- 1). Install a harpoon mole trap if you are looking for ease of use or have sandy or clay soils. Flatten the burrow ridge (the lifted soil above the tunnel) to force the mole to lift it up again. This will trigger the pan to release the catch. To set the trap, push the two large legs into the ground on opposite sides of the tunnel, far enough that the pan lies flat on the ground. Move the trigger latch off the pan. Pull up the six spikes with the string, or setting tee, at the top of the trap. The trigger latch will slide into place onto the pan, and hold the spikes in place. The harpoon trap is used for shallow tunnels.
- 2). Install a scissor trap if you have rocky soil that the harpoon trap can't handle, or if the tunnel is deep. This trap is for those homeowners who are strong enough to set the spring and don't mind a more complex trap. To set the trap, dig down to the tunnel with a hole about as big as the trap itself. Pile up compacted dirt in the tunnel to make a speed bump, ultimately to be positioned just below the trigger pan. Cock the trap per the instructions on the box. Position the two sets of jaws on opposite sides of the compacted mound. Cover over the top of the trap to keep light from getting into the tunnel.
- 3). Use a No-Mol trap if other traps fail or if you want the traps to be out of sight. Open up the tunnel as in the case of the scissor trap, but use two traps instead of one, the pincers facing outward and coil facing inward. To cock it, squeeze the coil end to open up the jaws, or tongs, on the other end. Then slip the ring in between the jaws 1-3/4 inches from the end of the tongs to keep them from snapping shut. Lay the two traps flat on the bottom of the tunnel. Because of the size, this is an effective trap against shrews as well.
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