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comanche

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Everything posted by comanche

  1. comanche
    Tis true. The thought of tipping a boxfull of freds into a burrow would've been considered a recipe for lay ups ,not to mention obscenely decadent ! We usually only put a second ferret down to hopefully stir things up if the first one seemed to have stuck. In fact most of us only had a ferret or two and anyone who actually owned more than a score of nets was considered seriously well armed. Going out with friends and pooling nets ,ferrets and dogs is great and using long nets is a different sort of game but working alone with purse nets is different. For me anyway.
  2. comanche
    That was one of my thoughts. They would have to be threaded on the pole before it went into the ground though . Either that or someone would have to climb the pole in the first place to slide the climbing aids down from the top. Which doesn't seem quite right?
  3. comanche
    I've just come out of my loft where l found things l had forgotten about. Possibly this post should really span the fishing and general talk sections but l reckon the sort of folk attuned to identifying old traps might have an affinity with other bits of mystery metal work. There are some common enough traps ; nothing exciting, though l like the original pin on the gin. Also some eel forks; "Glivs" as they used to call them down Arundel way. But what are these? I guess (and it is a guess) that the hoops slide up and down a pole or mast .
  4. comanche
    Yes l,had my first call yesterday, Queens coming out of the hibernation closet of course . I know the customer well enough to suggest a rolled-up newspaper or better still that he leaves them alone rather than dent my profit margin£££?? I suppose in a couple of weeks it'll be the "roof/wall covered in wasps , must have a huge nest " phone calls . "No Sir/ Madame/non binary person They'll be cute little bees enjoying the sun. "
  5. comanche
    I've seen those I.E.Ds in use in a Sussex garden! The owner had sneaked them back from his second home in France. Me: "What's that thing that looks like a mini submarine sticking out of the ground?" Customer: "Oh sorry, l should've warned you . It's a mole bomb."
  6. comanche
    The great thing about this sort of topic is that it promotes thought. And l've just had one, a rare occurrence for me? Maybe we are being too fixated on the reaction of some moles in some situations to traps . Just suppose that by setting traps in some mole runs in some situations we are on odd occasions actually changing the behaviour of the worms upon which the mole feeds . By altering the characteristics or profile of the run or the air pressure around the trap might we be forcing the worms deeper or to one side? Hence the mole follows the worms rather than the cour
  7. comanche
    To me a trap shy animal is e one with a natural suspicion of anything that looks or smells wrong or perhaps triggers a "sixth sense" of self preservation . Some animals that don't have access to trapping books or expert internet advice and so should'nt even know the difference between a trap and a bit of scrap metal seem to have these qualities even when faced with an enticing tunnel or easy meal . That to me is trap shyness . As is the reaction of an intelligent creature that has had a close call and is capable of having learned by its experiences. However , moles studied for r
  8. comanche
    Plus side is they should be well handled if they are already pets so shouldn't be nervy round the burrow mouths . Minus side is that they may not really know what's expected of them if you wait until Autumn to show them a hole. But you have all Summer to run em through a bit of drainpipe and and feed them on the odd roadkill bunny so they get some enthusiasm for the hunt. A bit of rabbit pulled along on a string should amuse the kids and the ferrets! Having said that ; l often don't work my replacement ferrets until an old favourite has died or been retired. Some a
  9. comanche
    See what happens if you try fixing a skirting board to wall with a bullet and you might learn something. Wear protective goggles of course. Actually don't bother you come across as blind ignorant already.
  10. comanche
    What a great picture of really interesting traps. You can see why the terms gin and engine are applied to traps. They certainly have the mark of an engineer's hand and mind upon them. I may be a odd but the trap that really has my interest is probably the least exciting looking one. It looks like something that someone with a bit of scrap metal ,a welder and a hacksaw could knock up in their shed???? Just as an experiment of course?
  11. comanche
    If you find time to rig it up as it should be lt would be great if you could post a picture or just PM one to Ken. All the best
  12. comanche
    Not kill but possibly catch something like this? Probably not quite right with the exact details. Very possibly nowhere near!? But it might give you some ideas to play with . ?
  13. comanche
    It looks like the writing below the trigger plate reads or once read something like "THE IMANT" ,possibly or something similar.? Is there a spring below the hinge of the outer ring?
  14. comanche
    That's a pretty neat thingy to have. I wonder if the skins are doubled over for strengh or a more luxurious feel . Or if only a small section of each skin was considered useable . Brilliant bit of history!
