Setting TheTalpex Mole Trap

[Rolfe 2]

As there has been a lot of discussion on the Talpex just lately, i thought it may be of interest to the newcomers out there to show how to go about setting this very versatile trap. If you look at the pictures the trap is placed into the mole run in an upright position and not at 45 degrees as is the manufacturers recomended method. Setting the trap this way, leaving the tongue sitting just under an inch from the bottom of the run, forces the mole to push underneath rather than squeeze around the sides. If after setting the trap it is completely filled in with earth (from a nearby mole hill) then this conveys the message to the mole that the tunnel has become blocked and it proceeds to push the earth upwards to clear the run, and in doing so triggers the trap.

Now i know that filling in the trap with earth goes against all the old trapping principals........but trust me it really does work.....and i catch an awful lot of moles using this method.

One point to note is..........if you look at the picture of the trap insitu you will notice a V shaped notch in the side of the run. This is to allow the setting pin to fire without getting caught on the side of the run. Now not every mole trapper sets exactley the same, so i have told what works for me.......albeit very briefly. If you set your Talpex a diifferent way and achieve a high success rate then who am i to disagree.......but do let us all know if you have some other tips to share.

It's by swapping ideas and methods that we all learn to improve our trapping techniques.

 

Rolfe.

[Barbus 0]

Informative post there Rolfe, thanks................every little helps

[stephen58 1]

Hi Rolfe , I,ve got a few Talpex traps in my armoury, I know they are the new" in " traps at the moment!!! good idea about the " V " in the side of the tunnel I will have to try this next time I use them , but I,m strictly a Duffus trap man , I also employ this method of putting soil under the trigger/plate, but I find that the Talpex tends to catch the Mole around the abdomen , rather than around the chest when using Duffus trap , maybe I,m just being pickerty/fussy!!! I think that the trigger/plate on the Talpex could be wider so that the trap fires off quicker, thus catching the Mole around the chest ?? have you Rolfe , found since cutting the " V " into the side of the tunnel, have had more chest catches rather than abdomen catches with the Talpex traps ?? any other mole~catchers input on this matter, could be intresting???? best regards Steve

[moley 115]

good stuff there rolfe , another thing that helps is to put a solid plug of earth under where the trigger plate will go , this makes the mole push on the plug and set the trap off sooner , and you get a good clean catch around the chest and not around the hips , this idea is from the way u s trappers set "out o sight" traps

[Rolfe 2]

Thanks for the input lads...........its interesting.

 

I am of the opinion that the spring on the Talpex is so powerful that death must be pretty instant the moment the jaws lock.... and most of my catches are towards the front end rather than the back.........so i don't understand why you are getting so many catches around the abdomen......very interesting though.

 

Rolfe.

[stephen58 1]

Hi Rolfe , won,t argue about the power of the spring ,just ask my fingers , only got caught once ,bloody well hurt ( don,t laugh ) I don't know wether you do this with your Talpex traps or not? but I have noticed that the trigger/plate where the trigger pin goes through the hole , have got metal burrs on, where the punch/die has got blunt in the manufacturing process , I de~burr them using a smooth file and slighty CS,K them so that there is no drag when they fire off ,as a matter of intrest where do you buy your Talpex traps from? hope this little tip has been of some help to you and other Mole trappers on this site best regards Steve

[Rolfe 2]

Hi Rolfe , won,t argue about the power of the spring ,just ask my fingers , only got caught once ,bloody well hurt ( don,t laugh ) I don't know wether you do this with your Talpex traps or not? but I have noticed that the trigger/plate where the trigger pin goes through the hole , have got metal burrs on, where the punch/die has got blunt in the manufacturing process , I de~burr them using a smooth file and slighty CS,K them so that there is no drag when they fire off ,as a matter of intrest where do you buy your Talpex traps from? hope this little tip has been of some help to you and other Mole trappers on this site best regards Steve

All my Talpex come from www.killgerm.com I know they are the genuine article from this outlet and not some cheap foreign import.

