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Weasel Box Holes

Though weasels, also known as ermine when they turn white, adorned the royal robes in Europe, its für doesn’t carry the same exclusivity today. Nevertheless, weasels are still trapped in the United States. When trappers are targeting weasels, many will use a weasel box. Weasel boxes are designed to hold and protect the traps used to capture weasels. The box protects the bait from the weather and larger animals that might steal the bait or otherwise interfere with the trap. The question is, what diameter should be used for the weasel box hole?

Weasel box hole
Weasel box with hole in view. Different trappers use different size holes. What hole size is best?

Weasel Box Hole Sizes

Different trappers use different hole sizes. Some weasel trappers prefer holes 2 inches in diameter. Other trappers like their weasel box holes to be 1.5 inches in diameter.

Why Different Hole Sizes?

Is it because weasels in northern latitudes are larger and thus require a larger hole? While more southerly weasels are smaller and only require a smaller diameter hole? If that is not the issue, then do hole sizes make a difference in capture rates both in weasel captures and avoidance of non-target captures?

Bottom Line

I would love to know the answer to this if there is one. I’ll keep an eye out for any info. But if you have some insights on the proper sizing of weasel box holes do let us know.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Montana Ballot 2016 Initiative 177

I thought I would publish this letter from the Montana Trapper’s Association regarding the effort by Footloose Montana to ban trapping on public land by non-government personnel.
Feedback is welcomed.
Stephen M. Vantassel
Dear Fellow Outdoorsman,
In Montana, for the past two centuries we have had the privilege  of enjoying our trapping activities largely unfettered by unnecessary regulation and threat to our pursuit.  We are now threatened with the loss of trapping on public land by the threat of Ballot Initiative I-177 which will be voted on this November.
We need your help.
We are now threatened by the most vicious, callous, and ruthless opponent that we have ever seen before.  There are Animal Rights Activists, temporarily based in Missoula but funded by out-of-state sources, that are hell bent on taking away our trapping heritage.  Their self-stated goal is to go after trapping, then hunting with hounds, then bear hunting, then all hunting, and then fishing.  They will wear us down, and if we don’t act NOW our grandchildren will likely never know the joys that we have experienced in the outdoors.
We need to put up a firewall NOW and stop these anti’s in their tracks.  If we lose our privilege to trap on public land in Montana then we will certainly lose our ability to trap on ALL land in Montana altogether.  And other states will soon follow.
That’s why I am asking you to donate $56 to the Montana Trappers Association to help fight this threat.  That’s just $1 for every county in our state.
And I know that some folks will be unable to make a contribution at this time, but if you can help with any donation, whether it be $25, $50, $100 or more, we’d be sincerely grateful for your generous donation.  The fact of the matter is, we need the funds right NOW because the election is on November 8th and coming at us fast.  We need to get the word out to all of the people who don’t necessarily oppose trapping, but might be easily swayed by the emotional attack ads and information generated by the Animal Rights Extremists.  Again, that’s just $56 for a crucial victory on Election Day that will mean everything to our trapping culture.
The President of the Montana Trappers Association tells us that Montanans are facing what may be the most important legal challenge to sportsmen’s rights in the history of our state. In November Montana citizens will be asked to vote whether the long standing tradition of trapping will continue on public lands. As a battle ground state, the outcome of this fight will affect sportsmen across the country and that’s why I’m writing to you.
Trapping has proven to be a necessary part of Montana’s wildlife management practices for decades. It is also a source of income for Montana families and predator control for ranchers and farmers who need it most. But that’s just the beginning.
Time spent with my uncle learning how to hunt and trap on public lands are my earliest childhood memories. Because we trapped and hunted together then I still yearn to be surrounded by nature now. And as I watch that outdoor passion growing in my own grandchildren’s eyes I can only think that all Montana children deserve days like these.
The fact is that Animal Rights activists are pushing their agenda onto Montanans.  I-177 is bad for wildlife, costly for cattle and sheep ranchers, bad for taxpayers, and even dangerous for pets and people. With so much public land in Montana it seems unreasonable to think that there isn’t enough room for everybody to share the landscape. There are many reasons to oppose I-177 but here are a few key points to know about I-177:
     I-177 would ban one of the most effective and essential methods for controlling wolves, coyotes, and other predators to protect Montana’s elk, moose and deer populations, as well as livestock.
I-177 will cost at least $422,000 in taxpayer money every year for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to do the same things that trappers currently buy a license to do at no cost.
Roughly 40% of all wolves harvested in Montana are taken by regulated trapping with nearly half taken on public lands. Imagine the wolf population without trapping!
I-177 is being pushed by the animal rights and anti-hunting lobby whose real agenda is to ban all trapping and all hunting.
I-177 is opposed by Montana’s major sportsmen’s organizations, cattle and sheep ranchers and wildlife management professionals.
I-177 would not allow any trapping until after damage or even a tragedy has occurred, and even then, not until non-lethal methods have been tried and documented to be unsuccessful for 30 days. Meanwhile, dangerous predator populations will continue to grow unchecked.
As a hunter, trapper and angler in Montana I don’t want to see unnecessary infringements on our outdoor heritage. A real threat to our outdoor legacy is happening and if there was ever a time to stand together, that time is now. The effort will be enormous but we must work together to preserve Montana’s outdoor legacy.
So please, we need you to make an urgent contribution of $56 or more to the Montana Trappers Association or the Montanans for Wildlife and Public Land Access.

