Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Predation Management
There are no shortcuts when it comes to ethical control of predators. The more you practise these procedures, the better your results.
In this final edition of the series, I’ll recap the most important aspects of controlling jackals and other predators ethically. If used correctly, these methods will bring you results.
• Best conditions
The best time to hunt cats is the week before new moon. For jackal, you have a two-week opportunity: the week before and after new moon. Remember, too, that cats prefer hunting in windy conditions.
• Setting up
Smear Seagro over your bakkie tyres before a hunt and place red cellophane filters over your bakkie lights (the type used to wrap presents). Get to your calling spot before sundown. Cover the truck (not with black material), prepare your equipment and blend in.
Scan the area with binoculars until you can no longer see properly. Then, every so often, scan with a red spotlight and make a whistling sound. In this way, if a predator is close, you’ll see its eyes and be able to take your shot before it is totally dark.
After dark, start calling and moving into the wind to the other spots you marked out. Spend at least an hour at each of the good spots.
• Broom trick
When moving, sweep a metre-wide line across the sand road between, say, the 2nd and 4th location. On the way back, check the broom marks for fresh tracks. If any are visible, stop and make a call quickly. This will often bring out the predator.
• Lures
Hang a dead jackal on the bakkie and open the animal’s anal scent glands at 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock on the rear vent. This will hide your smell and lure jackal closer.
• Calling
Use two callers; for example, a digital remote caller with distress sounds into the wind and barks downwind, or barks on a caller downwind and a hand caller on the truck into the wind.
Mix up the sounds. This will confuse jackal, and 99% of the time they will come in from areas other than downwind. (If you suddenly start getting poor results, call from 3am as opposed to immediately after dark.)
Let the sound drift about 500m away at the most, so you cover a kilometre all around you. Then move to the next spot and repeat the process. In this way, you’ll create a blanket of sound and sweep areas properly.
Sounds should not be played for too long, though; it’s not ‘disco night’ in the bush!
• If they don’t come in
If a jackal answers, but doesn’t come in, walk 300m in that direction, 45° to the left or right of the animal, then call from the ground.
• Night vision
I have discussed at some length the benefits of using night vision (NV). It will greatly enhance your chances of success and ensure that you remove only the ‘guilty party’.
Remember, however, that a jackal can see a night vision’s infra-red signature most of the time, so never shine your light directly in its face.
• Where predators have killed
Use NV at places where predators have killed. Don’t call; just sit and wait. A caracal moves no more than 600m from the site of a fresh kill, then returns to the site the following night.
Since a cat travels about 100m every 10 minutes or so, expect it to be back at the carcass within an hour after dark. Sit facing the cover side between 70m and 80m away so that the animal has to break cover and cross in front of you to reach the dead sheep.
• Keep records
Knowledge is power! Keep detailed records of farms where you hunt and, after a year, you’ll be able to see what worked for you where and when. In this way, you’ll learn many things that you won’t find in books or on a course, as every area and farm is different.
You will learn many things that you won’t find in books or on a course