Talpex

[Nicepix 5,650]

They are a doddle when set fine, emery cloth the trigger pin to set a fine trigger and go direct down through the hill.

Done that since I first got them. Also file and smooth the burr off the holes.

[shropshire mole 190]

Same as you MT and NP Cant catch many moles with them, prefer duffus.

 

A question? Do I need to set the trap slightly lower then run bottom to ensure the mole has to push up a little?

[Nicepix 5,650]

I agree the Talpex does the business,its my main trap these days rarely use anything else just got fed up with the flat packs.

Nicepix regarding the stoney claggy poor soil conditions, what i have done in the past is taken a bucket of decent soil to a job i knew had crappy clay soil that would be no good to back fill,so back filled with decent foreign soil and the mole was caught.

Now some people may say the mole will sense or smell it's a foreign different soil but i've done this a few times with success.And thats why i dont bother to clean my traps between jobs as it doesn't seem to matter.

I agree about the soil aspect. I've lifted traps from one area, put them in another area still clagged up with 'foreign' soil, but they catch. I've also nicked soil from compost heaps when the ground soil wasn't suitable. The problem with the soil out west is that there are so many stones it is difficult to excavate a tight trap site without loose stones fouling the action. I also find that in wet soil moles seem to get through without setting the trap off. Even filling with dry soil hasn't worked as I think that the dry soil absorbs moisture from the surrounding soil. As I said, it must be down to how I set them. Thankfully I do well with the other two types so it doesn't impact on my business.

[J Darcy 5,871]

What is going wrong? How come people can't catch in Talpex? Is the trap being triggered and no mole in it?

 

If so, don't set in the conventional manner. Place the trap in the ground. If the soil is heavy then trip the trap, then reset. I then place a couple of 'balls' of compressed soil under the trigger on both sides, then 'backfill' the trap with compressed balls from the nearest hill. I do not backfill with loose soil anymore.

I'm not saying thats the right way, just my way. Give it a go and I guarantee you'll catch...

[Nicepix 5,650]

That's novel. Never heard that before so I'll give it a try. Thanks JD.

[J Darcy 5,871]

Just one more thing; if the mole gets caught a little far back, increase the length of the balls under the trigger and you'll catch him further forward in a more humane grip.

[bryn27 89]

just had another job request 100 acre of silage and a graveyard to do ffs,not be checking the latter late on at night.

[leegreen 2,173]

I use both, but Duffus are quicker to set and if the ground is proper dry I find it hard cover Talpex. Or am I doing it wong ?

Also is it possible to set Talpex in shallow runs?

[bryn27 89]

set talpex on surface runs no probs,just recover with adjacent mole hills. don't cover the talpex simply fill it with fine soil.

Edited April 28, 2015 by bryn27

[leegreen 2,173]

Tank yo all. I will try with my new found techniques, balls an all.

[mole trapper 1,693]

In the mole hill! Really???

 

I have set them as I would a say a Fenn scissor, then trickled in fine soil under the pan and to either side of the pan to replicate a tunnel collapse, my logic being it will push the soil forwards to clear the obstruction. Pin set so fine it's scary, still mole either fills or goes round?.

Think I ought to stick to my duffus, traplines and Fenn, at least I know what I'm doing with those.

[bryn27 89]

Yip straight in the top works a treat. Then simply rebuild the mound and mark with spray.

[bryn27 89]

In the mole hill! Really???

 

I have set them as I would a say a Fenn scissor, then trickled in fine soil under the pan and to either side of the pan to replicate a tunnel collapse, my logic being it will push the soil forwards to clear the obstruction. Pin set so fine it's scary, still mole either fills or goes round?.

Think I ought to stick to my duffus, traplines and Fenn, at least I know what I'm doing with those.

Are these Talpa or genuine Talpex?

[shropshire mole 190]

just had another job request 100 acre of silage and a graveyard to do ffs,not be checking the latter late on at night.

Dont find graveyards very easy to do, not everyone wants the moles gone and do like to sabotage/remove traps. even with covert trapping folk seem to find them.

 

Good Luck

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

I first tried the Talpex, several decades ago....

 

Truth was, I found the trap to be baffling....the entire concept of its usage and methodology totally confused me,...I just could not get my head around it

 

For years I walked another path,..and it was a lonely one ,...and one that I had hoped to keep to myself...Alas,...the genie is now well and truly out of the bottle,...and mole catchers are as common as Black Eyed Whites...

 

Like long lost lovers,..me and the Talpex are now re-united,..and I regret the years we spent apart.

 

There are several ways of setting the Talpex Trap....some better than others....

 

When I first started using them again,..I contacted some good old trapping pals from the USA ..

They were familiar with the Victor, 'Out o'Sight' mole trap,...(a tool that works on similar lines to the Talpex)..I was advised to use the 'speed ramp' method,..whereby you place a compressed piece of soil under the trap plate, thus causing the mole to lift his head as he goes under the plate, thereby firing the trigger pin....I used this method for a long time,..still do sometimes.

 

The Yanks also utilise a tiny wooden device that slips onto the flat base of the trigger plate and hangs down underneath..This item is referred to, as the Little Woody,...it definitely works,..but, in my opinion,.. is not realy necessary on a Talpex...

 

Nowadays I run over 100 Talpex, alongside my miscellaneous brands of Duffus traps...

As all trappers know, there is a trap for every style of run,..and the best type of mole trap, is the one that catches the mole...

Edited April 29, 2015 by Phil Lloyd