Donations can be made through the MTA website: http://montanatrappers.org/donations.htm  

Don’t let it be known that the Great State of Montana lost the battle to preserve our trapping culture against the Animal Rights Extremists!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Rader
Montana Trappers Association, montanatrappers.org
p.s. To those of you who have already contributed to our cause in defeating Ballot Initiative I-177, please don’t disregard this message.  Instead, please forward this message on to all the folks in your email address book who are sympathetic to this cause.  This includes bowhunters, houndsmen, fishermen, boaters and any other outdoors person you can think of.  We have to stop the anti’s at the Montana border before it gets to YOUR state!!!  I know some of you have extensive email address lists that would be beneficial to our cause, please circulate this!!  And THANK YOU in advance!

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Winter Trapping Tips

Winter Trapping Tips

Each season brings its own challenges to the WCO and winter is no different. Here are a few tips to maximize your results when Mother Nature tries to slow you down.
1. Choose the right glue board. I am not a big fan of glue boards but sometimes they are needed. In cold weather, choose the freezer-style glue boards as they stay tacky even down to freezing temperatures.

Board used to protect a cage trap from snow. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Board used to protect a cage trap from snow. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

2. Protect your cage traps from snow. Snow can conceal your bait and bury your traps making it ineffective. Worse yet, you have to dig out your traps later. Protect your traps in advance by setting them under an evergreen tree, under an eave, on the lee side of a tree or building, or place a sheet of plywood on top.
3. Improve your baiting technique. Bait won’t volatize as easily in cold weather so don’t think that your bait will have the same draw as it does in the summer. Thus you need to pay more attention to locating your traps in the best location. But since that may not be possible (see point 2) think about using trailing lures to help guide the animal to the trap.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a Certified Wildlife Control Operator (CWCP®) who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. He has written the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. Reach him at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Coexisting with Furbearers

Coexisting with Local Furbearers. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Coexisting with Local Furbearers. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Book Review: Coexisting with Local Furbearers: Good Practices in Management and Intervention by Gaétan Fournier. Quebec, Canada: Fédération des Trappeurs Gestionnaires du Québec, 2014. 248 pp.

Canada has had a long fur trapping tradition and coexisting with furbearers. With about 1/10th the population of the U.S. and about twice the land area, it’s a veritable trapping paradise. But even Canadians encounter conflicts with wildlife which need to be resolved.
This text is designed to train fur trappers in how to prevent and manage the conflicts caused by fur bearers. The guiding principle behind the book is to reduce the killing of valuable furbearing species outside the trapping season through the use of non-lethal techniques and targeted removals.
The book has 8 chapters: Introduction, managing human/wildlife conflicts, mandatory steps for professional operations, managing nuisance furbearing animals, the dilemma of translocation, repellents and their limitations, disposing of animal remains, and conclusion. , the bulk of the book falls under Chapter 4, managing nuisance furbearing animals. There readers will find detailed information on the biology, non-lethal control methods, lethal control methods, diseases, and other concerns, for beaver, muskrat, river otter, mink, squirrels, weasels, raccoon, skunk, red fox, coyote, wolf, and black bear. Note the information tends to center on damage issues affecting rural, livestock, infrastructure, and non-building settings. If you are looking for instructions on running a business in Columbus, OH, this is not the book for you.

