Cam Speedy, DOC Theatre, Te Anau, 19/5/2021 "80% of predator encounters with a trap result in no interaction whatsoever."
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80% of predator encounters with a trap result in no interaction whatsoever.
Right tool, right place.
Don't over use your tools.
Social licence, we must take public with us. Humane.
Set and forget is no good. 6 months probably too long.
Spend time at each trap. How can I attract predators? Know your predators.
Outcome focus. Predators left standing is what matters.
Predator Behaviour -> Fear, Food, Fornication, Fighting
Chew cards are cheap and quite good. Easy to see if there are rats or possums around, rats shred, possums squeeze the peanut butter out.
Sales and Marketing
Move underperforming traps
Eggs may work in the spring, but are as not statistically better than no bait at all.
Possum nightclub, prefeed for a few days, then trap, leg hold.
Predators follow animal trails, mice, rats, stoats, possum, use mice and rat trails to attract stoats.
DOC200 doubles 6 times more effective than singles
Remove screws, add carpet, in doubles so they don't go off accidentally after a catch in the other trap.
Trail cam: night video is best, big sd card, good battery, view speeded up.
Chinese stainless DOC200s are $15 cheaper and fine, National Spring?
Gas bottles for A24s are $1.50 at uncle bills trading store, Warehouse?
Rat traps in boxes are smaller and much lighter to carry than doc200, wood mechanism may rot in a season, quite effective and can catch stoats, some problems for us with kea proofing them.
I need to work out how to do a report of catches by trap number, so we can see which traps are not effective and do something about that.