Thread: trapping pukekos

Hi guys, we have a heap of pukekos around work and although I might be able to get permission to shoot them it would be a metric shitton of paper work and hassle. So I was thinking of using a live capture trap and giving them the old bing bong. Has anyone trapped Pukes before and what bait did you use to catch them ?
They are getting in the drinking bowls and spreading Giardia and other nasties so want to thin them out a bit.

I know when i feed out maize for the ducks they are there waiting. pre feed for a week in a pile then set a trap. They are pretty cleaver bird

https://www.trapworks.nz/pukeko-possum-trip-trap
I can't speak from experiance as have never trapped them.
But found this Web as the question sparked my curiousity.
Also says what bait they use

They tear into maize silage stacks bigtime, so bigbear's idea sounds a good one

Technically you probably still need the permit to trap them (and even if you weren't killing them)

Originally Posted by rugerman

Hi guys, we have a heap of pukekos around work and although I might be able to get permission to shoot them it would be a metric shitton of paper work and hassle. So I was thinking of using a live capture trap and giving them the old bing bong. Has anyone trapped Pukes before and what bait did you use to catch them ?
They are getting in the drinking bowls and spreading Giardia and other nasties so want to thin them out a bit.

do not touch them - they are a native species and you will need permission from DOC to touch them - leave them alone - they here first- learn to live with them - bloody harmless native bird - if you have to shoot old puke -at least do it properly and get full permission from DOC - shame on you - find another way - a very pretty native bird

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

do not touch them - they are a native species and you will need permission from DOC to touch them - leave them alone - they here first- learn to live with them - bloody harmless native bird - if you have to shoot old puke -at least do it properly and get full permission from DOC - shame on you - find another way - a very pretty native bird

It's an Aussie swamp hen, meh

Originally Posted by Tommy

It's an Aussie swamp hen, meh

yes it is - to explain - all birds in NZ are given a classification - native- introduced- vagrant etc a native is a bird that breeds and has always existed in NZ but can also occur in another country i.e Harrier hawk - Wax eye - Grey Duck - a bird that only breeds in NZ and occurs no where else is given the top classification of endemic - i.e kiwi -fantail - morepork - bellbird etc - why our poor old puke was put onto a game bird list is beyond me- as was our grey duck - but it is a native bird - leave them alone - they here long before you- learn to live with them

Maori claim they introduced it.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

do not touch them - they are a native species and you will need permission from DOC to touch them - leave them alone - they here first- learn to live with them - bloody harmless native bird - if you have to shoot old puke -at least do it properly and get full permission from DOC - shame on you - find another way - a very pretty native bird

Classified native, yes, Harmless..?? Hardly. They have adapted to farmland life very successfully. Even in market garden farms ( my work career ) they now live and multiply successfully. Numbers have increased several fold over the years in both situations to the extent they are now regarded as a serious nuisance. I have witnessed first hand how destructive they can be to leafy vegetable crops when they get going. Thinning the numbers would have zero affect on their reproductive capability but would save much grief and financial loss. Yes, they probably were here first but definitely not in all areas where they are now found. They are smart, adaptable survivors and I admire those traits. But when the numbers get out of hand a bit something needs to be done.

Native and a pest...does not compute! It confuses people. Same with parries.

all bullshit aside, the matter of dispatch matters not, you risk a big fine if you do not go through there process of getting a permit. If they are in numbers that are causing you ongoing issues then it is "worth your time doing the metric shittonne paperwork"
Even though they can be a pest when numbers get up they are still a "protected species" and the penalty for hunting/culling them without a permit or licence during game bird season is up to 2 years in prison or up to $100000.
no hate here good luck

I think the guys at work got a permit for pukeko. One foggy morning I counted 60 in an area of about 6 hectares.
I know they got a permit for ducks, and it was very strict on how many they could shoot etc, but it wasn't hard to get.

Originally Posted by dannyb

all bullshit aside, the matter of dispatch matters not, you risk a big fine if you do not go through there process of getting a permit. If they are in numbers that are causing you ongoing issues then it is "worth your time doing the metric shittonne paperwork"
Even though they can be a pest when numbers get up they are still a "protected species" and the penalty for hunting/culling them without a permit or licence during game bird season is up to 2 years in prison or up to $100000.
no hate here good luck

thanks Danny B - great and accurate advice - one can get a permit for nuisance paradise ducks and pukekos - my point was that pukes have been in NZ for thousands of years - they are not an introduced species like sparrows - give them a break

I think it is fish and game rather than doc that give out permits, pūkeko are on the game bird licences ina number of areas I have shot.

Hate the bastard things and especially when they shit in the troughs. In my opinion, Pukes are like Possums. The only good ones are dead.