Has anyone every tried using bait when trapping moles? I see Steve A. uses PB when trapping Gophers.

If you are on active runs I don't see the need or purpose for lure or bait. When you have made positive trail sets there isn't anything better for that small tunnel. You don't have to depend upon scent to bring the mole to your set up.

spot on

the mole in most its forms is a very simple critter to catch, I trap thousands and thousands a year its my living and I have never needed to use bait or lure its just not needed. a mole can be trapped in 99% of cases in 48 hours.

trapping moles fast and effectively is down to one thing...location
it don't matter about season,male of female young or old wet dry or frost if your trap is in the wrong place it aing gona catch

So you are saying in most cases after 48 hours you pull your traps. Thousands and thousands, now that is a lot of moles.
I was just wondering because gophers are about the same in some ways. I have to agree location location is the key!

The vast majority of the moles i catch are within the first 24 hours...i get calls, texts, and emails all season just after i leave that traps have sprung within an hour

If u need to try bait with moles you are doing it all wrong

Trapper
How long do you leave a trap at your customers location if you catch the majority with in 24 hours. Are you in and out in 72 hours?
Always looking for an edge to do better.

I do weekly visits, but that's more a scheduling thing.

That can get smelly in the summer! LOL

I start off the year visiting properties 2 times per week, then as mole customers increase i am forced to scale back to once per week in order to service other wildlife problems...i usually set 2 traps per how many moles r in area...i set, check 2 times and pull on 3rd check...stayin on property that long allows me to get to see if any moles still left plus allows me to connect with my customer more...i will be hiring a mole tech next season to handle customers better...i will still do all initial set ups

I do very much the same say I set Monday I will check Tuesday, 99% of times I will have my mole/moles allowing 2 traps per mole in any situation other than agriculture . then ile leave for 3 days and ask the customer to call if they see the trap "move" after that ile lift and move on....unless ive got a contract to keep the place clear then ile have a couple of traps set in main runs 365 days a year and look at them about every 14 days to pick up newcomers...

So you are saying in most cases after 48 hours you pull your traps. Thousands and thousands, now that is a lot of moles.
I was just wondering because gophers are about the same in some ways. I have to agree location location is the key! [/quote]

I did write a long reply but my laptop committed suicide and lost it so this is the low-fat version

yes all my traps on agricultural land where most my trapping happens are pulled after one check be that 1 2 or even 3 days checks (very often just one day) I will only leave a trap in for more than one check for the following reasons:

a mole has bee missed by the trap,or the trap has been set off by sometihg like a sheep and their evidence of a mole passing the sprung trap

theirs evidence of a new mole passing the dead one in the trap, happens quite a lot in spring when they are breeding,or in very bad weather when ground water makes tunnels un-inhabitable

or of I know of a good main run location and I can be sure to pick up 3 or moles a week from it.again happens a lot in breeding season when the males are on the move looking for love

ime rarely on a farm more than 7 days and aim for a easy 20 moles a day, if I need to pick up the pace I can get 40+ a day but its a bit too much of a race to make it fun.
while I agree leaving traps on for 2 or 3 checks will up my overall catch per farm I need to have a fast turn over of traps/new locations/new farms.
I come back round every farm 8 weeks after the initial visit and can pick up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the first catch (in 2 trap days)then its once a year after that for instance one farm was 554 acre I took 184 moles off it in 9 days...8 week later I took 62 then the next year I took 34 and this year 36, I fully expect next year to be about 35-40 moles. I now trap all his neighbours land too on 3 sides to the old adage of kill one and 2 comes to his funeral don't apply hear as their all dead too..

but with all business it has to be "look for a renewable source of income" so its not in my best interest to take every mole off the spot, just enough to keep the farmer happy, with domestic and commercial properties then I will have to give them a real wallop as that's what the situation calls for

last year I caught very nearly 3,000 moles in 5 month of trapping and I want to beat that this year by a long way,i have 2 little girls with expensive hobbies so something gotta pay for ponies

P.S I can take a few picture of today of you would like? ime about to head out and check a few traps ona realy realy sandy bit of land and its the devil's own job to trap in sand!

Mawdy man:
What style trap do you use the most? I know some use different traps for different soil conditions. Thanks for the information.

talpex..its my go to trap it can be hard work in realy wet heavy clay or shale ground with pebbles but its the best all round trap for me, I run a good few duffus traps for main runs or good straight runs that just beg out for them.
I also run a few dozen home made moletraps their good when the run calls out for it..

My part of the country averages 3-5 moles per acre...have several lawns i catch 1 or 2 and damage is done for awhile sometimes not again...then have the established lawns where i catch 8-12 moles and all in between...really depends on what habitat they are coming out of

I will be teaching the wct seminar class "success with moles" in feb at indianapolis in...if u are there come by and talk moles

as much as I would love to come by..about 5000 miles and a terrible stammer hinder me haha

I try to stay away from gardens if I can, I much prefer farm moles...it also means that I often get shooting [ermission and can set snares while I trap moles witch spices the day up a little

Thanks for the info.

Gophers and moles are different species.

Very different, in diet, size, habits, tunnel characteristics etc

Yes they are...wondering why you stated that?

I have never seen a gopher in Michigan. Are gopher harder to trap than moles? Just wondering.