Blocked traps

[Shrophunter 7]

I wish I had a camera yesterday to show you a mole trap I lifted which had been comprehensively blocked to say the least.

It was totally crammed solid with hard packed earth but yet neither side of the trap had been set off. Considering I tune my traps for maximum effectiveness, it got me wondering how on earth a mole can push and pack so much soil into both sides of a trap without setting it off ?

[swanseajack 228]

Like this you mean ??

 

 

here's an odd one that I lifted yesterday, any guesses as to what happened here ??

 

 

and another, that I took as it left the farmer a bit gobsmacked, 120 yards long, 77 molehills in a straight(ish) line, right down the middle of the field..

 

 

[Shrophunter 7]

Yep, just like that

[moley 115]

Like this you mean ??

 

 

here's an odd one that I lifted yesterday, any guesses as to what happened here ??

 

 

and another, that I took as it left the farmer a bit gobsmacked, 120 yards long, 77 molehills in a straight(ish) line, right down the middle of the field..

 

 

that will be a male or buck mole

[TOMO 26,899]

THE ODD ONE,,, mole come from underneath???

[swanseajack 228]

THE ODD ONE,,, mole come from underneath???

I dunno, but he was in it today

 

Here's a theory on blocked traps, ones that are filled to the brim, I get them in soft soil, had four different sets of hills on the same field, caught one, but the other three had filled the traps... reset them in the same place. went back yesday and they were filled again, without setting of the traps... I had a bright idea (unlike me) was I pushing them into the earth to far ? ie pushing the triggers in the earth as well therefore making them usless, so again I cleaned out the traps, made the run smooth, pushed in the traps and lifted them a little so I knew the triggers were clear of the soil. covered them lightly with earth and crossed me fingers !!

 

Went there today, lifted the three moles :toast: Just a theory, might have been luck or the moles were getting fed up of me, I dunno, but it worked..

[torchey 1,328]

THE ODD ONE,,, mole come from underneath???

I dunno, but he was in it today

 

Here's a theory on blocked traps, ones that are filled to the brim, I get them in soft soil, had four different sets of hills on the same field, caught one, but the other three had filled the traps... reset them in the same place. went back yesday and they were filled again, without setting of the traps... I had a bright idea (unlike me) was I pushing them into the earth to far ? ie pushing the triggers in the earth as well therefore making them usless, so again I cleaned out the traps, made the run smooth, pushed in the traps and lifted them a little so I knew the triggers were clear of the soil. covered them lightly with earth and crossed me fingers !!

 

Went there today, lifted the three moles :toast: Just a theory, might have been luck or the moles were getting fed up of me, I dunno, but it worked..

Wouldn,t have thought you were pushing right in to the trigger,surely you would know your pushing them too deep

[comanche 3,076]

Sometimes it is almost as if the mole is saying ,

"Ha, this is what I think of your attempt to catch me. I spit on your efforts and fill your crude devices with dirt. You lumbering human oaf . Oh you'll get me in the end. You and your bag full of expensive, industrially produced and cleverly tuned traps versus little old me . Of course in reality I'm not mentally inclined to take such things personally. I'm far too busy searching for worms and reacting instinctively to draughts and daylight , foreign objects or velvet -clad rivals that disrupt the smooth equilibrium of my world . Yeh . You'll get me but my decendents will be back to frustrate you till the end of time .... Who will you send against me now ?". Followed by evil Talpidean cackling laughter .

 

You get the feeling that the only way a trap can be plugged in the way described is by the mole coming up from beneath or the side and working soil from the centre out.

 

Maybe the mole was working on an adjacent tunnel and broke through at by chance?.

 

Maybe -as CW suggests-moley detected the trap as an unyeilding obstruction to be dug around rather than passed through?.

 

Maybe moles tend to approach air or light leaks from a new angle rather than use the established runs .

 

I sometimes wonder if moles on occasion shovel earth about as a buffer between themselves and any rivals rather than risk a damaging conflict and that the old trick of scenting one's traps is sometimes counterproductive .

 

Loads of theories.Everyone has their own . And I'll bet most have just a grain of truth in em .

