mole traps question

[losdaddy7]

Peat Moss works well. 

[Hawgdawg]

The victor traps work well once you learn a few tricks.  I have noticed that the soil type is a big deal whether or not you catch one.  I do well at my place but at dads it is very hard to catch em.  He has more sandy soil and I have black rich dirt. The best mole trap is a modified shotgun shell down trap!

Mud Man, could you pm me your plans for making one. I have seen  them in the past but don't remember the engineering. Hawg

[Hawgdawg]

I might need a bigger trap for this Mole Digger. My redneck racing machine

[whitey]

I agree with the gloves arent needed.
I ran a Nuisance Trapping business for many years and trap a chit load of moles, The only reason Id wear them is if my hands were getting cold.
It doesnt hurt to wear them but take em or leave them. They dont have a fear for man like a yote or bobcat.

[WSU]

Does someone want to explain the process?  I've had hit and miss success trapping moles, but have plenty around. 

Typically, I set them in the mound.  I dig down until I find the 2 tunnels coming in and set the trap in between.

[blacktailcody]

I use a Colt 45. 

40s&w or a 12 gauge work good too.

[Mudman]

Choose your spot wisely.  If it is a good straight run then   Akso I dig the bottom an inch deeper for trap.  This is a big deal for my success. I mound and pat firm dirt below trigger and sprinkle a little loose dirt then cover with chunk of sod.  Some light and air seems to be ok.

[WSU]

How much dirt do you add?  Enough to fill the hole and tunnel?

[Mudman]

No I dont fill it.  I clean it out well, dig inch deeper where trap sits and build dirt mound under trigger flap so trigger is almost touching dirt.  Then sprinkle a few small handfulls over entire hole and trap.  Flip sod over and done. I dunno if this is correct but I get about 66% of the time they go thru.  The little moles are tuffer to catch.  I have a few mole hills from time to time until I get em but my neighbors have about a hundred!

[dayn]

Choose your spot wisely.  If it is a good straight run then   Akso I dig the bottom an inch deeper for trap.  This is a big deal for my success. I mound and pat firm dirt below trigger and sprinkle a little loose dirt then cover with chunk of sod.  Some light and air seems to be ok.

Here's a shortcut, Once I establish line of travel, I take the setting tongs and open up the jaws, push the out o sight as deep as I want it to finally rest, I then let the jaws close, at that point you will pull up a rock or encounter a root or most times neither of these,( if You run into roots, take out your pruners and cut them) if its neither of these I do it once more to make sure, if its good to go, I make my speed bump and lay the trap in my premade spot (note, Ive been having good luck attaching 1/2 pvc pipe to the bottom of the trigger, thus bypassing the dirt mound step) I then fill the soil to the depth of the pivot point of the jaws (above the mole tunnel and line of travel)  Always set at least 3 traps for every mole you estimate, in other words, I f You think there are 5 moles in that acre set 15 traps(in good straight runs of course), most people make the mistake of setting too few traps.


Before You even set traps, do Your probing, do Your prospecting, a good tool, is a metal rod with a semi blunt end, one inch up from the end, grind or ream out a circumferance a little bit in to the rod, when you push into the ground you will notice a differance when it gives, so you probe to find straight runs or mole superhighways, and yes many moles will use the same highway, like I said earlier, dont overlook the drip spots under all manner of fencing, and of course they like concrete edges to travel, though some spots are harder to set, once you start catching them, you will be in their head and think like them(Thats a scary thought), like I said they are not cagey , they are just intersted in catching worms, grubs and other morsels, if you have any questions feel free to ask...

[TangoU]

I use the Victor out of sight trap at my house. Once a mole hill appears, I set the trap(s) and usually am succesful in killing all the enter my yard within a few days.  For me there are four tricks to success:

1. I'll dig the mound right up or find the highway between two mounds. Excavate and put the trap down.  I'll put up to a half dozen traps (all I own) out as soon as I see a mound, in as many paths of the highways that I can find.  The key in this part is to put a speedbump directly under the trigger.  The speedbump is a small mound above the highway floor. The mole was to craw over / through this speedbump to get through, thereby hitting the trigger.

2. I put a quart mason jar lid under the trigger and on top of the speedbump.  The lid expands the size of the trigger dramatically and helps insure the mole cannot scoot around the trap. I push the trap down on top of said mason jar lid and speedbump such that the it's basically a hair trigger.  Any movement on the speedbump or mason jar lid will set the trigger and capture your mole.

3. For me they are usually in my lawn, though I've trapped them in the dirt, too.  When they are in the lawn, I gently replace the sod around the hole I dug so that the roof on the highway is intact.

4. I put a bucket or planter upside down on top of the trap.  This makes it dark, even in the day light.  Black planter boxes work the best because they keep it darkest during the day, too.  I usually put a rock on top of the bucket or planter.  This also serves as a notice to my kids to stay away and also keeps other animals (dogs and cats) away from it.

Finally as an added bonus, when I kill one, I bury it right back in the highway.  As a message to all mole-kind that if they come into my yard they will surely die. 

[MuleySniper]

Good topic! I finally got frustrated with cinch traps. Frustration turns to anger. Anger turns to building a trap that uses a 12 gauge shell lol. Should work great. I have to move the stake adjusters to the front so a five gallon bucket fits over it. Ill add a pic. Anyone interested in building one I have a step by step picture album of the build just pm me.
MS.

[WSU]

I have not been doing the speed bump.  I'm going to have to figure out how to make that work.  I think my main problem is the moles are able to get around the trap or push dirt up into the trap.

When building the speedbump, doesn't filling the hole with loose dirt negate the speedbump effect?  Or, do the moles simply dig through the loose dirt and get killed trying to go over the harder bump?

[kisfish]

good info from everyone. Going to kill a few myself now that you have me thinking of it.

[Mudman]

If the dirt is sandy it seems that they are more likely to push dirt up thru trapand not set it off.  This is when the lids or washers help trigger it.  Loose dirt just seems to be natural.  The speedbump they will dig thru as they stay on the bottom of original tunnel.