Dingo numbers exploding south of dog fence force SA farmers to quit the wool industry

Peter Litchfield at Mundowdna station. He has started to breed dorper sheep
because they are better able to fight off dingo attacks. Source: News Limited

           

by: DANIEL WILLS CALLIE WATSON

From: The Advertiser

August 26, 2013 10:25PM

DINGOES running rampant south of the dog fence are forcing graziers to switch from sheep to cattle and have sparked warnings the wool industry will become extinct without a new battleplan.         

Strong rains since the breaking of the drought three years ago have led to a rebound in vegetation and the small animal population, sparking a surge in dingo breeding.
Agricultural industry leaders say the fence remains in good condition but a lack of adequate baiting and culling south of the barrier has led to an explosion in the dingo population.
Changing land uses also are being blamed for the rise as land once used for grazing is given over to conservation and mining and new owners have less incentive to bait and trap.
Reliable dingo population figures are not maintained, but graziers report major rises in predation and sightings.
They warn the wool industry faces "a crisis not seen before in its history".

The State Government has reported dingo sightings in the Riverland, West Coast and Eyre Peninsula and farmers have shot the animals at Quorn, Wakerie and Laura.

Dingos south of the dog fence are forcing graziers to switch from
sheep to cattle. Picture: Ben Allen

One reported dingo sighting has been made at Burra, just 160kms from Adelaide CBD.

The biggest threat is in the Flinders Ranges, where producers are changing their stock from sheep to cattle - the larger, stronger animals more able to survive dingo attacks.
WoolProducers Australia President Geoff Power said dingoes in Queensland had led to a reduction in sheep from 18 million head to 3 million in the past 20 years.
Failure to immediately tackle the problem in SA could result in the same occurring here, he said.
"It's a very real threat. It's a problem that is getting worse every year," Mr Power said.
"The biggest solution is to get everybody doing the right thing.

Peter Litchfield beside the dog fence that borders his property.

"If we don't, we won't have an industry at all."

A recent study in the Australian Veterinary Journal backs the claims, finding the wool industry could be wiped out nationally in 30 to 40 years if current rates of decline continue.

A government spokeswoman said there had been "a big increase" in dingo numbers south of the fence in the past decade as land use changed.
"There are fewer workers on pastoral properties meaning there is less incentive and capacity to undertake high-level wild-dog control," the spokeswoman said.
Pastoralist Peter Litchfield from Mundowdna station, about 20km southeast of Marree, has switched from running merino sheep to dorpers, a South African breed, because they can better fight off dingo attacks.
"They're bigger, stronger, more intelligent and they have these instinctive characteristics that tell them to fight back," Mr Litchfield said.

"It's harder work for the dingo."

The 56-year-old said the number of sheep killed by dingoes on his property had dropped dramatically since he switched breeds in 2006.
"Now we're only losing between 50 and 100 sheep a year and before we got the Dorpers it would have been in the thousands," he said.
"We still get a few injuries to the sheep, like we've always had but, again, they are more resistant to this, too."
Professional dogger Stuart Crombie regularly searches the 2200sq km station for dingoes that have made it through the dog fence, which borders the property to the north east.
"Last year we found about 50 dogs. So far this year we've found between 25 and 30," he said.
The Government and industry are separately working on new control policies.
The state's first Wild Dog Strategic Management Plan is being drafted by Biosecurity SA and expected to be released soon for consultation.
It is expected to recommend a new taskforce and increased funding for trappers.
The Government launched its Biteback strategy, aimed at increasing shooting and trapping, in 2009 when a surge in dingoes emerged as a growing threat to industry.
It says there has been a 49 per cent increase in landholder participation in control programs since Biteback was launched and a fourfold increase in the number of baits laid.
Legally, dingoes south of the fence are a pest and landholders are required to assist in their control.
The state and Federal governments spend $1 million annually on maintaining the dog fence, which stretches 5600kms from near Nundroo on the Eyre Peninsula to Dalby in Queensland.
Liberal MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan, whose electorate covers a vast area of the state's northeast, has called for stronger compliance measures for pastoral landholders and a dingo bounty.
He said landowners not meeting legal requirements to control dingo numbers should be made to explain why and forced to meet their responsibilities if they were failing.
"It's not often that you have the opportunity to see the start of such a significant problem but still have the opportunity to address it," Mr van Holst Pellekaan said.
"It would be a huge negative impact on primary production in the state if that opportunity is not taken."

Feral Hog Hunting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Truth (US)

 

By: Dan Gaskins

Extension Assistant

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service

 

Feral Hogs are an excellent game species. They are abundant, large, and potentially fierce. A large boar can have tusks a few inches in length, making for an outstanding wall mount. They also have tasty meat that is leaner than commercially-raised pork. Some states have few or no restrictions on the hunting of feral hogs, leading to an entire industry of guided hunts, aerial gunning, dog breeding and training, and high-tech hunting. There is no doubt that they are good for hunting, but there is some question whether hunting them is good for us.

The Good: As previously mentioned, they are a good game species. They provide a range of hunting opportunities for people from all walks of life and are often a source for meat donations to those in need. Trophy boar hunts can bring in thousands of dollars for a landowner, and provides a memorable experience for the hunter. Some have even called feral hogs “the poor man’s grizzly bear”. Hunting feral hogs does remove individuals from the population, which is always a positive thing. Potentially, landowners could use the funds from trophy hunts to pay for population reduction efforts such as trapping.

