Thread: Possum Traping In The Weekend

On Friday 15th of June 2012 Hellaman my neighbor and I set out to bait my traps for the weekend. We travelled two kms on our push bikes. I have 12 traps but I only set 6 because where I was trapping was too little for 12 traps. For bait I use flour and cinnamon and spread it out on the tray of the trap. The possums smell it and walk over to it. They can also see it well because it is white and they get distracted. Then they put their foot in it and it shuts and their foot gets stuck.

The following Saturday morning I set out to check my possum traps. I walked up the bank to my first two traps and their was a possum in it. It wasn’t very big, but it was better than nothing. I killed it then plucked it. I didn’t get much fur off it but its a start because the week before I sold my 1.28kgs of fur and got $153. Now I have to start again. When I got back home I dried the fur on a tray because it was wet it rained during the night.

After I check my traps in the morning I set them off so I don’t catch any stock and then I re-set them again in the afternoon. Before I went to set my traps on the Saturday afternoon I thought I might make up a bait that doesn’t blow off. Because most of the time when it is raining or windy it get washed off. So I mixed together flour,cinnamon,sugar,water and golden syrup so it would be a paste. It was brown so I would just put some of the normal powder on it and it would stick to the paste so it would be white and the possums could see it at night. After that I went and set my six traps. Dad gave me a ride on the motorbike to set them.

On the morning of Sunday Ryan came with me to check my traps. We walked through the paddocks. When we got there we got to the first trap nothing was in it so I set it off. We climbed up the bank to the second trap and there was a big jack possum in it.

Then after I killed it I plucked it. I got quite a lot of fur off this possum because it was big. The one that I caught the day before was too little but it was still worth the money.

That is what I do most weekends.

By Daniel
Age:13

I couldn't put any photos on because they are to big for this forum.

Good on ya mate. I have to get rid of some of the possum fur I have lying around in the garage. I didn't realize it was worth as much as it was.

Poor little bastards. I've shot hundreds and hundreds of possums but traps seem a bit stink.

I'm not against them and get why they've gotta be used, but there's a difference between trapping an animal in discomfort for a day or two and blowing them out of a tree with the .17 hummer.

How come you don't pluck the tail fur? You do a better job of the rest of them than I do. Squatting in a paddock at night with a torch and a plastic bag makes it a pain.

Nice work Daniel keep it up. Just watch those ones that get a bit ticked off and try to have a go at ya had that a couple of times, also ask your dad to jack you up with a photobucket account and post the image links into your posts and they will show up with your yarn

Rimfire you need over a hundred possums to get 1kg of tail fur and it can not be mixed with the other fur because it is too coarse to go with the body fur plus tail fur is a prick to hand pluck anyway and it is not allowed to be plucked by machine like you can with body fur.

Na, I'm not going to worry about the tail fur. But thanks anyway

I have just a couple of tips that may help improve your catch rate young fella.
When trying to lure a possum with baits/rubs like you have dont put it over your trap. Set the trap no more than 6" from your site/tree and rub the lure, starting approx 18" up the tree with your hand, like a smear. You dont want the bugger to play wth the trap which they will eventually do and set it off without being caught. Or while smelling the lure around the trap it will spring on there face and they will never go near another.
Dont give them too much chain either, staple your trap half or 3/4 along the chain. Less is best.
Look for natural approaches to the trap and use what you can too guide them too the trap. An open tunnel of sorts.
Good luck in the future hope you catch heaps.

thanks for that ill try it

93 has some good points , also when you place your trap put a few sticks on either side to create a wall so to speak so possy has to walk over the trap to smell lure !!!
In the spring try budding willows , In winter try crops on farms or around the outside ,
Good luck and let us know how you get on ?

Another good lure is flour and curry powder mixed together the possums love it I used to use one whole container of hot curry powder to 1kg of flour, you can smell the stuff as you are approaching your traps rub that all over the tree trunk just like R93 said, so there is another option for you to try as an alternative lure.

Well done pt Good on ya for getting out there and earning your own pocket money

I seen that kids face before well done Son.

Originally Posted by hunter308

Another good lure is flour and curry powder mixed together the possums love it I used to use one whole container of hot curry powder to 1kg of flour, you can smell the stuff as you are approaching your traps rub that all over the tree trunk just like R93 said, so there is another option for you to try as an alternative lure.

Thanks I used that bait and caught three possums

Well done young man ,Keep killin them .

Originally Posted by possum trapper

Thanks I used that bait and caught three possums

Keep up the good work Daniel good to hear the bait brew I suggested worked well for you.

I made a paste with the flower and curry powder so it doesn't get washed off.

Would add that having your trapsin a bit of a hollow so the possum cant kick the side and get spooked may help. Good stuff though, keep it going...