Moles on golf course

[wingnut 27]

Set some more traps yesterday afternoon after discovered another mole had started to work near one of our tees, so set me talpex traps again and was eager to see this morning the result, upon checking my traps i could see one had been set off i pulled it from the ground for the mole to be still alive and the trap had just pinched it on the nose must of set it to lightly but, i humanely dispatched it with my little priest i take just encase. Below is the picture of the mole, my course manager is really happy i'm keeping in touch with the mole population as am i. I have just got a few questions to ask and would appreciate if anyone can offer me any advice, how do some of you other pest controllers/trappers disguise your traps, as i am on a golf course i cant mark/flag my traps as they get pinched by the golfers or walkers, so what i have been doing is disguising them as mole hills and i know that my traps are were the mole hills are but has anyone else got any other method i could use to cover me traps correctly but also help me distinguish were they are set. Also i am looking at gettin this mole mounted(stuffed) is there anyone on this site who can help me with this. Thanks again and happy trapping.

[trappa 517]

I do school grounds and sports pitches, where i used to get a lot pinched, obviously they saw the markers. Now i limit the school fields to setting 5 traps on friday, checking saturday and collecting sunday. I dont mark them either, i just cut out the sod and sit it next to the trap, you can still see it easy enough because you know what your looking for and roughly where, but the potential thief cant see any markers so ignores the area.

On sports pitches i sometimes use sheep marker spray, this is good as you can see the traps when on top of them but from a distance again , no marker standing out.

[wingnut 27]

I do school grounds and sports pitches, where i used to get a lot pinched, obviously they saw the markers. Now i limit the school fields to setting 5 traps on friday, checking saturday and collecting sunday. I dont mark them either, i just cut out the sod and sit it next to the trap, you can still see it easy enough because you know what your looking for and roughly where, but the potential thief cant see any markers so ignores the area.

On sports pitches i sometimes use sheep marker spray, this is good as you can see the traps when on top of them but from a distance again , no marker standing out.

 

thats an idea with the sod and sheep marker come to think of it i could use some of our line marker just a little blob would be suffice thanks, have you had any luck with them traps from trapline, i trying to get my mrs to buy me some for xmas.

[trappa 517]

I havent used them yet. They look real good, very powerful for such a small trap but even though ive setting loads of traps this last few days i havent tried them. I will let you know when i do, it should be this week.

[stephen58 1]

Hi Wingnut try using Duffus traps instead of Talpex traps and as a marker I use a 3 point electrical plug socket blank that is pushed into the ground , trap out of sight and as for the marker all you can see is a white circle , you know it is there , but thiefs don,t !! hope this has been of some help to you , best regards STEVE

[TOMO 24,946]

marker piant here as well,,

[wingnut 27]

Hi Wingnut try using Duffus traps instead of Talpex traps and as a marker I use a 3 point electrical plug socket blank that is pushed into the ground , trap out of sight and as for the marker all you can see is a white circle , you know it is there , but thiefs don,t !! hope this has been of some help to you , best regards STEVE

 

Thanks for that tip Steve, i dont seem to be as consistant catching moles with the duffus type trap i'm much more successful with the talpex and talpa, but i will definately try your tip, thanks everyone for there advice

[wingnut 27]

I havent used them yet. They look real good, very powerful for such a small trap but even though ive setting loads of traps this last few days i havent tried them. I will let you know when i do, it should be this week.

 

Ok thanks trappa, best of luck with your traps

[Fidgety 8]

Caught a nice silver mole today ...... he's gonna get stuffed!

 

Mark mine with line marker too.

[cumbrianrabbiter 0]

just woundering how many of you draw a map of the ground adding were the traps are set

[Fidgety 8]

Only do a map when i'm likely to be away for a few days.

[cumbrianrabbiter 0]

i aways draw a map of the ground as a back up i use diffrent markers for diffrent jobs depends were im trapping at and check my traps every morning at first light.

[wingnut 27]

Caught another one today but it was only about 15yards from were the last one got caught the other day, i thought they were solitary didnt realise they would be so close but he was another one down, set some more today so will see what tomorrow brings.

[wingnut 27]

Caught another one today but it was only about 15yards from were the last one got caught the other day, i thought they were solitary didnt realise they would be so close but he was another one down, set some more today so will see what tomorrow brings.

 

Caught another mole today but this was the smallest mole i have ever seen, from looking at the size of the mole hills i thought this mole was going to be big, but when i checked my trap this morning when i pulled my trap out it was a small one , just goes to show how much soil these little creatures can shift. Just as a question how do others dispose of your pests after you catch them.

[trappa 517]

Disposing of them is up to the landowner in a way. If he wants to see what you caught you can either bag them up and take them round to him, or hang them on a fence for him to see when he drives past. The latter is pretty victorian and unpleasant to the eye but its sometimes requested, it also lets thieves know that there are mole traps active which could heighten the risk of trap theft.

Other than that, you can put them back in the earth where you caught them.