Thread: The Oldies possum trapping 2021

@BeeMan has been getting our Prefeed supplies ready for tomorrow's next feed.

Meal feed pellet cinnamon lured.

Possum lollies (fruit pieces)

Mixed nuts and pellets cinnamon lured.

This is the lure for the traps. It's a mixture of Flour, Ryemeal, Kibbled maize, chia seeds and cinnamon oil. I think half of it ended up on @BeeMan's clothes but at least it smells nice. Let's hope the possums find something they like out of all that.

Looking good

Interesting, keep the adventure going. I enjoy your writing and photos

Some of the bark biting we see around the new line. May bee beavers

Originally Posted by BeeMan

Yep, and several other types of pet food.Attachment 168667

You should get a fair bit of fur off that one

Originally Posted by rewa

You should get a fair bit of fur off that one

plucked pussy....it MIGHT catch on.....

Brazilian ?

Im sorry that was a bit riskah.....
back on topic....a mate who did possoms at home years back tried all sorts of lure concoctions...
cloves in the lure worked well...weanamon was awesome but no way was that safe anywhere near stock...his theory was possums got cunning and would lick lure off bait in cold nights (loads of bare baits gave him that theory) by adding something they could chew on,they bit into bait.
I know of another fella who made up heaps of marble sized balls of dough and used to drive forestry tracks and biff them as he went...after prefeeding,would do poison run.
best Ive personally done was 360 of single line...best Roger did to my knowledge was 600...I helped him skin that one and it was plurry hard work,I did the kittens and easier ones while Roger worked on tough ones back....sleave skinning back before plucking was the norm.
learnt a lot of Roger.

Only if you stand to close to the plucking machine.

@Mooseman and me had lines of 300 n 400 in the days, even went our own ways one trip, he went South of camp and I went North, I got a couple more than @Mooseman, I got 367 on my line. Yep and before someone comments about how many you can skin in a day we didn't skin them, we did autopsy every one tho looking for TB. The days of putting cyanide into boiled macaroni elbows for weatherproofing would go down like a lead balloon this day n age.

well back when I was young dumb and full of c%* I helped a mate skin out 600......that was a marathon effort,and the carrying of pack is another consideration....you can only fit and carry so many before you need to dump them at vechille AWAY FROM FLIES and go back to carry on....some guys got speeds in 15-20 second area,speed skinning from rear...I was between 30-45 seconds...round up to minute with big redneck greys included.....can still do it,just not as many LOL.hobnail boots were awesome as would grip the little huas feet allowing decent pull on skin.
My family survived some tough times by the selling of possum pelts.....Kinleith pulp n paper mill on strike for couple of months is one that comes to mind....a man has to pay the bills and feed the family...my self ,I payed my own way through highschool with possum skins,they were averaging $6 green then so was easy money.

120 traps set today, I can hear some chains rattling already. Watch this space tomorrow.

Originally Posted by BeeMan

Bruce Dawson was paying $90 kg for machine plucked $95 kg for hand plucked and $2-20 kg for bodies heads legs n tail off gutted and glands removed. Works out about $10 a possum, heaps better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, or if you are a beekeeper it will keep you in bread n milk till the season starts again. We dont keep anything seperate and pluck every last piece of fluff we can get, face feet tail n willies.

Out of the Wild in Katikati head,feet, gut/intestines, glands n asshole out. Tail stays on. Tails are sold individually as pet chews.


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Originally Posted by BeeMan

@Mooseman and me had lines of 300 n 400 in the days, even went our own ways one trip, he went South of camp and I went North, I got a couple more than @Mooseman, I got 367 on my line. Yep and before someone comments about how many you can skin in a day we didn't skin them, we did autopsy every one tho looking for TB. The days of putting cyanide into boiled macaroni elbows for weatherproofing would go down like a lead balloon this day n age.

Well bugger me
I not heard of the Macaroni trick before
We bought empty medicine capsules by the 500 pack - and then dipped them in a lured wax mix (clove oil usually) after filling with the drug

Found a lot of Possum would take them away - more so in populated areas (possum not human)

But as you know - hard to go past the Traps as a main stay through all weathers

Looking forward to later today's catch rate

@berg243 have you ever seen the wee lollie bags stapled to trees with oddfellow lollies in them?????