Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
#5924133
06/10/17 09:36 AM
06/10/17 09:36 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377
New York
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When I hear about ADC companies that offer a mere 3-5 days of trapping or have a deadline of any kind, I cringe as they are surely not doing the most they can do for the customer to solve the problem and bring closure. I am currently working on a job with a single positive set that exceeded the longest time I had previously left sets in place before, which was 36 days. In that case I caught 6 chucks, the last on day 36, making the point that patience was very much warranted. We are now at day 52 at another location, which to many might seem like a waste, but not so. Caught chuck number 5 yesterday in the single set. In places where there were litters the previous year that dispersed, they can and will return after many days, many days apart. If there is a garden in place it only takes one day for it to get ravaged, so in some cases leaving a set in place will help to guard the garden and make you some bucks too. Had to wait 30 days on one chuck last year. The neighbor had been harassing it with a bb gun which may have been the reason for the long dry spell. The range of catching is wide. Got 4 chucks yesterday that ranged from a 1 hour set to catch, seven days for a first, seven days for a second and 51 days for a fifth. They are all different, so its a judgement call as for duration that comes from experience, location, surroundings and situation. While the one hour catch set got pulled in one hour, the 52 day set it still working. And, with positive sets non-targets are minimal. With 11 chucks at the the sets that were in place a total of 88 days we only got one skunk and one possum.
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5924199
06/10/17 12:40 PM
06/10/17 12:40 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,963 St. Louis Co, Mo
BigBob
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,963
St. Louis Co, Mo
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Now that's true customer service. Kudo's.
Every kid needs a Dog and a Curmudgeon.
Remember Bowe Bergdahl, the traitor.
Beware! Jill Pudlewski, Ron Oates and Keven Begesse are liars and thiefs!
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5924259
06/10/17 02:38 PM
06/10/17 02:38 PM
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,828 Southwest Michigan
Michigan Trappin
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,828
Southwest Michigan
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Yep. If I haven't caught the critter, my trap stays until the customer says its gone. And in those situations I tell the customer that there is no set up fee if the critter returns and they want me to trap again
If the target animals are removed and later they want another type animal trapped, new set up fee
Every day is a gift from GOD, don't waste it!!
If they have plenty of food, give them something interesting to smell
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5925610
06/12/17 08:50 AM
06/12/17 08:50 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377
New York
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Very important to have the calls come in early for sure, the earlier the better, especially on nocturnal animals like skunks. The customer is told to call as early as they can, no time being too early. The machine will have the message. Think I will incorporate the checking with a fee if they don't call by a given time, especially in out of the way places, good idea. I've been a bit lax in that area by not imposing deadlines and then have to suffer at times with a late call that adds miles and potentially unnecessary additional travel time in backtracking.
With that said, since woodchucks are diurnal, traps can be checked at 8:15 with no action, but make a catch not long after a check. Though the chuck may be out and feeding at 6:00 a.m., he may decide to move to the next yard where you have set your traps later in the morning. Shortly after a check and a call with an "all clear," a customer working in the yard will notice a chuck in a trap at 10:45 that was not there at 8:00, which is not uncommon. No way to beat that one. It does mess up a day sometimes when trying to consolidate trips when the calls are staggered, while trying to group locations in all four directions, but you just can't trust a woodchuck anyway. Sometimes getting to sites later in the day saves some trips as the calls with daytime catches trickle in. Often times while picking up chucks I will get calls in the same areas about chucks just captured. Since chucks will feed morning and evening commonly and even mid day, if they move around its anybody's bet when they will get caught.
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Bethell]
#5925877
06/12/17 04:49 PM
06/12/17 04:49 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,963 St. Louis Co, Mo
BigBob
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,963
St. Louis Co, Mo
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We usually tell the customer to call us by 9:00 am. If they don't call, we check the traps and charge a trip fee. Hmmmm, Smart, I like it!
Every kid needs a Dog and a Curmudgeon.
Remember Bowe Bergdahl, the traitor.
Beware! Jill Pudlewski, Ron Oates and Keven Begesse are liars and thiefs!
