POSSUM TRAPPING IN RIMUTAKAS.

Shannon News, 14 August 1923, Page 3

POSSUM TRAPPING IN RIMUTAKAS.

A SPORTSMAN’S PARADISE,

Mr P. O’Keefe, [who, bearded and very fit looking, came into Levin yesterday from a six weeks’ opossumiiuuting trip in, tile Rimitakas, tells a story mildly reminiscent oi trapping m tne great north-west. Speaking to a “Chronicle” representative during the day, lie explained that he and his partner, Mr narrett, obtained a license to trap in a block of 3000 acres ol; Government land on the snow line at a spot nine miles along the Hull Hoad lrum \vaikauae, and from there about 12 miles through the. hush into the ranges. The access through the hush was by a track which the trappers blazed themselves over very difficult country, and over which ail stores h'ad to he carried. During the whole time they were trapping —six weeks—Mr O'Keefe says, there was only one day on which snow did not fall, and the weather was bitterly cold, night and day. six other trappers of different parties also obtained licenses to. obi/am skins in this, particular, locality, -but all pulled out having found the weather too severe. As indicating the appeal .which opossum-trapping makes, it may be mentioned that one oi these men was. a Wellington doctor, and another a lawyer. The advantage oi this high locality lay in the great superiority ol the skins obtained from there, oyer those grown at warmer levels. During the six weeks in which trapping was done Mr O’Keeie and his. partner obtained 250 skins, for which an offer of 10s each had been refused, although the price of the average skin is quoted at Ss. The length and richness oi the lur and thickness, oi the skins owing to the. more rigorous climate explains the difference in the price. t

Two methods fti getting the ’possum were employed, the principal one. oi which was sharing with copper wire snares bound round with string. When a tree was located in which it was obvious tjhait the animals lived, a number oi saplings, lour to five feet in length, were laid against it at an angle ol about 45 degrees. On these the snare was fixed, the loop being so arranged that the animal, when climbing up the gapimg on its return to its home ran is neck through the noose. Some skill is required in arranging the nooses and fiixing the size, as an opossum will escape if it can get one lore-ieg througn. These nooses were also set on the run-ways or “possies” —an Australian term which has. a wide currency as a slang expression. In this case a’stout stick is laid across the path and fixed at a height oi a foot or so. above it, the noose being suspended from this. Babbit-traps baited with apple were, also used.

The other method employed . was shooting. A fine night was. necessary, and the equipment required, a dog which understands the. business on hand, a pear-rifle and an electric torch. The opossum feeds by night, and the dog’s part is to hunt them, up a tree or fallen stump, where they are “fixed” by being dazzled by the elec-tric-torch. The locality Mr O’Keefe describes as a sportsman’s paradise. Deer ;are very plentiful and during the time he was in camp a number oi splendid bucks were seen, including a 12 and 15 pointer. Pigs were literally in hundreds, and wild goats also very numerous. In the "stream by which the camp was pitched, rainbow trout were to be seen everywhere, some apparently of seven or eight pounds, f rom his description there is no doubt that the locality offers great opportunities lor general sport, and will become popular among the more virile oi our sportsmen in the future. During tins time of the year, however, it is not likely tQ he overcrowded. Mr O’Keeie remarked that) on the morning on which camp was struck he obtained water from the) creek In which to wash and after breakfasting returned to get the basin, when he found that over h»lf an inch of ice had formed during the half hour or so which the meal had taken. The tent when struck had to be spread on a rock in the sun for two hours before, itl thawed out sufficiently to'permit of being rolled.

Mr O’Keefe and his partner axe experienced trappers 'and contend that their catch should have been considerably larger but for the fact that the ground had- been cleaned up pretty thoroughly by poachers before the season opened. Evidences of their operations .were apparent in sticks erected for nooses, and camp sites, and owing to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the country, the work of the Acclimatisation officers in detecting these persons is not easy.