Civets

[Humptulips]

I received a message about civets and the KORO rat traps so thought I would share my experience so far this year. Pictured are 4 I caught yesterday. A little blurry, I guess I'm not steady.
Anyway, KOROs are all I have been using this year and been catching 1 or 2 most days. All of them have been dead but some show a mark so maybe not instant death but pretty close.
How to: I think you have to have a box for the trap to force them through the trap. You do need to cut the pan IMO back to about 1/2 inch. Just enough to not ruin the hole for the trigger wire. Do leave the little bait spike on the pan. I took them off some and that is a mistake. It gives them something to step over and in doing so they plant more firmly on the pan. With the full pan they do not get into the trap far enough before they spring it and the jaw pushes their head out. A strike across the shoulders is the most effective on civets so you need to get them in as far as possible.
I think you need to hair  trigger them as much as possible. Simple to do if they spring hard. Just bend the trigger wire back a bit. A few of them have a small bur on the trigger wire. A few licks with a flat file take care of that. Most are OK though.
Do attach the trap to the box. They are a little tippy if you don't. I drill a small hole  through the front of the box and run a wire through it and over the part of the trap the striker hits.
I tried modifying them with a small conibears type trigger and it didn't work well. Stick with the pan.
Pm me if you want some. I have them for sale.
One last thing. You can go to a 3 day check with them but unless it is freezing better to check every other day. In 3 days they can get a green belly.

[Bango skank]

Man, spotted skunks sure look cool.  I dont believe we have them in my neck of the woods.  Am i wrong?  Seen about a million regular old striped skunks (most of which have been taking asphalt naps.)  In fact my taxi is slacking on a skunk mount for me.  Finally caught up with the barn skunk cat food bandit with my .22lr a while back. 

How far do i have to go to find a spotted skunk?

[Humptulips]

Man, spotted skunks sure look cool.  I dont believe we have them in my neck of the woods.  Am i wrong?  Seen about a million regular old striped skunks (most of which have been taking asphalt naps.)  In fact my taxi is slacking on a skunk mount for me 

How far do i have to go to find a spotted skunk?

Probably have to make it over the crest to the west side. Thick second growth.

[JakeLand]

Nice catch ! Is there any documentation that we can print off to keep on hand to prove that it’s legal to use just in case?
Thanks Jake

[DOUBLELUNG]

Man, spotted skunks sure look cool.  I dont believe we have them in my neck of the woods.  Am i wrong?  Seen about a million regular old striped skunks (most of which have been taking asphalt naps.)  In fact my taxi is slacking on a skunk mount for me 

How far do i have to go to find a spotted skunk?

Probably have to make it over the crest to the west side. Thick second growth.

Range map shows them in the Blues too

[Humptulips]

Nice catch ! Is there any documentation that we can print off to keep on hand to prove that it’s legal to use just in case?
Thanks Jake

Check your e-mail

Anyone else want the letter from WDFW PM me your e-mail and I'll send it to you.

[JakeLand]

Thank you!! That’s perfect

[JakeLand]

On the letter it does say that if a occurrence happens that they’re supposed to document it and send it up the chain of command so they can be reviewed and maybe change what they can be used for ?

[Humptulips]

At some point, probably next year WDFW is planning on making a rule defining what a "common rat or mouse trap" is.
If there are incidents involving the KORO rat trap in the meantime they are supposed to be reported by Enforcement Officers. This would likely effect that rule making process.
I have to say I can't imagine what kind of incident would happen with the traps though.
I will be involved in this rule making process so hope to see a more permanent rule for their use.

[JakeLand]

Do you think using it to trap mink and the trap being a “rodent trap “ that it would make a issue IF a LEO got involved hypothetically if it was set legal and in the up and up ?

[lewy]

Are those skunks releasing when smacked by the koro Bruce?

[Humptulips]

Do you think using it to trap mink and the trap being a “rodent trap “ that it would make a issue IF a LEO got involved hypothetically if it was set legal and in the up and up ?

The basis for them being used is that they are categorized as a rat trap in that they are designed and sold to trap rats. That gets them an exemption from I-713. There is no limitations on what animals can be trapped in a trap exempt from the law.

[Humptulips]

Are those skunks releasing when smacked by the koro Bruce?

I have not noticed where they have.

[wags]

could you post a picture of your box? Or PM me a picture?

[Humptulips]

could you post a picture of your box? Or PM me a picture?

[Humptulips]

What Santa brought me for Christmas and the second pic, Boxing Day.

[JakeLand]

Stacking up the stinkers ! All with the koro ?

[Humptulips]

One with a pipe trap.

