Over time, we got better and faster. Eventually, I went halves on a quad with my mate Matthew, towed it up to Alan, and that changed everything. Even though it was only a little two-wheel drive quad, we could strap a box on it, fill it with traps, and get way more done in less time.
At this point, we were still working full-time jobs, so mole trapping was limited to evenings and weekends. Alan was still at the caravan park, and I was running a demolition site. Most weekends, I'd be trapping moles in my area before heading up to help Alan, who was getting busier by the day as more and more farmers heard about him.
Alan's the type of guy who loves experimenting with new traps, always tinkering and trying different techniques. Me? If it's not broken, don't fix it. This led to plenty of friendly rivalry.
One time, Alan had a mole in a field right next to his house that had been giving him the runaround for days, backfilling every trap he tried. He was on the phone moaning about it, so I went up with my tunnel traps. Alan laughed, saying, "No chance you'll catch this one with that"
Next morning? Mole caught. Alan called me every jammy b*****d under the sun. I just laughed and said, remember, I taught you everything you know, not everything I know, Jones. still say that to him now, though truth be told, he's probably surpassed me these days.
Then there was the last time I ever used a Talpex trap. I was on a demolition job and would nip off during lunch to check traps on a nearby farm. It was a wet, miserable day, and I borrowed the farm bike to check a backfilled trap. For some reason, I decided to try a Talpex. As I pushed the trap against my lap to flick the setting pin over, it slipped on my waterproof trousers and snapped shut........
Right. On. The. End. Of. My. Willy.
I'm telling you, people must've heard me scream two miles away. I hobbled off, tail between my legs literally and let's just say, things were black and tender for a solid week.
That was the end of Talpex traps for me.
Matthew
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