The Bad: Unfortunately, due to the quality of hunting and income they provide, some landowners are more interested in hunting opportunities than reducing the feral hog populations. Since the late 1800s, people have been releasing wild pigs for sport hunting, leading to the introduction of the Eurasian Wild Boar into the landscape. Even today, some people still catch feral hogs and trailer them to new locations for hunting, starting breeding populations in areas that were once pig free. This has been illegal for decades, but still some unscrupulous individuals continue to “aid and abet” wild pigs in their spread. Most hunters are conservationists and do not support this practice, but it only takes one trailer of pigs to establish a new population. A larger number of people will also release sows and/or piglets they capture in traps. This is done to maintain a healthy population, as we would do with any native game animal. Others release boars after castrating them (called “barrs”) to allow them to grow larger for better trophies. For legal, health, and safety reasons, this is also not recommended. While they may not be adding to the population, they are still causing damage, polluting waters, and posing a health risk to humans, livestock, and wildlife.

 

For decades, American hunters have been avid conservationists and the driving force behind many conservation programs. As a result, most hunters grow up being taught hunting practices that promote healthy populations. For example, the idea of killing a fawn or a doe with young offspring is abhorrent to most hunters, as would capturing deer in a trap and dispatching them at point blank range. The problem with this kind of thinking when it comes to feral hogs is we do not want to promote a healthy population. We want to reduce it. Many landowners see them as hundred dollar bills that print themselves, not as a destructive, invasive animal that needs to be removed.

The Ugly Truth: Feral hog hunting is not in itself a bad thing. However, it can lead to negative practices intended to promote their populations. Some states have banned or do not promote hunting feral hogs to try to prevent illegal releases. In 2009, Texas Parks and Wildlife sold a total of 1,130,306 hunting licenses. Studies from 2010 put the feral hog population in Texas at around 2.6 Million and estimated a 66% removal rate would be necessary to keep the population steady. That means every single licensed hunter in the state can harvest an average of 1.5 pigs every year and the population would still be stable. Hunters and landowners need to have the right mindset when dealing with these animals. They do a great deal of damage to our natural resources, compete with (and sometimes depredate on) native game species, and pollute our waters. While they can serve as a source of income, in the long run they are costly creatures, causing $800 Million in both direct and indirect damages (USDA APHIS) annually in the US Consider their effect on the main game species in the US: whitetail deer. They will chase deer away from feeders and eat the corn or supplements intended for growing trophy deer. They will, given the chance, prey upon fawns. How much more is a trophy whitetail buck worth than a dozen feral hogs?

Interest in feral hogs as a game species is not going away anytime soon and neither are the animals themselves. Sport hunting alone will not have enough direct impact on the population to stop the current pig explosion, but it can help pay for other methods. To reach a point where we are even beginning to control the feral hog population, we must utilize every tool in our toolbox. To do this, we must keep in mind that while they are great for hunting, we must also be using other methods to reduce the population. Rigorous trapping efforts coupled with snaring, strategic shooting and catch dogs are vital behaviors that must be implemented to begin impacting feral hog populations effectively. Hunters and landowners are an integral part of a future where feral hog populations are not the threat they are today. We must all intensify our current efforts at curbing the feral hog problem or their populations will increase beyond our wildest dreams. 

 

http://wild-wonderings.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/feral-hog-hunting-good-bad-and-ugly.html

Wolf bites teenager camping by Winnie (US)

By Joe Albert Associate Editor

August 29, 2013

Outdoor News

The wolf involved in the attack

Deer River, Minn. — Forgive Noah Graham if he doesn’t want to sleep beneath the stars again.

The 16-year-old from Solway is apparently the first person in the state to have received serious injuries after being attacked by a wolf. The incident occurred at about 4 a.m. Saturday when the teen and others were camping at the West Winnie Campground on Lake Winnibigoshish.
“He was down by the lake visiting his girlfriend,” Noah’s father, Scott, said. “The wolf came up behind him and grabbed him by the back of the head. It just grabbed him and started pulling him backwards.
“He grabbed it by the snout and ripped it off his head,” he added.
Noah, his father said, didn’t hear the wolf approaching, and didn’t know anything was amiss until the animal’s jaws were clamped on his head. The wolf left an 11-centimeter laceration in the teen’s head, and his injuries required 17 staples to close.
DNR officials called the attack “a freak deal.” And if it’s confirmed that a wolf is responsible for Graham’s injuries, it would be the first documented instance of a wolf causing serious injury or death to a human in Minnesota.
“This is an extremely rare incident and not normal wolf behavior,” said Tom Provost, DNR regional Enforcement manager in Grand Rapids. “Because wolf bites or attacks on humans are so rare, they are poorly understood. These rare incidents have usually involved food-habituated wolves and have led to minor injuries, but no fatalities.”
As the attack occurred, Noah’s girlfriend ran to her Jeep. Once he pried the wolf’s jaws from his head, Noah and the wolf had “a showdown,” Scott Graham said.
“It stood there growling at him and wouldn’t leave,” he said.
After Noah yelled and kicked at the wolf, it went back into the woods. Then he called his dad.
“He called me right away and said, ‘Dad, I just got attacked by a wolf,’” Scott Graham said. “I asked him if he was OK, and he said his head was bleeding. So I told him to call 911.”
A friend drove Noah to the hospital in Bemidji, where he was treated for his injuries and released. Hospital officials also gave him shots for rabies, though it’s unclear if the wolf had rabies or not.
After the incident, officers from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, U.S. Forest Service, and DNR arrived on the scene and began to collect information.
According to the DNR, statements from other campers indicated there were other incidents at the U.S. Forest Service campground where an animal bit through tents, one resulting in the puncturing of an air mattress. Another camper indicated he saw a wolf near his campsite with coloration and markings matching the description of the animal involved in the attack on Graham.
While officers were surveying the scene, they saw what they believed to be a wolf in the woods near the campground. They attempted to create a perimeter around the animal in an attempt to kill it, but were unsuccessful.
A short time later, about one-quarter mile away, a DNR officer saw a wolf that matched the description of the one that reportedly attacked Graham.
“He was able to take one shot with a handgun, but did not hit the wolf,” Provost said.
Officials then called in trappers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, who set traps in the area. Early Monday, they trapped and killed a wolf that matched the description of the one that attacked Graham.
The animal, “an average-sized male,” weighed 75 pounds. The wolf was taken to the University of Minnesota veterinary diagnostic lab to be tested for rabies.
An early examination showed the wolf had an abnormality in its jaw structure. The lower jaw did not match up with the top jaw, and it was missing at least one canine tooth, Provost said. That could have affected its ability to take down large prey, like deer, he said.
“When it all comes down to it, if this is the offending animal, I do believe the physical abnormality in its jaw” caused its behavior, Provost said.

