The Info sheet will show you how to make ramps for DOC traps to smooth the transition from box floor to trap, also covers covering Treadle PlateTrap Ramps DOC trap.pdf (375.6 KB)
Processing: Trap Ramps DOC trap.pdf…
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Very useful advice thanks. I would also take the opportunity to temporarily remove the trap and fix the internal mesh to the ramp block with a couple of staples. This would prevent that pesky mesh bending out of shape when cleaning out traps.
Hi the only snag there is if at some stage you want to take the mesh out you won’t be able to, like when there is a really rotten animal I tend to half open the trap and pull out the mesh with the rotten animal in the opening and give it a bit of a shake in bush to get rid of it and refit the mesh and set the trap cheers
Crappy day here so after I posted this I was searching for what UK game keepers do as some are really clued up , might be of interest what they do with Treadle plates
cheers
Thanks heaps Dave. A very interesting read and good to see things from a UK perspective. Also great to see a NZ-invented item being used overseas.
Both seem good ways to disguise/change texture of the treadle. Both paint and the cloth (camo) tape have reasonably strong smell when fresh. If this is an issue to be concerned about?
Hi personally I would favor the Camo or similar Tape, If you want to take it off or need to change it then easy to do, also if you want to do something like rub a bit of lure into it that’s an option.
Hate to tell you that the DOC trap is not really a great Kiwi invention , it is a Swedish design that they changed the trigger design. NZ traps like these and Goodnature do well overseas as they can leverage off the DOC NZ pest control reputation.
Oh well, at least we (Phil Waddington) made the Swedish trap better! 
Hi if people want to try and cover Treadle plates this might be a good option as the broken pattern should be more natural
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Hi I was going to get a roll of that as it looked good plus durable but local Hunting and fishing don’t stock it
One thing for people to watch is read the fine print on Camo Duct Tapes, some hunting Tapes are designed to be easy to remove, like if you want to put on the gun stock or gear during a hunt but take off afterwards, not really what you want on your traps
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Thanks for the tip on removable tape, @dave_e - it’s good to know that treadle tape might still be an option for trappers who don’t personally own their traps (e.g. trap library loans) and can’t make permanent modifications!
Hi I think you will find that the cheapest tape from Mitre 10 /Bunnings will peel off again ok, might just leave a small residue on the Treadle which should wipe off with Methelated spirits, you might even be able to convince the people who run the Trap Library that the Tape is worth trying
cheers
Thanks Dave. Would be great to hear the results from those using the camo tape.
We need as many people to try different methods to find what works best.
A quick update on my modified Doc200. Since setting up the 200 here just over 2 months ago I have caught 6 hedgehogs and 3 ship rats. More importantly, every animal (100%) that has entered the box has gone over the treadle. Except for two hedgehogs that entered the box and found it already occupied by a dead hedgehog!
For those new to this thread, my modified DOC200 has a two stage plywood step that is the same height as the set treadle, and the treadle has thin 2mm ply covering it. I have a camera on the trap 24/7 so I can see every interaction.
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Hi Warren
thanks for the update and great to see you and other people thinking about how to make our existing traps more effective. People have been using the same traps for so long they naturally think that these instillations have been thoroughly tested and that is the best possible, but really it’s just a trap thrown in a box, and the internal mesh is needed to get the animals head in the right place so that any kills comply with NAWAC std
The work you and others is doing is showing what is really just logical, make a natural progression from box floor to Trap, so that the animal is not climbing up onto the trap, and make the Treadle plate more natural for the animal to cross. You don’t need to catch that many more animals to make a difference every one you catch is never going to breed again
keep up the good work
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Hi all
Marcus from Trap Tools here. Have a look at our new NestGard150 tunnel which has a ramp that lifts the animal about 4mm higher than the treadle. The baffle lifts up with the lid so that it is easy to clean. www.traptools.co.nz
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Hi Marcus, I had a look when it was released and forwarded to a few people, I think you lot have done a good job and this type of thing is badly needed.
One of the things I did question was why you put in the ramp, personally I thought it would have been more logical to recess the trap in the floor so that the floor was a clear pathway all the way through. It would have meant that you had to dig a small hole in the ground for the Recess in the base but that is easy enough.
keep up the good work
@dave_e, I don’t know if this is the designers’ reason, but digging holes would be a hassle in kauri areas. You’d have to scrub and disinfect the spade between every separate trap install or move - plus some organisations require special permission before you disturb the ground in any way. Even in non-kauri areas, if a trapper moves their traps often (e.g. a contractor pulsing across multiple sites), the extra labour costs would add up.
Hi it doesn’t really matter seeing as they went in a different direction and what they came up with is really good, but the recess would only have to be 20mm deep so in most cases more just a wriggle the box into the ground to get it sitting flat. no shovel needed
On a similar note both Cam Speedy and I have played around with different ways to cut a hole in the floor of a standard box so that a 200 trap sits on the ground and Treadle is level with the floor, Cam’s sets the traps outside the Box and the one I worked on has a strip of flat metal so that you can still set the Trap in place, It’s on the to do list to to add to Tips and Tricks in case people want to try but for the work required I think for most using a ramp and covering Treadles would be enough of a step up
Hi, thanks for your comments. I work mainly in beech forests, but also on the Christchurch port hills so have a mix of very hard soil, to rocky areas to mossy beech litter. I played with setting the traps outside tunnels and then placing into a recessed area. If your careful its okay, but you need to know what your doing. In my Doubtless Conservation work we have a volunteers with a range of abilities and I thought that a tunnel like this needed to be useable by people of all abilities. Any feedback at all about things that you think we can improve to the design would be appreciated, or about future products that are needed. All the best.
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Hi Marcus, I think you have a great product. My thinking was that if the section in the floor where the trap sits was a molded recess as opposed to a cut out section then the trap could still be bolted in place.
Yes there would be the potential for a bit of debris to get into the recess but probably no worse than a std instillation, and if it did with a nice light setup like yours just pull out the stakes and turn upside down.
I did come up with a couple of more open run through tunnel designs a few years ago but when I sent out for feedback basically zero interest so I never went any further but basically anything has to be better than the Std DOC type wooden box best practice.
I fully agree on a range of skills for trappers I spend 8 years teaching trappers, not everyone is naturally hands on and some just never do enough to get competent, I also make a range of safety clips and setting tools for traps
have a good day