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Release a Trapped Opossum

Do you know how to release a trapped opossum (Didelphis virginianus)? Many people think that cage trapping is easy.  Frankly, it is. But it is easy in the sense that following a recipe is easy. Everything is great if you follow the steps but the situation can turn badly if you fail to follow the steps. Of course, many people cut corners and the results can show. But there is a way that releasing a trapped opossum is different. Opossums, unlike cake ingredients, have minds of their own.

The following YouTube video explains how to properly release a trapped opossum. The reason for the instruction is two-fold. First, it’s important to understand the safety and animal welfare issues related to using cage traps and dealing with cage-trapped animals. I discuss these issues more fully in my book, Being Kind to Animal Pest rev ed.  The second reason is that opossums are different than most animals. Most cage-trapped animals leave the trap almost immediately when the cage door opens. Opossums are different. They frequently just stay in the cage letting you wonder why the opossum hasn’t left. I explain how to handle that situation.

Keep in mind, that the release in the video was an on-site release. Do not translocate (often misnamed relocation) animals unless your state’s wildlife laws permit translocation. Translocation can be quite cruel and can endanger the translocated animal or other animals. To learn more visit Translocation.

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 available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} 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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29th Vertebrate Pest Conference

In early March, I was privileged to be in attendance at the 29th Vertebrate Pest Conference in Santa Barbara, California, March 3-5, 2020. This was my fourth or fifth time attending a VPC. The Vertebrate Pest Conference is the oldest and longest continuing running conference on wildlife damage management and wildlife control topics in the United States and possibly the world. It is truly the grand daddy of wildlife control training. It discusses structural vertebrate control as well as agricultural and public health vertebrate control.

Stephen M. Vantassel speaking at the 29th Vertebrate Pest Conference on M-44s and Box trap temperatures.
Stephen M. Vantassel speaking at the 29th Vertebrate Pest Conference on M-44s and Box trap temperatures.

The Vertebrate Pest Conference started in the 1960s in response to a perceived need for improved research and transfer of information on managing human-wildlife conflicts. Since that time, the conference occurs every other year, (even years), usually in California but there have been instances where the conference occurred in Nevada and Hawaii. I am told that the next Vertebrate Pest Conference in 2022 will occur in Reno, NV, so start planning.

I not only was an attendee, but I also presented on two topics. The first topic was titled, “M-44 Use Non-USDA Personnel in Montana between 2006-2019.” Montana is one of the few states that licenses private applicators to use M-44s to control coyotes (Canis latrans). I collected the use data and presented on that information as well as discussed implications.

My second topic was titled, “Temperature and Humidity Study in Cage and Box Traps: Implications for Animal Welfare.” This presentation was based on a research trial I did while I was at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Essentially, I placed temperature and humidity loggers in a cage and plasti-catch trap for over a year. A third one was placed between the two traps. The idea was to see what the conditions were in each of the traps. Turns out that the box trap was significantly warmer than the cage trap. Hotter traps can be useful for animals in the winter time, but in the summer can dramatically undermine animal welfare.

Both presentations will be published in the Proceedings of the 29th Vertebrate Pest Conference, which should be out before the end of 2020. I’ll update the publication status in a future blog, or you can visit my Academia.edu page.

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 available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} 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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Bat Trapping

You may not have heard of bat trapping, but bat trapping is sometimes used by wildlife control operators (WCOs) to capture and remove bats from a structure. The concept is quite simple. You locate all the gaps in a structure and close the ones not being used by bats as

Photo of a Bat Trap manufactuered by Al LaFrance
BatTrap (18″ model) manufactured by Al LaFrance, its inventor.

exits. Then for the holes bats use as exits, you install a bat trap which captures the bats as they exit the building. Bat trapping is an ingenious idea. It allows the WCO to show the client that the bats have been removed from the structure. As a marketing tool, it was very effective and it worked to remove bats from a structure too.

A couple of types of bat traps exist. The one pictured at the right was developed by Al LaFrance of New York state. He was a pioneer in bat control and used the device successfully for many years in the 1990s.

Problems with Bat Trapping

While bat traps have some key benefits, they also come with several disadvantages. It’s the disadvantages that cause the National Wildlife Control Operators Association and Bat Conservation International to oppose the use of bat traps (except for disease management or scientific research). The first problem with bat traps is that trapped bats can overheat and die. While trappers can make adjustments to make these deaths minimal to almost non-existent, it is hard to completely eliminate deaths in every use.  The second problem is that with the emergence of white-nose syndrome, trapping bats could help transmit the fungal infection amongst bats more rapidly. The last problem with bat traps is that they are not needed to evict bats from a structure. Properly installed one-way doors, allow bats to leave but not return without requiring bats to be trapped.

Understand that these comments are not meant to condemn the inventors of bat traps. It is not fair to condemn inventors for problems (e.g. white-nose syndrome) that weren’t around when the traps were created. Bat traps have a role in bat management. It’s just a limited, but valuable role, namely for research and disease control. And for that advancement, we all should be grateful.  

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 available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} 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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Stake Puller Failure

Stake Pullers

Stake pullers are tools that enhance one’s ability to remove stakes and/or earth anchors from the soil. Trappers, wildlife control operators (WCO) and others use stakes and earth anchors to secure traps and other equipment to the ground. Sometimes, getting the stakes or anchors out of the ground can be quite a challenge, particularly when the soil is dense (such as clay) or frozen.

Stake puller, disassembled. Left object is the rocker to pull the stake. The Blue item is the handle and the silver ring is used for pulling earth anchors.
Metal bender modified into a stake puller. The stake puller (pictured in disassembled form) shows the rocker to pull stakes (left). The grooved portion is for your foot. The blue item is the handle and the silver ring is used for pulling earth anchors.

My Need for the Tool

Due to a back injury, I have to be careful about how much effort I exert when pulling. So I became quite interested in stake pullers as they would allow me to pull stakes with less effort and thereby save my back. The challenge with stake pullers is they are awkward, heavy, and take up lots of valuable space. And anyone who understands the complexities of WCO work knows that truck space is at a premium. Would it be possible to have a stake puller that would both work and not take up much space?

Stake Puller Design

Stake puller failure as noted by the bent hooks.
Stake puller failure as noted by the bent hooks.

I contacted a local welder and discussed my need for a stake puller. He came up with an ingenious idea. He modified a pipe bender. It could be used to pull stakes and earth anchors. It could be disassembled and was relatively light weight. I had some made and brought them to the Fur Takers of America Trapper’s College in Indiana to have the trappers there test them out.

I gave them to the expert class of trappers and asked the instructor to give them a good try out. He was keen on doing so. After a few days of trapping, he returned the pullers and said they didn’t do that well. I was disappointed but knew that before I began selling this item that I wanted to be sure it could pass muster. I should note that the testing took place in September, when the ground was not frozen. So I suspect the product would not do as well with stakes in frozen ground.

Bottom Line

Is the stake puller useless? No. It is just not capable of handling heavy duty work. Could it be used in a pinch, certainly. But to have something that would last years on the trapline, this product, unfortunately isn’t it.

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 available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} 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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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 available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} 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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