Mole Catchers

[neilo]

61 cought

My mole catcher had 250 last year, I mopped up another 20 on that patch, then his tally this winter ended up at 189!

There’s still a few left to tidy up...

 

[serf]

Had a double other day

 

[AftonShepherd]

These look very like Talpex but a fraction of the price. Make is Pest-bye, available from Amazon for £3.99. Worth a try?

 

[Danllan]

These look very like Talpex but a fraction of the price. Make is Pest-bye, available from Amazon for £3.99. Worth a try?

Almost certainly not, I write from experience... I bought a dozen - I think - Talpexs online at the going rate, and they worked / work superbly. I saw some similar traps on Amazon and in my local Wynnstay for a lot less so thought I'd try them, waste of time.

All my traps get left in soil for a week or so before use, and all are set equally carefully with hammered ground etc., but... and this isn't scientifically accurate, I reckon that in the last year or so per type of trap, I've caught far less than 10% the number of moles with Talpex-copies than with the original Talpex traps. A chum down the road also has experience that exactly mirrors this.

I've no idea why such small differences in the angles and curves should make a difference, but they certainly do. I'll not buy anything other than Talpex from now on.

 

[AftonShepherd]

Almost certainly not, I write from experience... I bought a dozen - I think - Talpexs online at the going rate, and they worked / work superbly. I saw some similar traps on Amazon and in my local Wynnstay for a lot less so thought I'd try them, waste of time.

All my traps get left in soil for a week or so before use, and all are set equally carefully with hammered ground etc., but... and this isn't scientifically accurate, I reckon that in the last year or so per type of trap, I've caught far less than 10% the number of moles with Talpex-copies than with the original Talpex traps. A chum down the road also has experience that exactly mirrors this.

I've no idea why such small differences in the angles and curves should make a difference, but they certainly do. I'll not buy anything other than Talpex from now on.

Thanks, that's kind of what I expected. Much as I prefer the price of the others, it's only a saving if they work. Mostly use Pest-stop tunnel traps with a reasonable amount of success but there's always an odd one I can't get.

 

[little_p]

View attachment 959780
These look very like Talpex but a fraction of the price. Make is Pest-bye, available from Amazon for £3.99. Worth a try?

I've got a couple of these Pest-Stop ones. As they have the handles on top, I find them much easier to set that the Talpex ones.

Pest-Stop Claw Mole Trap : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Great prices on your favourite Gardening brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

I only use them as my 'last resort' traps, when I have got one that is filling in the tunnel traps and the puntages.
Even then I find the Fleming type traps better at trapping the tricky to catch moles -

Defenders STV312 Mole Claw Trap (Catch and Kill Trap to Control Moles, Protects Lawns and Gardens, Durable, Rust-Free, All-Weather Design), Silver, 8.0 cm*22.0 cm*10.5 cm : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Great prices on your favourite Gardening brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[neilo]

View attachment 959780
These look very like Talpex but a fraction of the price. Make is Pest-bye, available from Amazon for £3.99. Worth a try?

The springs are usually a lot weaker on the copies, the original Talpex ones being fierce.
Those traps have to move the legs through loose soil at speed, so it needs a strong spring or the mole will scarper and not come close again.

 

[AftonShepherd]

Does anyone keep trapping through the summer? I know its hard to dig the ground in a dry spell, but in showery weather is it worth a go? Anything I read says September to May but a lot of that spell has been frozen or waterlogged this year and I'd keep going if I thought there was half a chance of success. Only takes about an hour to set my dozen traps and then check them when going round stock.

 

[Lili]

Does anyone keep trapping through the summer? I know its hard to dig the ground in a dry spell, but in showery weather is it worth a go? Anything I read says September to May but a lot of that spell has been frozen or waterlogged this year and I'd keep going if I thought there was half a chance of success. Only takes about an hour to set my dozen traps and then check them when going round stock.

I didnt know there was a season. If I see a molehill I set a trap. Caught moles throughout the year.

 

[Henery]

I can’t see much point when waterlogged but rest of year I keep going. 115 since middle of March.... had a good go last year but this year has slackened them . No doubt will be a mess next spring in places but they get less and smaller.
I don’t take any pleasure from killing them but i can’t help being a bit ocd about them now I’m winning a bit..... I did have a heck of a mess start last year tho !

 

[CopperBeech]

Can get you number of a good mole man in Monmouthshire if you’re still looking

 

[Ukjay]

Can get you number of a good mole man in Monmouthshire if you’re still looking

Thank you for the offer, but I am having some luck setting my own traps now. Was abit of a learning curve at the start, but patience and perseverance is seemingly paying off.

