New career - Trapping Possums!

Hey!

So, I am sick of the city, sick of trying to get a job in this hole they call Auckland, and after a fair amount of research and thought, I've come to the conclusion Possum trapping is for me! I've signed up to LSV which I start on Monday(6 week govt boot-camp of sorts for lazy unemployed people like myself) to get fit and a bit more hardened before I start tackling bush. I will be starting in January just after the New year. I know that summer is not the best time to do this as they have less fur, but I don't mind that, and I'm way too excited about this to wait till winter to start anyway.

So, let me know what you experienced guy's think about my game plan and ideas so far:

Bait: Seems flour + water + eucalyptus/curry/licorice is the go? Making the mix a bit more tacky if its raining/wet weather.

Traps: I'm buying 100 because it seem's you get a better price and from what I've read - more is better? Still unsure of what brand to get though, and I was reading something about prepping them from when you get em as new, any more info on this? Walling the trap so the possum can't easily avoid it by placing sticks etc in a \_/ formation with the _ being the trap and the \ / being the sticks. I am going to experiment with high-vis tape, reflectors, and a few other thing's I've seen around the internet.

Location: I am thinking Coromandel area. Still need to talk to DOC about whether they going to throw their toys out of the pram for going rogue in the bush with my traps, but have read that native bush scores alot of rats and stoats in your traps, and rural areas/farm land is a higher ratio of possums, how true is this? If its valid then I may do some cold calling to farmer folk to utilize their land if that's cool with them.

Tracking: Possum droppings, chewed leaves/fruit, scratches/damaged trees, urine stains - anything else?

Plucking/skinning: Avoid dirty/cum/piss stained belly fur, coarse tail fur, and fur under 2.5cm, is that basically right? I was under the impression that there was certain parts of the possum that had finer/softer fur, that I could put in a separate bag and get a bit more money overall by putting that extra effort in - but is it worth it or don't bother? Also, I have seen requests to have orders filled of skins - what is the go with this? Is skinning possums difficult/worth the time, do you get more money by doing this? What tanning process would I have to do, if any, while skinning in the bush? I've never skinned anything and plucking seems a lot easier, although I have no qualms about skinning the bastards if you get more cash for it. What do I do with the body once I've got the fur? Just let it rot there? Or should I bury it?

Hazards: Angry possums, obviously - be quick to kill them when you find them so as not to give them time to wind up. Avoiding steep land/dodgy areas that would land me a life threatening injury in the middle of nowhere. Wear bright orange gears to not be mistaken for a deer by hunters. Be careful with fingers/hands while setting traps - don't get complacent. Anything else? Should I be concerned about using bare hands on these animals when plucking? TB? is that contactable to us humans from these guys?

I'm going to use GPS to mark traps because I figure thats the best, most accurate way, and I'm not so great at navigation/terrible sense of location and will sleep easier knowing I haven't forgotten a trap somewhere with some possum starving slowly to death.


Comments/criticism please :)

Welcome to the forum JVJ. You have what appears to be a well considered plan and I am sure there will be some on here with experience that will give you some advice. My only comment is please do not rely solely on your GPS as batteries go flat. Make sure that you have a good compass and map and learn how to navigate with them. The New Zealand bush can be very unforgiving toward the poorly prepared. I applaud your positive attitude toward unemployment.

Welcome, good luck with LSV, your plan sounds good - you've obviously put some thought into it :thumbsup:

Look at doing some Mountain Safety Council courses : river safety and bushcraft as a minimum, and ask the instructors on LSV to focus on map reading and off track navigation with you.

Down the line look at buying yourself an personal locator beacon.

Thank you! Yes here's hoping, this community appears to be pretty damn cool, been stalking it for a couple days, thought I'd finally make an account. Really like the cooking/food section... maybe that's just cause I usually look at it while hungry, haha. I will ensure I have backup navigation, but will be bringing solar charger/enough batteries to not stress about it.

I am just sick of living in poverty and contributing nothing to society, slowing rotting away.. I'm still young so may as well do something right, and why not kill two birds with one stone while I'm at it. I am taking on this new life style with a good friend of mine who is in the same situation as me and has an equal desire to get out there and do something. Should be a little bit safer that way, too.

Been looking into a few courses but wasn't really sure what I should do, thank's, will definitely look into that!

What these guys have said. Learn to map read and navigate and buy locator beacon. You don't have to fall off a cliff to be screwed, just rolling your ankle on some uneven ground could have you in serious strife.

You sound amped. Have fun and be safe, great to have a job you enjoy.