Fournier included several appendices to cover important topics, such as diseases, selective trapping, attractants (i.e. baits/lures), and specialist equipment. Appendices contain important information that may not be expected given their placement in the appendices.
I had the privilege and pleasure to be a technical editor for this publication, so forgive me if I gush a bit about this book. It is smartly illustrated with beautiful color images and superb line drawings. Trappers interested in research-based wildlife control should get a copy of this text. I am confident that readers will improve their understanding of wildlife biology and techniques used to manage their damage.

To obtain a copy, send an e-mail containing your complete address, quantity desired to: ftgq@ftgq.qc.ca. FTGQ will send a PayPal invoice that will inform you about the price of the book and the shipping fees (all in Canadian dollars).

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP®
https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com

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Family Handyman Magazine

Handyman Magazine

Mr. Larson,

It is certainly important that the public understand how to manage mice given how pervasive they are in the US as well as the significance of the damage that they can cause to human health and safety. Certainly there was much in your article (“Tips for Trapping Mice.” Sept 2014 pp.45-7.) that will benefit readers. Having commented on a previous article, where information was less than technically accurate. I was disappointed that the Family Handyman Magazine didn’t reach out to me for my help with this latest article. You may not know but the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management exists to provide research-based information to the public on handling wildlife complaints. Certainly house mice fall within our purview.

Clamshell-style traps positioned properly against the wall. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Clamshell-style traps positioned properly against the wall. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

I wanted to point out a few the areas where there were some mistakes that could negatively impact the success of your readers in regards to managing house mice. First, page 46. You mention the need to look for pathways which is certainly correct. However, the photo those presented shows a very poor way of setting and positioning traps. Mice tend to follow edges so the traps should of been set perpendicular to the wall with narrow and on the bait side touching the wall. The Helter-Skelter way they were positioned raises the chance that a mouse would misfire a trap and become educated to it. In addition, the claim about 8 inches jumping is a little too low. Research suggests that it’s actually higher than that closer to 10 inches see my blog https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/2011/05/15/house-mice-mus-musculus-jumping-abilities/ for the reference and discussion.

Second, peanut butter is an excellent bait for mice, but given peanut butter allergies among the public and that diversity is important when trying to eliminate a mouse infestation, the article should a provided some alternatives, including the decision not to bait at all in and use blind sets.

Page 47. You mentioned that use of anticoagulants is not painless. I would certainly agree. But in fact some researchers like Dr. Bobby Corrigan of the leading rodent experts in the world believes that rodenticides, such as anticoagulants are actually more humane than using snap traps. Certainly counter-intuitive, but his insight is important.

Also, your suggestion about glue boards was unfortunate. In fact glue boards are not a very effective way of controlling mice. So while you’re correct in terms of their relative cruelty, you could’ve gotten the same point across by noting that they’re not that effective.

Here are some resources that would’ve helped your readers:

  • Controlling House Mice http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=66
  • Bait Stations for Rodents http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=633
  • Controlling House Mice. The Z mag. http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1575, and
  • Rodent Proof Construction http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=23

Again, your article does provide important information useful for the public. I concern is for the technical accuracy of the paper so that it meets the standards you have for your other fine articles. Do let me know how the Internet center for wildlife damage management can assist Handyman Magazine and future issues on wildlife control.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a Certified Wildlife Control Operator (CWCP®) who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

About Stephen M. Vantassel

Stephen M. Vantassel, MNI, CNI, CWCP, ACP, ACE Stephen M. Vantassel's Bio Stephen M. Vantassel is the Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture (2015-present). Formerly, Stephen M. Vantassel was the Program Coordinator of Distance Education-Wildlife Damage Management for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources from 2004-2014. Stephen filled … Learn More

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