Something stole my mousetrap!

[fiasconva]

I set a few mouse traps out to catch some voles in a flower bed yesterday. I put some peanut butter on the trap for bait, found the hole they were going in and out of from the mole tunnels, and covered it with an old shoe box. Checked under the box and the trap was gone. Whatever it caught was tough enough to drag it back down into the hole. I dug down a little around the hole and couldn't find the trap. It's the 2nd one I've lost that way. Must be some tough little suckers using those tunnels. So far only one vole has bitten the dust. Some of them are pretty good at eating the peanut butter off the traps without setting it off. The war continues...

 

[Truckman]

Attach a small chain or cable to the trap and stake it into the ground......Ben

 

[Eric300]

Hot melt glue and a peanut for bait. Glue peanut to trip lever. Drill a small hole in trap, tie a piece of string to it, other end of string tie to a stake. Stake it into the ground with a large nail, spike, etc.. No more stolen bait, or missing trap. I do it to kill chipmunks except I use a rat trap. "I got a rat writ, rit for a rat" (Rooster Cogburn).

 

[MORSNO]

I've caught mice and then had large predator birds come by and swoop up the mouse along with my trap.....bye, bye.

 

[SMSgt]

Squirrels...

They chewed up the eaves on my house. One got in the attic and almost gnawed a hole through the wall to get out. Bought a Havahart trap and have hauled probably nearly a hundred away far across the interstate.

Running a battle with moles now. I've killed only one so far. Seems they seldom use a tunnel twice.

 

[fiasconva]

Update: 4 voles caught so far. Traps sprung, peanut butter eaten off without setting it off or flipped over in double figures. I still feel like I'm winning. BTW, I bought 4 el cheapo traps from Dollar Tree. They have a much longer piece to put the bait on and seem to be lot more sensitive than the Victors. They are the ones catching the voles. If they disappear I'm out a whole dollar anyway.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Have you pointed the hose down the holes to drown the vermin?

 

[arjay]

Garden house from the exhaust pipe?

 

[JcMack]

Get some 6X6X4 in. or similar cardboard boxes that have top bottom and sides like you'd mail something in. Put size appropriate holes in all 4 sides. If you're doin a few boxes easiest way is a hole saw. Put 4 or more baited traps in each box and weight the top down with a rock. Walmart sells the boxes for $1 ea..

 

[Jellybean]

I use Victor traps to catch mice, but they won't catch much as they come from the factory. The tab that that engages the trip wire needs to be pushed back until it barely catches the wire, then bend the lower end that holds the bait up to make sure the metal piece won't come off.

 

[Rudi]

I found it!

 

[pittpa]

It kills me I can’t find the picture but in Scottsdale they have roof rats where the flat roof homes are built in an orchard with fruit bearing trees still there. The rats go up on the roof to eat the fruit. The exterminator put a trap on the roof. I was in the ex-girlfriend’s house and heard a ruckus up top and I figured out what happened. A rat got caught in a trap and a hawk or some predator came down and picked it up. I went in the front yard and there was a damn bird sitting on a branch with a rat in a trap in its mouth. He apparently couldn’t figure out what he was dealing with and just dropped it in the front yard and left. The exterminator got a good laugh out of the pictures because he had heard about it happening but had never seen it


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[Spajohn]

Like the saying goes,
'The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.'

 

[fiasconva]

Last update since it's most likely boring y'all to death. 8 voles trapped and no sprung or cleaned off traps since I ditched the Victors. Hard to believe that many voles so far in a 10 ft. circular flower bed. I'll keep up the trapping until I don't catch any more for a couple of days.

 

[terry_tr6]

I had some problems with traps being sprung but not catching. I took some thicker wire, did a turn around the bar leaving a 1/4" tip sticking out , clipped and sharpened the tip and JB welded it in place. made 3 across the bar. Nailed the little guy next time. did leave some blood though

 

[Kinman]

Do you guys remember the "Rodenator" inserts propane into the burrow, turn on propane and hit the ignitor. I worked in building maintenance for twelve years, we dealt with voles in the lawn and were going to get the Rodenator but found out they are tough on inground sprinkler lines...no kidding.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I don't have a sprinkler system so I.....................

wheel out my welder cutting system and run gas and oxygen for 5 minutes then toss a match!!

Great way to air-e- ate the lawn and get ride of any pest.

Oh, and yes, I buy my fishing worms at the store.