Ian,
Cinch traps have been around in various guises in the US for a while now. I have not seen them for sale over here yet. I think the reason for their lack of success is obvious - look at the size of that hole he had to dig . . . . . . I can just see the Pester's laughing at the thought of their customer's faces as they dig a foot round hole in the middle of their putting green
One question I have, and DS might know this if no-one else does, is do mole traps have to be DEFRA approved for use in the UK, as most 'vermin traps' do (with the exception of those for rats and mice)? In
Here's a couple of my own tools - no longer used but on display in my trap room ~
Here's a genuine trapper's spade which are like hen's teeth to find these days, short handle, sharp cutting edge and cut outs on top of the flat part of the face for trap chain pulling.
These are two of my mole spades, both used by real mole catchers in days gone by.
And these are a couple of my trap hoes or setters as they are sometimes known.
OTC
For the attention of any bird taxidermists out there, I have 3 suitably worthy specimens in my freezer that I was saving for Hok Boi (member on here) who has seemingly disappeared.
Please send me a PM for details. I will accept suitable old traps as payment if you have any knocking around
OTC
Forget cage traps - get yourself some good fox snares Ben, set them properly (ask if you don't know how) and he'll be there early the next morning waiting for you.
Mink don't make foot wide runs, nor do they 'flatten' reeds . . .
OTC
I have a feeling that the US moles are slightly larger than our own
There are actually about half a dozen variations of the Nash mole trap, the early ones have cast iron bases on them, some were painted green. It has been around for a fair while so must work, or it would have disappeared into obscurity by now.
OTC
That's about what I was thinking Tomo, surely rats would climb straight up a 'long net' given more than a second to think about it. It seems a bit of a waste of effort to make a 1" stop net just to slow them down so a terrier can chop them?
OTC
That happens all the time on his auctions, or they get pulled mysteriously before the auction end. I have see him sell the same trap at least 12 times before, as if we don't notice!!! The man is a fool, and if he has been so judged by Ditch then who am I to argue - he is a shrewd judge of character.
OTC
That seller is always doing that John, he must be a bit of a wide boy. Not someone I'd buy traps from anyway.
As for the trap in question (now I can see it!) it is a dutch muskrat trap but I don't know exactly which model it is. I only really collect British made traps (unless they have been approved for use here) so I am not really up on my continental made traps.
OTC
H&J,
Your mesh board needs to be different sizes for the different materials. Spun nylon will stretch when you make it (and when the rabbit hits it) so it needs to be 2" or you will lose them. For spun polyester or hemp then 2 1/4" would be my choice. When you make your board don't forget to allow for the thickness of your board in your size calculation too other wise with a 1/4" thick wooden board you could be 1/2" out on your actual mesh size.
I prefer either a hardwood board or an aluminium one cut from a sheet of aluminium with the edges rounded off. I also have a few perspex
Are both pictures of the same trap?
It/they look like the continental 'bank' traps of some sort to me but I cannot be sure which one/s as I cannot get my head around the camera angle on them.
OTC
Jock,
I cannot quite tell from your pictures there what it is exactly. Any chance of a few more pictures of the trap unset? Are there any markings on it anywhere ~ names or numbers??
OTC
I only caught hedgehogs and rabbits in mine, the hedgehogs were impossible to get out of a 6Z net though, I had permanent set it up ready to drop and it dropped itself one night and I had a few in there. The net was ruined
OTC
Another year ticks by, old friend. Happy birthday mate, remember, I know how old you really are!
All the best, let's hope you have a fortuitous one in 2008.
Thanks, as always for your help in all things traps.
OTC
As I said earlier in this post I have no experience in using Kania traps, I just collect them. They have certainly moved on from the early prototypes like this one . . .
OTC
The early ones didn't have a 'leg' coming down from the spring coil so they tipped right over, so at least things are getting a bit better with them
This is what happened to them when you let them go!!!
OTC