Mongoose Kill Traps
Prepared by Tyler Bogardus
Click to view original poster
Safety Concerns
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Personal Protection Equipment
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Always wear gloves and close-toed shoes, for safety and scent-control, while setting and handling Doc250s and Bodygrip traps
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Doc250 setting tool (optional)
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Keep Fingers/hands out off working area of all traps
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Professional training recommended
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Read instructions/cautions before working with these types of traps
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Supplemental safety grippers and Doc250 safety recommended
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Modification and Maintenance
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Plywood Doc250 and Bodygrip Boxes
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http://www.predatortraps.com/ (Doc250)
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3⁄4-inch PlyForm plywood
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Three sheets of 1⁄2-inch galvanized hardware cloth
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3 1⁄4-inch entrance holes are cut out of the hardware cloth to exclude non-target species, including water birds, dogs and cats
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Other Bodygrip sets
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Plastic buckets, cubbies, wire mesh, H stands, Stakealizer
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Bodygrip pan add-ons
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Doc250 Pan Tension
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Test/adjust pan tension yearly (90-150 grams)
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Click to See Full Sized Images
Doc250 box instructions
Body grip set with pan addition
Where to Set
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Large-Scale Site Selection
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100meter X 500-1000meter grid for mongooses in areas with high abundance
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Within-Site Set Location
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Installed in appropriate boxes/non-target exclusionary devices
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On trail or just off trail
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Areas to Avoid
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Avoid trails with easy public access
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Click to See Full Sized Images
Trap boxes being deployed
How to Set
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Prepare the Set Location
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Traps must be bedded properly, not tipsy
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Level ground
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Set the Doc250
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Kneel behind the box, pull the kill bar towards you
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One hand braces box, other hand levers kill bar up, switch so both hands pull and both thumbs brace
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Squeeze until kill bar is sitting behind trigger and locks in place in front of the nub
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Set the Bodygrip trap
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See poster on body grip traps for cats
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GoodNature Mongoose trap
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Install on tree or stake ~30cm high
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See poster on A24s for detailed information on setting GoodNature traps
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Final Setting
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Before leaving the site remove all trap safeties and add flagging so that trail users are warned of the trap’s presence in advance
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Click to See Full Sized Images
Body grip pan and wire trigger comparison
How to Check
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Visual Inspection
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Look over the entire trap set-up and observe the trap status and site surrounding the trap for evidence of animal presence
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Cleaning Doc250
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Make trap is safe by setting and installing safety
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Remove carcass with gloved hand, remove wire mesh baffles if necessary
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Use wire brush to clean trap and trigger mechanism
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Remove/replace bait
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Remove safety and set trap
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Cleaning Bodygrip
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Remove mesh and trap
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Re-set the trap and install safeties to remove the carcass
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Use wire brush to clean springs, trap and trigger
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Re-position trap
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Remove safeties
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Test firing of all bodygrips should occur once per month
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Click to See Full Sized Images
New Zealand DOC Maintenance instructions
Mongoose captured in Doc250
Purchasing
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Doc250s:
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Baffles can be made with wire hardware cloth or purchased at sales@fielden.co.nz
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GoodNature traps:
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Bodygrip sizes:
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120: Preferred bodygrip size for mongooses
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Bodygrip/accessories Vendors and Suppliers:
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Various online trap suppliers
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Click to See Full Sized Images
Stabilizers at fntpost.com
Plastic cubbies at PCSOutdoors.com
Miscellaneous Details
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Doc250s are preferred single set trap for mongooses at this time
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If bodygrips are used then pans are recommended instead of traditional triggers
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GoodNature Mongoose traps (A18) should be available soon (Current A24 does kill mongooses too)
Click to See Full Sized Images
3 mongooses killed by A24