http://www.outdoornews.com/August-2013/Wolf-bites-teenager-camping-by-Winnie/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Kingwood (US) residents terrorized by herds of feral hogs

Kingwood residents are concerned by large herds of feral hogs
tearing up yards in the community and possibly posing a threat
to children returning to school.

 By JENNIFER SUMMER Houston Community Newspapers
Tuesday August 27
                                    

Large ruts and torn up grass is all that is left of some Kings Point subdivision residents’ yards. They are being terrorized by a herd of wild hogs. Residents along Soaring Pines Drive in the subdivision have had numerous problems with the feral hogs including them destroying yards, damaging their homes and even chasing a few of the residents when they were putting out their trash. This is not the only portion of the community having issues with feral hogs as several other Kings Point residents and places like the Kingwood Country Club have reported damage by feral hogs.
Now the residents are even more worried that they may hurt someone on the greenbelt especially children who are walking to school.

Large ruts and torn up grass is all that is left of some Kings Point subdivision yards.

“We have talked to everyone that we can and no one can help us,” said Kings Point resident Nancy Schopman. “They have been on my property numerous times and they tore up my whole yard. I have seen them mostly in the early morning hours which have me very concerned since kids will be back in school and walking the greenbelts to make it to the school.”
The residents first reached out to the Kings Point Community Association and were referred to their management company, Sterling Association Management who acknowledged they had received several calls but could not comment any further when the Observer called them for comment.
They also called the City of Houston to inquire about trapping the feral hogs or what they could do to get rid of the nuisance animals. In general, diseases from wild hogs do not pose a significant threat to humans; however, some diseases can be transmitted to livestock and wildlife.
“We understand there have been several cases recently of these animals being destructive in the Kingwood area,” said Lauren Doak with Houston City Council Member Dave Martin’s office when asked about the feral hogs. “Unfortunately, the city of Houston does not handle this sort of issue. This is a Texas Parks and Wildlife issue.”
According to information concerning feral hogs from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, feral hogs may appear basically the same as domestic hogs and will vary in color and coat pattern. A mature feral hog may reach a shoulder height of 36 inches and weigh from 100 to over 400 pounds.
Several of the residents have spent their own money to hire trappers where they have successfully trapped at least five of the feral hogs and one reportedly weighed in close to 200 pounds.
They also expressed concerns about the rate at which the feral hogs can reproduce meaning there would be even more to deal with if they did not do something soon to rid the area of the hogs.
“Not sure what you can do about them other than contacting Texas Parks and Wildlife for they are a danger to children, pets and probably adults, too. They obviously are destroying properties,” said Bob Jee, a neighbor of Schopman and resident.
Feral hogs are capable of breeding at six months of age but eight to ten months is normal, provided there is good nutrition. Trapping is a common method utilized by sportsmen and landowners to control and move hogs out of an area where they do not belong or have become a nuisance.
“We have got to do something before someone gets hurt or bad happens,” Schopman said.

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/atascocita/news/kingwood-residents-terrorized-by-herds-of-feral-hogs/article_ecd4c017-2fcd-5e80-b992-fffea3932f8a.html

Gun for hire Don Sallway leads assault against Queensland's wild dogs

 Don sits in his ute on a property in south-west Queensland.
(ABC News: Giulio Saggin) 

By Giulio Saggin
ABC News
           

"At times I have 180-200 traps set and I know where every one is. It's all GPS-ed up here," says Don Sallway, tapping his head. "I have around seven million acres stored away."

Don is a dogger - a dog trapper - and he's the top dog in his field.


During his 20-year career trapping wild dogs on properties throughout south-west Queensland, the 52-year-old has regularly caught twice as many dogs as his nearest rival.

When Don has finished laying a trap, it's impossible to tell he's been there.
Several years ago, after laying traps on another property, a tractor and 4WD drove through and busted them all.
"They told me they couldn't see the traps. What were they expecting? A cage and a dish of milk?"
Don is a hired gun, working for property owners who form a syndicate and contract his services.
Each contract lasts between two and three months and he is paid per kill, the cost of which is split between the local shire council and the syndicate.
Don has averaged over 600 kills for the past few years and, at $500 per dog and $100 per puppy, it seems good money.
Considering he is the best dogger by a country mile, he could easily ask for double that but he has been charging the same his entire career.
And he works hard for his money.
Wild dogs never take a day off and neither does Don.
Last year he worked 361 days and during summer he spends 20 hours a day "on the job".