Good plan and advise so far JVJ. Just a warning not to get to carried away at the start. Start off with small trips and work you way up as your skills and confidence grow. Good luck ;)

If your budget can allow you to but a cordless drill with 2 batterys for plucking the possums you just need to make/buy something to go on the end of it that spins with rubber like flaps on it so then all you need to to is hold the possum over the bad and run the drill up and down that's what me and my mates do when we go shooting on the farm and we can pluck a possum in under 1 min :D

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Yup, was thinking of going out to my grandma's property out in the Waitakere ranges and doing a few trials before I leave the Auckland region and do anything too serious, the property is infested due to a pine plantation me and my family planted almost two decades ago that's been completely abandoned and left to do it's own thing due to family disputes. Gun use was banned on the property so the possums took over, but I think it'd be sweet to go trapping.

Rolling of ankle's shouldn't be an issue, got a decent amount of experience bush-wading from mushroom hunting expeditions - will definitely watch out for slippery root's and all the other danger's in there though. Cheers :)

That's a bit too far from the experience I would like, RODSTA. The less gear we can take the better, don't really wanna be worrying about any more electronic equipment than I need to, if I can avoid it. Besides, I have heard electronic plucking reduces the quality of the fur and buyer's don't like it??

Sounds like a great place to start and hone your skills. Mushroom hunting? ha ha that happens a bit on the orchards in my town at a certain time of year :sick:

You could be struggling to find a buyer for your fur.

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Originally Posted by Gapped axe

You could be struggling to find a buyer for your fur.

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Yeah its quite hard to get the fur off mushrooms aye

Yup here's hoping the crazy auntie doesn't have a problem with it, she's the one who stopped the possum hunting that me, my brothers and my dad use to go up there and do, but gun's are loud so yeah, was a bit of a different circumstance that led to that. Been mushroom hunting since I was 15 almost every autumn, I love it!

Why would I be struggling to find a buyer for fur I collect? All research indicates its extremely sought after?

Not at the moment, buyers around here aren't. Those that are, aren't paying much

Ah well, that's not a concern for me to be honest, sound's like people might be trying to fetch too high of a price for their product and not accepting a lower payment, I live off 70$ a week and have for over 12 months, so I'm really not fussed under-cutting others :) money's money.

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Originally Posted by Gapped axe

Not at the moment, buyers around here aren't. Those that are, aren't paying much

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Yea I agree my opinion is collect the fur and wait for the price to go up

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Don't be too quick to sell it. Here I have seen prices go from $115 to $140 a kg. So if possible try hold it for until a good price comes.

I'm extremely honed in on the online-market world, can probably find my own international buyer that will pay better than the kiwi company's anyway haha. Will look around when it come's to it, won't just accept the first offer. Either way, the price's, even 'low' still seem like a decent wage to me, which is all I'm really after.

There is this tool its a slasher hammer and nail puller in one. Could be handy. Also use it to beat the possum over the head

Get yourself a good gps to mark your traps.i trap possums on behalf of the auckland council and a few other councils over the north island and it will become one of your most valuable tools

I admire your enthusiasm to better yourself and your circumstances, very positive! Have you considered ringing around pest control contractors and see if you can do a bit of work for them, even if its just tagging along for free to get some experience and ideas?
The LSV should be good to, you might even decide a career in the military is an option.

Have no interest in contributing to the corrupt and leaky council/government system where your salary is 40k and it cost the people 200k. I think there is far too much 'administration' cost involved in all of it with a bunch of lazy dick's making just as much money as the people who actually work hard, and view most government/council jobs as detrimental to our economy and country in general.. but that's a whole other story. Much rather be freelance. Seem's I would have to revolve around their schedule and area, which isn't really my thing either.

Can't join military due to a food allergy :( Which is wierd because LSV can make an exception, but I can understand.

good on you JVJ, just go hard bro!! money is money...prices will go up eventually, so AuuLgood..!!

I don't mean to put down people who do work for the council/government or whatever, I think anyone who's out trapping possum's is doing a great thing, just don't see it as necessary and would rather remove myself from that when given the opportunity.

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Originally Posted by Brakelie

I admire your enthusiasm to better yourself and your circumstances, very positive! Have you considered ringing around pest control contractors and see if you can do a bit of work for them, even if its just tagging along for free to get some experience and ideas?
The LSV should be good to, you might even decide a career in the military is an option.

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Good idea do a month for free you will learn more in that month than a year trying to figure it out for yourself!

