the unholy denizen of my yard...the mole

[whitneymum]

So..my yard and garden beds are possessed by a mole. Not your average mole either. The kind that liked the sonic mole-be-gone spike in the ground. In fact there were twice as many tunnels and mounds right up to the dang thing.
my mole is demonic..he has tunneled under the patio, through the border beds, from the backyard to the front..under carefully laid brick, and through the berry patch.The entire backyard is so uneven now with all the colapsed tunnels...

I hate the idea of killing..I know I broke down and bought the dreaded snap trap..but it sits in my basement hidden from sight. I know it's just a mole...but all I hear is my sweet little grandmother's voice telling me "they're all God's little creatures".

How on earth do I remove the evil vermin from my wee little yard? My mother in law thought she remembered something about linseed or castor oil and some other things thrown in...the guy at the hardware store wanted me to buy the Caddyshack removal gas bombs you light and throw into your yard and run..uh no..not so much thanks.

Please someone tell me they know a more "natural" way to rid my yard of the little demonic beastie..before I set the snap trap and have terrible dreams and need to go find some freakish confession booth to free my dreams from sad eyed Disney moles....

[Close2Me]

For us: trapping has been the only way, but a good night time mouser cat helps and grape growers swear by 'used' cat litter poured down into their tunnels (never tried it personally). We've got Hawks and Barn Owls that help keep critter control half way tolerable. We're getting an Owl Box installed above our vineyard next month.

[whitneymum]

We have Barred Owls in the 68 acre park that borders my backyard...but I don't see them too often near enough to my little plot. We live on a pretty busy road so I hesitate to have an outdoor kitty....the neighbors have a cat though, I wonder how strange they would look at me if I asked for some used cat litter. The only thinkg I worry about is my dog trying to dig it up.

any other ideas??

[lmonter]

We had a vole in our yard this spring - tunneled through the main garden bed and under the lawn to an apple tree trunk. I think it might have been a dumb one though...

All we did was really till up the garden, which disturbed a lot of it's tunnels, and the kids spent tons of time outside. We also have neighborhood cats that come tromping through our yard, and the occasional little dog. Although maybe it was the nest of ground bees there by the main tunnel entrance...

So I'm zero help besides going and getting a reusable have-a-heart trap. Those suckers aren't cheap though - I want to say $40-$60 for the small ones?

[ms.shell]

We have one too. Ours wasnt repelled by the sonic repeller either.
I have decided to let him be, as i cant really see where he killed anything by tunnelling under. One day dh called me out and said he's right here and wanted to try to poke into his tunnel with a stake but i said no.
i read online a tip that said put half sticks of juicy fruit gum to kill them, which was more appealing to me than a trap...but like i said, i decided to let him live and though i have seen plenty of tunnels, everything seems to be just fine and i dont think he has really damaged anything other than disrupting a row earlier that didnt come up quite straight.

[Close2Me]

Can you borrow a Rat Terrier from anyone?!
just kidding...but they are the best vermon snatchers!!!!
Live trapping is the only way sadly enough.