How to set a mole trap

including

How to convert a trap, to make it catch moles.

Mole Trapping at Walcote Farm

In 1966, I had to find a way of catching moles, with the use of traps. After several attempts of not catching any moles, I asked a retired farm worker, Harry Redding, to show me how to do it.

In March 1966, I started to catch moles, so I decided to keep a daily record on how many I caught and from which fields. I still have those records.

These are the numbers of the moles caught per month.

Type of trap mostly used in 1966

Total

I trapped another 29 moles in 1967 making a total of 512 moles before I stopped recording numbers caught because there were no more moles to catch!

---------------------------------------------

Looking back, December 1966 and January 1967 must have been a very mild and a dry time, in order to be able to catch that number of moles. I would not have tried to catch any moles if the weather had been like this winter has been.

Last year I did not start mole catching until March when I stopped all mole activity on the farm by catching 29 moles. Only 5 traps were used and moles were caught in 6 separate fields covering a total area of 28 acres. All traps were removed from the fields in April after a period of time when there was no more moles being caught. Moles have come back again this winter and it looks as if I will not be trying to catch them until March as the ground is just too wet. Too wet means that the soil digs up very sticky and not ideal for setting traps.

Having said that, the chairman of a local cricket team asked me if I would show him how to catch moles, as he was desperate because the moles have nearly got to the cricket square. On January 25th 2010, I found that the outfield was quite a mess from the molehills and everywhere was very wet. I did find three places where the mole run was not full of water so that I could explain to the chairman on how to set a trap. Note, he did the work I did the talking!

Within a short time he had caught 3 moles and very relieved that the moles are not going to get on to the cricket square. It is now waiting game to see if there are any more to catch. The traps used would have been bought in the 1950's and were perfect for the job. In less than a fortnight from me showing the chairman how to catch moles he has now been asked by other people, if he can go and catch their moles!

All items that I now use for setting a mole trap.

March 2009

The trap in the picture, is actually set a few yards from a hedge where there is a single and only mole run going out into this part of the field where you can see many more molehills branching out in all directions. Only one trap was needed to catch the two moles in this area, in two days. When a mole is caught, always set the trap back in the same hole if possible. Occasionally after a mole has been trapped another mole has had to dig round the trap to get back for water and therefore relocate the trap nearby, between the next two molehills.

In this field, I actually used 2 traps for 5 days, in two different locations, catching 4 moles. I then removed the 2 traps and setting one of the traps in another part of the field by a gateway, catching 3 moles in 5 days. Altogether 7 moles were caught over the period of 10 days. Only once was a trap set off without a mole being caught. You do not need many traps, provided they are of the right design, in order to catch a lot of moles in a short period of time.

Sometimes when it is not obvious that there is a main run, set the trap between two of  the newest molehills. Knock down the molehills in the area of the set trap so that you can tell immediately next time you check on the mole trap if there has been anymore fresh activity.

Moles can be caught all the year round, but on farms the ideal time is before the grass growing season when you can see all the activity going on.

The spike on the fencing post has found the mole run between two molehills after prodding the ground several times.

I make a slit in the ground, wide enough to squeeze my hand through, to find out the angle of the mole run because the mole run is never normally straight between the molehills. I then remove the turf and soil to expose the mole run. Do not make the hole any larger than it is necessary to set a trap.

If I see grass roots hanging down in the mole run with a white fur on them, that means that the mole run is not being used and therefore a waste of time setting a trap.

When I have removed all loose soil from the hole, I will now see if a trap will fit in the hole before I use a T-handle to compact the soil in the run. I will hold the T-handle at different angles so that all the area in the bottom of the run is compacted. The idea of the T-handle is that it can be pushed up the mole run on either side of the hole so that the approach to the trap can also be compacted. Compacting the soil also compacts any stones in the ground and stops them getting caught in the trap. On fen type soils, a lot of force is used with the hammer to get the compaction. Compacting fen type soils will make the mole run, where the trap is to be set, a lot lower than the rest of the mole run. This is fine provided the slopes of the mole run, on either side of the trap has also been compacted. Compacting the soil allows the trap to close quicker and also makes the mole run smooth, which is essential for catching moles.

I have now eased a trap into the hole making a groove with the jaws of the trap down the side of the hole. If this procedure pushes some soil into the run, pull the trap back out to remove the soil.

Make sure the trap is low enough in the hole in order that the mole cannot go underneath the setting ring of the trap without setting the trap off. If the setting ring is too high when the trap is in the run, you will have to make a groove in the bottom of the run with the jaws of the trap. At this stage, check to see if the trap will close fast by pinching together the trap handles, just enough for the setting ring to drop down and then loose the trap handles. If the trap closes slowly, that might indicate that the soil in the run is too wet or not compacted enough.

With the soil compacted and jaws of the trap set into the side of the hole, the mole finds it easier to go into the trap and not around it.

I now lie matted grass, on top of the jaws, and between the handles, because I need to add soil on top that will not fall into the run but will keep out the light.

A bucket can be used to cover the trap for protection if there are animals that would disturb the soil around the trap.