[JakeLand]

I thought I would show the boxes I made

[Humptulips]

Had another good day but hectic. Came home with 7.
One on the left looks ratty because it is. Half eaten by something.
I'm having problems though. Getting some live ones in the traps. Have to rethink my strategy. I have been hair triggering them but might try a stiffer trigger and tie the bait in the back of the box. I like Jakes bait spike. I might have to do something similar. The problem is they need to get farther in so you can get a strike across the shoulder. Neck strikes leave something to be desired. I think with a stiffer trigger and the bait tied in the back so they can't pull it out I might improve the shoulder strike odds. Still experimenting to find the best method.

[wags]

Bruce, do you think Jake's setup has the trap about the right distance from his bait spike, or??
I noticed your rig has the trap right at the entrance.

[Humptulips]

Bruce, do you think Jake's setup has the trap about the right distance from his bait spike, or??
I noticed your rig has the trap right at the entrance.

I think both would work OK but think all that extra box before they get to the trap is wasted.
I also believe that all you need for room behind the trap is enough for the bait, especially so with Jakes bait spike.
However Jake is going to use them on marten and that is something I know nothing about. I'll let you guys decide on that. Do you have problems with raptors getting marten? That extra room would hide them good if that is the case.
I would like to come up with a way for the animal and trap to fall out of the box when caught. If I could figure that out I would probably use a run pole as that would solve the cannibalism problem  which does happen with civets.

[JakeLand]

No problem with raptors tearing them up but there sometimes a issue with mice giving them a haircut. Why I prefer a longer box is to keep them dry and not frozen in the trap cause then you gotta pull the trap too . If they’re frozen in and you open the trap to get the marten out it can pull a strip of hair out which is not good

[Humptulips]

 

[Machias]

Man those are a beautiful pelt.

[Humptulips]

Well, No pictures. I might post a picture of todays catch later when it is dried out.
I caught 6 but I had one of the more unusual catches today then I have had in a long time.
You all know I am using the boxes with the KOROs and the box is just big enough to fit the trap. I have been experimenting with the trigger to try and get them into the trap a little farther before they triggered it.
I walked up to a set today and there is a big beautiful civet sticking out apparently dead. It was very far into the trap and did not look like it had moved a bit after being struck. My usual routine is to flip the box over and undo the wire holding the trap in so I can pull trap and all out. I did this and wait a minute something is happening. I jumped back thinking the civet was still alive and fixing to give me both barrels but no. Definitely something moving around in there. Upon closer inspection he really was dead but there was a surprise farther into the trap.
Apparently a small civet went in and got past the trigger then the big guy came in and got caught blocking the door for the first one in so I had a live one in the box ahead of the dead one in the door.

[JakeLand]

Well how did that end up ! How many you up to so far ?

[Humptulips]

Well, I'm no smellier then usual I think I'm up to 41 or 42

[JakeLand]

So we can still find you in a mall parking lot! That’s a incredible amount of civets ! How far of a area do you catch that many ?

[Humptulips]

My farthest set is 10 miles from home. About 30 of them came off the Promiedland. My permit ran out the 1st of the year so I had to pull everything and just getting back to catching stuff now. I probably covered about 20 miles of logging roads to get those 30. Now I don't have access behind any gates so I don't get far off the highway.

[Axle]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - this thread stinks! 
But I like it 

[Humptulips]

Picture from yesterday.

[flyfishWA]

supposedly we have them in my area but I've never been able to find them I really want to catch one

[Humptulips]

supposedly we have them in my area but I've never been able to find them I really want to catch one

look for them in 2nd growth fir about the age they would pre-commercial thin. They like to follow small creeks too. Any mountain beaver colonies they will be around too.

[DishBogget]

One I caught today, maybe a little far back but other than spraying didn’t seem to be many signs of struggle. Totally unmodified trap in a box.


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[Humptulips]

 

[lokidog]

Could you do a similar setup for mink?

[Humptulips]

Could you do a similar setup for mink?

I think so. I have several sets out along streams hoping to get one. No luck yet, not a lot of mink up here.
It's all an experiment this year. I'd like to see someone post on mink good or bad.

[lokidog]

Could you do a similar setup for mink?

I think so. I have several sets out along streams hoping to get one. No luck yet, not a lot of mink up here.
It's all an experiment this year. I'd like to see someone post on mink good or bad.

So many mink out here, but I'm not around consistently enough these days to check traps regularly.

[JakeLand]

The boxes I made for the koro will definitely work for mink!

[lokidog]

The boxes I made for the koro will definitely work for mink!

Might have to try that next year. Killed two in my chicken coop this winter. Of course, now I have no more chickens....

[lokidog]

Where is the least expensive including shipping place to get the Koros?

[JakeLand]

I got mine from Bruce ( Humptulips) 6 of them were just under !120 at my house in 3 days

[Jwede]

I’m gonna have to try this! Nice catches


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