The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-11-30
AMERcAM 80 TAAN EuRopEAn ANIMaLs

VIII De more OF less hfndsred by SHOWS
and By freezing weather. MoIes are
active all winter, however, and fire.
quently have been caught along grass
grown fence rows and in the deeper
runways Of open fields when the
ground was frozen so hard as to ne
cessitate the use Of a pick In setting
traps.
The fr Of the mole Is perhaps az
its best In the winter season, but Il IL
ciassed as prime In midsummer also.
Less seasonal variation Is found in
the condition Of the fur Of this bur
rowing mammal than in that Of the
fur-bearing animals that live mainly
abOyeground- Nevertheless, during
the Noting periods in spring and fall
there Is a deterioration in the value Of
the mole's fur. Skins are considered
marketable no matter ar what season
Of the year they are taken. but clear.
prime pelts command the better prices.
Mole Traps.
In Europe q great many moles are
taken by means Of homemade sharing
devices. The trappers there also make
use Of both wooden and metal traps
that are cheap and of simple con-
struction. All types of mole traps in
common use in America are made Of
metal and depend for their operation
on the same sort Of trapping device
a trigger pan designed to rest on an
obstruction produced in the mole's
fse
/ is sprung when the mole follows It's
natural instinct to reopen the run by
burrowing through or upheaving the
obstruction. The entire mechanism of
such traps is aboyeground or CON
cealed in the loose soil, no part being
within the runway proper. II is a
waste OF time TO try to catch moles
with ordinary steel traps. rat traps,
/ gopher traps, or like devices, for the
animal almost invariably burrows IN
der anything thus introduced into its
runs.
The catching and killing mechanism:
OF American mole traps are OF thre%
types: ~ Choker loops. (2) gripping
or scissors jaws, and (3) impaIins
SpLAES. S6NEIdA Inherent E1ahEc VI lA4r
impaling or harpoon trap are on sale
particularly in the East and middle
1 West. In actual use. however, they
/ are the least efficient of the three
1 types. They are large. clumsy de
vices, record low percentage of catch
/ and have the additional disadvantage
OF injuring the skins of moles that
! -, $1,000 Sor rE.fr %r~
No better tool for use in setting
mole traps can be found than good,
strong garden trowel. Make the break
or opening in to the hurrow no larger
than is necessary TO accommodate the
trap: otherwise the mole may deyiate
from the original course and pass
without being caught. Even when
| placing the trap on one Of the shallow
hunting paths, it will pay to dig into
the runway and adapt the setting TO
known conditions, rather than to set
from the surface By simply forcing the
loops or the jaws into the soil Some
times, also. in digging. three or four
forks Of the burrow are discovered.
and there is nothing 10 do then but
I'LL the break and try elsewhere.
The observations of the biological
survey seem to indicate that there is
no need to take such precautions as
to disturb the runway as little as pos
sible and wear gloves lest the animal
get the scent Of human hands. The
location of one OF the shallow hunt.
ing paths OF the mole is indicated
plainly by the surface ridges. To ind
deep runway from which q mound
of earth has been pushed out. clear
away the latter and feel or prod for
the short paSSagewas running ohliQue-
Is down to the main tunnel Follow
its course, usually only few inches,
and place the trap on the main run.
Utilizing MoIeskins.
As rule the farmer boy or the
trapper who has accumulated O lot OF
moleskins viii want to dispose Of them
as he would any other kind OF pelts,
by selling to q reliable FUR dealer. Il
local furriers do not handle this class
of skins information concerning cur
rent prices and methods Of shipping
may be obtained by writing TO eStab-
Iishments doing business by mail. In
quiries in matters OF this sort adj
dressed to the Bureau Of Biological
Survey. Washington, d. c., Will receive
Il