Live Catch , Mole Trap

[earth-thrower 490]

Just following on, from the 'Friesian' live trap thread. I remember reading an article once, about quite an intelligent, mole catcher,...lol....(got too be 10 to 15, year ago now).....He managed to make a 'live catch mole trap' , with incorporated 'electronics' ! It would let him know , by way of 'signal',.....as soon as a mole entered his trap, & was caught,........So, i presume he was getting a number of requests, from customers, who wanted moles removed, but not killed, from their gardens ?,....& he was trying to cater for this ? (please dont ask me, about the 'technology' involved in this ?,...lol,...as i havent a clue !)

[Nicepix 5,650]

The technology is widely available. Trappers use them to monitor traps and they get a signal to their mobile when the trap is activated. The problem I see with moley is that if the mole was trapped at say 1am are you going to get out of bed and drive out to rescue the mole straight away? Because if you don't and the customer sees you turn up at 9am and take out the body there is no point in using a live catch trap.

[shropshire mole 190]

The technology is widely available. Trappers use them to monitor traps and they get a signal to their mobile when the trap is activated. The problem I see with moley is that if the mole was trapped at say 1am are you going to get out of bed and drive out to rescue the mole straight away? Because if you don't and the customer sees you turn up at 9am and take out the body there is no point in using a live catch trap.

Good point NP. In theory a live catch mole trap would work, but as you say, unless you release it quite quickly it will die, but if the trap is loaded with a handful of worms may keep it alive til morning!!

 

The same technology is used for rodent monitoring

[snakey 4]

 

The technology is widely available. Trappers use them to monitor traps and they get a signal to their mobile when the trap is activated. The problem I see with moley is that if the mole was trapped at say 1am are you going to get out of bed and drive out to rescue the mole straight away? Because if you don't and the customer sees you turn up at 9am and take out the body there is no point in using a live catch trap.

Good point NP. In theory a live catch mole trap would work, but as you say, unless you release it quite quickly it will die, but if the trap is loaded with a handful of worms may keep it alive til morning!!

 

The same technology is used for rodent monitoring

 

Are they humane, these live catch traps? unless your sitting by the trap waiting for it to go off then the mole will probably die, what happens if it rains? ( we should all know that moles move to higher ground when the rain starts ) the mole will drown in the trap. Yes the traps would work but not ideal eh.

[earth-thrower 490]

The technology is widely available. Trappers use them to monitor traps and they get a signal to their mobile when the trap is activated. The problem I see with moley is that if the mole was trapped at say 1am are you going to get out of bed and drive out to rescue the mole straight away? Because if you don't and the customer sees you turn up at 9am and take out the body there is no point in using a live catch trap.

Well, i take it, the guy was experienced enough, too turn up first thing in the morning. (at a suitable location, for the 'said' method ?,) He also obviously, figured he would have a fair chance of a 'catch', during the 'run times' ? (& he wouldnt be leaving the trap, in place, overnight ?) No guarantee but ?,....& as youve expressed,... it has its limitations.

[earth-thrower 490]

 

The technology is widely available. Trappers use them to monitor traps and they get a signal to their mobile when the trap is activated. The problem I see with moley is that if the mole was trapped at say 1am are you going to get out of bed and drive out to rescue the mole straight away? Because if you don't and the customer sees you turn up at 9am and take out the body there is no point in using a live catch trap.

Good point NP. In theory a live catch mole trap would work, but as you say, unless you release it quite quickly it will die, but if the trap is loaded with a handful of worms may keep it alive til morning!!

 

The same technology is used for rodent monitoring

 

"unless you release it quite quickly, it will die",....Well, it may STILL die anyway, if released elsewhere ,....is the biggest problem ?

[Nicepix 5,650]

 

The technology is widely available. Trappers use them to monitor traps and they get a signal to their mobile when the trap is activated. The problem I see with moley is that if the mole was trapped at say 1am are you going to get out of bed and drive out to rescue the mole straight away? Because if you don't and the customer sees you turn up at 9am and take out the body there is no point in using a live catch trap.

Well, i take it, the guy was experienced enough, too turn up first thing in the morning. (at a suitable location, for the 'said' method ?,) He also obviously, figured he would have a fair chance of a 'catch', during the 'run times' ? (& he wouldnt be leaving the trap, in place, overnight ?) No guarantee but ?,....& as youve expressed,... it has its limitations.