 

[Henery]

Thank you for the offer, but I am having some luck setting my own traps now. Was abit of a learning curve at the start, but patience and perseverance is seemingly paying off.

Patience and perseverance are key, also putting enough traps down to make a difference...... as I’ve gone on I need less traps to get em.... but occasionally a clever mole gets hammered with a lot of traps..like 5 or 6 ... you get em eventually

 

[Ukjay]

Patience and perseverance are key, also putting enough traps down to make a difference...... as I’ve gone on I need less traps to get em.... but occasionally a clever mole gets hammered with a lot of traps..like 5 or 6 ... you get em eventually

Yeh, I got a sneaky buggar near the edge of the field that pops out and puts up the mounds just to annoy me. Will get the buggar sooner or later

 

[Henery]

Yeh, I got a sneaky buggar near the edge of the field that pops out and puts up the mounds just to annoy me. Will get the buggar sooner or later

had one in a hard gateway, took three attempts at resetting before I nabbed it.... that one was a real expert !

 

[little_p]

Patience and perseverance are key, also putting enough traps down to make a difference...... as I’ve gone on I need less traps to get em.... but occasionally a clever mole gets hammered with a lot of traps..like 5 or 6 ... you get em eventually

It is definitely a numbers game. There is a mole trappers group on facebook and there is quite a bit of willy waving going with pictures with captions of "only managed to catch 30 today" [sniff] type comments. He later admitted that in order to catch the 30 that day he had 300 traps laid!

Care to share your tips?

The kind of rules that I use is if I can find a straight run I use a tunnel trap, if I find a three-way or non-straight run I use the puntages, when I get a mole that fills in the traps I used scissor trap. I always try and set a trap in the run as close to the hedge / fence, but seem to have much more luck with the newly dug runs further out.
I haven't noticed any difference related to scent, set with washed hands, dirty hands, gloves and without and still caught. Even set traps after a bit of creosoting and still caught. I've cleared entire patches and only caught males, so no idea where all the female ones are.
It is surprising how far they will travel overland. Had one that set up about 250 yards from where he was originally digging.

 

[Danllan]

Care to share your tips?...

I do avoid having unnatural smells on me when trapping, and have a dedicated set of mole gloves; I only set on the spot where a mole hill has come up, the idea of poking around for tunnels elsewhere seems barking to me.

Probably the two things that have made the greatest difference to me - i.e. made me successful - are using Talpex traps, and compressing the floor of the tunnel under where the trap will be set.

Also, I don't give up; when a trap is set off or pushed up, I'll just lift it out, clear away the spoil, firm the tunnel floor again and re-place the trap. I've had to do this several times in some cases, but the mole is always caught in the end, unless it goes elsewhere - but if there are no hills I'm not worried.

 

[neilo]

It is definitely a numbers game. There is a mole trappers group on facebook and there is quite a bit of willy waving going with pictures with captions of "only managed to catch 30 today" [sniff] type comments. He later admitted that in order to catch the 30 that day he had 300 traps laid!

Care to share your tips?

The kind of rules that I use is if I can find a straight run I use a tunnel trap, if I find a three-way or non-straight run I use the puntages, when I get a mole that fills in the traps I used scissor trap. I always try and set a trap in the run as close to the hedge / fence, but seem to have much more luck with the newly dug runs further out.
I haven't noticed any difference related to scent, set with washed hands, dirty hands, gloves and without and still caught. Even set traps after a bit of creosoting and still caught. I've cleared entire patches and only caught males, so no idea where all the female ones are.
It is surprising how far they will travel overland. Had one that set up about 250 yards from where he was originally digging.

I always wear a pair of disposable gloves, but only to makeiteasier to wash my hands without ingrained dirt.
Lots of old wives making tales up about having to rub your hands in soil, burying new traps for a fortnight, etc I reckon.

 

[Henery]

I only have scissor traps, work for me... no need to bury traps, special gloves , blah blah....old wives tales. I Harrow bad patches first then get traps in near new hills straight away, next day or so. Getting the trap to fit snug into the run/ hole you’ve dug is key and I tamp the bottom of the run with my fingers.
I think patience and perseverance are key .....

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I can’t see much point when waterlogged but rest of year I keep going. 115 since middle of March.... had a good go last year but this year has slackened them . No doubt will be a mess next spring in places but they get less and smaller.
I don’t take any pleasure from killing them but i can’t help being a bit ocd about them now I’m winning a bit..... I did have a heck of a mess start last year tho !

gosh, I thought I was doing well with 12!