Thread: Bird Predator Control

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

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

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

Originally Posted by Pointer

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

Originally Posted by Pointer

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

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

Brilliant post Timeout.

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

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

Originally Posted by Pointer

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

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.

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

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.

Cats don’t leave much behind - but I will get her - soon

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 -

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 -

Originally Posted by Pointer

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.