Another Wonderful Branch Of Interest.

[hutch6 550]

Hi,

 

A bit of a long post but I'll try and keep it as brief as I can.

 

I've loved fly fishing from an ealry age and this has lead onto helping out with beating and exploring other country sports. I recently got into air rifle shooting with some permission to hone my poor skills and provide some grub for myself and my dogs as well as keepiong pests at bay for the owners.

 

One day I got a call from them asking if I knew anything about mole catching as they had some in their elderly father's garden which is just behind their house. I said I'd certainly see what i could do as it sparked another "wonder what that's all about then?" interest in my ever inquisitive mind.

I jumped on the web and read the Walcote Farm page, ordered myself soem traps and then went for a butchers at the garden, what a mess. There were mole hills fo rsure and you could follow the tunnels for most of it just by walking on the lawn as they were that near the surface you could feel the depression under foot. Anyway, the traps arrived, I had a quick revision of the Walcote Farm piece and off I went with some garden canes, a sawn off shovel handle (T-bar), a bucket, a trowel, a long screwdriver and the traps. I followed a few tunnels from the mounds and laid a trap on what I thought was a promising run. I then remembered what I had read about moles using features which would cause a decent water source. I started probing the ground near the garden wall and sure enough I found a run. I clal them service tunnels, don't know if there is a technical or universal term for them, and figured that if the mole ventures out for food and needs water every day then this could be where it gets it's liquid from. A trap was set and I left for the evening.

I retunred the next morning (given it was a weekend) and to my delight and the demise of the mole the trap in the service tunnel had been triggered. I carefully lifeted off the grass that supported the top soil to close of any surface light and pulled the trap up slowly. I was like Charlie Bucket opening his Wonka Bar. Result!! A nice fat mole in the jaws of the trap. The fortunes of my efforts was discussed over a brew with the land owners and their elderly father and they said they had got mole trappers in before but after two failed visits they decided it wasn't worth wasting the money (no mole, still paid a fee). Apparantly after a bit of luck and minimal reading guidance I was now the guy to call if they had moles.

A few weeks passed and the mole hills started appearing again but in the land owners main lawn. I again returned and found a promising run along the edge of the patio in the loose soil border. The trap was set and when I returned that night with the rifle to doa bit of rabbit clearing the trap had been sprung and another plum mole was in the jaws.

 

Now. The landowners run a stables and the stables manager is part of a committee who run some horse competitions on some local ground during the year and they have done a ground inspection. I got a call asking if I could pop up and see about getting rid of the moles that had moved into the ground as the stable manager had heard of my results in the gardens. I agreed thinking it gets me out of the house, it might open up new shooting opportunities and these horse shows are predominantly attended by women so being a single man I thought it was a good opportunity to find a nice lady that has thighs like a vice. I greed to meet the stable manager at the show ground that weekend to see what the situation was.

I swear I have never seen anything like it. The ground looks like something from another planet with mole hills everywhere. We ventured through into the next field and the same agin and the next. In fact when we reached the ground's boundary fence there were mole hills stretching right across the fields as far as the eye could see. Plainly this was a battle ground not just a one hit job.

 

I went back up the next day (Sunday) with my three traps and started setting about locating tunnels etc whilst the dogs had a good run round and couldn't find any tunnels that ran along the fence lines or against the walls so I opted for a few tunnels between freshly dug hills.

I returned back last night to check the traps and one had been sprung but I could feel where the little bleeder had dug around the edge as the soil isn't very well compacted. The other traps hadn't seen a sniff. There were new hills as you could see where the soil had either cracked the snow, pushed the snow away and there wasn't any snow on the mounds of soil.

 

So, here are a few questions for you time tested trappers.

 

What books are worth a read to give a good understanding of what to look for when working out where the service tunnels will be?

 

Is it best to start looking out on the hills from the edge of the field or from the middle back? I realise that some might do it one way and others the opposite so it'd be good get the opinions and methods from both.

 

Do you set your traps on these service tunnels or do you go for the runs between the hills or maybe even both?

 

Do moles use the same tunnels at the same time or are they territorial and fight off intruders on their patch (except for mating)?

 

I am only just getting into the hobby (can you call it a hobby, I do as it gets me outside and it's quite enjoyable even in the bitter winter winds of recent) and I am not looking to take money away from any pro full-time guys, it's just something new and different.

[Bunny Boiler 177]

"Thighs like a vice...". I pissed myself when I read that bit. I'm in with a young horse rider (actually does it for a job) and she could crack a walnut!

[Le Braconnier 49]

Forget Walcote Farm advice. Been there, done that. Get some genuine Talpex and Flat Pack tunnel traps. Saves a lot of time and bother with scissor traps.

[Outofnowhere 93]

What about books or dvd's to give a few tips? what would you guys recommend?

[Matt 160]

What about books or dvd's to give a few tips? what would you guys recommend?

 

There is a very good DVD available from Fourteenacre, originally made by our very own 'Moley' on here.

 

Lot's of books on the subject, Amazon is the cheapest place to find them.

[hutch6 550]

What about books or dvd's to give a few tips? what would you guys recommend?

 

There is a very good DVD available from Fourteenacre, originally made by our very own 'Moley' on here.

 

Lot's of books on the subject, Amazon is the cheapest place to find them.

 

Thanks for the info Matt T Rat

 

Think I'd rather buy theem from Fourteenacre than Amazon, at least the profit goes to a good cause.

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Good choice mate I've had stuff off John at fourteen acre he is a great bloke to deal with excellent service from him everytime;-)

[milegajo 595]

Great post as usual hutch6!

[chugger461 3]

Good evenings read waiting for the freind to go out with the new lamp! shaking with excitment more than the runner!