Another tip when the traps are brand new is to lightly rough up the end of the trigger pin, (where it fits into the location hole on the tongue) with a small file. This stops the pin slipping out of the hole when setting the trap........as it is prone to do until the traps are truly weathered.

 

Rolfe.

[TOMO 24,863]

with regard to filling the trap with soill . i do the same with scissor traps

[stephen58 1]

Hi Tommo , used to have the privilege of knowing a old vermin trapper many years ago , he use to press mud on both sides of the firing washer on the scissor trap he would say to me" ol mole, he knows between mud and metal, boy " best regards Steve

[Rolfe 2]

Hi Tommo , used to have the privilege of knowing a old vermin trapper many years ago , he use to press mud on both sides of the firing washer on the scissor trap he would say to me" ol mole, he knows between mud and metal, boy " best regards Steve

Yes..............if i use a scissor mole trap, i always fill the centre ring with earth.........this is how i was taught to do it.

 

Regards......Rolfe.

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

good stuff there rolfe , another thing that helps is to put a solid plug of earth under where the trigger plate will go , this makes the mole push on the plug and set the trap off sooner , and you get a good clean catch around the chest and not around the hips , this idea is from the way u s trappers set "out o sight" traps

I've got a few of these traps, only use them here and there, and thats the way I use them. With the trigger plate sitting on the soil.

[TOMO 24,863]

what i mean is , after i have found the run , and put the trap in . instead of trying to put the turf round the trap and keep the run clear. what i do is compleatly fill the hole arond the jaws and trigger with loose soill.

 

as you said with the talpex , the mole thinks hes had a little cave in . he then works his way in

[OldTrapCollector 376]

what i mean is , after i have found the run , and put the trap in . instead of trying to put the turf round the trap and keep the run clear. what i do is compleatly fill the hole arond the jaws and trigger with loose soill.

 

as you said with the talpex , the mole thinks hes had a little cave in . he then works his way in

 

Interesting idea filling in around the trap after setting - I have had hardly any experience with mole trapping but that which I have done was taught to me in the 'keep it clean, and cover it over' method. I suppose it makes sense that Mr Mole will be along and think he's had a landfall in his run.

 

Thanks

 

OTC

[Rolfe 2]

Hi Rolfe , I,ve got a few Talpex traps in my armoury, I know they are the new" in " traps at the moment!!! good idea about the " V " in the side of the tunnel I will have to try this next time I use them , but I,m strictly a Duffus trap man , I also employ this method of putting soil under the trigger/plate, but I find that the Talpex tends to catch the Mole around the abdomen , rather than around the chest when using Duffus trap , maybe I,m just being pickerty/fussy!!! I think that the trigger/plate on the Talpex could be wider so that the trap fires off quicker, thus catching the Mole around the chest ?? have you Rolfe , found since cutting the " V " into the side of the tunnel, have had more chest catches rather than abdomen catches with the Talpex traps ?? any other mole~catchers input on this matter, could be intresting???? best regards Steve

Hi Steve,

This picture shows the same trap as in the other pictures when i pulled it from the ground this morning. You will have to trust me that the picture hasn't been doctored in any way and this was how the mole was trapped. You will see it has been trapped very much across the front end, and death would have been vitually instant, due to the powerful spring mechanism. This is how 99% of my moles are caught when using the Talpex trap, so i can't understand how you are catching so many towards the rear end.

 

Best Regards

 

Rolfe.

[stephen58 1]

Hi Rolfe, nicely caught Mole in that photo, as you look at your photo my catches tend to be literally in the middle or little back further!! I think I might have sussed why!! I think that I might have to much of the trigger pin going through the plate ( not fine enough tickle ) thus allowing the Mole to procede through the trap that little more before the trap fires off, your opinion or other,s would be welcomed best regards Steve