In my case, it's the Indian and not the arrow as was noted on the other thread...seems the catch "arms" of this trap always get interference from the top of the tunnel. Any magical prep work and/or covering that I need to do?

I cut a block of sod out about 8 inches wide right through the tunnel and 4-5 inches north/south of the run.I pry up and remove the sod block exposing the runs on both sides. You may have to use your fingers to re establish the runs as the cut out may close off the tunnel slightly on either side.

Once the runs have been re established I use my two fingers to establish direction of the run and widen each tunnel slightly more then it is to allow the set trap to be guided into the tunnel far enough to where the fire/push bar is just inside the run on both sides. Be sure the seat the front part( jaw end of the trap) in the run floor like bedding a foot hold trap.

Once the trap is positioned I use a dandelion tool to push the front bottom jaw hinge area down into the soil by using the tool.It allows you to reach back into the run without disturbing the run any more then necessary.Hold the set / push bar forward with one hand while doing this to prevent the trap from firing while seating the trap with your other hand using the tool.

Setting the traps in opposite directions of course. I have tethers on each of my traps. Many times I can use my surveying flag wires to run through both trap tether loops. If not I use one wire flag for each trap if necessary. With the traps set I replace the cut out sod back into the original cut out position and press it into place. I flag to one side or the other of the cut out area so the flag wires do not interfere with replacing the sod cut out.

That is how I do it in sod/turf soil. If the soil is loose and back fill is necessary just do that after the traps have been placed in the runs.

Sounds more complicated then it really is. I could show you the whole process in a minute or less. Then it just requires a little hands on practice.

I set pretty much like Bob described, but with a much smaller hole. With my skinny hands, I make as small of a hole as possible and preset the traps on-site just prior to opening the hole to reduce the time the run is open. I also pull the trigger to vertical for a light setting. Keeping traps clean will minimize friction. Like he mentioned, and Steve states, make sure the jaws are settled firmly, making it as convenient as possible for our quarry to amble in toward the trigger.

As for the hung-up bail issue, unless you're setting in hard clay or under a rock or root, it should work. If unsure, you could vertically ovalize the run with a tool, I guess. The end of the bail is no higher than the spring catch when it releases the jaws, at least on the trap I just checked.

Is the bail the same thing I would call trap jaws? That's what I really meant just couldn't think of the right term!

Hmmm. When set, the jaws are about 2/3 the height of the springarm, so that shouldn't be the problem if the run is uniform. Width, yes, at times.

It is a good practice in my experience to wash your traps after use in wet or muddy soil and let air dry. Clean traps reduce slow firing and prevent any clogging of dried dirt that could interfere with the travel of the push bar. I have had some mis fires as a result of dried dirt packed around the rear of the push bar attachment.

I have been putting Steve's traps in a bucket about 1/4 full of water and just throw the traps in after use. The agitation of the
water sloshing around in the bucket while I am driving gets the job done. Once a week, I clean and put fresh water in.

Good idea.Sort of like an automatic dish washer.

I'm getting more and more interested in his traps. I used his email address on his site w/ no response. Is a PM here the best way to reach him?

Anyone?

Try PM or visit his site for more contact information- http://www.traplineproducts.com

Hey 22Mag, can you resend that email, or even better, post your question here and I will do my best to answer. Sorry, but it's our busiest time of year, and I can't find your email now. But happy to take a stab at your question, and if you post here, you may get other experienced mole trappers chime in too.

Thanks much! I am pulling my hair out using it in soft and sandy soil types. Moles are tunneling over and around my traps. Any suggestions?

Are you sealing the hole back up? Take a handful of soil and form it in a semi packed ball. Place this over each opening of the tunnel.. it is important that the front portion of the trap with the jaws be inserted down and in to bed it to discourage tunneling under and keep it solid.

Hey Jason, we don't have that much sandy soil out here, almost all clay but where we do run into sand we usually use out of sights tuned to a really sensitive trigger. And it's still harder to catch them in sand.

With our traps, I've had a number of people tell me that they set the traps upside down, with the tines pointing down rather than up in sandy soil and it works good. It's not that hard to place them that way, as the tines pretty much support the front end of the trap. Set in the upside down position, the moles don't have to crawl over anything, and that seems to help in sandy soil.

