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Nicepix

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Everything posted by Nicepix

  1. Nicepix
    LOL That's would be on its side if the trap had been set prongs up. The reason some of mine are caught with the scrapers across the line of the prongs will be down to them going over top of the prongs.
  2. Nicepix
    If the grounds right i will use talpex jd but not this time of year to much hassle .nicepix my dads neighbour in france ihas been a molecatcher all his life he,s now in his seventies and still at it, he always puts them on their side as i do most of the time each to their own they,ll catch either way. Can,t get my head round why you and mr muddy are catching them on their sides though...anyone else?? LOL You might be overlooking the obvious. How is the mole trapped - scrapers aligned with the prongs, up and down, or across them?
  3. Nicepix
    Apples and oranges Mr. Darcy. I use Talpex when conditions suit, Flatpack tunnel taps when they will work best and the Putanges have their place. I couldn't imagine just having one type for all my trapping. I don't regard any as being better than the others.
  4. Nicepix
    Mr. Muddy; Thank God I'm not the only one with bad experiences with Traplines. I gave them a real good try, but had too many foul captures to continue with them. Some were caught around the middle and one managed to crawl to the surface, trap still attached. Typical American; over complicated, over priced and over here. Torchey, I usually set them on their back (prong up), trigger about 1" back from the jaws and narrowist way around. Mostly I use them in shallow runs under turf, third leg of a three way tunnel or when I can't fit a Duffus or Talpex in. I always peg them to prevent the trap
  5. Nicepix
    Around half I reckon. No idea why, but I thought it might be down to the mole squeezing through the trap like they do in stony soil or areas with a lot of roots obstructing the tunnels. A lot of my jobs are in areas with lots of small stones in the soil. I know that you've been using these for some time and rate them highly. I was a little sceptical at first but have now got a lot of confidence in them. I wouldn't use them 100% of the time like the local trappers do, and set them differently to how they do, but I wouldn't be without them. I'd rather have these than Traplines any day.
  6. Nicepix
    Must be a French thing. Around half of mine have rotated 90 degrees so their scrapers are top and bottom when the trap shuts on them. Either way, they are well dead!
  7. Nicepix
    The video isn't representative of how it is done. The French pro's carry a large spade and a bucket containing the traps, pins to peg them down, a small narrow trowel or spoon like tool to rake out the holes and a setting tool. That's it. And you can carry a lot of these traps in a bucket. Some hang the traps off their belts with the triggers already in place. I pin my traps down purely to stop any movement when the mole hits the trap. Usually the mole is caught sideways which to me suggests that they turn and squeeze through the prongs. I prefer to use them in shallow runs such as those v
  8. Nicepix
    Don't take too much notice of that lad's techniques. The pro's are a lot quicker, neater and less fussy. Also, he puts the trigger quite a bit further back than is conventional. Mine are set 1" (25mm) back from the jaws. That way the mole is trapped around the neck or shoulders.
  9. Nicepix
    If you need a setting tool send me a PM with your address and I'll post one over to you. I use a different type to the basic ones, more like circlip pliers, as they are easier to use. But I have a few of the lever type spare.
  10. Nicepix
    These traps have been used for decades over here and most French pro's use nothing else. The way they do it is very different to how you and I trap moles. For a start their spades are more like shovels and they don't bother probing relying on taking out a huge solid clod from between the molehills. The clod is kept intact and Putanges are placed in the exposed holes either side of the excavation so that they are almost totally inside the tunnel. Next a long orange rod of around 2mm wire is put into the eyes of each trap and the clod is lowered back into place leaving the orange wires sticking
  11. Nicepix
    As I said in my first post they are not all the same. Some are made from thinner and / or weaker round bar than others and rust far more quickly. Some of the ones I've bought could be set by hand, but the ones I now use would be impossible to set by hand. They occasionally cross over and it needs a trowel or screwdriver to lever them back in position. I can't even set them using the lever tool. It needs the pliers type tool. There are different types of design too. The "Putange Main" is designed to be set by hand, but are much weaker and more bulky....... The best way to attach the trig
  12. Nicepix
    Good news. But, I'd advise against using any metal for the connection between trigger and trap unless you can fix it central on a short link. I've had a few different types of Putange including one with a long metal chain link and it was useless. The problem is that if the trap misfires as in when setting the prongs coming together can cut the chain or link. It happened several times and believe me, finding the trigger that has fired itself up a mole tunnel isn't easy. I also tried electrical tie wraps with the same result. I now use 80lb braid fishing line but builder's twine as recommended e
  13. Nicepix
    Just as an aside, you can use the Putange mole traps to catch other pests. I've had field mice, lerots (garden dormice), rats and this unexpected capture from a mole tunnel in them.......... I also put them in any rat holes I find around the customer's garden to good effect. I would imagine some of you creative pesties could make good use of them as they can be set very discretely.
  14. Nicepix
    That would work OK if there was no thaw. Get a bit of sunshine on the frozen tump and it might collapse onto the trap and then re-freeze overnight. If it works for you then fine, but I prefer to play safe and I'm only doing garden jobs at the minute so there is no problem carrying enough bits of insulation with me.
  15. Nicepix
    It has been -7C overnight and barely above freezing in the day out here. I've been insulating my tunnel traps with pieces of bubble wrap or pieces cut from those car windscreen sun shields to stop the soil covering freezing up and preventing the trapping loops from activating. Its OK suggesting finding some soft soil to cover the traps if there is any to find. But in some areas where the soil is claggy and mostly clay I have to grub round under bushes or nick soil from compost heaps if I want to cover the traps without the heavy stuff. Even then, at -5C or less the soil will freeze if there is
  16. Nicepix
    I've been watching this thread for a few days. I am based in France and was on here previously under a different name. Just be aware that the Putange traps are like any other type in that the quality differs dependent on the manufacturer. I have bought and used quite a few over the last two years and some are frankly useless. The spring loses its strength and they rust quite quickly. Rust means that the triggers don't slide freely and can prevent the the traps from operating. It is a pain to keep having to rub them down with an abrasive paper or file. I got some from a local hardware shop
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