Catching Moles E-Book

Jeff Nicholls

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

For centuries, man and mole have taken from the soil in their bid to survive. This has resulted in bitter conflict between these adversaries and one that continues today. Whatever the season, whatever the weather, wherever the mole, mole catchers have worked to remove moles. Journey through history with the mole catchers of old as you learn of their lives, their work, and their struggle to survive with the pressure of change. Learn of the demands and needs inflicted upon the mole and how it adapts to survive, discover how it exploits the efforts of man, and how they deal with his plight to rid the land of them. Follow Jeff Nicholls through a typical year in the life of a mole catcher and explore the secrets of success to be mole free. Understand the relationship between man and mole both in alliance and conflict, and unearth your passion towards the little man in black. Jeff Nicholls has previously written books on mole catching but this is his most personal composition, providing the knowledge to compete on a level playing field and fully understand the rules of engagement. It will be a mole catcher's handbook for many years to come containing everything you will ever need to know. Fully illustrated with 77 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

Catching Moles

THE HISTORY AND PRACTICE

JEFF NICHOLLS

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2017 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2017

© Jeff Nicholls 2017

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 364 6

Except where stated otherwise, all illustrations are by the author.

Contents

Preface

1.The History of Mole Catching in the United Kingdom

2.Mole Catching Today

3.The Mole Catcher’s Year

4.So You Want to be a Mole Catcher?

5.Modern Mole Traps

6.The Power Behind Mole Catching

7.Mole-Catching Problems and Solving Them

8.Mole-Catching Tips and Tell Again

9.Some Frequently Asked Questions

10.Cruelty to Moles

Index

Dedicated to the person who investigates further the work contained in this book, and continues the interest in mole catching for those who come after.

Preface

As a professional mole catcher I have a daily contact with these fascinating mammals, and it is a privilege to have this acquaintance with what is, for too many people, a formidable problem in the garden, field or paddock. My personal association with the mole is further extended as I set cameras in their complex world, and after hours of waiting for these elusive creatures to appear on film, then have the pleasure of being able to watch them on a more intimate basis. This combination of watching them, and then removing them, has provided the information contained within these pages, and I hope will explain the affinity between man and mole that has existed for centuries. It describes the methods, the trials and tribulations, and the history and future of a traditional countryside skill that is still making its mark in this modern world, and which it is to be hoped will continue for many years to come.

The mole, Talpa europaea.

Many attacks have been, and still are, aimed at the humble mole, but it has nevertheless overcome all that man has thrown at it. Chemicals and electronics may have superseded old wives’ tales and beliefs, but one form of control for moles has survived the test of time, and that is their capture and restraint. These words are chosen carefully, because the nature of the mole catcher’s work is not what people have often been claimed it to be in the past. The control of any animal must be carried out with respect and dignity, and must observe a certain level of welfare, and I hope this book will reassure those who query whether mole catching offers a quick and instant demise for the mole. The reality of what mole catching truly entails is explained, as is what it takes to become a mole catcher today.

This book should be considered as a handbook for anyone working as, or wishing to become, a mole catcher.

From a very young age I was drawn to the occupation of controlling moles, as it was something that I could actually do successfully. Whether this was because I was happy to sit and wait for the bender stick to spring into action, indicating a capture, or because I had an affection for the quarry, I have yet to learn. Over the years I have discovered a personal and private world that it has been a privilege to get to know and to understand. My relationship with the humble mole has grown over the decades, bringing both sadness and enjoyment. It encouraged a passion in me as a boy, which has grown into the desire to give moles something in return in my latter years. As well as enlightening readers with my written word, educating would-be mole catchers on training courses, and entertaining folk in comedy shows and talks, my message has been that, whether in conflict or study, we should always have the highest respect for this remarkable, rarely seen, never heard, but often spoken about creature: the mole.

My life alongside moles has been pleasurable, and educational: their ability to avoid being caught brought frustration when I was a young boy, but taught me persistence. When I was a teenager and success in the contemporary world seemed remote, their call for me to return to the soil offered an escape route; and they brought me comfort when as a young man I had little hope of a future. Furthermore, their world is so interesting and absorbing, and close contact with them so intriguing, they have given my life significance with each day, and a value that I will cherish until it is my time to lie down amongst them.

Chapter 1

The History of Mole Catching in the United Kingdom

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there lurked a character in the countryside who was as mysterious and elusive as the quarry he sought, someone who worked alone and whose skilful craft was never shared, but was so often required by the owners of land: the mole catcher. The United Kingdom has always had a throng of single soldiers spread across the shires ready to battle the little man in black. These personalities sadly no longer frequent the village’s fields and paddocks as they once did. Today, the group term is ‘pest control’ – the specialist mole catcher, as he once was, is sadly as rare a sight as the mole itself. Nevertheless, mole catchers remain a small but important component in the running of the countryside, a weapon for farmers to call upon and the last resort to gardeners when all else fails.

Man has battled for the supremacy of the soil for centuries, with mole catchers employed to free the land of the unwanted mole, which has in fact dwelled here for many thousands of years. However, the changes made during the Victorian era had a huge impact on the simple, everyday life of both the mole and the mole catcher.

Between the late 1700s and the early 1900s mole catchers went about their daily work of mole control using the only method available to them, as it had been to those who came before them: traps. These were primitive, but achieved the aim of capturing the mole. The word ‘capture’ is the clue to just how these traps operated, because they did not actually kill the mole, but held or restrained it.

Clearly the mole catchers had to know their chosen quarry to be successful, and the landowners who employed them were keen to see the evidence of the completed task. Many myths were passed around concerning moles, and the mole catchers took advantage of these strange tales to add further mystery to the skill they claimed was required to expose the culprit responsible for the damage caused. The belief that mysterious traits and qualities were required to rule over the moles soon prevailed across the country, adding further to the demand for the mole catcher’s apparently enchanted skills. Mole catchers were quick to exploit this demand – but this misplaced belief ultimately contributed to the downfall of the traditional mole catcher typical of those days.

Mole catchers were often employed by the parish to get rid of moles from common land and churchyards, and from the property of those residents whom the parish clerk or sergeant wished to please. In addition, farmers and the gentry, who owned vast acreages of land, augmented this work, which meant that mole catchers could earn a tidy sum during the working year. There is written evidence of this demand and reward in the form of pay tickets – for example we know that a Buckinghamshire mole catcher, a certain Tom Turner, earned enough money in one year to pay for his cottage outright. Even so, the task of working the soil in search of the mole was not that easy, and like so many occupations in Victorian Britain, mole catching often had its problems.

The mole catchers of the United Kingdom, just like the creature they sought, led a solitary life, and although they may never have been seen in the light of day, evidence of their work was clearly displayed in the bodies of the moles that were left tied to fences, gates andposts. These mysterious characters have a story to tell, and I would like to share it with you now.

WHEN DID IT ALL BEGIN?

Mole catchers have been a part of the British countryside for many hundreds of years, dating back to the invasion by the Roman Empire. The desire for neat gardens and flat fields has been foremost in man’s land management for thousands of years, and the humble mole has had to put up with sustained attack from man in his efforts to achieve just that; nevertheless the mole has become very proficient at evading these assaults since these early times. Such a formidable foe required specialist attention to eradicate it – and so the services of the mole catcher were increasingly sought. It required someone with patience, a natural instinct, intuition and the ability to be secretive, and such a person found what in today’s modern world would be termed a ‘niche’ in the market.