If you set them in the normal position, then yes you should bed the traps into the sand a bit. If you set them upside down, then you wouldn't want to do that.

If you do try them upside down, let me know how it works out.

Thanks

I have several customers with sandy soil and have stopped using Steve's traps and just go to out of sights with 3/4 Pvc pipe taped to the trigger. I have considered using a 3 inch staple to hold the trap so the mole can' push it out, will try it next time I have that condition.

This site rocks!!!!!! Thank you PocketJax. Thank you Steve for knowing the power of this site! THANK YOU PAUL FOR THIS SITE. Sorry for yelling, but I had to make sure he heard me! We have alot of sand, and this year, alot of rain. My son does the Mole work, and hasn't had much luck this year. Now we have something new to try.

I trap mostly sandy soils here and I still use only steves traps! Sometimes the upsidedown trick works but other times if I get a dig under I reset that same run with severial traps a few feet appart. kind of like gang setting. And make an effort to really push that front of the trap in the ground! I have bedded it so far into the sand that the back of the trap was a half inch above the front! It works

You must be sure you have the tunnel and trap alignment correct in a straight line presentation as is reasonably possible. If you block the tunnel with one of the jaws being they are a rigid obstruction or debris blocks the run by your manipulation of the tunnel, the mole may naturally avoid the obstacle by routing around, under or over the trap jaw to allow easier passage.

My techs, I found when checking some of their set ups were not setting straight runs all the time.I found several dig arounds as a result of them not taking the time to determine a good straight run location. They would set bends, or part of an intersection of the tunnel. Then depending upon the direction of travel of the mole it may approach the trap set up in an angle, thus the trap is preventing easy passage so the digging around the blockage is a normal reaction for the mole.

If you have a relatively unobstructed line of travel with your jaws, and are set at a reasonable point of center of the run your problems should stop. Also if you are experienceing dirt blockages pushed into your traps you may have light,odor, air flow or an enlarged the tunnel chamber that you may have created when doing your set up.

Just remember when capturing any animal in their environment, particularly one with a high rate of sensitivity and familiarity of their world, they can detect changes, that in their experience, can lead to caution or perceived problems for them. Consequently they react in a behavior that deals with this perceived situation. It means you were a bit careless, didnt know what you did, or didnt pay attention to some things when placing the traps.

With moles it is usually two simple reactions to run interuptions,blockages or disturbances. One of digging up, over and down again,digging under,around or backing away from a solid obstruction. Or plowing shut a perceived caution/threat area that may not be used ever again by that particular animal.Learn to understand a situation when you see it, so the next time you can better understand what may have occurred to avoid the same mistake down the road.

For very sandy areas or very loose ground I cut 1-1/2" pvc pipe in half long ways in 8" sections.Black pipe is best due to the dark color.(They can determine a color contrast I have found as compared to white pvc.) This way I get two halves with each cut on the band saw.I completly remove the top section of the mole run just a little smaller then the length of the cut pipeing.I want about an inch of solid ground on each end for the cut pipe to rest upon as a suspended shelf to keep the pipe from dropping into the tunnel. I then press the cut pipe into the run to conform to the existing tunnel dimensions as best as is reasonable.

I set and bed my traps back to back as normal placing the traps into the run with the end of the trap just sticking out of the cut run.This way you can just look at the end of the push bar to determine if the trap has been fired or not. Then replace the pipeing and move on to your next set up.Most likely you will have some collapse in that end of the tunnel in sandy soil from the catch so determining a catch should be a no brainer.

Dont make the tunnel run any wider then necessary when opening the top so the pipe will neatly cover the exposed run completely. If needed use some loose sand or dirt to fill in any open areas in the sides and ends to keep out the light and any air flow.Once you do this a couple of times it is very fast just like anything else you do with a little practice.

Seat and place your traps well and you should avoid most of your problems.

You may also need to move a few yards away from where the mole has started tunneling around the trap. I had the same problem last year. Once they start they somehow know to avoid it. One thing I found out is the guys on here that catch a lot of moles,.. have a lot of traps set. Once I got several more and found some of the deeper runs I finally started catching moles. I even waxed mine and used gloves to set them. This seemed to help. I don't know if a mole cares about your scent but I was starting to get mad at this mole. Luckily for me my dogs have started killing them and now keep them under control.