Thread: Possums

Originally Posted by Pativis

All you guys have been really helpful, thanks!
I know guys that know a lot of farmers, and I've contacted the doc incase I'm allowed to trap in a reserve closer to home.

So what parts of the possum should I pluck? Sniper mentioned that I shouldn't get too much belly fur, I'll only be plucking the belly a bit in the winter.
The head fur is definitely too short, but what about the tail? Is tail fur too thin or short?
I also want to make the most of the possum corpse. Apparently you can sell the carcass to have it made into fine cuisine in China or something. What else can I do to make a profit off the buggers, other than selling the fur?

if your doing this part time id just sell the fur mate.Fur buyers don't want fur under 10mm long ie belly fluff ,and tail fur is corse and easily picked up buy the buyer.theres farms all along the edge of willies out the back of upper hutt and up behind the haywards.thats close enough for a city slicker isn't it?.im guessing you need proof of TB free carcases id imagine to sell the meat.good luck.

Yep, what they said.

Also I just wanted to share my disgust from a walk ebf and I did ages ago - it was a very accessible, public walk and there was first a live possum in a trap at near mid day, then we saw countless carcasses on the track. Lazy, inhumane and just well lazy again!!! This walk was one that tourists and visitors to the region walk regularly. Piss poor effort in my opinion.

gheese Dougie! are trying to put him off or what. I agree with the bit about trapping on tracks and the dead carcase bit. Elise and I trap both private and DOC land and we certainly try and dispose of the carcase discreetly. Not that hungry to eat them thou. Like wallaby meat.

Sorry, yeah someone let me out of my cage last night and no Pativis, I don't think many trappers are like the person/people responsible for that track full of smelly dead possums. (They looked to not even be plucked? Really weird, we didn't see any poison either but muzzle on the dog just in case.)

How feasible is it to shoot the buggers as opposed to traping?

Not very feasible on public land as rimfires are not allowed without a special permit and hunting at night is illegal

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Traps are far more economoic

Welcome to the thread. Trapping is by far the best way, with leg hold traps the preffered method. The most reputable brands are dukes, victors and bushmaster. Traps, Bait & Accessories for sale at Trappers Cyanide Ltd - Canterbury, New Zealand sell bushmaster. You put a lure on a tree, usually either cinnamon, aniseed or eucalyptus oil mixed with flour and rubbed above the trap, to draw the possums in. Doc offers trapping permits, but most are taken, quite often even when people aren't actively trapping, just "booking" the block for themselves so that others can't use it and/or letting numbers increase. Get in with a farmer. Also you have the option of skinning or plucking. Skinning can make you more money, but you have a lot more work to do, and if you have to hike into your trapping area you have to carry all the skins/carcasses out. As mentioned above, pluck the fur by hand while the 'coon is still warm.
Look in the small game hunting on this forum and fishn'hunt.co.nz there's a goldmine of info on this subject.

Originally Posted by mitch270

Welcome to the thread. Trapping is by far the best way, with leg hold traps the preffered method. The most reputable brands are dukes, victors and bushmaster. Traps, Bait & Accessories for sale at Trappers Cyanide Ltd - Canterbury, New Zealand sell bushmaster. You put a lure on a tree, usually either cinnamon, aniseed or eucalyptus oil mixed with flour and rubbed above the trap, to draw the possums in. Doc offers trapping permits, but most are taken, quite often even when people aren't actively trapping, just "booking" the block for themselves so that others can't use it and/or letting numbers increase. Get in with a farmer. Also you have the option of skinning or plucking. Skinning can make you more money, but you have a lot more work to do, and if you have to hike into your trapping area you have to carry all the skins/carcasses out. As mentioned above, pluck the fur by hand while the 'coon is still warm.
Look in the small game hunting on this forum and fishn'hunt.co.nz there's a goldmine of info on this subject.

I will add to your list of possum lure brews and it is very effective and works well I was put onto it by an old trapper and I put a young feller here onto it and he has had success and it is curry powder added to the flour. OP you can pluck the tail fur but must be kept separate so take all fur apart from belly fur and remember to keep that tail fur away from the body fur by putting it in its own bag. Jeeze dougie remind me not to piss you off lol

Curry flour, attracts rats big time.

Liquorice or eucalyptus are my favourites but cinnamon also works well. I just get a kilo bag from bininn and mix it with 20 kilos of flour. If you use the cinnamon you can use it to make real tasty camp bread.

Originally Posted by 260hunter

Liquorice or eucalyptus are my favourites but cinnamon also works well. I just get a kilo bag from bininn and mix it with 20 kilos of flour. If you use the cinnamon you can use it to make real tasty camp bread.

Yep and to waterproof it mix it with cooking oil awesome.

1st I use "whole meal" flour & 80grams of ground cloves to 1.5kg flour.
If the weather turns to shit use Peanut butter it doesn't wash off like flour lure.

Chinese five spice mixed with flour works well as a lure, The go pest traps are about $7 from their website. I have had more success on farm fringes than in the native. Seem to catch alot of rats in the bush(not as much fur)
I buy the big squeezy tom sauce bottles from plastics shop for the lure and carry hammer for smacking staples and possums.You can also sell the plucked carcasses for a dollar a kilo (if you can be bothered)They use for petfood.
Dawsons fur website had some info.I was getting about a 50% catch when I first trapped an area but it quickly falls off then its time to look elsewhere.
They pay slightly more for hand plucked fur as the plucking process does not damage the hollow fibre as the machine can. they like the fur to be 2.5cm which is the back and round the hind legs.
Hope this helps and good luck

My Daughter hard at work at her part time holiday job. 2 hours x 7 mornings which included setting 2 new lines and presto 3.5kgs of fur. 14 hrs all up and $400 bucks of fur. Works out ideal for her as she is studying NCEA this year. Beats stacking supermarket shelves for $9 an hour or what ever the student rate is. The other photo is Tilly our Australian Terrier, she won't go within 30mtrs of a trapped possum, little chicken shit.