Don rides his motorbike onto the back of his ute. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)

He doesn't bother with a swag and sleeps on the ground under the stars.
It's nothing for Don to spend 12 hours sitting up a tree waiting to make a kill and he covers an average of 200 kilometres a day, using his ute and/or motorbike.
Both take a beating and he replaces his bike every year.
Don works long hours because he knows what he does affects other people's livelihoods.
If he isn't killing dogs, they're killing someone's livestock - their livelihood.
Even after 20 years, he is still respectful of his quarry and the task at hand.

You can't just put a trap anywhere and expect to catch a dog. You have to do your research and look for a consistent pattern, then lay your trap accordingly.                Don Sallway

"There's nothing sure about catching dogs; patience is the key," he says.
"You can't just put a trap anywhere and expect to catch a dog. You have to do your research and look for a consistent pattern, then lay your trap accordingly.
"A dog might work 60-100,000 acres, so if you can work out its pattern, you'll get a fair crack at it.
"I might ride for three days to find the right track."



Don uses a sieve to spread the layer of top soil, which he'd earlier removed,
over one of his traps. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin) 

Once a dog's pattern has been worked out, knowing how and where to lay a trap is essential.

Success as a dogger is the sum of many parts coming together at the one place and time.

"Out of all those thousands of acres, you've got to stand the dog on that plate on the trap. It's a skill," Don says.
Human scent lingers for up to a fortnight and Don takes every precaution to avoid leaving his scent when laying a trap.
This includes spreading a blanket to stand on and using a syringe to squirt dog urine, harvested from his own dogs, near the trap.
The blanket needs to be the right way up or Don's scent will be left on the ground.
The dog urine is used as a decoy scent and draws the wild dogs in to investigate. How does Don harvest the dog urine?

Out of all those thousands of acres, you've got to stand the dog on that plate on the trap. It's a skill. Don Sallway 

  "That's a trade secret."

Don even goes so far as to remove a centimetre of top soil and place it back on top when he's finished. The soil below top soil has a different smell, like a plowed field.
Dogs will pick up on anything out of the ordinary and it's Don's job to make a dog believe he hasn't been there.
Wild dogs attack anything that moves, including goats, calves, rabbits, kangaroos, emus and sheep.


Don uses a sieve to spread the layer of top soil, which he'd earlier removed,
over one of his traps. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)

They can decimate livestock numbers but, unlike other predators, they don't always kill what they catch.
They will take down sheep and lambs, tear open their stomach and eat only their kidneys.
This doesn't kill the animal and when farmers find their stock in this state, often days later, they have no option but to shoot the animal and put it out of its misery.
Don has seen firsthand the destruction wild dogs can bring and shows no sympathy towards them.
"Wild dogs hunt for the sake of hunting. It's a big game to them, especially the young dogs," he says.
"Dogs can maul a herd in one night and this can be devastating to a farmer."
Half a million sheep vanished from central western Queensland between 2008 and 2011 and graziers blame many of these losses on wild dogs.

Wild dogs hunt for the sake of hunting. It's a big game to them, especially the young dogs. Dogs can maul a herd in one night and this can be devastating to a farmer.    Don Sallway

 The introduction of preventative methods such as 1080 poison initially brought a reprieve in numbers, but a lack of baiting has seen the numbers steadily increase to the point where many properties have switched from sheep to cattle.

As a result, the number of sheep shorn in Queensland since 1990 has dropped from 21 million to less than 2 million.
As well as killing fully grown dogs, Don also has to eradicate wild dog puppies, which appear as cute as any other puppies.
The only difference is these puppies are taught to kill from around three months old and grow to be wild dogs that wreak the same destruction as their predecessors.
"Dogs don't start off smart," Don says.
"They're taught to be smart."
It's not unusual for wild dog puppies to be left inside the hollow of a log during times of danger or when the bitch goes hunting.When Don finds a log with puppies, he blocks one or more ends of the log so the puppies can't escape.




Don retrieves a third wild dog puppy from a log. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)

When 'logging' - extracting puppies from a log - begins, Don carefully cuts into the log with an axe or chainsaw.
Sometimes the puppies are right there. Other times he has to reach deep into the log.
If the puppies have moved down the log, Don keeps cutting open the log until he reaches them, at which point he pulls them out one by one and puts them into a large cage he brings with him.
Sometimes by the time Don has finished with a log, it's nothing more than fire wood.
If the dog or the bitch haven't been caught, Don will place the cage in a shaded area close to where he found the puppies.
He leaves water and food for the puppies, sets a few well-placed traps and returns the next day in the hope the bitch and/or dog has been snared.

A dog might work 60-100,000 acres, so if you can work out its pattern, you'll get a fair crack at it. I might ride for three days to find the right track.

Don Sallway  

 If a bitch has puppies there, she will keep in the area.

If Don took the puppies away there would be no reason for her to hang around and she would disappear into the bush to breed again.
When Don finds a dog in one of his traps, he works quickly to put it out of its misery with a single bullet to the head from his Savage 22-250 rifle.
He might have little sympathy for them, but he doesn't want to prolong their agony either.
Don is trying his best to lessen the impact of wild dogs on the millions of acres he services, but even working 361-days-a-year and being twice as good as anyone else isn't halting the progress of wild dogs.
As one sheep grazier noted, "Don Sallway is the best in the business. We need 1000 Don Sallways to bring this problem under control."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-28/dog-trapper/4917640?section=qld

Wild dog baits becoming ineffective

Vic Country Hour
Kath Sullivan ABC Radio

Tue 27 Aug 2013

Farmers from Gelantipy in Victoria's High Country
discuss wild dog management in the region.

