Le Braconnier 49 Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 After a couple of months of warm, dry weather when there were no signs of mole activity in the pastures we now seem to be in 'mole season'. A few days of cooler, wetter weather (nowhere near as bad as the UK) has resulted in a lot of new activity in the seemingly abandoned runs. I set some traps yesterday afternoon and harvested a couple of moles this morning. Where do they go during the hot weather? Do they stop digging and rely on a food larder or do they migrate to wetter areas? Quote Link to post
cornishtrapper 3 Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 warm, dry weather ! whots that? weve not had weather like that since march Quote Link to post
corpse 16 Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 warm, dry weather ! whots that? weve not had weather like that since march :laugh: Quote Link to post
DKGPestControl 22 Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Moles have been remarkable busy all year in southern England! Keep them comming Quote Link to post
Le Braconnier 49 Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Moles have been remarkable busy all year in southern England! Keep them comming I'll ship you some down the Chunnel. Quote Link to post
DKGPestControl 22 Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Yeah! Deliver as many as you can to the residents of Berkshire lol Quote Link to post
Le Braconnier 49 Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 It's unbelievable here. I'd cleared up both large pastures before it got too hot in July and on periodically checking the fields there was absolutely no visible mole activity until last week when it dropped cool and rained a little. In one area of of the pastures, around two acres, I've now got at least seven sets, some new and some re-populating old runs. I've trapped five moles in the last three days and there are more tumps appearing all over the place including some of the runs I've already killled in. Looks like someone has emptied a barrow load of moles on the pasture. Quote Link to post
trappa 518 Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 its going to be a busy winter, lots of moles!! Quote Link to post
Le Braconnier 49 Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 its going to be a busy winter, lots of moles!! I've only got six traps Quote Link to post
Le Braconnier 49 Posted October 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 Well. That's eight since Monday, one boar and seven sows, in two acres with no visible activity for two months before that. They started in one area of the field near to a wet area and have spread out towards the field edge re-populating old runs. I've had two from the same runs twice. While travelling to my fishing spot yesterday I noticed on a recently harrowed filed two lines of tumps coming from a stream area and running over 100 metres each towards the top of the hill. No side shoots, just continuous lines. I'm convinced that moles 'hibernate' together in damp areas during hot weather then set off to individual pastures when the weather becomes cooler. Quote Link to post
DKGPestControl 22 Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 Had a good run on mole calls beggining of last week but slowed towards the end, I drove past a contract of mine today and saw a couple of moles in the paddocks so they will be on the blower soon! Quote Link to post
Le Braconnier 49 Posted October 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2012 I've moved onto another field that was seeded with grass in spring and was later cut for hay. The soil is very gritty in places, much like the stuff you get in rock salt so I expected the moles to have extensive territories because of the lean pickings. I trapped two yesterday morning, back filled the holes and flattened all the tumps so the grass cutter blades wouldn't hit them. Later on I borrowed the little tractor and surveyed the rest of the field (it is about fifty hectares), found at least five more runs and set traps in them. This morning on checking the traps I'd got two more but when I got to the area I'd flattened yesterday there was quite a bit of new activity including a new tump in the hole I'd back filled right next to where the dead mole lay. Quote Link to post
bullseye76 16 Posted October 13, 2012 Report Share Posted October 13, 2012 sorry for asking but what do you do with the moles? Quote Link to post
Le Braconnier 49 Posted October 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 I've no use for them so I leave them at the side of the holes. A mate of mine in the UK freezes his and when he has enough takes them to an owl sanctuary. An older mate used to skin them and post a packet of skins to a company in London who made hats from them. But that was before the 1970's. Before WW2 millions of moleskins were exported to the States to be made into clothing and over here plumbers used the skins to wipe down hot pipes after soldering. I don't think there is any trade for them now other than a few for fly tiers. Quote Link to post
unclepesta 101 Posted October 15, 2012 Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 rain flooded my sets on a new job last week mole evacuated now i been waitin over weekend for it to drain back no mole no money Quote Link to post
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.