Think like a pest!

This was the message delivered at the Hurunui Biodiversity Trust’s Trapping Workshop last Saturday.

Tim Sjoberg, leader of a professional trapping team for Pest Free Banks Peninsula, was the guest at the Scargill-Motunau Reserve where over 30 people from local conservation groups or who trap on the own properties gathered for the workshop.

Others attended because they wanted to start trapping.

Following presentations and lunch, the group walked around the Birdsong Project’s restoration site to hear Tim’s advice about where best to lay trap lines, and his many tips about trap locations and set ups, and their regular maintenance.

He stressed the importance of designing trapping to suit the land, the season and the pests being dealt with.

The aim of trapping was to outcompete the target species’ natural food supply by providing trails, ramps, ladders, and platforms to make it easier for a pest to decide the trap was worth a visit despite the pest’s innate sense of caution.

Most of the focus was on possums, rats, feral cats, and the mustelids - stoats, ferrets, and weasels. Other pests mentioned included mice, hedgehogs, wasps, feral deer and pigs.

The workshop was about more than just putting out traps.

He said among the arsenal to control pests were lures, trail cameras, automatic trap monitoring, websites for recording catches and observations, and bird counts.

Tim said whatever your practical tools, they worked best when you had a clear plan and adapted it after gaining experience and sharing knowledge with other trappers.

Another presenter, Richard Shaw of the Blythe Valley Catchment Group, took the attendees through the process of setting up AT220 traps for easy remote monitoring, and reporting to Trap.nz, a free online service. Richard is developing a Trap.nz map of trapping projects throughout Hurunui.

Shaun Monk of Island Hills Station near Culverden also presented.

Shaun and his volunteers are doing extensive trapping in the station’s covenanted native forests and other protected zones. They have had impressive results with possum control.

The workshop finished with a brief talk about Hurunui Biodiversity Trust’s Pest Free Hurunui initiative, which covers pest plants as well as pest animals. 

The Trust would like to hear from people who are interested in trapping or weeding, or are able to help as volunteers. Contact Project Coordinator Hamish Trolove at hurunuibiodiversity@gmail.com or visit the website.