Check this article out and see how understanding the night time wind direction in your area can greatly improve your success in controlling wild dogs.
Here are some Dos and Dont's when it comes to baiting:
Do -
- Leave your working or pet dogs at home. 1080 is highly effective on dogs and any mistake could see the end of your dog/s.
- Wash very thoroughly or dispose of any bait containers, including the clothes and boots you used when picking up and putting out baits. Again 1080 is highly effective on dogs so do this before patting your dog/s.
- Put your baits out late in the day when the birds have gone home to roost. Place baits under some leaf litter or dig a shallow hole and cover with dirt. Birds will remove the majority of baits in some areas before dogs and foxes can get to them. This wont in any way harm the birds, however it makes your efforts far less effective.
- Put baits in those areas where dogs travel on your property, i.e. on roads, tracks, creek crossings etc.
- Work in conjunction with your neighbours to bait at the same time. Dogs will travel and if everyone baits at the same time there is a much better chance of success.
- Get some manufactured baits from your local council and carry out regular baiting. This is where permanent bait stations work very well – as one bait gets taken, replace it immediately.
- Control foxes prior to wild dog control, otherwise they are likely to get caught in traps or take many baits intended for wild dogs.
Don't -
- Just throw baits out, as it's far less effective. Be strategic and put them where dogs and foxes travel.
- Tie your dog up on the back of the truck with the bag/bucket of 1080 baits. 1080 is fatal to dogs.
- Use the same bait meat all the time – try to use something different every other time that you bait.
- Think one or two baitings per year will be enough to reduce the dog numbers. You wouldn't expect that trapping for just two weeks of the year is going to solve the wild dog problem either.
- Just rely on aerial baiting. If an aerial bait lands 25metres off a track that dogs walk along and the wind is taking the bait's scent away from the track when dogs pass then it will be ineffective. Be strategic, take into account wind direction and put baits along the edge of tracks where the prevailing night-time winds will be working in your favour.
Whenever I bait there seems to be more dogs than ever a few weeks later.
Whenever you remove wild dogs (or any other transient pest animal) from your property, other wild dogs on neighbouring properties will reinfest your place in a matter of days, weeks or months.
It doesn't matter whether you trap, bait or shoot them either. All animals scent mark their territories and if you've removed wild dogs from your place others from all directions will move in to claim the 'vacant' territory. This can mean that there is a short term uplift in dog activity on your property as the neighbouring packs compete for 'ownership'.
The best strategy is to have a follow up baiting and trapping program to also remove these newcomers.
Available Baits:
Strychnine: Strychnine is currently available for use in Queensland. Permits are still able to be obtained, however as Strychnine is to be phased out, permits are likely to be not available from 2016.
Access the application form; take a look at the strychnine fact sheet on it's reqiurements or visit the Queensland Health website.
Strychnine is available from your local pharmacist. The supplier that your pharmacist will need to contact is Nashcorp PL on 07 5538 6444 or enquiries@nashcorp.com.au
1080: Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080) is our most native animal friendly toxin as it occurs naturally in about 35 species of Australian plants. This means that our native wildlife have evolved with it for many tens of thousands of years and generally have a very high tolerance to it. However introduced species are very susceptible to it especially wild dogs, foxes and cats.
1080 is available in 3 forms:
- Solution that is injected into pieces of fresh meat
- Manufactured* and mostly dried meat 'treat' type baits (impregnated with 1080)
- 1080 capsules for use in the Canid Pest Ejectors.
To obtain 1080 you will need to contact the regional council in your area and they will determine whether you are able to use it, depending on a strict set of State Government guidelines. These guidelines have been developed to minimise any impacts to non-target species or pets.
*There are 2 makers of manufactured meat baits in Australia, ACTA and PAKS National.
