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Le Braconnier

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Everything posted by Le Braconnier

  1. Le Braconnier
    Tunnel traps from Flatpack and Talpex traps from Ratbait. Both tried and tested by many pro's. No point in buying inferior or cheap traps as it just makes the job so much harder.
  2. Le Braconnier
    I agree with the above. Make sure they have your number and keep popping in from time to time. Once the greens start getting some unwanted bunkers they will want them gone again.
  3. Le Braconnier
    There are lots of threads on 'How to' if you use the search facility. The main areas to concentrate on are how to find the tunnels and how to set a trap without disturbing the more run too much. As for traps you need to let us know how big the area is that you will be treating and whether you are intending to do any other trapping other than this one job. You will have to keep going back to trap the moles that re-populate the areas that you clear. If you are just looking at one job and the problem area is around one acre or less then three or four traps would do you. For that purpose
  4. Le Braconnier
    I think those might be traveling moles Moxy. I get them here on the farm; sometimes just one or two tumps then nothing more. Gone! I reckon they are caused by moles digging in for a feed and kip after traveling overland looking for new territories or a bit on the side. A bit like a Moletell
  5. Le Braconnier
    There was a mole that has been giving me a hard time lately. When I first started trapping here in France using cheap French scissor traps bought by the farmer, I regularly got done over. On one occasion a female mole filled the trap 6 times before I got her. But since changing to Talpex and Flatpack tunnel traps I've only rarely had any problems and those have usually been down to me not doing it right. The other day I spotted a new tunnel system in one of the pastures. The main tumps were right where the tractor drives over twice a day with sheep feed so my only alternative was to set tr
  6. Le Braconnier
    wheres that scotland? You mean there is a God in Scotland? Is that what scares all the locals away to live elsewhere?
  7. Le Braconnier
    If you can tell the difference between fresh and stale tumps as I would expect most mole catchers to be able to do, then there is no need to disturb the tunnels and then go back to check them.
  8. Le Braconnier
    We've had almost continual rain since early December. Probably 5 or 6 days without rain in all that time. I've managed a few garden jobs but have left the farm where I live to its own devices for the most part until this week. I had a walk around with the dog a few days ago and noticed that a few moles had moved into old tunnels previously cleared. Five traps went in and three moles came out. I've taken another today, but I'm kicking my heels a bit now waiting for some new stock to repopulate the farm . I bought some new gloves today for moling as I suffer from poor circulation. I've used
  9. Le Braconnier
    Moleskins were used for hats and waistcoats, but not for trousers. The term moleskin for trousers refers to the pile being able to be brushed both ways. They were also used to make wipes for plumbers when plumbers used lead piping and did a lot of soldering. These days there is a very small market for fly-tying but that's about it. Back in the 1960's and 1970's my mate used to get good money for mole skins supplied to a hat maker in London. The skinning and preparation was long winded though. And back in the days before WWII the Yanks imported over 4 million mole skins a year from the UK.
  10. Le Braconnier
    No. I have already left the Mole Catchers UK forum because I have all the traps I need for the moment, a spade and a probe. That piece of bent fence wires is for clearing runs, and locating where the tunnel goes, not initially probing for them, which you would appreciate if you had read my post more closely. In the two days during which I logged onto that site you have recommended BR traps, declared that you are an agent for them and also offered probes and spades for sale. When you read back to your posts on here you can see the business plan formulating. How long before you are flogging
  11. Le Braconnier
    Rather disappointing to join this site's forum and find that it is little more than a prospective retail outlet from one of those recommending it.
  12. Le Braconnier
    The scientists tell us that moles are solitary. have an area of around an acre and only are found communally when the young are with their mother. But mole catchers will tell you otherwise. For example I took six from a 25 sq yd area of garden and in another garden had two double captures in the same trap twice in successive days. You are better off clearing systematically. Put two traps per run and if one or both trigger leave them until they have been undisturbed for at least two days. After you have completed the initial sweep go back to look for fresh movement and do a second sweep.
