Mole catching

[308McTavish]

Hello, have a problem with moles in the fields and looking to either come out for a day with someone to get the proper way to catch them or read up, any book suggestions would be welcome, although nothing beats first hand experience. All the older mole catchers are gone around here and I should have listened when I was younger
Thanks

 

[Jameshenry]

Shoot them, catch the weather dry if you can with a bit of wind after a spell of rain is ideal, granfer always said 10am and 4pm was a good time to catch then heaving, I've known them working at various times tbh but they tend to work in 3-4 cycles , you have to be light footed and keep the wind in your face ideally, if you see the mole heaving aim at the bottom of the molehill from a couple paces away and usually you'll hit them, best I ever did was 4 moles in about 20 mins,

 

[arron]

Barrel traps , don't buy cheap Chinese crap , British made ones called flatpack mole traps , made in Yorkshire, tie them all together then chuck in a beck or stream for a few day to rid of new smell , get a meatal spike , prod where you think a run may be ( read the hills ) , only make hole as big as trap , make sure you don't leave any loose soil either side , place your trap in hole , wedge each side with a bit of soil to stop any movement , then lightly sprinkle loose soil on top , don't Bury it , just enough to stop any daylight , come back in morning and see you dead mole !! I trap hundreds every spring , new traps also need tickling up of the trigger areas , usually with pliers , so they go off easily, then at them as fine as you can ,

 

[308McTavish]

thanks for the advice, much appreciated,

 

[Stevie/P]

Barrel traps , don't buy cheap Chinese crap , British made ones called flatpack mole traps , made in Yorkshire, tie them all together then chuck in a beck or stream for a few day to rid of new smell , get a meatal spike , prod where you think a run may be ( read the hills ) , only make hole as big as trap , make sure you don't leave any loose soil either side , place your trap in hole , wedge each side with a bit of soil to stop any movement , then lightly sprinkle loose soil on top , don't Bury it , just enough to stop any daylight , come back in morning and see you dead mole !! I trap hundreds every spring , new traps also need tickling up of the trigger areas , usually with pliers , so they go off easily, then at them as fine as you can ,

Don’t forget a short length of wire with a bit of yellow tape on top so you know where your traps are.
Good advice from @arron

 

[countrryboy]

Personally i wouldnae bother soakung or burying ur traps.
Have caught moles quite literally straight out the box.

Their is a lot of rubbish traps out there ever since Duffus got taken over by the chinese and changed the original design.
Used to buy direct from the factory but laterly u had to buy hundreds at a time

Just watch if a lot of badgers in the area, bloody murder for stealing traps if a mole in them.

 

[shakey jake]

check hedge, ditch or walls first. moles make alot of mess where they feed but not as much where they live. look for hill in a sort of line towards the mess and trap there

 

[Jon P]

Talpex traps work well - makes mole catching a lot easier .

 

[rem284]

Keep a mole if you get one and rub the traps with it because they are territorial. Find the main runs, usually around the perimeter of the field. Use a probe to find these. Cut the sod neat to the size of the trap. My mole spade had a t handle on it, I used this bit to remake the bottom of the tunnel. The old shepherd used to reckon that you had to bury the traps in the type of soil you were going to trap

 

[308McTavish]

All great advice

 

[countrryboy]

Keep a mole if you get one and rub the traps with it because they are territorial. Find the main runs, usually around the perimeter of the field. Use a probe to find these. Cut the sod neat to the size of the trap. My mole spade had a t handle on it, I used this bit to remake the bottom of the tunnel. The old shepherd used to reckon that you had to bury the traps in the type of soil you were going to trap

My grandpa used strichnine althou onky for a few years.
To hard to get a constant supply off worms, and in those days folj would plough all winter.
Althou the main reason he liked to see wot he caught.

But he reckoned u needed worms from the same tyoe of soil and hill or peaty soil was the worst.
Mokes just wouldnae touch big fat low land worms.

 

[tiny tim]

Flat pack traps are good. Don’t bother weathering the traps. Just set them in the ground. They’re working while you are weathering them. Caught on brand new traps

 

[rem284]

My grandpa used strichnine althou onky for a few years.
To hard to get a constant supply off worms, and in those days folj would plough all winter.
Althou the main reason he liked to see wot he caught.

But he reckoned u needed worms from the same tyoe of soil and hill or peaty soil was the worst.
Mokes just wouldnae touch big fat low land worms.

I've used it too. I did prefer the traps though, a bit more of a challenge and skills required

 

[wanderer]

I once caught 2 in one duffus type trap. One from each direction.
for those that dont know there are effectively 2 traps in these traps so as to catch a mole from either direction.

 

[Crowlcat]

Just look on YouTube i have been catching moles for over 20 plus yrs whichever type of trap you use will work if set correctly myself i like the Putang traps best

 

[old keeper]

I well remember using strichnine as a lad, mainly for magpies. Awful stuff, looking back at it. Highly effective, though, you had to be very careful about its residual fallout!

 

[eds81]

Barrel traps , don't buy cheap Chinese crap , British made ones called flatpack mole traps , made in Yorkshire, tie them all together then chuck in a beck or stream for a few day to rid of new smell , get a meatal spike , prod where you think a run may be ( read the hills ) , only make hole as big as trap , make sure you don't leave any loose soil either side , place your trap in hole , wedge each side with a bit of soil to stop any movement , then lightly sprinkle loose soil on top , don't Bury it , just enough to stop any daylight , come back in morning and see you dead mole !! I trap hundreds every spring , new traps also need tickling up of the trigger areas , usually with pliers , so they go off easily, then at them as fine as you can ,

This

 

[Bo Diddley]

strichnine

German for "Strike Nine" kills up to nine times down the line of death..

 

[Cheviot]

 

[BRYAN]

I like the Putange but bloody hell do they rust.