Well, it turns out the blip that Tammy and I saw around 9:30 last night was indeed Owen. The homeowners told us that Owen was behind the house the whole time, waiting for us to leave. Fifteen minutes after we cleared the area, he came out of hiding and helped himself to the food inside the trap. From this we know that he is 1) danged smart, and 2) likely detecting our scent in the area when were there, and 3) a creature of habit. Oh, and he likes steak and bacon. :) So, our plan now is for Tammy to arrive at the trap just after dark every night this week, put down a little high-value food, then leave, with the trap gate locked open. We have asked the homeowners to log when they see Owen in the trap, but if his pattern holds, he will be watching Tammy and will enter the trap shortly after she exits. We want to habituate him to this pattern. This will give us what we didnt have yesterday--predictability, plus the knowledge that he will indeed go inside the trap. This weekend, Ill go to Wisconsin again, and this time Ill bring our new photoelectric sensors. As you may have seen in the video we posted, this will allow us to rig the trap to close when he breaks the beam by fully entering the trap. Ill set the trap up during the daylight, then clear the area. Tammy will come at her regular time, leave some food, and also exit. If Owen remains true to form, he will enter the trap shortly thereafter, and well have him.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 01:17:31 +0000
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