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Nicepix

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Everything posted by Nicepix

  1. Nicepix
    Interesting stuff,...Ive seen an article or two, on the current mole catcher of the 'Palace of Versailles'. It seems hes establishing a 'mole catchers network', over where you are ? (France). Hes also got his own team,for commercial work, & i think hes interested in a ' National mole catching school ' , as well FFS !,.......So, theres a fair chance 'mole catchers' are soon to be 'ten a penny', in France now (sadly) ?,....just like over here ? Talk about 'jumping on the bandwagon',....lol,....(wonder, where he got the idea, from ?) I've heard rumours that the Chamber of Agricul
  2. Nicepix
    Just finished work for a fortnight. Two moles in my own garden, two more at a job and one more at contract job. Tools and traps away until the New Year now. All the best for the season and wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.
  3. Nicepix
    On the subject of copying old mole traps. What about this one described as from the 19th century.......... There is a modern version available in the States.
  4. Nicepix
    The Putange design is at least 300 years old. The story goes that Louis XIV who had commissioned the building of the Palace of Versailles in the 17th century was so pi$$ed off with moles ruining the landscaped gardens that he employed a team of mole trappers to deal with the problem. They used the simple metal Putange which may have started off as a hazel powered trap. A hazel branch being split, the un-split end bound by wire and the two split parts whittled down to narrow prongs with small hardwood prongs set into them and in use held apart by a wire trigger. As such there is no patent so a
  5. Nicepix
    I did the JDarcy ® correspondence course on setting Talpex. Money well spent
  6. Nicepix
    I can well relate to what your saying here, mate. Where i am (west Scotland), has got to be in contention, for being one of the worst parts in the UK, to be a mole catcher ! lol Due to the amount of continuous rainfall,...i now refuse to make any effort,in these conditions ? (as far as im concerned, customers & the moles,can wait,...) Can you send some of that rainfall this way please? The way things are going both 200 hectare lakes will be bone dry by the time the carp season starts.
  7. Nicepix
    If I find the tunnel curves I put the trap in on its side so the prongs go round the corner and the trap's legs are alongside the tunnel on the outside of the bend. Otherwise they go in prongs up. Another way I've caught is to clear out a shaft from a molehill and put the Putange in so the end is level with the top of the main tunnel. Not a sure fire method. But it has caught from time to time and in some situations it can be the only way to get a trap in.
  8. Nicepix
    I got a simple garden job started today. I reckon three moles meeting up in the middle of the garden where historically there would have been fosse. Rather than trap the simple tunnels as I would normally do I searched out four three-way junctions and put a Putange in each corner. I have a theory that moles circulate in such a way that they invariably enter a three-way junction through the spur rather than along the main road. It will be interesting what I find when i go back on Thursday.
  9. Nicepix
    I've listed some more on eBay in 20's, 30's and 40 and there will be other larger quantities once I've built my stock up. I've got some more levers and pliers now too to send over to my brother-in-law. And Ian will be doing some smaller packs of Putanges in the New Year if anyone is wanting to try half a dozen or so.
  10. Nicepix
    Don't fight it Smithie. You are hooked now.
  11. Nicepix
    Possibly. It could have swum up the water pipe and made a holt in the cistern.
  12. Nicepix
    It's certainly not a Pole 'cos there's no foil BBQ in the piccie.
  13. Nicepix
    We always carried a gun when checking fox snares, but sometimes having a gun was a liability. We got a lot of dog walkers trespassing on the land. You know the sort; walking the set aside field margins claiming to be doing no harm when in fact they were disturbing the birds. Approaching them to have a word when you have a gun, even an air rifle leaves you open to all sorts of grief if they complain and lie about the circumstances. I used to hide the gun if it was feasible before approaching them and always set my phone on voice record.
  14. Nicepix
    Got a couple of mink on my friend's lake and they have taken carp to 3 or 4lb, But herons also spear fish larger than they can swallow. Edit; Reminded me of a photo a friend showed me last year; a fox taking a pike from shallow water in a lake at Rotherham. Can we see more photos please?
  15. Nicepix
    What time scale are we talking about? Month when it was first detected and left? It was late November last year, I ran my fenn traps for a number of weeks, but from the moment the loft was cleaned (I know, I should of told him to stay away) no sign Everything fits except the location. They have pads on their forelegs that allow them to climb drain pipes or brick walls. We had one here a few months ago that managed to climb the fall pipes and squeeze into the loft. Sounded like a cart horse in the loft. Pine martens don't invade houses although they are found in the UK. Beech martens
  16. Nicepix
    What time scale are we talking about? Month when it was first detected and left?
  17. Nicepix
    The martens climb up drain pipes and clamber into the loft space under the eaves so drain pipes are a good place to look for signs. As for dealing with it; cage traps are used over here, but you could also consider a large spring trap given that there would be no innocent victims.
  18. Nicepix
    In France the things you describe would be caused by a stone marten, sometimes called a beech marten. They move into houses in October from living in the woods and become semi dormant. The key thing with them is that they romp about at night and sleep during the day. However, that photo looks more like a cat.
  19. Nicepix
    Torchey started it. I walk in his shadow.
  20. Nicepix
    You mean the 12 traps for £31? No, he's bidding £28 for 5
  21. Nicepix
    http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/345368-wheres-matt/page-3 Posts 38 & 39 show Bryn27 claims to have been previously unclefester27 when asked if he had previously been on as Peter Fullerton http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/337013-mole-trapping-experience/page-2 Post 17 Posted by Bryn27 yet has been edited by Peter Fullerton This can only happen if the user changed his name after posting So the man who has never had multiple identities admits having two and whilst denying a third, is shown to have used that name And that is why I don't want anyt
  22. Nicepix
    Sounds like my brother-in-law has beaten you to it Smithie. He's got a home made on on eBay already he's welcome to it. the difference was I'd be giving them away. I'm not motivated by money at all. Clive, your BIL is selling them with the putanges, not separately. Smithie as I have stated before has a heart of gold, he makes stuff for people, then sends them out to them at his own cost and asks for nothing in return. TC Yes, I understand that. No offence was intended. My brother-in-law Ian is one of those people who won't stand fast, and when he found himself short of s
  23. Nicepix
    Got the hang of them pretty quick then
  24. Nicepix
    Sounds like my brother-in-law has beaten you to it Smithie. He's got a home made on on eBay already
  25. Nicepix
    We've got the opposite problem. It hasn't rained properly since spring. Normally we get a second spring in October when the grass becomes green again and the reservoirs start to get topped up. This year we had a week of drizzle in September and that was it. No rain forecast until at least after Crimbo. The reservoirs are almost dry. Its like a fish soup up there. For my part this has killed trade somewhat. I reckon that in France the first lot of young largely perish after being evicted from the nest at the end of January. That coincides with a two week period of -10C temps in February. Th
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