1001 EasySet Mole Eliminator Trap (1)

This product is built for life. It is heavy duty and I literally expect the construction to last through 20 years of use. Very few products are built with this level of durability and reliability.It is also built for death….. of the moles in your yard. I have read a sampling of the very good and also the very bad reviews. Please allow me to share my personal experience with you.I live in Connecticut and have roughly 20K yards of well maintained lawn. My mole problem is usually just a nuisance but was very bad this year. I tried pesticide to eliminate a good chunk of their food source. Well, they also eat earth worms and I water my lawn so not so much luck their. I also tried a heavy castor oil application but that was a complete and total waste of time and money. At least the pesticide got rid of my bug problem.So I decided to go for the nuclear option and get into trapping (killing). As it has been described to me, trapping is the most effective but least applied option. This particular trap seemed to be the best reviewed so I went for it.As noted earlier, the trap is heavy duty and reasonably easy to set up and use. DO NOT TRIGGER THIS TRAP ABOVE GROUND. It closes very violently which provides a quick death for your mole but could easily crush your finger(s) and break bone(s). You can use a screwdriver to trip it will it is still in the ground and avoid this problem. Keep it away from any area where you think that curious children or people passing by (thieves) might pull it out of the ground.My trap tripped 3 times in two days without catching any moles. I eventually went back to the directions and noted that this trap works best in tunnels that are 4 1/2″ are less in depth. You can check tunnel depth with a pencil or in my case the same screw driver that I use to trigger the trap. So… I started looking for active tunnels 3″ or less. I have since caught two moles in about 3 days.Activity in my area has since dropped off to near zero. All it takes is 3-4 moles to destroy a lawn as large as mine so killing a mole is a major, major deal in terms of results. They are also very territorial so unless they are traversing back and forth to your neighbor’s lawn then you have probably improved your situation dramatically.The other major tip is to make sure that your tunnels are ACTIVELY USED. Similar to the world’s best fisherman fishing in a pond with no fish; you won’t catch any fish (or moles) if they aren’t there. I recommend that you flatten the tunnels with your feet or a roller and look in the next day or so to see which tunnels get “pushed back up”. These are your target areas.You may also see areas 10-15′ across that run all over the place in a seemingly circular area. This is where Mr. & Mrs. Mole hang out and make more moles. This is your best area to target as it should be most active.Good luck and happy hunting.P.S. After a few days of inactivity, I noticed another mole has moved into the area. Nailed him in less than 2 hours after placing the trap. Make sure that your tunnel is a shallow tunnel and this trap will kill your intruder.UPDATE (7/19/13): I have caught / trapped / killed 6 moles since purchasing this trap. For the most part, my lawn is hard and firm with no soft spots any more. I lend this trap to my neighbor now. For the most part, I don’t need it any more. Let’s pretend that these 6 moles would have cost me $100 apiece for a professional exterminator. I reckon that I have saved myself roughly $570 so far. (REMEMBER: This trap works best with shallow tunnels with floors that are 3-4″ in depth from the surface.”UPDATE (8/30/13): Nailed another one.UPDATE (7/11/14): Nailed three in the last month alone. It has been very dry and I water my lawn while the neighbors do not. I suspect that this causes the worms in my yard to come to the surface so all the neighborhood moles have been camping out. A friend borrowed this trap for about 6 weeks and could not catch a single one. I have been catching my latest three within 24-48 hours of setting the trap. I suspect that the key difference is that I set my trap in very shallow tunnels. Usually 2-3″ deep have given me the most success. Most tunnels are 4 ” so you will have to check around. I have nailed approximately 12 moles since purchasing this trap. THANKS FOR SUCH A GREAT TRAP!!!UPDATE (9/24/14): Nailed another 3 moles for a total of 6 this season. I have noticed that acive tunnels in the 3″ to 4″ sweet spot tend to produce kills. Tunnels that are shallow in the 2″ to 3″ range seem to cause the mole to run into the trigger plate rather than pass under the trap itself. Make sure that you place the trap on a long “straight-a-way” as opposed to on or near a corner or curve. You need to ensure that you position the trap in such a way that they will cleanly pass UNDER the trigger plate.