well i checked the traps for the first time since resetting, the one i put in the new spot was the only one to catch and caught the biggest male stoat ive ever caught, a bloody monster of a thing!! hate to think how many kills hes made and litters hes sired in his time, not any more though!!

note how the "hazing" sticks have meant that he runs directly on the trip plate.

resulting in him activating the trap and being well and truely caught! no more kills for this one, this is unusually large for stoats in my area so im real happy to have caught him.

ollie the boarder terrier gave him a chew just to make sure he was dead!!

very interesting
cheers

yes fresh rabbit is no1 bait wise but must be fresh, in northland that meens almost dayly checks so i go for eggs, good advise re december, i will be going hard then to catch the young ones. young females are more often than not fertilised by the father prior to leaving the nest so they leave with a belly full of babys!!

now is the time to be hitting the preditors, any female killed now is gold.

I have heard you can use boiled eggs in the traps as saves on breakages during transportation and as a club have recently got a grant to purchase traps from Enviroment Waikato and i believe there are other places to get funding from for this type of work

Cool! Thanks Chris, can't wait ta get into it, very very helpful info!!!!

im running 5 tunnels, 1 trap in 2 and 2 traps in 3, on 50 acres, i have 20 acres of grass so really only trapping 30 acres, i rekon i could use another 3 to 5 tunnels easily and am in the process of making more. im not sure if thats the correct coverage but i think its far better to have what ever traps you have in good positions and serviced regularly, the trap location and quality of your set is what gives you a higher catch, having said that, if i was doing 600 acres it might be better to just have heaps of traps every were and go for really high coverage. one things for sure though, if its in a crap place or has rotten old bait in it, it probably wont catch a thing.

your nana and pop might get a bit tichy finding rabbit blood on there dried apricots bro!!! i havnt tried dried rabbit but have used salted rabbit quite a bit, it did catch but not as good as eggs, could be worth a crack with the dried. traps definatly seem to catch better once a stoat has been caught, must be the scent they leave in it i think, rabbit piss could be a good plan, i think rabbit blood would go rotten smelling and maybe only work when it was nice and fresh. ive heard of a guy putting folded up paper from his kids pet mice cage in the traps as well as bait, the paper reaked of mice piss and he rekoned it worked as a lure, could be worth a try but i think plain old eggs works ok for me. the lure paste i read about was a concentrated rat smell, designed especially to target mustelids so there must be some merrit in it.

I experiment a lot with the trap site, I believe if something is not quite right most dont go near. I found no bait is required if you got them set up in the right spot and I think lures and baits may alert the smarter ones to the danger actually reducing the catch rate, my understanding is they like live food and this is why 1080 has no effect on them and so its better to think of providing them cover rather than food.
I check mine daily along with my possum line, this gets them going big time, once I get it right I often catch every day in the same trap for a bit - up to 30 on the trot and once 2 in one day. This is how to get the numbers up more than any other trick.
Also I make it natural as possible, heres another pic of the punga tunnel set which is productive year in an out,

Also fully agree with every attention to the way the traps are set, bed well, hide with local material, guide with same, and set light as possible and check from a distance without touching.

legend

cheers rh, i will try it, do they have a web site?

cheers rh, good link mate, ill try some of that and do a report, 4-6 weeks till smelly is quite good.

i  got 3 of these fenn traps in the shep if anyone wants to take them off my hands

Heres a link to the design used for DOC trapping stations and you can go to the home page to find suppliers of the traps etc.
http://www.predatortraps.com/downloads/doc%20200%20setting%20instructions.pdf

The kids at Inglewood High School are also doing these for a good rate:
http://www.stoatbusters.co.nz/

I was contemplating the same for here!  Kiwi are getting nailed badly in the beech country now.  Where did you buy yours from Weathered?  Was considering getting local High School involved to try and keep up a good stream of young ones in the bush.

