Here’s a trap station with a Goodnature automatic A24 and a double-set DOC 200. We obtained a series of photos showing a weasel checking the A24 and entering the DOC 200. The camera is set up to take three photos in series with a one-minute delay before the camera is triggered again. So the shots are only a few seconds apart. Click on the photos to get a stand-alone image.
Photo1
Photo2
These are the only photos of a weasel on camera for the Makino R trapline from 27 October to 28 November 2023 and it is only the second weasel caught in the four years we have been involved with the trapline.
When cleared on 28 November, the DOC 200 trap also contained a rat.
Weasel and stoat differences
Weasels frequent open country or bush edge more than deep in the forest. They are capable of killing kiwi chicks and are known to prey on juvenile rabbits, but one of their preferred foods is mice. This camera has shown a marked increase of mice numbers from previous years and even from August. We even found dead mice under two A24s when checking the trapline. The January 2024 check showed a decrease in mouse numbers from trail cameras.
A stoat checking out the A24
This DOC 200 trap has a heavy (50mm) wooden base and a single peg attached with a 50mm batten screw. It would be much easier to have a lighter base and put two pegs in. We are trialling a triple-set DOC 150 at home that has two pegs. When last checked, it had a weasel in one trap, a mouse in another and the middle trap still set.
The double set DoC 200 with two catches
We have also found from trail camera data that stoats frequent a stand-alone A24 much more than a stand-alone DOC 200, so we are using A24s and DOC 200s together.
Facts about stoats and weasels from www. discoverwildlife.com:
Weasel
- Scientific name Mustela nivalis
- Body Ultra-slim; about twice the size of a house mouse
- Size Up to 20cm long (head and body); more slender than a stoat. Sexes are similar in size
- Flanks Dividing line between tawny brown back and pale belly patchy and irregular
- Throat Brown patch or ‘gular spot’ on each side
- Tail Entirely brown; very short and often hard to see
- Underside Pure white
Stoat
- Scientific name Mustela erminea
- Body Long and lithe; roughly the size of a thin rat
- Size Up to 25cm long (head and body); male is noticeably larger than female
- Flanks Uniformly brown; form a straight, contrasting line with pale belly
- Throat No brown patches
- Tail Medium length; rearmost third always black
- Underside Creamy white
Leave a Reply