Mole Control Patrol

[MossRoad]

A few years ago I read something that said the average life of a house cat was about 13 years, while the average life of an outdoor cat was 3.

 

[ponytug]

We have cougars (mountain lions), bobcats, and coyotes, plus great horned owls and a variety of raptors. The owls will follow us as we move around at night, presumably hunting anything we spook, as will the coyotes and bobcats.

Our first two cats, which came with the property aged three, lasted eleven more years (disappeared, presumably eaten, though possibly old age) and thirteen more years (during Covid, probably of Covid) as completely outdoor ranch cats. I caught one of them once a third of a mile away in the middle of a neighbor's wide open pasture watching something. They were great company, and often followed us around for chores.

I don't know how they managed their longevity. Perhaps there is enough cat friendly cover around, or the dogs provide some deterrent at night? Luck?

All the best,

Peter

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We have voles in the garden. Pulling down the beans. Wifey is not happy.
I put out a mouse trap with peanutbutter. The dog carried it out of the garden/ 9:_(

This probably is too labor intensive for beans, but I made some wire cages out of hardware cloth to plant my tomatoes, and haven't lost a one to gophers since.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Our outdoor cats range from 3-5 years old.

Bird of prey arnt an issue. Neighbors dogs have been in the past

We don't have coyotes around the house either.

 

[jpwazz]

Doesn't everybody have them?

I see runs dug up here and there. Sometimes they wash out in a heavy train and act like drains that cause problems down hill. But I have some areas that see like they got lost and went around in a maze pattern tearing up several square yards of lawn. If you step on that area, it almost all soft and you sink in.

I've run over those areas with a mover dragging a yard roller. That flattens it out for a while, but they come back. I've tried pellets (yellow cone/tube) and general insect control granules that are supposed to kill the grubs they go after. Stuff works for a while, but not very long.

Sonic things are fully useless. Snap/plunge traps are less than useless.

Other ideas?

for MOLES, not gophers(pocket, striped, etc.), not rats, not mice, not voles or shrews but moles, those little beggars that tunnel along just below the turf in your yard, the only thing I've found in 30 years that works every time is an "easy set mole eliminator" made by wire-tek.

 

[dodge man]

We had a cat that would get a mole on occasion and a lot of voles.

 

[2515R Dude]

I don't have cats, tried many things, not much success until i built this little gadget.
$0 since I had this 2 cycle gen sitting around. Welded extension to exhaust to be able to attach a rubber hose.
Works like a charm. Works on all pests. I make a 20:1 mix and add some seafoam just to let it smoke a little. It gives me an indication how tunnels run. You can see on the picture the smoke coming out of the ground.

 

[brewdog]

I'm surprised that you get moles with it. The product says that it is for rats and mice.

I'm also paranoid with poisons in general, due to the risk of a pet eating a poisoned rodent.

Once you see the tube design you soon realize that any other animals can't get in to the bait. RACOOONS WILL TRY but there are holes on the plastic tubes to tie it down with fence wire.

 

[2515R Dude]

Once you see the tube design you soon realize that any other animals can't get in to the bait. RACOOONS WILL TRY but there are holes on the plastic tubes to tie it down with fence wire.

What about your dog or cat eats dead mice?

 

[drssg]

I like the videos where someone detonates explosive gas to hopefully kill the mole(s).

"I don't like the damage that moles do to my yard, so I'm going to do WAY more damage, and maybe I'll kill a mole in the process!"

 

[kozal01]

I have a scissor style trap and it works better than anything I've tried, I have caught hundreds in mine over the years. Im up to 8 just this year so far. The key is to not leave any scent on the part of the trap that is under the ground, I leave mine out year round stuck in the ground until I need it. When it was new I didn't catch anything until it sat outside for a while. Its foolproof.

 

[brewdog]

What about your dog or cat eats dead mice

I'm surprised that you get moles with it. The product says that it is for rats and mice.

I'm also paranoid with poisons in general, due to the risk of a pet eating a poisoned rodent.

Not been a problem for me.

 

[JohnP3616]

I use to have a few moles, not many, but a few. And then Molly came along. She’s a really sweet black lab some dirtbag dumped in a hayfield down the road from us. She lived out there on her own for about six months before we finally talked her into the car. She’s a very good dog and can sniff out and dig up a mole quicker than you can say “chow time”. I guess that’s how she survived the hayfield. One dirtbag’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 

[2515R Dude]

Not been a problem for me.

Lucky you,
I'd hate seeing my neighbor looses his pet or dead bold eagle. I have a couple of bold eagles nesting on my property not counting other birds of pray who would definitely enjoy free food.

 

[brewdog]

Lucky you,
I'd hate seeing my neighbor looses his pet or dead bold eagle. I have a couple of bold eagles nesting on my property not counting other birds of pray who would definitely enjoy free food.

That's a good point.

 

[ultrarunner]

Some very high end properties prep turf areas with a fine stainless mesh making it impossble for the critters to penetrate.

No idea as to the cost.

This year has been the worst since 1964 for gophers here.

 

[dodge man]

I’m not sure the terms people use. Moles are the ones that are blind and have the ugly face. I think what people call gophers are actually called a 9 stripe ground squirrel or a 13 lined ground squirrel. Then you have ground hogs also. We have on occasion had the ground squirrels around here but they are terrible this years, my son has shot maybe 9 of them and there are more.

 

[MossRoad]

I’m not sure the terms people use. Moles are the ones that are blind and have the ugly face. I think what people call gophers are actually called a 9 stripe ground squirrel or a 13 lined ground squirrel. Then you have ground hogs also. We have on occasion had the ground squirrels around here but they are terrible this years, my son has shot maybe 9 of them and there are more.

41 species of gophers in north America.

Gopher - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dodge man]

41? I’ve got 39 more to worry about now!

 

[oosik]

So - yesterday I'm out dropping poison granules in the pocket gopher runs. A lot fewer mounds this year. And the greatest activity is way out in an area of little concern. Maybe all my activities are having some positive results.