Audio: Have baits for wild dogs become ineffective? (ABC News)      

Gordon Moon farms at Black Mountain, north of Buchan.

He and his brother have lost 100 sheep to wild dogs this year.
He says the dogs in that area are no longer taking baits and it would be better to employ more trappers.
"I do know of one particular bitch that had pups out there and was able to keep her pups away from baits. And those pups all grew up," he said.
"I eventually caught some in traps.
"I thought that was pretty amazing that hungry dogs could go past something to eat - be taught to go past something to eat and not take it. The dogs are not stupid."
Mr Moon says already this year, 24 dogs have been trapped on or within a five-kilometre radius of his farm.
Keith Davies farms just south of Moon's property, at Gelantipy overlooking the Snowy River National Park. He's also worried that the baits have stopped working.
"They've saturated the area with so many baits... and we've also got fox baits, which have half the poison of dog baits. I think they (the wild dogs) have been educated to keep away from these bait stations," he said.
Both farmers says they can see how the baits have been effective in the past, and continue to be effective in other communities, including Benambra and Omeo in Gippsland. But they want more money spent on trappers to manage the wild dog problem.
It's not just livestock that is being attacked. Just down the road from Davies' farm, Paul Sykes found the remains of one of his calves, which had been destroyed by a dog attack this week.
"We had a calf that got trapped down a wombat hole and the dingo had pulled it out and eaten most of it. But when we looked a bit further, he'd in fact killed a koala too. He'd eaten most of that as well. So they do have an impact on the wildlife," he said.

Could you bone out a deer in six minutes?

No explanation necessary...

 

Trapping tips 101...Part 2 Chain selection

...with Ted Mitchell

All foothold and leghold traps have some sort of chain system so as to be able to anchor them to the ground, or attach to a drag set up.

Before we go any further on chain systems, a foothold trap does just that, hold the foot.  Usually just above the rear most pad. A leghold trap holds the captured animal somewhere above the foot, between the rear most pad and the elbow or knee joint. Not a big difference, mainly in trap size rather than style, and we will go on from here.

Complete chain system showing MB Crunchproof swivels x 3,
Chestnut double stake ring, and ‘T’-bar shock spring.

The chain which comes with the vast majority of traps needs some modification; one trap brand which comes to mind that doesn’t is J.C.Conners “Jake” trap. In my opinion, Jim Conner’s trap is the ‘Rolls Royce’ of traps, and is beautifully finished, and ready to go. I like his chain set-up so much, that I copy it in its entirety on every trap I use, no matter the brand, size or style. You see, Conner’s chain set-up incorporates a heavy American #3 size chain, his own ‘T’-bar in-line shock spring,  three MB (Minnesota Brand) Crunchproof swivels, and ends with a ‘Chestnut’ double stake ring.

Now let’s look at these parts individually so we may better understand them. Starting at the trap, we have a swivel, which is an indispensable item in itself. The swivels are needed to stop the chain from twisting up and shortening to the point that the captured animal’s leg breaks, or at best, is severely damaged. Most captured animals have a tendency to go round in circles, in the one direction. The swivels let the trap go around in these circles without hanging up. One swivel is definitely not enough. And I think three is better than two. One swivel can be easily bound up with wire grass, vines, or dried clay etc, and having those extras is then vital. The MB swivels are the strongest on the market.
We then have a length of strong American #3 welded chain. Obviously the whole system is only as good as the chain. If it is weak, then you not only lose your trap, but your target animal as well. Never compromise on chain strength for the sake of a few dollars.

Another MB Crunchproof swivel attaches the chain to the ‘T’-bar inline shockproof spring. There are many styles of springs on the market, but again, in my opinion these are the best. These springs are important as they serve several purposes. They help prevent injury to the animal by cushioning the sudden stop when it is fighting the trap. This also helps prevent the animal from escaping as the dampening effect absorbs energy. The springs also help minimize damage to the traps jaws and frame in the same way. The fourth purpose I can think of, is that the spring will help stop the animal from pumping the stake/s out of the ground.

Again, another MB Crunchproof swivel connects the spring to the ‘Chestnut’ double stake ring. Now this simple but ingenious idea is simply a oval shaped piece of metal rod which, because of its shape, can accommodate two stakes. This is extremely important when anchoring a trap used for trapping wild dogs.

We will talk more about stakes and other anchoring systems when the time comes, but next we will get back to the traps themselves.

Next time we will look at more on trap structure and choice.

Click here if you want to try some of Ted's quality predator lures..

 

 

 

Peristence hunting...a video

An except from the BBC series The Life of Mammals featuring persistence hunting, the most primitive hunting method there is, based on instinctive tracking and stamina...

Hunting to survive...could you do it like this?

From the BBC series The Human Planet...watch for some of the best subsistence hunting footage you will see.