The method they employed up the Hawdon was more akin to cluster bombing than anything else!!
Yes placing traps in the right position makes a huge difference in success.  You have to learn to think like your prey.  Don't think you will have that much trouble with getting the idea.  Those slinky sneaky little shites do take some nailing.  I used to catch quite a few on the coast when I was a young'n lining my pockets with possum money.  Even with a gin trap jaw closed across their mid sections they were ferocious little blighters.  The stink they let go is something you never forget!  I'd put it on a par with skunk but less volume
Often had to chuck the trap in a creek for a few days to make it usable again.  No self respecting possum would travel across that stench....  Just a conclusion I came to and it may not apply always but I think they used the possum tracks quite a bit.  Especially in more open areas like bracken fields etc.  Suppose they could motor along without getting wet and also out of sight.
HTH

Good thread,trapping is so interesting and you just never stop learning. It's great reading various posts, without someone else posting in and rubbishing differing methods.  We may all benefit to some degree from this, experienced trappers and emerging trappers alike.

Going through this topic with great interest, maybe looking at tendering on some predator work in the future.
Like weathered i are ready to soak up as much info/advice as possible

This may be of interest to you guys. Another 80 traps or so were set over the weekend. Area in blue is now mostly covered plus some other areas. Hopefully it's readable.

Thats the one. Great idea.

Thanks for that link Hillclima - ive been doing ferret control for AHB for last 2 years and never seen that link. So have just printed it out and will read it tonight before starting back tomorrow.

allmost gauranteed karkariki, and once you have got a few you will probably get other species of birds moving in as well, go get em!

yep had a few like that, i always wonder if the fresh rat attracted the stoat, hmmmm rat live baits, now theres an idea????

i only have that problem if possums or feral cats go into the trap, not familiar with your trap type(tunnel traps?) but i would lengthen the tunnel to seperate the traps more or shorten the chains on the traps right up so the stoat cant bounce around to much and trigger the other trap?

Did our traps yesterday and had to chisel the lid open cos they were frozen solid. but nice stoat in one trap. Mate caught monster cat in his noose trap. Bloody heavy to tie up in the tree.

Hey Bboi

My guess about the doc200 set both going off is down the the power of the trap.  I've caught heaps of double set stoats using fenn traps. the extra power of the doc 200s prob causes both to go off. i'd try using a bigger box, increase the spacing between the traps. 

Either that or use fenns.

be keen to see that if poss?

meathunter72 wrote on Jul 27^th, 2009 at 8:15pm:


Ive got a heap of boxes already made to the 'best practice sizes' so Im trying to get them running properly in the re-made boxes. If I cant improve on my % the chainsaw is coming out and Ill just run twice as many single sets.
I have also heard that the traps are supposed to be facing opposite directions, my ones are all facing to the same side of the trap. So Ill need to have a play round with trap orientation and see the results.

Cheers for the reply

Might have to put a prunned down version in the Info section..

Good reading here. Always keen to get mustelids and shooting them seems nigh on impossible.

Next run on the traps we are going to use squid to see if it can help in addition to fish oil.

Bon wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2012 at 10:28pm:


Any updates?

We now put a dab of marmite on the inside of our traps to get the cats. Do not use magpie meat for traps unless you want to catch hedgies. We found out with a camera of  cats ignoring magpies as bait.

Really great thread. 

I have plenty of time on my hands and am quite keen to trap a bush reserve near my home.  Just for interest sake, and to see what is living in there.  We have lots of Tui in our backyard, so probably not a lot!  But even if I only get a couple of the little bastards, it will be worth it!!

Ferret, definitely

Stoats are a much classier looking animal  http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/animal-pests/animal-pest...

oscar is correct. they are quite rare up north here. it always amazes me seeing how many there are down south.
its my trapping goal this year to get one

I used to run a few gin traps round Tokoroa as a kid. I often caught stoats when the trap was set on a log or branch across a road or track. I just used to nail the trap to the log sit it on top, sprinkle a few pine needles over and bobs your uncle a stoat!

Whats the cost of the 20 x 20 welded mesh?  Can't find any online price.

