Started trapping moles when the ground was partially frozen...that waxed dirt sure comes in handy out of "trapping season".

One stop, 8 moles out of 23 set traps....good way to start the day!

Below Black & white photos : David Schweggmann (local paper news photographer) A good day's run on a 3 day check.






The below photo is how I finish all my mole traps, 3 coats of Formula 1, then once they've dried a day, 2 coats of bright orange paint, followed by another coat of Formula 1 on the bottom half. Here is one hanging out to dry. Ok Barkstone, lets see those white traps!

Steve, finally caught a few moles in your new trap...worked real well on our eastern moles. Will try to post a picture later.

Who is the Ugly Guy in the top Picture???????.....Never Seen his "Face" on here before.......

you fellows are killing me. i got 3 outosight traps and i should have gotten 300 of them. everytime i set one in a tunnel the moles dig another direction.

Am i doing something wrong or just need more traps. i am setting the tunnels but you cant set where there isnt a tunnel. any advice would be appreciated a needed.

Dont over compress the tunnel area below the trap trigger pan. Some commonly do this and cause a refusal or dig around,over or under the tightly compressed area. When I compress a tunnel I use my thumb and fore finger to pull and tear the soil and push down until there is a finger sized hole left at the bottom of the tunnel.This is a nose probe guide and lets them know the tunnel is still there and can be reopened easily. Push and position your trap while firmly placing the trigger on top of the depressed area.

Just sounds like a mechanics problem with setting I believe.Some dont catch on to mole tunnel setting quickly. Some do. Also make sure you are setting at the level of the tunnel for good interception. At times you need to dig down to allow good positioning to occur also.

thanks Mr. Jameson. never have trapped these rascals before. I guess it is just like the other critters, takes a little learning to get it down.

It may not be a problem with trap set-up..... sounds like you might be setting one-time feeding areas instead of the main (long, straight) travel routes. An important part of being successful at mole trapping is learning to "read" the tunnel systems and locate the main travel routes. Often the "fresh" sign is from a mole foraging for food..... those zig-zag and bicycle spoke looking patterns are not productive locations.

that is where i have been setting is in a short straight section that zig zags through the yard. i cant seem to find a long tunnel. i guess they may be a bit deeper than the foraging tunnels.

Thanks Mr. Scheller.

i aint quitting, i have all summer to figure these buddies out.

Heres a good mole catch with Steves new trap. A very good chest clutch catch in a very wet run.It appears they are sized right for our Eastern moles.I will continue to work with them but all indications are they perform well if set properly.

I too slid a very wet mole out a run today with Steve's trap, and was impressed with its grip!

Bob J.

Is your dog trained to indicate if you have a mole or not to save from having to dig to check a empty trap?

Yesterday I had two kills in Steves traps and the dirt above those two traps were pounded with cat tracks, which told me I must have a mole and sure enough.

Jason

Yes she can tell me real quick. This is something she just started doing on her own. She is only 4 months old but has great hunting instincts.

clean the tunnel well prior to placing the wire trap and make sure it is pressed into the dirt well on the bottom.

Does the dog catch moles too? Or is that just his companion? Yes seems I've met Mr. Jameson at a few conventions and he did have a Golden Retriver of some sort!

You tellin' me you went 2 days without checkin' traps. That must be the biggest pile of stink in town. After 24 hours here they start to stinkin' so bad you can't touch them without gloves and you don't want to put them in the back of the truck and shut the cap doors. And I thought I had the stinkiest garbage can around.

If its possible, I leave the carcasses in the tunnel. Moles and gophers are territorial, so its my theory, that the smell of the dead moles will keep new moles from invading the un occupied area. It seems to have worked in most cases.

New personal best for me today.

20 moles at one stop.


I had caught 10 moles at one stop a few times in the past, and those were in a single yard each of them, Today was actually a sub-division contract I got after the first guy they chose to do their moles got turned down because he did not carry insurance. The 20 moles caught today alone cover my entire yearly insurance cost. BTW I am up to 49 moles there now in 3 visits.

Congrats Barkstone. That's pretty impressive!

Has everyone stopped trapping moles?

Mike. Many times I have pulled a mole from a tunnel to find it has been partially consumed. I assume it was from another mole or a shrew. I would hate to leave food behind for them. I have also found that ants love dead moles and swarm the carcus untill it's consumed. This could create another issue for a customer.

Partly eaten moles are not eaten by moles. They are eaten by chipmunks and or voles.

And nope I have not stopped trapping moles. The only thing that keeps me from trapping moles is drought (not a lot of that here this year if you had not heard) and frozen ground (not much of that here in July either LOL)