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

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

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.

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

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

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
Nice fresh rabbit for the next ones - Timms and cages

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

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

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

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






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

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

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