He learnt from his father and grandfather.

And the Tumbarumba wild dog man can claim almost eight years without a single stock loss.

He says his skill was learnt on the job in the bush supported by family traditions.

He caught 25 dogs in traps last year, some hip high, as well as a feral pig weighing 110 kilograms.

Mr Goldspink, who works for NSW Forests, used baits to take out another 20 to 25 dogs.

He said his own dogs were his “eyes and ears” in the bush.

“Anyone can lay a trap but the trick is to understanding why you are putting it in a spot and having a back-up plan if that fails,” he said.

“You can’t just rely on one method. You need to trap, bait and work with the landholders.

“If the farmers are working with me, I can concentrate on the boundaries of farmland, target the danger.”

Mr Goldspink was part of a wild dog roadshow yesterday where trappers and environmentalists discussed the ongoing battle against introduced pests that range from foxes to pigs, goats to cane toads.

These days, the traps have rubber jaws and inertia springs to reduce the trauma to the animal.

National wild dog co-ordinator Greg Mifsud said Mr Goldspink’s work was a fine example of using all of the tools of his trade.

He said delays in aerial baiting continued to frustrate all involved in the fight against predators.

“It’s the last piece in the puzzle,” he said.

“We now have a concentrated program that targets trails and farms but there are still ridges and corridors between public and private land that remain inaccessible to all but an aerial attack.

“We are particularly disappointed with the federal government.

“It has ignored the evidence suggesting that native quolls are not affected by such baiting.

“Our studies have shown that 1080 poison does not kill quolls.

“There are far greater benefits for quolls from baiting of wild dogs and foxes.”

Yesterday was the third of 18 stops for the national wild dog roadshow.