2008 has been a slower year for mole activity at my home. I've trapped a few of them, but recently, one has been a bugger to catch. I knew there was one in the area - tunnels directly under a newly planted vegetable garden; mounds in the middle of the backyard lawn; and an occasional mole run to try trapping.
I finally spotted a large tunnel system where I've had success previously. Picking a straight-away, I set the Out-O-Site trap in the sandy, dry soil. I check the traps daily. If they are not sprung, I'll probe around the trap to see if the mole made it through without tripping the trigger. This happened probably 5 or 6 times over a week period of time.
I finally decided the dry, sandy soil was being pushed through rather than up, which springs the trigger. So I got a gallon of water, and wet the run on either side of the trap, and then wet the soil plug under trap so there would be a little more resistance when the mole pushed through. It worked the first time!
I think this may be why I was able to catch so many last year - it rained almost daily up until July, and I caught most of them in the early part of the year. So, if you're having trouble catching moles in dry, sandy spots, try wetting the soil.