 

Australian Cats and Foxes May Not Deserve Their Bad Rep

Gabriel Popkin

2013-08-23

sciencemag.org

Department of Parks and Wildlife/South Coast Region, Albany, Australia

Midnight snack. A feral cat caught poaching a bandicoot in southern Australia.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND—Foxes and feral cats are wildly unpopular among Australian conservationists. The two animals are infamous for killing off the continent's native species, and they’ve been the targets of numerous government-backed eradication campaigns. But new research suggests that on Australian islands, these predators help control an even more destructive one: the black rat. As a result, eliminating cats and foxes could actually leave native mammals more vulnerable to predation, competition, and ultimately extinction.
Australia is ground zero for the modern biodiversity crisis. The continent has suffered more than a quarter of all recent mammal extinctions, and many other native species survive only as small populations on one or more of the country's thousands of islands. While habitat destruction has caused some extinctions, cats, foxes, and rats introduced around 1800 by British sailors have also played a major role, decimating native animals like bilbies and bandicoots—both small, ratlike marsupials found only in Australia. All of this has given large, nonnative predators like cats and foxes a bad name. "We hate them," biologist Emily Hanna of the Australian National University in Canberra declared here last month at the International Congress for Conservation Biology.
But to plan successful eradication campaigns, scientists must first understand how introduced predators interact with native fauna and with each other. For instance, cats and foxes are infamous for hunting birds and other wildlife, but they can also control rats, which are themselves ferocious killers of and competitors with native animals like the bandicoot. To date, few studies have looked at which type of predator is actually most likely to drive native animals extinct.
To determine which island invaders were doing the most damage, Hanna and her research adviser Marcel Cardillo created and analyzed what she calls a "ridiculously large" database comprising 934 living and extinct populations of 107 mammal species on 323 Australian islands between the early 1800s and today. For each island, the researchers recorded the presence or absence of various native mammals, and of rats, cats, foxes, and wild dogs known as dingoes, which some scientists believe help control invasive predators. The researchers also included other factors that might affect extinction risk, such as the size of the island and distance from the mainland. (Ecologists have found that island populations close to continents are more easily replenished, while more distant populations more easily go extinct.) Hanna then analyzed these data to find which factors most often correlated with native mammal extinctions.
The study yielded some surprising results: Native mammals were most likely to die off on islands that had rats, but not cats, foxes, or dingoes. Extinction rates on such islands ranged from 15% to 30%, but when cats, foxes, or dingoes were present, the rates plummeted to just over 10%—not much higher than on islands without any introduced predators, the scientists reported at the meeting and online this month in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.
The scientists also found that native mammals fared only slightly worse on islands with cats than on islands without them. Moreover, the presence of foxes and dingoes on islands seemed to give native species a slight overall boost. "I was really surprised," Hanna says. "I thought I'd made a big mistake." Hanna and Cardillo also found that rats' impact was most pronounced on small mammals—those weighing less than 2.7 kilograms—although the scientists are unsure how much of this influence was due to direct predation as opposed to competition for food and other resources or disease spread. Rats also had the greatest effect on islands within 2.1 kilometers of mainland Australia.
The study includes "a very nice, large data set, and a very well-constructed and complete analysis of the problem," says Phillip Cassey, an ecologist at the University of Adelaide Environment Institute. The results suggest that managers may need to simultaneously eliminate more than one predator to save rare animals from extinction, he adds; eradication efforts frequently focus on only one species. When it comes to planning such eradication campaigns on limited budgets, Cassey says, "analyses like [Hanna's], which can assist in prioritization, are going to be really important."
Despite the apparent benefit of cats and foxes, Hanna does not advocate introducing the animals to islands that don't already have them. But she says her results do raise questions about the strategy of trying to kill top predators off while ignoring rats. She now hopes to study whether her results also apply to birds and other groups of native species and to other predators.

http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2013/08/australian-cats-and-foxes-may-not-deserve-their-bad-rep

Wild Wolf in Kentucky, First in 150 Years, Killed by Hunter

19Aug 
by Russ McSpadden
Earth First! News

According to a recent announcement by state wildlife officials, a 73-pound, federally endangered female gray wolf was shot dead by a hunter in Munfordville, Kentucky earlier this year. Were it Alaska or Idaho this wouldn’t be news, but Kentucky has not seen wild roaming wolves since the mid 1800s. The gray wolf was shot in March —but state officials were skeptical that it was even a wolf, believing that it was more likely someone’s German shepherd. But following months of DNA analysis, scientists confirmed it was indeed Kentucky’s first wolf in over a century and also its last.

DNA from the wolf was analyzed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Wildlife Research Center in Colorado. According to the analysis, the Kentucky gray wolf had genetic traits akin to wolves in the Great Lakes Region. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Oregon carried out independent analysis and confirmed the USDA’s findings.

How the wolf came to be in Kentucky is a mystery.

Wildlife officials identified the man who killed the wolf as Hart County resident James Troyer, who shot the animal believing it to be a coyote.

Its unlikely that charges will be brought against Troyer as, until now, there would have been no reason to believe that a wolf existed in Kentucky. However, state and federal law prohibits the possession of gray wolves, live or in parts, so officials took the pelt from Troyer.

Gray wolves are on the federal endangered species list, but following a controversial proclamation that wolves are “recovered” by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency has proposed to remove wolves from the list.



Lansdowne’s (Qld) dog threat

SALLY CRIPPS

22 Aug, 2013

Queensland Country Life

 

Lansdowne’s surviving lamb flock watch on as trapper Matt Wilson
displays last week’s haul – seven pups and a bitch – caught as part
of the ongoing fight to save the Tambo property’s sheep business.

 

Lansdowne manager Hume Turnbull with one of the scalps collected
in recent days on the property. – Picture: JONATHAN CROFT.

A CENTURY-and-a-half of Merino breeding tradition is teetering on the edge at Tambo this year, thanks to the scourge of wild dogs.

