The Gopher Hawk Trap - Must Watch Before Purchasing 

I just bought one. How has your Gooherhawk worked? I’m skeptical, but willing to try anything.

The out of sight traps are nice put the problem I had with them is that if the marking tape came off of them they would basically destroy a lawn mower blade

@@metal422life I've always covered them with an overturned bucket. It helps keep pets away, helps keep rain and sprinkler water out (I find that moles tend to tunnel around or beneath the heavy wet dirt when they can), and will act as a visual reminder while mowing.

I had to put some bricks on mine to hold it steady for the shallow runs. I put a total of 4 bricks crisscrossed. I was also concerned with the 3 wires not aligning with the run, but managed to put it pretty straight.

Same problem with our gopher hawk with no luck. I think the tunnels are so wide they just go around the trap.

Try using like a 3ft piece of 1" or 1-1/4" EMT Conduit or even like an aluminum shower curtain rod if that's easier to find, either way you should try using a thin-walled piece of ridgid pipe or conduit to take a plug out of the ground that the Gopherhawk trap can slide into. Instead of compacting the dirt surrounding the cage you're removing it so it doesn't just get pushed back in and trigger the trap when the gopher or mole uses the tunnel again. You still need to use the probing tool to find the tunnel, just not the wedge.

Have the baskets gotten somewhat deformed or out of shape from use? That's probably the reason you're having problems. Try reshaping them to their original state and if that's easier said than done Gopher Hawk sells replacement baskets as well.

@@KB-ie7jr the baskets are still in Primo condition there's no deformation on them. The catching basket still looks nearly identical to a brand new one I'm starting to theorize that it's possible that they smell dead mole and it scares them away

​@@metal422life It's possible but just hard for me to accept as the main reason here. Moles do have a keen sense of smell but odors diffuse into dirt very well so moles rely mainly on their sense of touch. Just slight contact with any part of the basket in their tunnel will deter them and you have to remember they are as wide as their tunnel so proper positioning of the trap is crucial. That's why I first assumed basket but even the tunnel you choose for your trap is important plus a whole lot more than what I assume most people have the patience for in a RU-vid comment.

@@KB-ie7jr well my method that I use is slightly different from what the instruction manual says for them. mostly because I've had great luck doing it my way. but it worked for the most part pretty dang well but then it seems like they're getting wise just because so many of them have been killed I'm using the trap. but my method is I see the mole hill and I dig down with my hands and I try to find an mound where it will have three holes down in the mound so a tunnel that does a y, then I put the trap into the hole I bury the tube and then set the trap. sometimes I set the trap then bury it in the hole.

@@metal422life Something to always keep front of mind is that moles can be elusive little turds and to be successful in catching them you have learn from when you don't. Determine what was different from the last time you caught one that might have led to comming up short this time -without blaming the trap or the mole. Was it the placement in the tunnel, wrong type of tunnel, or maybe just lacking patience? Was the trap tripped? Did you notice any new activity near the trap? Doing this will help hone your technique. A couple suggestions: step down the newer activity and pay attention to which ones come back. These will be the active tunnels you want to set the traps in. Avoid setting traps at the mole hills. I know you've previously been successfull here but these are usually the spots where tunnels bifurcate, get sealed off, and the mole continues on. And if you need to dig for trap placement, either wear gloves or use a garden trowel, don't use your bare hands. That the moles can definitely smell.

Look at 9:20 and you tell me which it is.

@@IowaKim sure us a mole

Not cheap...but you could also go buy a carbon monoxide fumigation machine and pay $1,800 - $2,400 dollars to eradicate a large number of burrowing pests (maybe). At least this set up, or other traps, give confirmation of effectiveness.

Although I do really well catching moles with the GopherHawk, I've done well catching moles in the shallow runs with the traps from Trapline products.

I’ve had the same experience I have yet to catch a mole with the gopher hawk Don’t see what I’m doing wrong

I've got 11 notches on my Gopher Hawk- all moles! First set only took 20mins to snag it and I was in love 😍 If the run you're using is too shallow place a brick(or small block of wood) on each side to help support the trap.

@@Hodadoget a mole hawk

You've got to put a wire/string to a stake on those. Otherwise a caught animal might drag it down the tunnel.

Fact. Although carnivorous, they can be really destructive to a lawn or garden.