Thread: Possum paste lure recipe or ideas ?

There have been plenty of posts on here about flour based possum lures and that's what i mostly use.
But I have had a few possum lines washed out with un-forecast rain over night.
Its also been a relentlessly wet winter here in Canterbury.

So I want the option of using a paste lure available for when I know its likely to be wet anyway ?
Can anyone give me some idea for a DIY recipe ?

Im working all next week on a remote building job where the client really wants me to trap the property while Im living on site.
So want the additional paste lure option available while there.

I will get back to you with "what I think the best"
Its fron CHC - need to find the kink

https://www.traps.co.nz/possum-dough-2kg
It works good !!!

@Sarvo Just noticed the link to possum dough and will look at it now.

But found this link also suggesting that a white core flute plastic lure might be just as effective even whet no scent was applied.
And that possums sense of smell might not be that good !

USING VISUAL LURES TO ATTRACT POSSUMS TO TRAPS

Originally Posted by akaroa1

@Sarvo Just noticed the link to possum dough and will look at it now.

But found this link also suggesting that a white core flute plastic lure might be just as effective even whet no scent was applied.
And that possums sense of smell might not be that good !

USING VISUAL LURES TO ATTRACT POSSUMS TO TRAPS

Mmm - interesting
Would like to see more detail on the Trap platform at top of 4x1 ramp
Presume tey are using BM1 Traps

Im trapping on the ground and setting in the afternoon and clearing in the morning.

But I have now found a number of scientific papers that all seem to indicate that a white plastic lure with a strip on luminescent tape attached is significantly more effective.
So will order some and conduct an un-scientific experiment of my own.
Maybe alternate between flour based and lumo ?

It would be the answer to having a line of lure washed out.
You would probably want to take them away when the line is not set or the possums might wreck them or get used to them and therefore the objective, to be an object of curiosity would be lost.

[QUOTE=akaroa1;635787]Im trapping on the ground and setting in the afternoon and clearing in the morning.

But I have now found a number of scientific papers that all seem to indicate that a white plastic lure with a strip on luminescent tape attached is significantly more effective.
So will order some and conduct an un-scientific experiment of my own.
Maybe alternate between flour based and lumo ?

That corflute would deff work - and yes take away or they will destroy.
I presume the lure is kept fresh and not rained out inside the tubes of the coreflut ??

Possums are very inquisitive creatures - the old method of lured flour - was more likely the white of the flour attracting rather than the scent in it :-)

I know of a bloke that ground up luminescent chalk and added it to his flour blaze. Not too sure if it worked well for him or not and overall flour blaze is not going to last in the rain.

Here is a bit of research into the luminescent thing

https://www.traps.co.nz/Content/Imag...e%20report.pdf

My feeling is the possum sees the flour first from a ways off, goes over to take a look and the sugar/cinnamon/curry/scent keeps him there until he stand on the trap.

fluoro powder not that expensive off trademe...mix a little in with clear nail varnish from $2 shop and its great to mark all kinds of thing including torches so you can find them when you drop them in the dark....would be piece of cake to paint a spot in centre of trigger plate etc.....
adding something chunky to flour works too with bonus it makes possums bite rather than lick it off tree....

This would remove a problem I have on the island, kept on catching rats that where after the flour mix. If it's a visual lure then they are less likely to be interested

I have made up 20 of these from some plastic sheet in the workshop this morning.
170x130mm
50x50 patch of 3M self adhesive reflector ( left over from a track marking contract ) on both sides to catch any ambient light.
Have also ordered some white luminescent tape and will add a 50x50 patch when it arrives.

These will do for this week.
Im expecting it to be wet and usually very misty and cold where I will be working at altitude.
So this should create some data regarding effectiveness in my application.

Longer term this could be a very sustainable alternative to four etc.

I don’t know a lot about possum trapping - but I always have ten Sentinels and ten Timms traps set round the Park where I am working on predator control - I get a couple of silly possums each week that dare to come back into my patch
But I do know a bit about rat trapping and I am always looking for new lures - I came across the videos that Bryan Ritchie has put up on YouTube - I suspect that Bryan knows a lot about possum trapping - I have watched all his videos and was very interested in the way he makes possum lure - I figured that if it works for possums it would likely work as an attractant around rat trap sites - and it certainly works well and has upped my rat kill - in winter - I always use Good Nature possum paste and in the summer I always use Connovation Smooth in a Tube on the rat trap bait dish - I always use GN possum paste on the Sentinel traps as it lasts really well on the bite block
The Bryan Ritchie peanut butter/margarine etc mix that I put on trees below and around my Sentinel traps sticks like shit to a blanket - rain washes it a bit but there is always plenty left for the next silly possum to have a scratch at - I always use heaps of flour and icing sugar mix as a blaze around both possum and rat traps - it certainly works for both - I am now using (out dated) human grade fruit pieces in my lure mix and scattering it around the trap sites - a pro possum trapper got me a box of 10kg for $20 - he and his Mates are using it for possums - they love it
The cost of home-made lure is not too bad and when I look at the time involved in predator control - the next casualty makes any cost really worth while
Hope it is useful -

https://gonebush.org/videos/possumin...e-possum-lure/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThZtXwSOZYI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URZClgFZnng

When I was doing Cyanide lines I used to make a paste made from = flour/icing sugar/cinnamon/vanilla essence. worked extremely well. I really don't think possums are fussy though.

Originally Posted by 223nut

This would remove a problem I have on the island, kept on catching rats that where after the flour mix. If it's a visual lure then they are less likely to be interested

thats not a problem...its a very usefull service of bykill.keep up the good work. doesnt help fill the fur bag butt.

Originally Posted by akaroa1

I have made up 20 of these from some plastic sheet in the workshop this morning.
170x130mm
50x50 patch of 3M self adhesive reflector ( left over from a track marking contract ) on both sides to catch any ambient light.
Have also ordered some white luminescent tape and will add a 50x50 patch when it arrives.

These will do for this week.
Im expecting it to be wet and usually very misty and cold where I will be working at altitude.
So this should create some data regarding effectiveness in my application.

Longer term this could be a very sustainable alternative to four etc.

Attachment 75148

if nothing else it will make finding traps piece of piss.