 

 

I get a few enquiries about live trapping from the tree hugging type who still want an unspoilt garden. I have caught them alive by design, and returned them quickly from where they came from. Just to see whether I could. But I wouldn't take a paid job as it poses all sorts of logistical problems including the time element and what to do with the mole once it is caught. Presumably the client wouldn't want it tipping out of a bucket anywhere near to their garden, and kicking it out to fend for itself away from the garden is fraught with all sorts of issues. For me the most humane way to deal with a mole that you don't want is by efficiently killing it.

[Blackdog92 2,047]

Wouldnt it be illiegal to relocate it as there a pest?

[BRY 79]

When I first started me trapping for payment , I was asked by my local council to live trap moles from a big park and reallocate to a nearby council owned wood.

 

I advised it was illegal to relocate as they are vermin . They rang MAFF to prove me wrong, they got a slap on the wrist and told " If any moles were relocated a HEFTY FINE would be given out to them and ME )

 

They didn't like it lol

[earth-thrower 490]

Wouldnt it be illiegal to relocate it as there a pest?

Good question, that,....

[earth-thrower 490]

When I first started me trapping for payment , I was asked by my local council to live trap moles from a big park and reallocate to a nearby council owned wood.

 

I advised it was illegal to relocate as they are vermin . They rang MAFF to prove me wrong, they got a slap on the wrist and told " If any moles were relocated a HEFTY FINE would be given out to them and ME )

 

They didn't like it lol

Interesting stuff, Bry,...I wouldnt know for certain,.....but im not convinced , they are 'technically' classed as 'vermin' , could be they are just deemed, as a 'pest' ?,...& what a pity about that 'job' , you described ?,....i would have been well up, for that one, myself,..lol (if practical).. even just as an experiment ? Personally, i wouldnt be entirely confident, in any info, supplied by the old MAFF, dept, either ? lol This was the same crowd, who conducted their own trials, in the use of 'mole traps' , (and such like),....only too conclude, overall, that trapping moles, was a poor method, of control !!,.....& why, you may ponder ?,...because they got such 'bad results',......lol (i wonder why ?)

Edited April 4, 2016 by earth-thrower

[BRY 79]

In a very well used public park it was tough enough using killed traps .

 

Had to be discreet as possible in and out .

Not just the bunny huggers but lots of youths who would steal / damage the traps whatever type

 

I had to be there first light and dusk to place / check traps , place at dusk pickup at dawn .

 

Only reason council had no choice but to cull the moles was , a guy playing a football match at the park broke his ankle by going down into a mole run. He sued the council H & S

 

It was a long drawn out job , but was chauffeured around by the park head keeper

[earth-thrower 490]

In a very well used public park it was tough enough using killed traps .

 

Had to be discreet as possible in and out .

Not just the bunny huggers but lots of youths who would steal / damage the traps whatever type

 

I had to be there first light and dusk to place / check traps , place at dusk pickup at dawn .

 

Only reason council had no choice but to cull the moles was , a guy playing a football match at the park broke his ankle by going down into a mole run. He sued the council H & S

 

It was a long drawn out job , but was chauffeured around by the park head keeper

Fair enough, mate,...i see your point. Can be difficult enough, in that type of situation ?

[Nicepix 5,650]

In a very well used public park it was tough enough using killed traps .

 

Had to be discreet as possible in and out .

Not just the bunny huggers but lots of youths who would steal / damage the traps whatever type

 

I had to be there first light and dusk to place / check traps , place at dusk pickup at dawn .

 

Only reason council had no choice but to cull the moles was , a guy playing a football match at the park broke his ankle by going down into a mole run. He sued the council H & S

 

It was a long drawn out job , but was chauffeured around by the park head keeper

 

The village handyman who is employed by the community does the mole trapping for the sports field. He has a home made device fabricated out of those steel rods builders use to reinforce concrete. It has a couple of spikes to stand on, a sliding rod with a small hoop that sits on top of the flattened molehill. When the mole pushes up the molehill it lifts the rod which in turn releases a spring that fires a 12 gauge blank straight down at the mole.

 

He offered to make me one to use on my paid jobs

[air gun ant 1,666]

Wouldnt it be illiegal to relocate it as there a pest?

i think that is just non native species such as grey squizzers and mink etc?