  15. comanche
    I used to send squirrel tails jay wings and similar body parts to Veniards in Thornton Heath to be made into fly-tyimg materials. I think they paid 30 pence for mole skins. They gave instructions for stretching and pinning them into roughly five or six inch squares and drying them on a board before dispatch. To be honest it seemed like a great idea for making a few extra quid at 8 in the morning. By tea time the idea of messing about on a winter's evening with a pile of soggy moles had lost its appeal. I stuck to the squirrel tails! Which brings me onto Ken's bit of first hand in
  16. comanche
    That brought a thought to my mind. Many years ago l had a famous , or infamous depending on your stan-point, politician as a regular customer. While chatting to his elderly wife l learned that her uncle or Grandfather, l can't recall which ,had been a mole-catcher. Apparently back in those days an apprentice mole-catcher was considered to be on the way to being a journeyman when he'd made his first moleskin waistcoat. Then ensued a surreal conversation as we tried to decide just how many skins it would take ,dependent on the chosen style, size of the wearer and whether it
  17. comanche
    " temporary territories inherited from previous generations of moles" ,or something like that anyway ?. l bet that if we could interview long dead gardeners and farmers from 100 or more years ago we'd realise we're dealing with moles in exactly the same patches of ground as they did. Probably during comparable times of the year and weather conditions. Even new housing estates are not without problems . They might not suffer the curse of an old indian burial ground( not in Sussex anyway) or a pet cemetery , but no Estate Agent dare speak of the sinister horror that may
  18. comanche
    I came to believe a long time ago that moles return almost immediately to sort out their flood damaged tunnels. A trap set in a flooded run is often perfectly placed when the water recedes.
  19. comanche
    Physician heal thyself!?? I've pretty much doubled my mole prices since the New Year and become shamelessly mercenary about adding travel costs. I seriously hoped l would end up doing less work for a better return instead of running about trying to please everyone and ending up a well-liked but poverty stricken fool . I've lost several long standing regulars, both farmers and domestic customers , who seemed offended by my desire to earn more than a Mc Donalds waiter . Has it reduced the workload though ? No ; the loss of people who only liked me for my reasonably
  20. comanche
    Crikey that place looks like its full of food! Belgian chocolate amongst it too. From the debris it should be easy to see what foods the squirrels are favouring and where to put traps. Sweep up the loose food so all that's easily available are some choice samples in and around the traps. Apart from the risk of punching holes in ceilings with stray pellets or bullets, shooting means you being on site at the right time. Traps will be working as the day is long. Traps ; as many as you can get set. Inside and outside too if practical.?
  21. comanche
    This reminded me of when l was a Keeper and l'd spent some time crouched in a thorn thicket at dusk trying to pick off magpies as they came in for the night. When it became too dark to see l set off ,with the gun under my arm, across the fields using the distant glow of the yard lights to navigate by. Unfortunatly l'd forgotten about a newly erected , mains-powered sheep fence. .. l blundered straight into it , and in so doing was afforded first hand knowledge of the electrical conductivity of AYA No 4 side by side barrels. But worse- still ; l became briefly entangled an
  22. comanche
    Yesterday l was offered an unexpected opportunity to spend an afternoon shooting along the private banks of a river . It was a great offer and as l knew it is unlikely to be repeated l was eager to take it up. With no time to buy cartridges l was glad that at home l had half a pocket full left from the last time l used the 12 bore. The "good thing" was that the shells were bismuth ; thus ducks could shot. The "bad thing" was that my shotgun had been dormant in the cabinet for about three years and l didn't exactly excel myself with it before that . Thus my chances
  23. comanche
    These two popped-out yesterday. I thought there were at least two or three weeks to go . This one was half way out when l went to check them this morning.
  24. comanche
    There are various brands of non- non poisonous rodent bait available based on dehydrated plant cellulose. The idea being that as rats and mice mice can't vomit they stuff themselves on the free food which absorbs the moisture in their guts and swells- up. The little creatures then expire from a combination of dehydration and constipation. It's supposed to be relatively safe for other animals. Though one of my customers had a dog that stole and ate a whole box of the stuff. It didn't die but apparently it blew up like a balloon and waddled about in a decidedly uncom
  25. comanche
    I reckon you'll have 100% success rate. In fact you'll pretty much be able to guarantee the whole island mole free. A modern day St Patrick, verily .
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