CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!!! LOL that one is sure enough black....all ours here are brown...never seen a black one....dark yes....black....not me. Different species?

Feels great, doesn't it! Keep up the good work!

Not sure on the species but the camera adds a lot of shadowing. It was a graphite color through out. I couldn't believe how soft the little guy was.

Softest fur I have ever felt.....make great glove liners.

Livetrap

Swear that looks like one a Townsend, size and color.

Jerry W.

Field of dreams///////// or nightmares..........

Um... is that a good thing???

Vinke, best of luck. Let us know when you can work again.

Not if your name is Townsend. You're dead.

Vinke, are you working in that field of dreams? if you are how many did you catch? I assume these are moles but cant tell for sure from the pic. if i get pics on photo bucket i'll show ya some i got last summer on a gopher job. It was crazy, had to buy more traps to do it.

these are from the first two and a half days, started setting traps at 2:30pm the 9th; 10th and 11th

the following day the 12th

and the last morning the 13th. I ended this gopher job with 112 pocket gophers and 50 moles.

pulled in friday night at sundown, left sunday at 4pm. 138 gophers

This is four days on 40 acres. 99 gophers, and fumigated. only two caught on return the following spring. Happy Farmer!!!!!

Nice work! Nice rig too!

I dont know exactly what my one day record is but have taken over 100 in a day several times. usually this is on more than one job. i think the highest density i have encountered was in the above pic with 138. That job was only 15 acres, sandy soil with alfalfa. I caught so many so fast the customer kinda freaked out and wanted me to quit. He paid for my oxygen and helped open up tunnels while i blasted from noon till 4pm. I imagine i could have took around 300 there if i could have had a few more days. Another job i took 245 off 160 acres in october. There was a small 10 acre patch way in the back that the farmer gave up on mowing so it was too high to trap that fall. I came back in the spring and caught 136 mainly out of that 10 acres.

We had a few days of warmer weather here so i checked on a small property to pick up a few more gophers but 8 inches down we still have frost. I saw no, i mean 0 fresh mounds but did put in 7 sets caught 6 gophers and pulled out. Snowing today wee haaa!!! Havent tried your traps yet but will this spring, I really like how sensitive the triggers are, WOW! see ya...

Last weekend, I started my first official mole contract. It was going to be a little more challenging since it was at a daycare and I could only access the property when the children were not there. This meant coming in at 6 pm Friday night and pulling the traps by 5:30 am Monday morning.

On top of the restricted hours of trapping, the whole playground was a feeding area. I was having trouble finding the long tunnels to set the traps. The children kept the soil packed down nicely.

Well, it payed off yesterday morning. I finally got the little monster.

Good job!!! Q. if they were feeding in the playground where are they denning? The long tunnels or main tunnels are often times found in the edge. Edge is very important, many times there is a mole hiway directly under a fence line. Keep it up...

I think the den must have been under a small grass area in the corner of the playground. And you are correct, the main tunnel was almost along the fenceline.

There is surely something there for them to den under. alot of times there are stumps that are no longer visible or something like that. Anyway; word to the wise about your contract... you probly already know this but will inject it anyway. On a contract the more you are there working the less you are making. so make sure you get every one of these rascals before May 1st. no babies=no work till september when they come from the neighbors. later, Tim

Moles will often times follow a fenceline, as well as drive way, walk way and along the foundation of a house.

what he said.

Ha!
I think I just died and went to Heaven!