh rabbit lure would have pulled in the odd mustilid 
The same day I lost the tabby from the cage, I got a black one that had been seen for a while - in a Steve Allen trap – there is no escape from a SA trap

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## Kiwi-Hunter

Great job timeout.
Sorry to hear you have become part of the hippy community at your age. 
Still the new hippie job today will last a hundred years.
The hills will be a challenge at the start, but life is full of hills , isn't that that truth.
Get through all those hills up and down and then just to add an insult, they try and put that little mound on top.
Good to hear your wife is backing you up and doing you trap lines.
Great wife you have! of course you know that, but they hardly get a mention and the ones that have found a good wife, that's real treasure.
Take care my friend and not to much couch timeout. 
KH

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## Finnwolf

> I am staying off steep ground while waiting for a hip repair job – so hope you guys can keep this thread going 
> My wife checked around 60 traps yesterday – not a single rat – this predator might have been cleaning out the rat traps - she looked to be well fed – I caught her in a rusty old cage a couple of weeks ago but she busted out when I put it in the back of the car to take her for a ride home 
> The Possum Master set on a log ramp has been quite successful  - but I had expected the weekly fresh rabbit lure would have pulled in the odd mustilid 
> The same day I lost the tabby from the cage, I got a black one that had been seen for a while - in a Steve Allen trap – there is no escape from a SA trap
> 
> Attachment 202807. 
> 
> 
> 
> Attachment 202808


Hind leg on the tabby looks a bit mangled, what’s the go there?

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## time out

She didn’t notice anything odd – maybe the way it was screwed up trying to escape the noose – before rigor mortis set in

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## sore head stoat

All the best with the hip repair job time out  :Thumbsup:

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## kruza

set snare?

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## kruza

Finally, been trying to shoot this cat with me air rifle for a couple of weeks.Shot 2 more meantime. Started his top run of farm about 5 days ago. Decided better try something else as he's onto me stalking him and still killing.
Cat trap type unknown, bait part of hare I shot. 4 nights till he touched the trap ( had seen him near trap second day after it was set when checking it.) Visited the nearest water trough upon capture.

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## Billbob

Great you got him in the end, Im still after 2 wild cat around here but they only come around well after dark. been too wet to bait and wait for them

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## kruza

Try the rabbit destress sound. It brought grey cat into range. Even when suspect of me. If they are hunting rabbits as a food source shood work.

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## 7mmwsm

Spent a couple of days in the Cascade last week checking traps for the Sika Foundation Whio Project.
Got this little guy. Hopefully he's not too far gone to get mounted.
Got 16 rats and 6 mice also.

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## 7mmwsm

Saw a few of these too.

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## kruza

must be a good feeling to see an animal who's life you may have just saved.

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## kruza

another one in a trap in different spot [:x] This cat is from the house cat that dissappear on farm for few years before it came back to retire at house.
It was so much alike I had to carry it back in trap and make sure the house cat was sleeping in its usual spot. ( its old now and sleeps most of day and night)
time to shoot a couple of hares and/or rabbits and set up a snare run at the river flats, see how big the problem is.
 Its no wonder the animals are so flighty for stalking.
8 days from trap set till capture.

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## time out

A learning experience about our compost bin – tucked away beside some garden shrubs. Decided to shift it and cut some shrubs back. Found about half a barrow load of fresh dirt under a shrub on the back side of the bin. Got to work with the chainsaw and cut a few branches off – then saw an enormous rat run out of a hole under the bin and off to the boundary. Pulled the compost bin off the pile and found a network of tunnels through and under the compost bin. Put a couple of traps in the garden and one in the base of the newly positioned bin – he came back and tripped the bin trap but escaped. I put a fenn6 in a black Phillproof tunnel beside the boundary – sure enough – last night he took a walk on the rusty fenn6 foot plate – no escape from a fenn6. I reckon he is a size 8 Norway plus a big tail. I guess he enjoyed a warm dry winter with fresh food every day – he taught me a lot about compost bin rats. But what I don’t know is how he shifted so much dirt – how do they do it?

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## BillyXmas546

Well done Time Out .... but how many more down the hole?

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## kruza

I'm starting to like these live traps.
There is a lot more cats out there than I realised, just scoping the terrain and stalking. 
But what really surprised me is that this didn't trip in the wind last night.

I'm experimenting with the traditional design but altered it, so the cat pushes past the trip stick (which usually has the bait wired to it) to the left side, to bait at the very back of trap. The stick balanced on the trip stick and has the noose and rope attached to bent sapling then pulls to the left. (Traditional is set to center) Hitting cat in face as it starts to close noose. Cat keeps backing out in hurry as noose tightens and the left hand entrance stick which is barely in ground (it's the rocks to the right that stop it pulling out same lever principle as trip stick) comes loose, the entrance pops out of ground and sapling it totally free to deal with cats weight. Only been in a couple of days so probly still stinks of me setting it up.

