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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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
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.
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..
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
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by sore head stoat
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
Grab yourself some shooting sticks. Quick and easy to drop to a knee behind them, and very stable for short and mid ranges.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwi-Hunter
@stug showed me a neat idea for standing shots the other day, hopefully will chime in here shortly to share :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwi-Hunter
Yes, thanks for the thought, I have a mono and another type as well, still not stable in the wind for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by StrikerNZ
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.:D
KH
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.
Here is the vid
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zj3cLEP74FM
Thanks stug.Quote:
Originally Posted by 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
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.
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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Yes, for the rabbit.
KH
@Kiwi-Hunter yep carry the sticks around is a bit of a pain but they are solid to shot of.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwi-Hunter
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.
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
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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Timeout, you should know how a cat gets into a doc box, someone left the door open.:thumbsup:
KH
If its hungry or inquisitive it's going to poke around and you just end up with results.
KH
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...
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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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
Good work fellas Swamp comp results are on the website btw, good luck
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
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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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I'm loving that second photo. [emoji106]
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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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 [emoji106]
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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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Interesting looking trap that @time out Good to see that flour blaze too as that will definitely help [emoji106]
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 [emoji3]
For some reason they weren't putting their heads in the sentinal but the switch to leghold sorted it [emoji106]
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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.
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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. [emoji106]
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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.
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.Attachment 131770
On another note drove down to Wanaka last week and was amazed by the Ferret numbers on the roads obviously attributed to the rabbits
Good work Sparrow :thumbs::thumbs:
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...
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.
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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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
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”. :D
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:
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.
He looked to be in a real hurry :XD:
Attachment 134220 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.
Hi @Dead Rat good to see you on here [emoji106]
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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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