Voles?

[Flatrock]

So I think I have a vole problem in my garden. Started picking some beets this last week and noticed that a lot of the tops are eaten off. Then I started noticing little runs in the grass which sounds like voles as well. I've also noticed that under a few Ponderosa Pine trees, something has been eating the pincecones or chewing them up or whatever. We definitely have mice around our place and I saw one in the garden the other day but now I think it was probably a vole. Does it work to set traps in their little lanes in the grass? Help me out please!

[shorthairsrus]

i trapped them like mice ---- is your garden next to a fence -- put the traps close to the fence. stickys ---catch containers, good old fashion mouse traps -- they all worked and it took a week and i got em all.

[snow]

burn em,slow burn with diesel fuel or charcoal fluid works on moles too at my ranch.

[Paddledogger]

I had those little bastards under the snow one year in my front and back yard. But when spring came, they just left on their own or the neighbors cat got'em. Amazon has some pellets stuff that kills voles. If you have to have some of the old fashion traps, you can just place one on one of their runways in the grass, as they rarely stray off those. I don't even think you need to bait them. So you shouldn't have to worry about CWD if they hoard up.

[mills423]

I have had the same issue with them in my yard. My neighbor has a rats nest of brush and trees which is where they started showing up from. I bought just plain traps and baited them with peanut butter. I caught between 12 and 15 in the first week - and less since that time. I mirror what paddledogger said. As long as you use peanut butter that fell from your truck or combine and not intentionally put on the traps you should be fine. I was also told if I plant peanuts and let them naturally fall to the ground you would be okay - just don't opena bag and pour them on the ground. Game and Fish should leave you alone.

[jmkilber]

The pine cones are likely being chewed up by squirrels.

[Up Y'oars]

Two weeks ago I just happened to be taking out some gophers with my .22 and walked to the end of a decline and a vole was out of the hole. I pegged him, but he was able to move back to his hole before I could stomp on him. Haven't seen him since, so I assume he died somewhere in the underground trail. Four gophers and one vole that week. WINNING!!

[1bigfokker]

Peanuts don't fall to the ground. They grow underground.

[Flyfiishjim]

After last winter we have had a terrible Vole issue with the large "meadow mouse" and all black varieties. A full frontal trapping campaign took over two dozen of the furry scum bags until they got wise to the peanut butter bait. We were told that they would return to the grass field in the summer but the buggers are still thick. With the damage they did to the wife's shrubs and against my better judgement we set poison bait out for them, but we see no change when we walk around the yard. We are waiting for the full fall counter attack to thin them hard before winter. Thinking about gassing them with exhaust pipe adapter available at ACE along with another 12 traps.

Good luck my friend!

[Lycanthrope]

The plastic jaws type traps you can buy at menards are amazing, super easy to set and they are faster than spring traps with a lighter trigger. Highly recommended. Ive even caught rabbits in the rat style ones... If you put them end to end you essentially can create a corridor on a path the animal will go through, or attempt to at least!

[JayKay]

Yes, the white plastic jaw type traps work great. Put them along the fence, or some other barrier. The vole runs along the barrier, and PRESTO! One less vole.

Also, I found some lines in my grass in the front yard a few years ago. Laid a 2x4 on edge at an angle to their trail, and put a sticky trap at the end of the 2x4. The little bastages go down their trail, detour around the 2x4, step in the sticky trap, and lose their little minds. Literally.

[dewey89]

Buy this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Load it with this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had hundreds in my 2 acre yard north of Bismarck this spring. All gone now.

[Skullet]

I had the little buggers set up shop in my garage. They could escape the first batch of sticky traps, but I’ll third the white jaw traps. Set them right in line with their path and they’ll do their work.

The guy at the hardware store was telling me about the number of mouse traps they’ve sold this year. Sounds like a good year for mice and voles for some reason.

[tikkalover]

I went to Menards and bought mouse pellets and some gopher\mole poison. Put it out Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning this cucumber chewing bastage was done chewing cucumbers.

[Flatrock]

Thanks guys for the replies. I'll see what I can do to get rid of them.

[rodcontrol]

I have had a hard time keeping ripening tomatoes on the vine. Do you think voles would be my chewing culprit. I was assumireing a ground squirrel?

[guywhofishes]

we had all types of tree squirrels destroying tomatoes this year

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had

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[Allen]

Thinking about gassing them with exhaust pipe adapter available at ACE .

Good luck my friend!

I didn't know there was a commercially available adapter. SWEET!

[Up Y'oars]

Just ordered those two products. I have the same issues almost every spring/summer so I might as well have the weapons on hand for multiple strikes! This will work well in my tree rows where they love to burrow and hang out!

[Retired-Guy]

The plastic jaws type traps you can buy at menards are amazing, super easy to set and they are faster than spring traps with a lighter trigger. Highly recommended. Ive even caught rabbits in the rat style ones... If you put them end to end you essentially can create a corridor on a path the animal will go through, or attempt to at least!

Menard's should pay you a sales commission, Lycan. Tried to buy some this morning and the shelves were empty. Good job!