Edited February 17, 2011 by comanche

[swanseajack 228]

THE ODD ONE,,, mole come from underneath???

I dunno, but he was in it today

 

Here's a theory on blocked traps, ones that are filled to the brim, I get them in soft soil, had four different sets of hills on the same field, caught one, but the other three had filled the traps... reset them in the same place. went back yesday and they were filled again, without setting of the traps... I had a bright idea (unlike me) was I pushing them into the earth to far ? ie pushing the triggers in the earth as well therefore making them usless, so again I cleaned out the traps, made the run smooth, pushed in the traps and lifted them a little so I knew the triggers were clear of the soil. covered them lightly with earth and crossed me fingers !!

 

Went there today, lifted the three moles :toast: Just a theory, might have been luck or the moles were getting fed up of me, I dunno, but it worked..

Wouldn,t have thought you were pushing right in to the trigger,surely you would know your pushing them too deep

It were me doing the pushing, maybe "I got a touch like a Bull elephant's foreskin" when the soil is really soft Im sure I can be a bit heavy handed and this could possibly happen or as the other replies have suggested perhaps the lil black Want knows there's a Welshman trying to catch him !!

[John Keswick 119]

I have a theory, the reason why your traps are plugged full of soil is because your not setting the trap correctly AND your crap at mole catching

[DIDO.1 22,846]

I alway lift the trap a bit after pushing it down just to make sure im not slowing the trap down by wedgeing it in to tight. Also iv always belived in not setting the trap too light as Iv always belived moley can push a fair bit of soil in front of him so I like it to go off smoothly but with a bit of a push. Keep the trigger hooks straight and clean, I carry a small file to clean em up now and again.

If I find a trap sprung on one side then I reset, if its fully plugged I swap to a different trap straight away.

 

Moles push soil in front of them and need a cetain set to catch em, sometimes they move at a fair old speed and comit suicide and sometimes they are super sensitive and need you to outwit them either way you will never stop em plugging traps!!!

[Steve Albano 21]

Not sure what you guys are on about....I've never had a plugged mole trap. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[moley 115]

I alway lift the trap a bit after pushing it down just to make sure im not slowing the trap down by wedgeing it in to tight. Also iv always belived in not setting the trap too light as Iv always belived moley can push a fair bit of soil in front of him so I like it to go off smoothly but with a bit of a push. Keep the trigger hooks straight and clean, I carry a small file to clean em up now and again.

If I find a trap sprung on one side then I reset, if its fully plugged I swap to a different trap straight away.

 

Moles push soil in front of them and need a cetain set to catch em, sometimes they move at a fair old speed and comit suicide and sometimes they are super sensitive and need you to outwit them either way you will never stop em plugging traps!!!

 

seem s some folk think moles spend all day pushing soil in front of them , the reason the traps are plugged is cos the mole knows its there and either goes round it or usually under it , most plugged traps are filled from underneath which is obvious by the new tunnel under the trap, my findings anyway, i cannot see moles being different in different parts of the country

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

I alway lift the trap a bit after pushing it down just to make sure im not slowing the trap down by wedgeing it in to tight. Also iv always belived in not setting the trap too light as Iv always belived moley can push a fair bit of soil in front of him so I like it to go off smoothly but with a bit of a push. Keep the trigger hooks straight and clean, I carry a small file to clean em up now and again.

If I find a trap sprung on one side then I reset, if its fully plugged I swap to a different trap straight away.

 

Moles push soil in front of them and need a cetain set to catch em, sometimes they move at a fair old speed and comit suicide and sometimes they are super sensitive and need you to outwit them either way you will never stop em plugging traps!!!

 

seem s some folk think moles spend all day pushing soil in front of them , the reason the traps are plugged is cos the mole knows its there and either goes round it or usually under it , most plugged traps are filled from underneath which is obvious by the new tunnel under the trap, my findings anyway, i cannot see moles being different in different parts of the country

 

 

@ Moley....

[mole trapper 1,694]

I see not a lot has changed on here in my absence, Wayne, nail on the head as usual.