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5929238
06/16/17 06:41 AM
06/16/17 06:41 AM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,447 Monroeville NJ
Jonesie
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,447
Monroeville NJ
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With skunks and ground hogs in my area, and every area is different, We can not make it bulletproof. Skunks and ground hogs like edges. Every yard is lot 1/4 acre to 3 acres that is fenced in with landscaping along those fences. big trees that have the hollow hole at the bottom. raised flower beds and the list goes on. The skunks love this habitat and the hog well he will just dig a den in the middle of the yard just like in a hay field. So I am blessed I guess, with this problem LOL Every day we get hog calls, not every one is sold but we get a lot of calls. Where once I was the squirrel man, now the ground hogs have taken over or at least running neck and neck with them, and it is because of the yard habitats, Landscape is habitat, and the yard is a better habitat with less natural mortality. here is a pic of a middle of the yard den as well as under the shed so all the proofing does not matter here LOL
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5929312
06/16/17 08:48 AM
06/16/17 08:48 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377
New York
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As a kid I hunted chucks in farmers fields, not in town of course, but now they are not only in suburbia, but downtown and in heavily wooded areas with only small lawns where I never knew chucks to be. I often wonder if the well meaning have released them in woodlots near homes because the chuck issue seems to be almost epidemic, something for which I certainly have no complaints. I couldn't finish the last sentence before the phone rang, woodchuck. I should ask the state what their records indicate for number of chucks taken annually, increasing?
If a client has an open "clean" level yard with only one shed that can be excluded, they might be a good candidate for making the yard inhospitable. However, if there are chucks in all of the surrounding neighborhoods and their yard has a flower or vegetable gardens I think it's sometimes best to leave everything as is so that the same holes can easily be located and reset year after year when chucks do return. Like beaver, chucks seem to gravitate to the same spots when they do return. And though beaver and chucks will come back to the same exact spots time after time, it might not be every year or even every other year. Just have to deal with them as they show up.
I'm always amazed that chucks will dig out an old hole, easily finding a hole that was "totally filled in and leveled."
Back to patience. I had trapped a location for several weeks this year, perhaps a month, catching 3. I was hoping to be done, just wanted to be done there actually, after catching the last in a foothold. Just got the call that another has showed up so I have to go back, something that doesn't usually happen because I don't usually leave. I guess that's why sometimes it's best to leave sets for many weeks as chucks just keep coming. Just saves resetting. With these long term setting locations, if cage trapping, double door cage traps are a must. When a chuck suddenly appears in a trap after two weeks I'm going to guess he didn't just pop up out of the hole.
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5932961
06/21/17 07:27 PM
06/21/17 07:27 PM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377
New York
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Not sure of the world record for leaving a chuck set in place, but we just hit day 64. With that said, most would think, why?????? I sort of wanted to pick the trap up at day 51 with chuck number 5, but the nice lady was worried as she had just planted the garden. Not wanting to be responsible for the possible loss of the garden, especially after all of my effort and her expense, we left it. Just got the call, chuck number 6. Hard to beat, a bait free, maintenance free set that just catches. Only have made trips to remove critters. Don't know how long this will persist, but probably won't leave it over the winter.
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5933376
06/22/17 08:37 AM
06/22/17 08:37 AM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 250 Arkansas
Jason Turner
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 250
Arkansas
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Jim, was the baitless trap that caught a positive set at a den hole?
Wildlife Removal, Etc.
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: MChewk]
#5955527
07/20/17 07:26 PM
07/20/17 07:26 PM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 30 St. Louis area
Dave Schmidt
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 30
St. Louis area
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Electronic trap monitors are great for customers who can't/won't do required trap checks. I recommend TrapSmart - great guys.
ALL OUT Wildlife Control
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Re: Sometimes Patience with Chucks Pays Off
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#5956313
07/21/17 06:02 PM
07/21/17 06:02 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,099 Adirondacks, N.Y.
trapdye
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,099
Adirondacks, N.Y.
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Patience pays, 17 days & their he was. Still waiting on his buddy.
John's Nuisance Wildlife Control If you like what you do for a living, It's better than a vacation. Most days.
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