So I was trying to think of a way to contribute to this forum and figured a good way to start would be mole killing 101.
I'll take some pics when I find a fresh mole hole so you have a step by step picture guide.
I'm not saying I'm the best, but I have killed well over 100 in my day. My friends joke I should start a mole killing business called "The Mole-ester" and drive to jobs in a creepy van.
I use several kinds of traps, but have found the best/ cheapest/ easiest are the Victor traps.
The following is how I set my traps. Victor's directions have changed from time to time but I know this works.
Locating The Superhighway
1. Clear away the soil above the ground level.
2. Try pushing your finger in the center of the mound until you find a soft spot which will be the hole. If you can't find it, use a narrow trowel to slowly remove dirt until you find a vertical shaft leading down into the ground.
3. Think of it like an upside down "T". You dig down the center shaft, and then there will be an entrance and an exit running through the center of the mole hill. You are doing good if you locate this, as it is the mole superhighway and where you will lay down the pain train.
Once you find the center hole, dig down about 4" bellow ground level. Don't make the hole you dig down with more than 3"x3". Use your finger to root around and find the entrance/ exit. I've never been bit so you should be ok. That coming from some guy you've never met on the internet. You'll just have to trust me.
4. Make your hole for your trap barely bigger than the hole itself. If you make it to big, you will need to refil parts of the hole.
5. You want to channel the mole through the jaws and under the trigger. Set the trap and holding onto the set bars, lower the trap into the hole. See where the mole can get around the jaws and pull the trap back out. Pack dirt in those areas so the mole will have to go between the jaws.
6. Now you need the speed bump. Find a rock that is around 1.5" in diameter and push it down in the center of the superhighway. Then place dirt around it to make a speed bump. The mole will come through one end, travel up the speed bump into the trigger and game over.
Adjusting The Trap
See where the arrow points to the locking bar? (It's the lower right arrow in this dismal picture). This is where you can adjust how sensitive the trap is. Gently bend the pan hook from the original 90 degree vertical position to a flatter angle. Don't go too flat or it will not stay.
7. Set the trap after you have tried adjusting and hit up on the pan with a stick. Use a long stick so you don't chop your fingers off. If it goes off fairly easily your doing ok. If you really have to smack the stick up into the trigger, bend the little lip on the locking bar to make it more sensitive. Think about the size of a mole. They don't have a ton of power or weight, so the trigger needs to be light enough to be set off when a mole bumps into it. This step is critical.
8. Holding onto the set bars, lower the trap into the hole. If it goes off early, pull it back out and try again. You can push the trap teeth into the dirt a little bit to get the trigger closer to the speed bump.
9. Put a bucket over the trap. I've caught moles without the bucket, but it's nice to know where they are.
10. Set about 2-3 traps for each area. When I go to a friends house with a mole problem I set 8-12 traps on average. You usually have at least 1 within 24 hours. I got one within 15 minutes one time.
11. Don't get frustrated if a trap goes off and there is no mole. Analyze how they got away and set the trap again with proper adjustments.
Good luck and happy hunting!
I'll take some pics when I find a fresh mole hole so you have a step by step picture guide.
I'm not saying I'm the best, but I have killed well over 100 in my day. My friends joke I should start a mole killing business called "The Mole-ester" and drive to jobs in a creepy van.
I use several kinds of traps, but have found the best/ cheapest/ easiest are the Victor traps.
The following is how I set my traps. Victor's directions have changed from time to time but I know this works.
Locating The Superhighway
1. Clear away the soil above the ground level.
2. Try pushing your finger in the center of the mound until you find a soft spot which will be the hole. If you can't find it, use a narrow trowel to slowly remove dirt until you find a vertical shaft leading down into the ground.
3. Think of it like an upside down "T". You dig down the center shaft, and then there will be an entrance and an exit running through the center of the mole hill. You are doing good if you locate this, as it is the mole superhighway and where you will lay down the pain train.
Once you find the center hole, dig down about 4" bellow ground level. Don't make the hole you dig down with more than 3"x3". Use your finger to root around and find the entrance/ exit. I've never been bit so you should be ok. That coming from some guy you've never met on the internet. You'll just have to trust me.
4. Make your hole for your trap barely bigger than the hole itself. If you make it to big, you will need to refil parts of the hole.
5. You want to channel the mole through the jaws and under the trigger. Set the trap and holding onto the set bars, lower the trap into the hole. See where the mole can get around the jaws and pull the trap back out. Pack dirt in those areas so the mole will have to go between the jaws.
6. Now you need the speed bump. Find a rock that is around 1.5" in diameter and push it down in the center of the superhighway. Then place dirt around it to make a speed bump. The mole will come through one end, travel up the speed bump into the trigger and game over.
Adjusting The Trap
See where the arrow points to the locking bar? (It's the lower right arrow in this dismal picture). This is where you can adjust how sensitive the trap is. Gently bend the pan hook from the original 90 degree vertical position to a flatter angle. Don't go too flat or it will not stay.
7. Set the trap after you have tried adjusting and hit up on the pan with a stick. Use a long stick so you don't chop your fingers off. If it goes off fairly easily your doing ok. If you really have to smack the stick up into the trigger, bend the little lip on the locking bar to make it more sensitive. Think about the size of a mole. They don't have a ton of power or weight, so the trigger needs to be light enough to be set off when a mole bumps into it. This step is critical.
8. Holding onto the set bars, lower the trap into the hole. If it goes off early, pull it back out and try again. You can push the trap teeth into the dirt a little bit to get the trigger closer to the speed bump.
9. Put a bucket over the trap. I've caught moles without the bucket, but it's nice to know where they are.
10. Set about 2-3 traps for each area. When I go to a friends house with a mole problem I set 8-12 traps on average. You usually have at least 1 within 24 hours. I got one within 15 minutes one time.
11. Don't get frustrated if a trap goes off and there is no mole. Analyze how they got away and set the trap again with proper adjustments.
Good luck and happy hunting!
