Thread: Possum Trapping

Update..

Day 10- 11
Pulled all my traps from that Bush.

After that I took a couple days off then headed on to another guys land. (I did try the trees by the creek but it wasn't worth my time from the result I got)

Day 1- set 25 traps
Day 2- 14 possies and set another 10 traps
Day 3- 20 (new personal best, made me feel good haha)
Day 4- 12
Set them off as I'm on holiday for 2 weeks, my family have came over to visit me.

When I get back to it I'll probably move about 8 of them and I need to tweak the trigger tension as its far too loose after watching a video about it. Probably explains why I'm coming up to a lot of empty set of traps which is always a bit frustrating.

Went back to it a couple days ago. Traps pretty much in the same place apart from 6 I moved to the bush edge at the end of my line. 35 traps
Day 1: 17
Day 2: 19

I tightened the trigger plates on my traps, definitely made a huge difference.
Cheers

Day 3: 14

Not trapped last 2 days. Think the possums are starting to get wise in some of the areas that were doing extreamly well before hand. So will move a bunch of them n see what the results are like. But if i keep having to move lots of traps every day i'll pull them all and move.

The trees along the creek i mentioned before, I seen a really really thick run coming down off a ridge heading straight for them, and theres signs of them running inbetween them. Could well be my next place to go. This is on the land i first started on back in march. Do i just take the gamble and hit them now or is it safe to leave it another week. If theres a window i wanna be in it and not just catch half of it like i did at the pines. Thinking about it is making me wanna go there asap. Ill walk the track on the bush edge then come back along the creek for one big loop of traps.

I think your putting the heat on them and have thinned them out, so would suggest trapping known trees ones that you have regular success. Some trees/ runs are just the one every possom likes. So target these ones which catch regualry which will mean more miles but better to put traps where you catch rather than just going round checking empties. That and /or try a differnt flavour of lure to break up your patterns. Perhaps they were in the pines eating pollen and now that season is over they have moved to a new tucker source .

up here this time of year until Feb we shoot a heap of possoms in paddocks grazing grass like sheep out in the open without a tree in 300 yards. So perhaps they have changed there foraging habbits also.

Thanks for the updates enjoy your yarns a great deal!

Thanks for the advice stingray and good to know your enjoying my updates!

That's interesting about them grazing heavily on grass, Ill keep that in mind. They have to cross a grassy paddock to get to the creek side trees im eyeing up right now.

My strategy as of recently on the farms is to go in and hit it hard, traps normally close together in bunches of various amounts- depending on a few factors like the size of the bit of bush and possum signs like runs, shit, scratch marks and sometimes smell. I'll leave once it all dies down and things start becoming more complicated. I definitely could be staying longer but ive found it involves a lot more work if i really want to milk an area like moving multiple traps daily, really going to town with trap site camouflaging, changing bait and like you said, longer hikes. Purely because I'm fortunate enough to have a few farms at my disposal its easier for me to head to new bush to target fresh un-educated possums, thicker in numbers. Switching locations keeps things interesting too. And I've gotta try keep all the farmers happy.

Something I've incorporated into my game recently has been leaving bait trails to my traps from nearby runs. Sometimes trails in a few directions heading to my trap tree. I go through a shit load more bait doing this but I believe it's making a slight difference, it definitely makes me feel like a trap would be more likely to catch. So for confidence its good and tbh even if it gets you 1 more possie a day your in profit from the extra bait used.

Hi @scotsman
been watching your posts on this thread this year, I'm not a trapper but do a lot of animal control work.
Dunno if you've noticed but you're sounding like a pro trapper now, identifying all the little things that could improve your trap catch rate
which is good anyway!
I reckon you have found your niche and could continue as a part/fulltime trapper
or work for an outfit that contracts to AHB or DoC or any private conservation group.
NZ needs guys like you!

Haha thanks mate!! im getting there! I'm glad I've percivered with this venture.

Ive been putting thought into talking to DOC for a while actually. I was planning to put together a case to put to them for what its worth. I just wasn't sure what i wanted from them. Or if id even be sombody they would be interested in as i only trap. If they could give me access to more bush that would be a bonus. Would they ever pay me on top of what i earn from the fur?

Originally Posted by scotsman

Haha thanks mate!! im getting there! I'm glad I've percivered with this venture.

Ive been putting thought into talking to DOC for a while actually. I was planning to put together a case to put to them for what its worth. I just wasn't sure what i wanted from them. Or if id even be sombody they would be interested in as i only trap. If they could give me access to more bush that would be a bonus. Would they ever pay me on top of what i earn from the fur?

@scotsman
If you like just working for yourself and selling fur then you are on the right track now, trapping private land or getting a permit for DoC land. No DoC won't pay you unless you are actually working for them as a contractor on a specific conservation project.