The trap in the mole run should look like this

and not like this, which has a large air pocket that is not natural in a mole run.

This mole trap has gone off and a mole was caught but also check the traps that have not gone off. This is easily done by holding one of the handles sticking out of the ground and pulling it up about half an inch and then pushing it down. If the trap feels loose, that's fine, but if the trap feels tight, pull it out and and you will find that the mole has dug around or underneath the trap and filled the trap with soil. If this happens, try and work out why, based on this website, because you should be expecting to catch a mole every time.

I often hear when people are finding it difficult to catch moles, someone has told them that 'the mole can smell your hands on the trap or the trap is too new'. All this is a load of rubbish, regarding not being able to catch moles.

I found mole catching difficult until I was actually shown how to set a trap in 1966 by a man who had caught moles for many years and in the 1920's and 1930's had sold the mole skins for extra income to his wages as a farm worker.

It was a few years later when I realised that if I compacted the ground, I would get a high percentage rate for catching moles. Also by using only matted grass and not the turf that had been removed to dig the hole.

A lot of money and time is wasted by people trying to get rid of moles when it needn't be so if only someone can show them what to do. I am hoping that the pictures on this website is as good as being shown for real.

For 200-300 yards along this wire fence were numerous short mole runs going out into the field and therefore there is a main mole run along the fence line. The ideal place to set a trap in this instance, is next to a fencing post and is near to the start of the main run where there is water nearby. Moles always come back for water.

I caught 2 moles by the blue fencing stake and 3 moles at a location further on up the fence. A mole was caught every time a trap went off.

Originally when I first started mole catching, I found the best place to catch moles in a field was where a mole run went across a gateway or track where the ground had been consolidated by tractors. I could guarantee to catch moles almost every time that the trap was set. This gave me the idea to consolidate the ground at all other places where a mole trap is set by the method as shown above.

The mole trap on the left, at least 70 years old, the second trap from the left was bought in the 1950's and the third trap from the left was bought in the late 1970's. The first two traps are the type of design that I would recommend for catching moles very easily in all ground type conditions. The third trap from the left is fine, provided it has the alterations that I have made to it. The new type of trap on the right, is mostly a waste of time in its present form. I say mostly because some of these traps will catch moles in very dry ground conditions and you are very lucky if you catch moles in wet ground conditions. The percentage rate overall for catching moles is very low and very frustrating if you don't make the alterations as suggested on this webpage.

The trap on the right has 5 design faults compared with the trap next to it. 1. The wire holding the setting ring is the wrong shape for a fixing to a cotter pin. 2. The setting ring is too high. 3. The jaw ends are too straight. 4. The handles come loose because they are not welded. 5. The spring is too strong, which means that more effort is needed to set the trap off.

This is my experience after over 40 years of mole catching, knowing what to look for in the design of a good mole trap. A good design is a trap that gives you a very high percentage rate for catching moles.

There must be tens of thousands of mole traps lying in sheds that need to be altered if they are to be used for catching moles. If you have a lot of traps that need altering, you might find that you only need to alter 2 traps as you will be able to catch moles that much easier.

Nobody today would know what is a good design for a scissor mole trap without comparing the difference between the mole traps made before 1970's and today's mole traps. I have not seen any scissor mole traps that are widely sold in retail stores that did not need modifying since the 1960's.

Buying tunnel traps is not the answer.

Setting Rings

1. The bits of metal sticking out from the setting ring at no. 3, can be bent downwards slightly, for the trap to go off quicker.

2. This is a well worn setting ring. Notice how short the bottom edge is, compared with setting ring no.1. Traps that are used a lot, you will find that the corners at no. 4 become rounded. These corners need to be at right angles, as in setting ring no. 1. A lot of filing has been done over 40 years to have a right angle corner. This setting ring is not going to be used again as the spring on the trap has broken. Ideally a new setting ring would have been better 20 years ago, but I have never found anybody who sold them seperately.

How to convert a trap to make it catch moles!

The best mole trap that you can buy but it needs modifying.

------------------------------------------

This particular mole trap, which is different from the one above, needs a lot more work on it to make it catch moles. I would not recommend it as the handles are not welded.

The trap on the right was exactly the same as the one one the left, but I have modified the jaws, as shown by bending the prongs and grinding off the outside corners so they will slide along the ground easier when the trap is set off. I had to clamp the prongs of the trap in a vice, in order to put a curve on the prongs. This procedure also lowers the setting ring nearer to the ground. The setting ring on the new unaltered trap is too high.

The wire holding the setting ring on the left trap in the picture, is the wrong shape for trouble free mole catching. This has been a problem that I have noticed on other traps for the past twenty years. It is most important to get it right, if you want to eliminate problems of catching moles.

The end of the wire must be D-shaped and not a round shape if it is fixed through the head of a cotter pin. The strait edge of the D-shape end will drop down through the cotter pin, if the wire is long enough, and allow the setting ring of the trap to get out of the way of the jaws when the mole sets off the trap. The loops on the wire must be at right angles to one another. Using a thinner piece of wire to make the alterations is the best way of doing it. The hole in the centre of the cotter pin must face vertically.