Oh OK, I've got stuff for rabbit and guinea pig cages from Bunning's before so I'll see if they have the welded stuff too.  Given the need to be corrosion proof it needs to be well made too.
Cheers,

Hey,

Our chooks have been getting harrassed lately and in recent times our egg numbers have dropped. We discovered eaten hollowed out egg shells under the chooks shed and shortly afterwards started having sightings of a stoat nearby.
I've been soaking up as much info as I can on these critters (thanks Cruz for showing me this thread it's gold).

I decided in the end to get a few DOC200 traps and set them up on the property two weeks ago. I've baited them with an egg and a piece of dried rabbit meat. I also shamelessly poached Chris's idea of making a nest for the egg! It makes it look heaps more natural.

Here's a couple of photos of my sets. Mustelids are all a bit new to me so I'm still trying to figure out the best places for setting the traps. I've set one with the chooks which has caught a rat and a hedgehog.
The first one here is near a bridge, a fallen tree and where two fencelines meet. I haven't had anything visit so far.



The second is on the edge of a stream and two fencelines, there's plenty of trees and rabbit holes nearby but it's quite a damp area.



This morning I checked the traps and caught this fella in the trap in the second photo, happy as. I didn't realise ferrets could fit into these boxes.

Good job, well done!!

Great result wellycoaster - I bet that makes you feel good - man that is a serious piece of hardwear - hope he enjoyed his last egg 
I like the look of the way you covered your box - I am going to pile a heap of stuff over mine - they are just not working - other than dumb mice and rats 

Cheers guys, it's all very addictive 
Hi Cruz, I wonder if they look less suspicious when covered and more like part of the surroundings.
One other thing I did yesturday was use the claw on the hammer and gave the dirt a real good rip on each side of the tunnel, it looked alot like the entrance to a bunny hole so maybe that helped too.

Just gathering a bunch of trapping and bait station gear together for a project - a kind person from Council gave us this Philproof cover with two traps
From what I can see on this thread - the traps may need to be let into the ground a little to create an easy run to the bait - likely I will use a couple of eggs in the middle
The main question however is - how the heck do you load the traps without munching some fingers?
I set some Timms up in the bush today will be interesting to see how they go - certainly easy to set - but not sure that I like them on the ground - I may try tying them up on large logs

http://possumdss.landcareresearch.co.nz/possum_dss/images/Brackcontrap.JPG

thought i would update this thread a bit with some info on doc200 and doc250 traps.
im still using my fenn trap box's mainly around home but the doc traps are on my main trap lines.
for use on doc contracts these traps must be used as they are humane certified for the target species.
doc200's for stoats, weasels etc and the larger doc250's for ferrets.


the traps consist of the box and two doc200's per box.


the box interior has room for a trap at each end and bait holders for both egg and meat baits.
each end of the box has two metal mesh grills. each with a hole the right size for mustelids, rats etc.
the holes are off set to prevent critters like possums reaching in for the bait and getting caught by an arm.


the box is shown here set and ready to close up. the bait is salted rabbit. i use dead leaves underneath to help prevent the salty liquid that oozes out of the bait getting onto the traps and causing rust. it also makes it easier/cleaner to remove the rotten baits.
the traps are stainless steel and are robust but do still corrode over time.


here is another box set up with an egg bait.
its important to position the traps in the box correctly.
the front edge of the foot plate should be about 1mm off the box and the trap should be as far inside the box as it can be. ensure the bait holder cant interfere with the trap working correctly.
if the trap is closer to the mesh than the bait holder you can end up with live captures, not ideal.
this is because the trap is sprung as the animal first enters the box with its feet rather than allowing its full body, or as much of it as possible to get in the box and in effective range of the trap.


amputated rats paw.
as seen here not positioning the trap correctly can result in live captures and unnecessary suffering or amputated limbs and an escaped and now very trap shy critter.


this stoat has been leg caught. not because the trap was set incorrectly but because it has entered the trap by crawling over top of the dead rat in the first trap.
probably to have a chew on the rat or just curious but it has sprung the trap with one leg and become caught. you can see where urine has matted its fur meaning it has taken a fair while to die.
almost impossible to prevent this happening sometimes but a humane kill should be the aim of all trapping imo so try and avoid it as much as possible.


this weasel shows the ideal victim position in trap resulting in a very fast death.


