Overall best traps

Predator Control strategy
#1

What do you think is the overall best trap with cost effectiveness, how easy to use, humane and other.

At the moment I am using AT220s and doc150s in the Otuwhero Blue Duck Project-saving the whio.

My favorites are AT220s.

What do you think is the best?

Taane Mills
OBDP

#2

Hi there is not really any best overall trap it really depends on target animals plus non Targets ( I think you will probably have Weka ) If you are sticking with only NAWAC approved traps then . For stoats really only the DOC or similar traps but a few different enclosures if you like the 150’s then in place of the std DOC wooden box the Nestguard plastic tunnels might be worth a look but I have not used them so I don’t know how they might stand up to Weka but the manufacture will probably know.
For possums my picks would be Flipping Timmy or the Sentinel ( see Tips and Tricks section for user friendly sentinels)
But of course the trap is half the problem having them set up well is the other half, there is a possum trapping guide again in Tips and Tricks to get people started, but unfortunatly now that anyone can make You Tube videos much of what is online for Mustelid trapping leaves a bit to be desired

#3

We would second the Flipping Timmy trap - our Flipping Timmy fleet has performed fantastically and the only issues have been where pigs have caused issues but there are good text and video resources about pig-proofing them.

#4
#5

Hi, Marcus here from Trap Tools: we make the NestGard 150. They have been designed especially with weka in mind (also kiwi and kea) as I’m also trustee with Doubtless Conservation which operate in the Lewis Pass region and have all those birds. It meets all DOC requirements for use with those birds and I find it performs well compared to the wood boxes: much lighter to place and has some advantages over the standard wood boxes. The NestGard was developed on from a plywood version that we’ve been using for years, very successfully. If you have possums and pigs around then I would recommend a secure pinning to the ground: we supply plastic pegs for that.