A Practical Guide to Trapping by DOC
DOC PF2050 Communities Team is has provided a 60 page A5 trapping booklet for community groups - ‘A Practical Guide to Trapping’
What is it : a how to practical guide to trapping for communities, containing advice from DOC’s technical experts for trapping mustelids, rats and possums.
Who is it for: this plain language guide is suitable for all trappers, from backyard trappers or new groups, to the more experienced trappers who want to extend their knowledge.
Why have they written it: as a key facilitator of the Predator Free movement DOC seeks to support communities in their commitment to delivering predator control.
What’s in the guide:
how to deliver predator trap control that is safe, effective and humane.
how to identify target predators and the importance of understanding their natural behaviour, the habitats they live in and the threat they pose to our native taonga.
how to apply monitoring tools and collect data and why it’s important. How to select the right traps, baits and lures and recommendations on NAWAC tested traps.
how to layout trap lines for target species and how to maintain, weight test and calibrate DOC series traps.
the guide features supplier lists for traps, baits, lures, monitoring equipment and links to online resources.
the guide also includes information on how to modify best practice to suit backyard and small-scale trapping. ‘Every trap counts towards a Predator Free New Zealand’.
More Information and FAQs
What Trap do I use?
This will depend on what you want to catch. Mostly this will be rats which means an inexpensive rat trap will do the job. If you want to catch mustelids as well then you will need something more substantial, like a DOC 200. Possums will also need a different trap, usually with a different bait. Full details here:
http://predatorfreenz.org/tools-resources/trapping-best-practice/
Where can I buy a trap?
As well as local stores like Hunting and Fishing and the farm supply stores, Predator Free Taupo has traps available - check out our Trap Library. Contact Robin Ellis for more details - robyn@greeningtaupo.org.nz.
How do I record my catches?
Trap.NZ is the national recording database. Trap.NZ has been developed with the support of WWF and Groundtruth Limited. It has been operating since 2014 and is used by over 380 groups throughout New Zealand.
Trap Management Tips
When handling traps and especially baits it is best to use disposal gloves as human scent deters predators of upwards 10 days, especially in vegetation blocks. Traps set in backyard are not as susceptible to human scent due to human contamination around the area.
Use seasonal baits ie eggs especially in spring/summer when birds etc are laying. In the winter meat based lures like chicken/ rabbit are better especially for stoat traps.
Place traps in run pathways (especially for stoats) eg fence lines, edge of pathways to vegetation and borders of vegetation especially if there are animals tracks. For rats place near woodsheds (especially in winter) or anywhere warm and around compost heaps where there may be organic waste.
DOC 200 Tips and Tricks
Because mice are not very heavy they can scavenge the bait in your DOC 200 without triggering the trap. One solution for this is to put a mouse trap in the front of the trap. To avoid the mouse trap finishing up in the DOC 200 (and being destroyed) your mouse trap needs to be secured somehow. The Pest Off brand has a couple of holes on the back corners. This means it can sit on a small nail to secure it but you are also able to lift it out, enabling easy resetting and rebaiting.
A small galvinised nail protruding from the side of the trap will keep Erase (dehydrated rabbit) of the floor of the trap and make the bait last longer.
The photo to the right shows a ribbon fixed to the business end of the trap. This is drawn into the trap when it goes off so you can see from a distance if your trap has been sprung. You just need to be aware that the ribbon does not get jammed when you screw the lid back down.