On June 30, when manager Hume Turnbull tallied up stock numbers at Lansdowne for his end-of-financial-year reconciliation, his ledger showed 8660 lambs marked and 7070 lamb deaths. The year before tells a similar story – 7820 lambs marked and 6449 of them dead. Mr Turnbull and his trapper Matt Wilson killed 31 wild dogs on or near Lansdowne in 2012, but this year the number has risen to 77. With pups already on the move from dens and being sighted and killed, that number could reach 100 or more by the end of the year. The killing spree leaves the property with virtually no maiden ewes to join, and within a few years, no sheep at all. Mr Turnbull said that with deaths almost the same as lambings, there was very little future in breeding and possibly in sheep at all. Lansdowne Station was founded in 1863, and up until a dozen years ago was virtually untroubled by wild dogs. Long-time manager GW Lilley’s Story of Lansdowne notes that dingoes were not troublesome on the property, thanks to the buffer areas of other properties and dog-netting fences, as well as the “open nature of the country”. Mr Turnbull said they started seeing dogs in 2000 and have been responding to the increasing threat ever since – baiting, trapping and erecting 14km of feral fencing in the past 12 months – but nothing is stemming the tide at the moment. His station hand/mechanic Matt Wilson devotes 70 hours a week or more to hunting down the pests, lying in wait in patches of scrub at 4.30am to surprise dogs that run off when station motorbikes are started up for work at the start of the day. Their aim is to keep the animals on the move and not let them get established and knowledgable of the landscape. It’s a strategy that is becoming a major expense in time and money, and there are paddocks that they can’t run ewes and lambs in anymore, particularly close to the Ward River, which dogs are using as a highway. Mr Turnbull said that one of the things in their favour at present was the shortage of water. The last time it was dry local people were reporting packs of up to 16 dogs coming in to dams, which they were able to pick off by looking for tracks and waiting in trees at certain times of the day. He said that Lansdowne couldn’t manage its dog problem just within its own boundaries, but were spreading control measures to neighbouring properties with their permission. Possibly his last hope is the cluster-fencing project being auspiced by South West NRM. “We’ll wait and see what happens when that goes up, but we hope it will alleviate a few of our problems,” he said. “You’ve still got to kill what’s left inside but hopefully they’re not getting replaced, as they are now.”

Mr Turnbull said that one of the things in their favour at present was the shortage of water. The last time it was dry local people were reporting packs of up to 16 dogs coming in to dams, which they were able to pick off by looking for tracks and waiting in trees at certain times of the day. He said that Lansdowne couldn’t manage its dog problem just within its own boundaries, but were spreading control measures to neighbouring properties with their permission. Possibly his last hope is the cluster-fencing project being auspiced by South West NRM. “We’ll wait and see what happens when that goes up, but we hope it will alleviate a few of our problems,” he said. “You’ve still got to kill what’s left inside but hopefully they’re not getting replaced, as they are now.”

http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/livestock/sheep-wool/lansdownes-dog-threat/2668685.aspx?storypage=0

Hunters sense backlash over beheaded deer

By DOMINIC GEIGER
Aug. 21, 2013
Illawarra Mercury



SSA Illawarra branch secretary Mark Banasiak, with his children
Serena and Sofia. Picture: SYLVIA LIBER

Responsible recreational shooters are concerned they have been "tarred with the same brush" as those acting outside the law following recent reports of illegal hunting in the Illawarra.

Yesterday, the Mercury reported police were investigating the discovery of beheaded deer on a property near Helensburgh, while an 18-year-old man had been charged after he allegedly shot and killed two deer near suburban homes in Figtree.

Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia Illawarra branch secretary Mark Banasiak said hunters acting legally were the first to suffer whenever reports of poaching emerged.
"Mud sticks and even if it's not you that does that, you get tarred with the same brush," Mr Banasiak said.
Taxidermist wants poachers prosecuted
He said positive work of association members, such as eradicating feral animals from private properties, was overshadowed when illegal activity was uncovered.
"We've shown we can act responsibly and we're the first to complain when someone does something wrong because it brings our name into disrepute," he said.
Mr Banasiak called for the reintroduction of the NSW Game Council, that was disbanded in July after a Department of Primary Industries report found the council roles of hunting regulator and promoter conflicted.
An immediate suspension of recreational hunting in state forests was implemented following the decision.
Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said the state government was now working through the recommendations contained within the report, and expected new regulations for hunting in state forests would be introduced by the end of the year.
She said the report's findings of the Game Council had been "less than complimentary".
Once established, the new system would mean compliance would be managed by the DPI, while recreational hunting promotion would be undertaken by an eight-member board and funded by hunting licence holders.
Meantime, NSW National Parks Association campaign co-ordinator Justin McKee said the shooting fraternity's inability to stick to its own laws was why the Game Council was disbanded in the first place.
He said the National Parks Association opposed hunting on public land.
"There is a whole lot more at stake to consider due to the level of different use by different people on public land," he said.
"So it's best left under a management plan delivered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service."

In sights

• Recreational shooters were previously allowed in state forests until a NSW government report found in July that the NSW Game Council was conflicted in its role as both promoter and regulator.
• (Deer) Shooters are now only permitted to operate on private land, with the permission of the landowner, and must hold a current hunting licence.• The NSW government is expected to draft new legislation regarding hunting in state forests by the end of the year. The Department of Primary Industries will act as the regulator.
• A trial of recreational shooting in 12 NSW National Parks will start in October, however the parks have not yet been identified.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1721930/hunters-sense-backlash-over-beheaded-deer/?cs=12

Deer taking over Keiraville man's property

By DOMINIC GEIGER          

Aug. 20, 2013

The Illawarra Mercury





Keith Tognetti wants more to be done to reduce feral deer
in the Illawarra. Picture: ANDY ZAKELI

Keith Tognetti has watched helplessly as feral deer have ravaged the "rainforest" he created on his Keiraville property.
Living in the foothills of the Illawarra escarpment, Mr Tognetti spent 20 years and thousands of dollars creating his garden.
He said an ever increasing feral deer population had "denuded" both his garden and the surrounded escarpment, which had led to erosion and water run-off issues.
"We have them coming to our front door every night," Mr Tognetti said.