  13. Le Braconnier
    Well done. Don't be in a hurry to move the traps after they have caught. Re-set them and leave them for at least a couple of days. I'm getting a lot of multiple captures in gardens and also out on the pastures.
  14. Le Braconnier
    Here is mine..... I started off using my wife's garden trowel (pictured) but the hard stoney ground took its toll so the farmer cut down an old spade for me. It looks very narrow compared to the others who have posted photos but I find it extremely easy to use and can do the keyhole surgery whilst standing. The only issue I have is the weight when I had to carry it and the other stuff about. Now they lend me a little tractor so weight isn't an issue. The probe is an old sheep fence post with some 25mm steel tune welded on top. I use the tube to compact the tunnels when necessary
  15. Le Braconnier
    There is no UK import duty on goods bought from EU countries. I shop around and find that things like fishing reels and cameras are less expensive in Germany and Italy than in France or the UK. I bought a Penn reel from Germany recently that even allowing postal costs of 20 euro was still over 30 euro cheaper than if I'd bought it here or when I was in the UK. That is a lot of saving for the same item.
  16. Le Braconnier
    You can buy them on ebay.fr but postage will be a killer and you need the setting tool. Search for mole traps in French with: piege taupe.
  17. Le Braconnier
    I understand that. But you also have to factor in the life of the trap and time and money spent on tuning and servicing. For example, if you don't get the oxidisation on the trigger parts the trap will work smoothly for longer. If the stainless traps lasted twice as long and didn't need as much maintenance then the initial cost price wouldn't be as much of a pain. I also accept that the only way to know is to try them.
  18. Le Braconnier
    They were the same price as galvanised ones when they first came out.
  19. Le Braconnier
    Of course you could buy stainless traps from Flatpack.
  20. Le Braconnier
    As another dreaded hobbiest I had a spade cut down from an old border spade. It is exactly the width of a Duffus trap but has a full sized handle. A bit heavy to carry a long way, but that's what the Chinese tractor is for.
  21. Le Braconnier
    About every month or so I clean mine and rub the bits that matter with wire wool then check the Duffus types to make sure that they are tripping smoothly. Th Talpex haven't shown any signs of rusting after 6 months virtually in the ground 24/7.
  22. Le Braconnier
    I started out last April using scissor traps bought by the farmer who I rent our cottage from. He'd asked me if I could trap moles as he couldn't get anyone local to do it. He has around 300 hectares, mainly pasture, with all sorts of soil types from granite to sand to clay and includes the tip from a 17th century forge and in the 20 years he had been here no mole control had been done. The traps he had bought were useless and caused me a lot of hassle. I asked him if he would buy me some decent traps and he agreed to pay for 6 tunnel traps and 2 Defender scissor traps I got them from a s
  23. Le Braconnier
    Matt, they are cheaper than Duffus traps. Around one Euro each, two Euros per pair. Flatpack traps are more than that. In surface runs they can be set very quickly. It is the deep runs that take the time to sort. The biggest advantage is that you can totally bury them leaving no trace of a trap having been set and no chance of stock putting their feet on a trap. As I said before, I have used them and will still use them. But my first choice would always be a Talpex or Duffus for efficiency. The prong type trap is best saved for under patios or runs next to concrete paths where you
  24. Le Braconnier
    The French pro's use virtually nothing else. I have tried them, but revert to Talpex or Duffus as a first resort. The advantages are they are very cheap and can be set and totally hidden from any prying or thieving eyes. Ideal for golf courses or playing fields and also under patios, sheds, etc. In my limited experience they are reliable killers trapping the mole just behind the shoulders. There are disadvantages. You have to link the trigger hoop to the main prongs using chain or string or you will lose them. Replacements are available. You have to set them in pairs and peg the traps
  25. Le Braconnier
    If you are confirming that 'boltmeup' is selling crap described as genuine Talpex then he needs reporting to the Trading Standards.
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