Another problem with some of these traps, is that the handles become loose where they join the forks of the trap and a  hammer and chisel is needed to tighten them up, and if that doesn't work, you will have to weld it. The best design is when the handles are welded to the forks of the trap.

Another view of the picture above.

The trap on the left, the wire holding the setting ring is on an angle when the trap is set. When the trap is triggered, the wire has to swing sideways into a straighter position, in order for the setting ring to drop down.  If the mole enters the trap from the opposite direction, the setting ring cannot drop down at all as the wire is too short. "It is essential to change the wire on this type of trap, to alleviate the problem of the setting ring getting caught in the jaws of the trap."

The right trap on the right, which has been modified, the wire holding the setting ring will drop straight down when the trap is set off. The loop at the top of the wire does not stick outwards which makes it easier to add matted grass when setting the trap in a mole run.

------------------------------------------

The trap on the right was identical to the trap on the left when bought.

These instructions will apply to other similar type mole traps.

Once  you have a mole trap with none of these problems, and the soil is not too wet, catching moles is quick and easy.

-------------------------------------

I am going to have a moan!

In the past I have spoken to two farming based retailers and told them that the traps that they are selling are useless. The reply I got was 'we sell a lot traps and we do get people saying that they cannot catch anything, but we sell a lot of traps'. I also read that you should buy a lot of traps if you are going to catch any moles because the expected catching rate is up to 25%.

What is actually happening is that the people are not catching the moles, the moles are breeding and moving on to new territory. More people then go and buy new traps and they don't catch the moles and the moles breed and move on to even more new territory. Guess what, more traps are then sold. This is a guaranteed way of selling more traps every year. All the manufacturer is interested in, is reducing the cost of making a mole trap. I have seen over the last 40 years, is that in every decade the design or how a mole trap is made gets worse and is not fit for the purpose for catching moles.

It appears to me that it is not in the manufacturers or retailers interests to sell traps like they were made before the 1960's, because more people would catch more moles using 75% less traps. Less people would need to buy traps as there would be less moles breeding for the moles to move on to new territory.

Don't fall into the trap, (pardon the expression) of buying more traps, because you are told that you would have a better chance of catching moles.

I keep adding extra words or sentences to try and make it as understandable as possible. If you don't understand something about mole catching, send me an email and I will see if I can help.

I am only interested in the type of traps shown on this site. I have and tried other types of traps but I would not recommend them. In fact I cannot recommend any modern trap unless it can be adapted to perform like the traps made before 1970.

I did learn a tip from someone who uses a tunnel trap, that is, tie a length of string to the trap and have the other end showing above ground. This will help to pull the trap out of the hole, without your hand getting caught in the mechanism.

Please let me know if you found this site helpful.                 john@walcotefarm.co.uk

Found you web page very helpful, will I need to heat the trap before I start bending it as you say some traps in my shed are brand new but useless because to narrow for mr mole to pass through

Thank you for producing a very informative web page on setting traps and catching moles - one of the best pages I have come across. It is a pleasant surprise to see someone who is willing to divulge information without wanting something in return - a rarity in today's society. In particular, I found your comments on catching moles easier on compacted ground, around gateways interesting. I would always shy away from compacted ground and this has changed my attitude. I also appreciated the time and effort you must have taken in producing the photographs and the use of grass in supporting the waste soil when setting the traps.

We have had a mole problem for a couple of years at our local junior football club field and many people have come up with many weird and wonderful ideas of how to rid us of these pretty little pests from our peat soil on the edge of the fens. This is the most interesting and informative article I have yet found and have forwarded it to our chairman (chief mole catcher) who is equally optimistic that we will now improve on our very poor success rate. Chairman quoted; "Like the mole catching instructions, several very good points that we/I haven't followed before : i.e. compacting of the mole run and modifying the traps."

-----------------------------------

A Mole Catching Story That Happened Last Year, 2009.

There are not many householders, it does not matter how big their gardens are, that need to have more than two traps, provided they are made good enough for the job.

----------------------------------------

How old is the trap on the left?

These traps belong to a neighbour and I can only guess that the old trap would be from the 1920's.

-------------------------------------------

Walcote Farm    2010

------------------------------------------

Local Churchyard

Trap just pulled out from the mole run.

The trap used in the churchyard was one that I had modified, putting a curve on the prongs, then bending the jaws outward and grinding off and curving the outside corners as shown by the red lines.

Changing the Subject

To

How to get rid of mice.

Catch a mouse every time.

The tape never deters the mice in trying to eat the cheese.

I was visiting a friend last month and he said that he has been trying to catch a mouse in the kitchen for the last four weeks but it keeps taking the cheese. I said find me some Sellotape and he was highly delighted later in the day when the mouse was caught. The trap was different from the picture above because it had a small piece of metal coming from the centre in which to hold the cheese.

------------------------------------

This webpage can also be found at www.walcotefarm.co.uk

john@walcotefarm.co.uk