MAP: Illawarra deer sightings

"It's grown out of proportion."
He had witnessed a doubling of deer numbers around his home in the past three years, and said they needed to be exterminated using "every means possible".
"Anyone on the escarpment now can't have a garden," Mr Tognetti said.
The primary deer control program in the Wollongong local government area is the Northern Illawarra Wild Deer Management Program, which employs professional hunters to cull deer on public and private property.
Private and public stakeholders are involved in running the program, and it has been credited with culling more than 750 deer since it began in May 2011.
But recreational hunters believe more could be done to manage feral deer.
Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia Illawarra branch secretary Mark Banasiak said the state government needed to reverse its decision to temporarily disband the Game Council and allow responsible recreational hunters to operate.

"You were able to be involved in such activities and it helped manage the depopulation [of deer]," he said.

"Since that's been taken away nothing much has been done."
RSPCA NSW chief inspector David O'Shannessy said the organisation recognised some species of animals needed to be controlled.
"But it needs to be justified, effective ... and humane."

Dingo stalks Myall Lakes (NSW) tourists

By DAN PROUDMAN          

Aug. 21, 2013

Newcastle Herald

ON THE PROWL: The wild dogs are losing their fear of humans.

AUTHORITIES have repeated warnings about how to deal with fearless Myall Lakes dingoes after police were called to help a group of visitors back to their car after being stalked by one of the animals yesterday.

The tourists were walking along Myall beach near Mungo Brush when they noticed the lone animal following them. They rang authorities for help.
No one was injured and the dingo ran off.
Experts believe the dingo may have identified the people as a food source after being fed scraps and scavenging in campsites throughout the nearby national park.
The interaction has prompted the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and police, to issue advice on how to deal with the significant population of dingoes throughout the Myall Lakes area.
National Parks spokesman Lawrence Orel said anyone who felt threatened by the presence of the animals should report it immediately.
"It may well be that the reason they appear to be following people is that other visitors have been feeding them," Mr Orel said.
"They have lost their natural fear of humans and the result is that if the dingo becomes too familiar or unpredictable, it may not be a good result for the dingo."
Dingoes are highly intelligent and, like humans, take the path of least resistance and become scavengers if there is easy food to find.
It also means that when the park is not as full with campers, such as in winter, that the easy feed becomes harder to find.

"The warning is simple - do not feed dingoes or any other wild animals and make sure you get rid of your scraps appropriately," Mr Orel said.

This week's incident follows a dingo attack on two British tourists last summer.
The dingo stole the tourists' bag, which contained antique jewellery, from Jimmys Beach while the couple were sunbathing nearby.
That dingo was a known offender and had been the subject of numerous complaints from visitors. It was later found and euthanised by council rangers.

 

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1722391/dingo-stalks-myall-lakes-tourists/?cs=305

Trapping tips 101...Part 1 Where do you start?

...with Ted Mitchell

SO, you are thinking of trying your hand at trapping? Well, I highly recommend it as not only a very useful tool for predator control work, but also as a great way to spend some leisurely time in the fresh air. But first, you will have to figure out what traps you will need.

Two at a time.

 Foothold traps come in many different sizes. These can vary in size from # 1 sized traps often used for rabbits, #1 ½ size traps for cats and fox, #2 size traps can be an intermediate trap, used for cats and foxes, and also for wild dogs/dingoes. #3 size and up to #5 are mainly used for wild dogs. Traps also come in different shapes and styles. They can be ‘long spring’ traps with single or double springs, or ‘coil spring’ traps, with either two coils or four. Some are ‘dog on’, and some are ‘dogless’.

As you can see, it is not always an easy decision for the beginner. So first things first. What is your main target animal? Wild dog, fox, or cat? Of course, if your target animal is one of the smaller animals, then a #1 ½ size trap will suffice. If you think you may want to one day move up to wild dogs, then may I suggest you go straight to a #3 sized trap, as the larger dimensions in both jaw width and pan size will make catches a little easier on the smaller critters anyway. The only real downside to this is that the actual larger size of the trap will sometimes make it a little harder to get it into a tighter spot.

Personally, I like the ‘coil spring’ models, and would always recommend the same to anyone wanting to buy their first traps. They are much more compact than the ‘long spring’ models, and are generally easier to set too.

A Jake trap by J.C. Connor, a great 'dogless' design

I also have a personal preference for a ‘dogless’ design for the trigger mechanism. To me it is just one less thing to worry about on the trapline, as a ‘dog’ or ‘tongue’ can get chewed up by captured animals and then needs some minor panel beating. This of course doesn’t happen very often, but it can. I still do own and use a lot of ‘dog on’ traps. The ‘dog’ of course, is the piece of metal that folds over and holds down the jaw when the trap is set. Its end fits into a notch in the ‘till’, which is on the rear part of the ‘pan’ or ‘plate’. It seems difficult to explain, but I’m sure you get the idea. We have all seen the old style rabbit traps and had a go at setting them.

Next time we will look at chain systems.

Click here if you want to try some of Ted's quality predator lures..