If you would like to work as a contractor/subcontractor to a government agency (eg. DoC, TB Free NZ, regional council) or private organisation (eg. QE2 National Trust, forestry company, Maori trust, rich private landowner) you could certainly get a job doing ground control which could involve trapping, monitoring or hand-laying poison. You might not get to keep the fur... but you get a regular paycheck for doing what you love in the outdoors. If this appeals to you, ask around and you'll soon hear who are the main players in your area.

Professional pest control is big business in NZ these days with the need for brands to be seen as "sustainable" and "environmentally conscious". You can find a contractor in your area in the Yellow Pages, look up "Animal Control Consultants" or "Pest Control". The skills you have and willingness to live in a hut, woolshed or tent camp are really sought after. Don't under-estimate this! The pest-control scene in NZ is pretty tightly-knit, so once you're in...you're in.

Thanks very much for the advice rockland. I'll definately pursue this and send a few emails around. Much appreciated!!

Update:

So i went back to my traps a while ago reset them all but it rained really heavy that afternoon and through the night. Only got 1 the next day. Ended up pulling all my traps out. I returned there for a night shot and got 15 a few days ago. The possums were just past where i had a bunch of my traps set before, almost all of them where on manuka/tea tree (i dont know the difference). So thats something to note. It was right on the boundary of another farm i have so i might go there soon.

I did a maintenance day on my traps yesterday and set them all out today. I went a head with my original plan to set them on the trees by the creek and along the dirt track - some are just off the path up in the bush. That run heading the the creek trees from the ridge is still looking good. I followed it up the steep bank and into the bush and theres a ton of other runs too. I set a few traps up there, careful not to put them right on the runs but still close enough to catch from them. I did wonder what reslults id get if i set say 10/15 traps all on those runs for 1 or 2 nights but i was a bit worried it would end up having a negative effect on my other traps along the creek which is where all those runs are headed.

Looking forward to seeing the results anyway. Its the same land i first started on so was nice to be back there with a bit more knowledge.

33 traps set last night. Ive got 5 along the first stretch of creek trees and 7 about a km down stream. The rest are either at the edge of the track or just inside the bush. First 5 creek trees i got 3. Missed one too. Theyre pretty close together, theres a few more trees i can trap on further down i think ill maybe fit 8 alltogether comfortably. Side of the dirt road was pretty deadly and probably the easiest money ive ever made since i started haha. Chucked a couple in amongst some makuka and they both caught will probably stick a few more traps in there. The 3 up that ridge all went off i only caught 1 though. Stuck one on a tobacco tree but it never caught. And then finally the trees at the back the first 4 in a row all caught. Not too far away from each other. The next 3 same distance inbetween never got touched. Maybe theyre climbing the trees closest to where they first come in and climb along up above ground. Tally for the day was 15. Back out to tomorrow and ill be moving a few traps.

300x25 in boxing grade timber should be the cheapest you can get cos it's untreated - 250x25 might be more common and you may have to call around a few merchants first

Hand pick it as it is full of knots and warps

100x25 boxing is only $1 a metre here from memory so it shouldn't cost too much??

Day 2: 14
I moved a good few. Road side not quite as good, creek trees at back were pretty poor.
Day 3: 9
Road side very poor, creek trees I got 2/13 traps.
On the other hand, that ridge and the manuka bit is doing good. Got 3 traps in each and they all are going off each night.

I think ill move all but one creek trap. Stuff that ridge full of traps for a night, up and along all the runs. I'm curious to see what the results look like. I'll stick more in the manuka section as well. I reckon I'll only be in there for 1 or 2 nights but we will see.
If I can find my vanilla essence bottle I'll switch it with the cinnamon when I go back out just to mix it up.

Getting myself one of those trail cameras to do a bit of research on the possums. Hoping to learn a lot from this. Will be looking to test different things and seeing what seems to work best. Plastic bags above traps, different lure etc etc. Also I want to see what trap shy possums will be like when they notice one. I'll probably stick camara on runs for best results will also be able to find out how many possums are using a run each night on average. I could go on all day about the things I want to do with this but hopefully its going to do what I hope it can....could be good for pigs too

What Trail Camera are you going to get
Be careful there is alot of crap out there.

Oh shit.. here's the link: https://m.tomtop.com/p-y5199.html?cu...SABEgKF5_D_BwE

Originally Posted by scotsman

Oh shit.. here's the link: https://m.tomtop.com/p-y5199.html?cu...SABEgKF5_D_BwE

Well I don't know anything about that breed - but it will be a copy of something I imagine
I see it comes with tree mout that screws into the back of it
Do NOT use it
Reason - Possums tip them over and when it rains - if upside down when it rains it ruined.

I have some Browning BTC-5 Strike Force 10MP and Browning DARK OPS HD Sub Micro Trail Camera (10MP) | BTC6HD used cameras that you can have for $100 - they will have a SD 8G card in them already - just need batteries
They still sell for near on $200NZ (thats EBay price - so + freight to NZ)