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## Billbob

there is allot of pleasure removing predators like cats. you will find the more you remove the better the bird life will be - especially those pheasants

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## time out

Just to show you what can be achieved with intensive trapping around a 70 acre community reserve – approx. 200 trap sites – targeting all the animals seen on the graph below – we use approx. 160 Kness snap-e rat traps 
A team of four still doing the rounds every week – just four kills in July and seven kills in August. The 2021 year to date total of 314 pests. Mainly rats but a good number of the other prolific bird killers – hogs continue to invade around the perimeter and threaten our Quail population. The cats were seen and reported by visitors and were quickly removed. One ferret in a Doc250 was quickly followed by its Mate in a nearby Doc250. 
Possum paste is still our trap lure of choice – the ants and cockroaches clean it out in a couple of days but the Cinnamon odour seems to persist in the bait cup and still trips up the odd rat
One of our team checks a line around our internal roads and gets good numbers of rats from the traps – and keeps bait stations supplied with Contrac poison, about six buckets so far this year - so we kill more rats than what shows in our kill numbers
We have been doing this level of pest control for about eight years – but they always come back   
Rabbits are controlled by a Council night shooting contractor – so I don’t have the figures but they are now under reasonable control 
For those that think that pest control is a simple task of setting up a few traps per hectare – sorry – they are smarter than we think – I have a variety of eight traps in my one acre back yard – all our neighbors have multiple traps – they don’t like mesh on boxes, or a GN A24 – I mostly trip them up running over a Fenn6 in an open  Phillproof tunnel – they keep coming up from the nearby estuary

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## kruza

Maybe intensive traping is needed here. 1080 ain't the answer
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-z...kills-kea.html

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## Frogfeatures

Giant Eff up.
But honestly, is anyone surprised ?

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## Barry the hunter

> What your best tips for trapping cats? Have been using an enlarged Timms with limited success. What is the best bait for cats?


victor no 2 trap - Victor 1 to small but you could use two together side by side  two no 1 would hold a cat - secret is to haze trap well - hazing involves building walls of branches etc leading up to trap- guiding cat up to trap - almost like a hedge -now most important camouflage trap - dry leaves really good especially those dry ones that have become skeletonized  -make sure trap cant be seen - bait well rabbit works good -pin big fresh piece  fur and all about a 700 cm up tree - trap placement is important -imagine cat coming along sees rabbit smells it -walks up and reaches up to get rabbit - so trap needs to be about two hand widths out from trunk - this works and is what we used to teach until DOC became to PC - fresh poultry works to

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## kruza

I just caught part of an artical on TV about sausages being used with good effect on cats and Stoat in a trial in nz. I think it was a rabbit and chicken sausage. Could anyone fill me in on details please?

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## Finnwolf

> I just caught part of an artical on TV about sausages being used with good effect on cats and Stoat in a trial in nz. I think it was a rabbit and chicken sausage. Could anyone fill me in on details please?


Likewise I only got part of the article.
I did hear that when testing the dyed green sausage bait with game cameras set up a stoat went for one sausage only three minutes after it had been placed.

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## kruza

Yep it sounded good from what I caught but I missed the beginning and that held the story

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## SL600

Here's my Starling trap.

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## Josan

> Here's my Starling trap.Attachment 210158


HW97k. A recent one judging from the stock. Congrats! The starlings will hate you.   :Have A Nice Day:

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## kukuwai

Fandangled trap seems to be working as it should. Pretty cool really !!

Nailing them two at a time 



Logged onto it this morning, not surprised it hasn't encountered many possums as we only get one once and a while but it seems to be accounting for a few rats 



A mate has one and he is in an area with heaps of possums. Has caught 24 so far, even got 2 last night. His dogs getting a bit fat 

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## sore head stoat

A mate has 3 or 4 of these A220s at his work and the record is 4 possums in the one night in the one trap.  Great trap  :Thumbsup:

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## kukuwai

They say the smell of a mustelid is the best lure for a mustelid.....

Its amazing how many times I have done this now. 

Caught a weasel and then left it on the top of the box (minus its tail of course) only to return a day or to later to another one in the trap.



Interestingly the bait in this trap was a fake egg so they do work  Well enough too fool the first one at least  



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## mikee

> They say the smell of a mustelid is the best lure for a mustelid.....
> 
> Its amazing how many times I have done this now. 
> 
> Caught a weasel and then left it on the top of the box (minus its tail of course) only to return a day or to later to another one in the trap.
> 
> 
> 
> Interestingly the bait in this trap was a fake egg so they do work  Well enough too fool the first one at least  
> ...


I had one run in front of the truck when taking dog for a walk down river last night. Nasty little f%^kers!

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## kukuwai

> I had one run in front of the truck when taking dog for a walk down river last night. Nasty little f%^kers!


Bloody hard to hit them with the truck too ah Mikee. I have a couple of attempts tho 

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