This is in reference to the plain wooden "Victor" traps. It's nerve wracking every time I set one of these. I have the spring pulled back with one hand while also holding the trap still while I'm trying to lift the bait pad and set the rod with the other hand. Then all of the sudden... SNAP!!!!! and I rush to make sure my fingers are out of the way, panic ensues, and my heart starts racing followed by the resulting cussing session. I started using a flat blade screwdriver. I bend the spring back and put the rod kind of in the vicinity of where it should be and then lift the bait pad with the screwdriver until it looks like the rod will catch it then let go of the spring. This has still resulted in many cussing sessions when the trap still catches me by surprise and snaps, but it's better than having my fingers right there. What's the trick?
I use my hands and don't put my hands where it will snap me. I use the exact kind or knock off similar cheap ones you talk about. I put peanut butter on them while there closed or snapped, not under pressure. Then I bend the trap wire part back, hold it closed with one hand, set the trigger with the other. Make sure it is holding as I slowly ease the hand holding it up. I then hold the trap by the edges so that if it decides to randomly go off I don't have a finger in harm's way. Then I carefully set it down and slide it into position. If your not use to it and heavy handed you it will take you awhile. There is a touch and learning curve to them but after a few dozen times doing it you don't have that much trouble and get way faster at it.
Yup, bait first, fold it back, hold by the edges, set down reeeeeel careful like. If you use fingers to set it, you'll feel when its not.going to hold and can reset it. Once it holds though, set'er down and let em work.
I use the ones with the plastic cheese looking pad on them. I buy them by the case from Amazon. The mice love the sheds in VT. I don’t want to use poison as we have a lot of hawks and owls. I find the version I use are pretty easy to set. At times, they are a bit too sensitive from the factory and the rod won’t connect easily to notch in the pad. Pushing the pad back a hair usually solves that.
Now how many of y'all reuse the trap after a mouse kill? I use mine over and over again. But some get tossed. I use them at my farm property which may be months before I get back to it. And often times they are decomposed and all the juice let out of them. Sometimes there still in the ooze and have maggots and other times there a little mouse mummy. The really nasty ones get totally tossed. If it's a fresher kill or a mummy I usually reuse them.
I reuse always. If it's nasty, it gets hosed off. Typically, they get emptied before they get too sour. I set by making sure my fingers are on the opposite side of the wood as where the trap snaps to. As long as you're doing that, there's no way you're going to get hit from it. Pull the strap back, put trigger bar in the bait holder and let it slowly preload. Then keep fingers back and let it fully load, holding only the safe side.
5 gallon bucket with a spoonful of peanut butter in the bottom. Set bucket where they can climb in. Once in they can't get out. Then you decide their demise.
I remember one time I was working in a guys basement. I looked over, and saw one of the huge Victor rat traps set up. The thing that caught me off guard was he actually took the time to weld razor blades to the wire. It looked super deadly. Then I started looking around and saw 3 or 4 more just like it. Wouldn't want to have to set that thing. The rat traps have way more force than the mouse traps and are like 3 times the size.
I've given up a while ago on the wooden spring traps that ultimately nail me... I do the bucket trap thing now as well but I purchased 2 of the 'trap door' tops on Amazon. One in the shop and one in the barn, baited with Skippy. They go up the stairway to the top and head for the Skippy but don't quite make it and the 'trap door' opens and in they go, into the bucket that I have a bit of RV antifreeze in. The door closes so they cannot get out and the RV antifreeze kills them and keeps the stink under control. Between them and the 20 barn cats, no mice issues here.
