Bucket Trap Mystery

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Gary N
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Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Gary N »

Somebody found three of these bucket traps recently at a well-known location on public land (where you can legally collect herps) in the San Diego County desert. The buckets had meal worms and crickets in them, apparently to attract and trap lizards that jumped in off of the rocks. Has anyone else seen anything like this? Since they were not marked they don't appear to be part of any permitted study so I would guess that they were put there by commercial collectors or somebody who wanted something for their own collection. But what would be worth collecting? Switak's geckos are known from the location, but I don't think they climb large rocks, or do they? Is it more likely that they were trying to collect something other than lizards?

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lateralis
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by lateralis »

The positioning of the buckets is lousy and in direct sun so I would suspect the "poachers" are either complete idiots or plan on checking them frequently. I would have placed a game camera nearby to record the return of the bucketeers.

And yes switaks are a saxicolous species.
Paul Lynum
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Paul Lynum »

Probably for spiny's? Maybe Leaf Toed Geckos. If they're looking for Switaks I would say they are way off and that's good. Kinda but not for the diurnal stuff. Game cam would be funny though lol.

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Porter
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Porter »

You should place a note within the bucket that reads, "smile... you're on Candid Camera."

...or a plastic toy lizard :lol:
hellihooks
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by hellihooks »

I've found and rescued collards and chucks from a 55 gall plastic water catchment barrel... not sure if those, and/or possibly Means Rock Lizards are there or not... but i would guess they are.
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Calfirecap
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Calfirecap »

I've never seen anything like that and I suspect it was some kids attempt at an experiment or to trap feeder lizards.
Jimi
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Jimi »

I agree with Lawrence - this attempt is clearly juvenile. Or, um, done by a CPU-compromised individual. It's as far from commercial-grade as one could imagine. Guys who do it legally, for money, are by and large good at it.

Curious - are bucket traps a legal method of take in CA for either personal/recreational or commercial herp harvest? I'm kinda doubting it...almost certainly illegal for personal/recreational. Another piece of evidence for the "juvenile" argument, I think.

Next time just take a hole saw out there, and fix their bucket. They'll get the message.

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hellihooks
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by hellihooks »

I just stick branches n shrubs n stuff in 'death traps' that I don't have time to fill... and no... pit traps are not legal in Ca
mwentz
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by mwentz »

If I came across those, my thought would be "Hey, free bucket!".
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Ross Padilla
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Ross Padilla »

Jimi wrote:I agree with Lawrence - this attempt is clearly juvenile. Or, um, done by a CPU-compromised individual. It's as far from commercial-grade as one could imagine. Guys who do it legally, for money, are by and large good at it.

Curious - are bucket traps a legal method of take in CA for either personal/recreational or commercial herp harvest? I'm kinda doubting it...almost certainly illegal for personal/recreational. Another piece of evidence for the "juvenile" argument, I think.

Next time just take a hole saw out there, and fix their bucket. They'll get the message.

cheers
Its illegal to trap reptiles unless you have a permit. I think its fine to use a noose for lizards though.
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Jeremy Westerman
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Jeremy Westerman »

I saw this a few days ago,
Rangers shut down 60 snake poaching traps in Santa Monica Mountains' Decker Canyon:
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/04/08/593 ... -in-decke/
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Fundad
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Fundad »

How do we know these are for reptiles?

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Jimi
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Jimi »

(Fundad, I assume here that you're referring to Jeremy's carpet link and not Gary's 3 buckets. But I'll offer some opinions on both. BTW - hope to see you in Mena.)

Re: the carpet, I have a lot less problem just assuming they're meant for increasing reptile encounters, than I do for assuming they're for "commercial" or any other form of "poaching".

The legality is unambiguous, regardless of intent.

Re: the bucket, well, the mealworms and crickets is a clue, as is the absence of any sort of screen or funnel to retain flying animals (like some kind of hokey bird or bat trap). Trapping predatory inverts like spiders or scorpions would be easier with smaller cans (maybe the plastic coffee cans?), would not require any sort of attractant, and it's far easier still to just shine, cruise, or excavate them.

So, Gary, any update?

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Gary N
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Gary N »

Jimi,

The man who found the buckets in February removed them all and I have not heard if any others have been found there.

I did hear from someone at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who said that using a bucket is not a legal form of take with a fishing license, so it is clearly illegal activity, as we all know. A legitimate study using buckets is required to mark the trap with their permit number. She suggested calling CalTIP or notifying Law Enforcement if you find bucket traps like these.
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Steve Bledsoe
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Very clever of these guys how they used buckets that were hard to spot! :crazyeyes: :lol:
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Brian Hubbs
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Brian Hubbs »

I like how the buckets say "Let's Just DO This" on them...

Yeah, let's just do it...and lose the buckets in the process... :lol: :lol: :lol:
hellihooks
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by hellihooks »

Maybe what they were trying to catch was on their bucket list... :roll: :lol:
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Porter
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Porter »

hellihooks wrote:Maybe what they were trying to catch was on their bucket list... :roll: :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Porter »

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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

Post by Porter »

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Re: Bucket Trap Mystery

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