you can see here that by having the gap between the mesh and the trap as large as possible has meant this stoat has been able to get well inside the box and directly under the trap jaw. this is a usual kill position for stoats and is again a very quick death.


the most common catch is likely to be rats. the doc200 is overkill on rats and a very efficient killer!
dont be discouraged if your box's are full of rats.
rats are a very underrated predator and good to catch. its also very common to catch a stoat after one trap has a rat in it. i believe the stoats are attracted to the dead rat and it makes your box more attractive.
as does the scent of rats in the box once they are removed. it also shows your box is in a good area as rats are a major prey item for mustelids.



rat numbers at times are incredible in the bush and they can be a little frustrating when they end up filling up all your taps leaving no room for stoats to be killed!


even sometimes three rats from one box!
to maximise the effectiveness of your traps its important to put some thought into each set. you want EVERY trap to be in the most likely place to catch a mustelid rather than just plonked down on the ground when your sick of carrying it.
there are several things i look for when deciding where to position a box that have proven to increase my catch rates.

using features.
by features i mean things in the bush that are likely to be of interest to a hunting stoat and that he will be attracted to even before he see's or smells your baits.
stoats move rapidly over large areas constantly hunting. their preferred prey is mainly rodents but pretty much anything is on the menu!
i look for structure or features in the bush that are likely places for rodents to feed or nest in. groves of good fruiting trees like tarraire or miro are likely to attract rats over summer. old logs or piles of rocks, astelia clumps etc all offer good places for nesting rats and there for good hunting for stoats.



this box set up in an old rata log is a reliable stoat catcher. the stoats come hunting around the log which is full of holes and places rats nest in.
stoats also like to use existing tracks or areas the same as mentioned for the fenn trap sets on page one. creeks, walking tracks, fence lines, roads edges, hedges etc are all areas stoats seem to like to travel along.




this box is set on a feral goat game trail. it runs up a predominant spur with an old fence line separating native bush on the left and high kanuka on the right.
another reliable set.

using terrain.
another very successful way to increase a box's kill rate is by using terrain. i look for areas that funnel stoats towards my traps because the terrain dictates thats the most likely place for them to travel.
this little creek has an old goat trail running along it. the sides of this creek are very steep and in very thick scrubby bush. it is most likely that stoats will use the old goat trail as they travel this creek.
i have positioned the box at a place where the goat track is very narrow leaving little room for anything but the box. and also at a junction of two creeks as these creeks are often used as highways by stoats.



i then use old punga logs to create a situation where any stoats traveling the goat trail are funneled towards the box and hopefully into it.



the finished set ready to catch. you can see that any stoats traveling the creek are highly likely to encounter the box, smell/see the bait and enter the trap.


another example. a small terrace on a corner of a creek with another side creek opposite. a likely place for traveling mustelids.
note the rocks on top of the box. its a good idea to place something heavy on top of the box. this helps prevent "sympathetic set off" where the jarring of one trap going off sets off the second trap and renders your box inactive.
i will take some photos of the doc250 ferret traps im using when im next in the bush later this week.
overall i find the doc200 traps to be robust, efficient, and reliable. the only downside is they are quite bulky and heavy to get into the bush and quite expensive. the expense comes from the stainless steel construction and this does mean they will last a very long time if looked after so probably still good value for money despite the high initial set up cost.


i carry some basic maintenance tools for adjusting the trap etc and two or three times a year every trap gets a good clean and oil. the traps are easy to adjust by using pliers and bending the trigger bar at the top.
i also carry a weight on a string to check and adjust trigger weights. ideally your trap should go off with 8 grams of weight. this is fine enough to catch lighter weight predators like weasels and juvenile rats etc.
good luck with your trapping guys!

Fantastic post, thanks for the insight.

plenty food for thought there thank you.

Hell, I'd never found this thread before, its great! 

good work..thats two more good ones
I have same type traps but they are 250s and have changed some of their  holes to 16 squares eg 4x4 instead of the 9 or 12 they  came cut with....have caught some BIG hedgehogs and a huge ferret that I dont think would have fitted in otherwise.