I started trapping moles and gophers out of necessity 3 years ago. Caught quite a few for myself, and more recently for neighbors and friends.

The area around here is absolutely littered with gopher mounds. My whole neighborhood is covered. I don't know why, but this year has been even worse.

Well, I'm sure I'll stumble along the way, but I've decided to take the plunge and start advertising and offering mole and gopher trapping for hire.

I think pricing will be harder than trapping. Just don't know what people are willing to pay. I've thoroughly burnt up the search function here on the subject and think I've got a good starting point, but we'll just have to see. Seems a lot lower than what I read on here, but based off what landscapers, bug control services, and others offering a service in my area, I'm comparable to them.

I'll try to post updates as this thing progresses, but just wanted to say thanks for all the past threads about getting started. So if you posted in one, THANKS!!!

good luck im starting up mine as well well re starting i should say

Thanks! Good luck to you, as well.

I've been going back and forth with if I wanted to give this a shot. Decided it was time yesterday when I saw a spear trap haphazardly plunged into the middle of a gopher mound. That's my cue that people might be ready for help.

Although tempting, I'm not going to go door to door. I'll hand out a card if I see someone out. Got flyers up around town. Really feels like if I can get just those first few calls that word will spread to neighbors.

I know I can catch them(moles and gophers). Just need everybody else to know it and want to pay for it.

Hey Terrier - First, good luck. Second, what part of Arkansas are you in?

Central. In the Saline and Grant county area.

OK - There are no gophers in my area of SW Missouri but they're west of me in Kansas. I also service NWA (Fayetteville/Rogers metro) and no gophers there as well. I was just curious how far south it is before the gophers start showing up.

I've seen them up to at least Little Rock. Not saying that aren't further north than that, but that's as far as I can confirm.

I have heard of very few people advertising for trapping them. Or moles, either.

Do you have much competition up your way?

Aw, nobody competes with Mike!

Awwww Dave... you know I'm laughing on the inside.

Hope I didn't touch a sore spot.

I was thinking more along the lines of this market being totally wide open down here. To the point that I wonder if people even know this is a service you could pay for. Nobody does this around here that I know of.

I should have elaborated on that question.

Got my first call!

Didn't hire me....

They were hesitant about the cost and wanted a more concrete guesstimate on how many moles there were. Only a couple gopher mounds, but tons of mole activity. I don't think there were a lot of animals, but just couldn't make the call in this one. There was so much old and new activity running together, but some quality tunnels under the perimeter fence. Probably could have cleaned house there alone. Also dogs with free run of the trapping area, so I wasn't really excited about that. With Albano's traps, I wasn't worried about their safety or anything, but more interference and making the job take longer than necessary.

Well, they have my number and know the price. Really nice fella. It was all I could do to not say, "Screw it, today it's free!!!"

I was just excited to get to talk moles with somebody.

Scratch that!

Customer called back and we're gonna trap some moles!!!

No pressure.

congrats... my first job was a 110.00 gopher trapping job. caught 6..... overtime the price goes up.... way up! Good luck.

Terrier, you did well. You are a professional and have conducted yourself accordingly; DO NOT work for free!
I like to compare what we do with services provided by a physician (and nothing medical is free!).
You have taken into account some disadvantages of the situation and refused to guess at the unknown - both very good techniques.
If you present youself as somebody who is trustworthy and earnest, you will get work. Price is secondary.
To clarify my earlier post: didn't mean to imply that nobody dares compete with Mike; I meant to say that he has no competition at his level!

Around here, most folks EXPECT it to be a free service.

Because they get my number either off the states web site or from the county or city animal control, they think I'm supposed to be a service of the state, county or city. When they find out that I have to charge for the service, some actually get mad. Some are just so surprised that they loose their train of thought. And you may likely run into that as well. Just be prepared for it.

There was the guy who wanted me to remove the fox from under his shed. When he found out it would actually cost him money, he got really quiet. Then he came back with, "Well, you can have the fox." Ain't that like telling the plumber that he can keep the hair ball he pulls out of your drain?

I didn't take the job.

Got some traps in the ground this morning. I'll check them in the a.m.

It was difficult sorting old from new, but I think the tunnels along the fence and driveway where I set should be timeless.

i get alot of that here people want something for nothing. had a couple calls this week and last week one lady had coons under her house have been there for 6 months she says but she didnt think there would be enough damage for her insurance to pay for it i told her that if the coons have indeed been there for 6 months that, thats were they have been going to the bathroom for the last 6 months she got quite and said oh i told her my price which i thought was a fair price and told her that her insurance woould pay her back she still didnt want to fork out the money i never did hear back from her she was a do it your self she had caught a baby and couldnt get the mom to come out.

I was sweatin' all night. Been trapping these suckers for 3 years on my own property. Was afraid I was going to all of a sudden forget how to catch them once on a clients land.

Well, I didn't, thank God. Here is today's catch. Customer was happy and wanted me to reset the traps, so hopefully there will be more.

I got the triple crown of ground dwelling pests. One mole, one gopher, one vole. First vole I've ever caught.

Now all you need is a teeny-weeny shrew to complete the ensemble! Good job!

1 more mole and 1 more gopher!!!

People have pulled the tabs off my flyers, but still no more calls. I'm trying to be patient, but when the business cards get here, probably gonna hand 'em all out in the first week. If I can get some traps in more people's yards, hoping word of mouth will take over from there.

I'm ready for an excuse to buy more traps!