Thread: Trapping.

Second photo is where it got away. It was able to get over the side n the weight with force allows it to get out.


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Get that trap bedded man, you'll get a lot less escapes.

How close you get the trap to the tree and how much lure you use is a personal thing.

The hand width from tree and lure up to approx knee height (50cm) came about in the 1990's (and subsequently taught) from the need to have a standard approach to possum montioning. With monitoring (which is a statistical protocol, essentially "counting" possums) there is a need for each line and each set, regardless of who sets it or where, to be the same. I.e. to minimize human bias. So hence the need for teaching and requiring a very standard approach. Many people took that to mean its the best way to set a trap. That is not necessarily so. The old school skills used by skin hunters for many decades last century, such has hazing etc, work very well.

Just don't go burying it or covering it with leaves etc -the old Lanes Ace (what some call "gin" traps) worked well for this but modern #1 sized traps just are not big enough to handle the rubbish.

Before someone flames me, I do set about hand-width out and about a knee high of lure, because that's what I've always done....

I never used lure at all.......just set on preaching trees or on runs. oh the days of lanes ace traps.....the good ol days.

Originally Posted by Sarvo

https://www.youtube.com/c/KeepingItWild

Yes Shay Williamson and now wife Abby
I gave her a pair of my Boots to head back down to Tuatapere with after their wedding back in BOP

He's a goer and even an old Possum plucker learnt something off his Vlogs (can't remember what it was but :-)
Shoots a lot of bush Deer too that boy

I watched his 4 series of trapping last night. Learnt a some new things, couple things I’m not sure I’ll incorporate. Was surprised at at the things I was doing was similar.


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I always use three sticks when setting on a clean trunk. Two lean against and out from the trunk, at each side and one at the front that the possum steps over. The trap and stick should be one possum step out from the trunk so he has to step firmly onto the trap to sniff the lure. The sticks at the side stop the possum stepping on the outside of the trap and only catching a claw.

@Moa Hunter have you got a pic of that set up?

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I never used lure at all.......just set on preaching trees or on runs. oh the days of lanes ace traps.....the good ol days.

The only time I used traps with no lures was with a heap of Lanes Ace. Some one forgot to bring the box of traps (#1s) and the flour lure. Luckily the bloke I was working with had about 50 of the old school traps, we set them up with no lure. I predicted we'd get very few, but old mate reckoned we'd get heaps. Well next day we'd caught about 40! I couldn't believe it.

Originally Posted by Dama dama

@Moa Hunter have you got a pic of that set up?

No photo sorry, but basically a triangle with two sticks standing up and one across the front laying down. Possums will place a foot on something they can grip which will be trap jaw. The stick at the front gives them something to put a foot on and step over rather than gripping the jaw with the next step onto the plate. I would try the traps half of them set opening cross ways and half of them long ways. A rub of apple before the flour works as well as anything. One apple will do ten traps

Originally Posted by sore head stoat

I was taught close to the trunk, more front foot captures, hand width away you get back foot captures. Back foot is better, less sprung empties.

Yep, as above. However, I may adjust my distance closer to the base of the tree if there is quite an angled ramp, as opposed to a vertical trunk. With those pine trees, you might find running a handful of lure from top down easier (starting at 50cm height and working down trunk), than from the base of the tree up to 50cm height. Reason being, the bark on mature pines can make it difficult to get a good, consistent and strong blaze, and lots can end up on the ground. Try to limit any lure in areas that will encourage a possum to feed where it's not going to be caught. So aim for a 10cm width blaze above trap.