Good on you for giving it a crack but beware, you can be left in the lurch by dodgy fur buyers, a big slump in the market or just getting beaten to the good spots by somebody else. I think your plan to do the LSV course is a very good one. the fitter you are the more you can do and hopefully the more money you'll make. Don't over look the Idea of going to work for AHB TB Free or DOC contractors. There are heaps out there and you can learn shit loads on the job whilst getting paid and if you're lucky they'll let you pluck. I don't mean to discount the advice you get from the net but there's nothing like hands on learning.
As for gear I would have to say stay clear of the really cheap traps because they're just crap in most cases, I wouldn't look any cheaper than Duke traps. If your budget was up to it I'd go for Victors size 1, it's quite possibly the best trap I've ever used next to the old gin/ rabbit traps but they're outlawed now so I'd stay clear of them. If you've got access to a bush margin with known monkey numbers then you're in luck and if you can set your line in some kind of loop even better... There's nothing worse than having a dead walk at the end of a long day, It makes for a later dinner time and it's effort put in for no reward! A hundred traps is a good number and if you can get 'em all set in one day then it means more profit in less time. I normally just use flour with a bit of icing sugar and eucalypt oil in it and I put tablespoon size baits in between the traps to try to draw the little buggers on to the line proper. But any how I could keep burbling on for hours about this topic. I'll finish up by saying that you could learn more by going out with some crusty old trapper or doing one of the numerous polytech courses you guys have got up there. Best of luck Trev

Where does one source one of these possum multi tools?

gps, and CSL
if your trapping for a council its mainly performance and at the end of your job monitors will need to be called in, they will re trap your area. 14k to get a monitor in.
Private is the way to go,,im unsure about doc.
You want to catch coons go get your CSL , paste is the way to get them.. sometimes 5 coons of one blaze. no having to carry traps there cold and ready to skin when you get there.

Provided you get into an area that has never had control done you will kill it...we are getting 100 a day at the mo and have done for the last month..prior to that we got 80 in one month..
You will want a decent pack and first aid kit..maybe a plb if your working alone...
other then that get out there and rip em up

Fur price as of monday was 105.00 kg,, will drop more as every one sells it for xmas money.likley to be back at 130 by march...

if nothing else mate you will get a chance to see some great country. and do the NZ bush a favor.
Living costs in the country are lower than big city living, and there is room to grow yourself a garden

If you can apply for blocks by putting in your quote by the hectare then you will also collect $ per hectare.
which will be the only thing that gets you thru some hard patches This is all thru your regional council.

typically those sorts of jobs are poison jobs, with trapping near sensitive areas but you can do as you please,

I wish you all the best, but remember to do your research before starting.

-The Coromandel is split into blocks and these are all very sought after, so you may not get one straight away.
-The Kaimais are much the same as above, but have a lot of possums as they have never used 1080 there. My last deer hunt up there has me walking out under head lamp and I counted 28 possums on the track!
-The Waikato has limited blocks, and the good ones are normally taken. The large wetlands (Whangamarino swamp) hold the most possums, but are totally shithouse to get around and this makes them totally uneconomic to trap.
-The Pureora's are normally kept very low with regular 1080 drops, so too is Whareorino, Awaroa-Hauturu etc...

I used to run a scheme taking people who were unemployed for too long and training them to trap possums etc...I did this for 6 years and had over 40 people come and go. To be honest none of them really had what it takes, as most were too lazy to even do a normal job 9 to 5 job and were never going to succeed doing one of the toughest jobs in the country where success entirely depends on self-motivation and hard work. But I hope you do (have what it takes) and the only way you'll find out is to go out and do it.

I think the advise of trying to volunteer for DOC or a private operator is the best advise you'll get. You'll honestly save yourself years of potential mistakes by learning off these guys, cause after all if they can make a living out of it...they must be doing all the right things.

kj

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Originally Posted by JVJ

Thank you! Yes here's hoping, this community appears to be pretty damn cool, been stalking it for a couple days, thought I'd finally make an account. Really like the cooking/food section... maybe that's just cause I usually look at it while hungry, haha. I will ensure I have backup navigation, but will be bringing solar charger/enough batteries to not stress about it.

I am just sick of living in poverty and contributing nothing to society, slowing rotting away.. I'm still young so may as well do something right, and why not kill two birds with one stone while I'm at it. I am taking on this new life style with a good friend of mine who is in the same situation as me and has an equal desire to get out there and do something. Should be a little bit safer that way, too.

Been looking into a few courses but wasn't really sure what I should do, thank's, will definitely look into that!

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I have sent you a PM...

Eco FX is currently looking for trappers..Try seek.

they also love mangroves if your really hard up for spots

Only got 4 weeks into LSV due to a cunt not being able to handle his shit, all good, got what I needed from it. Quit smoking and never been more fit. Gonna continue training hard through december and pack on some weight as they almost starve you there. Cheer's for the PM's, will reply to them all just limited for computer time as this moment. Really looking forward to this even more now. Currently looking at gears(pack, clothing etc), still not sure what i'm going to get. Will be back soon ;)

Sounds like the motivation is there well done and go hard.