Trapping
Trapping is the foundation of everything else that we do. If we don’t control invasive predators, there’s no point in planting (possums love young plants); there’s no point in weed control; there’s no protection for flora and fauna.
BHMET has a fleet of over 1,600 traps across Motupōhue. Of these, 1,100 are manual traps that need rebaiting ever two weeks. Traps are set out along over 100km of traplines across the hill. These traplines traverse parts of the hill that only trappers get to visit.
Trapline volunteers look after one or more traplines, taking a ‘walk with purpose’ every couple of weeks. We have traplines for every fitness level – some short, level traplines which take less than an hour; others that are gnarly, taking 3-4 hours to complete.
Our volunteers love the mahi – they really get to know ‘their’ line through the seasons. The piwakawaka (fantails), tomtits and (rarely) South Island robins will watch on with interest!
Predator numbers are very low and so catches are becoming less frequent. When those catches do occur, handling the carcass does require a strong stomach! Trapping isn’t for everyone but it is massively rewarding work and our trappers get really passionate about their mahi.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
Posted: 23 May 2025