Setting a Victor mole trap takes about 10 minutes once you know the steps, but the details matter. A trap placed in the wrong spot or with the trigger sitting too high will let moles pass right underneath without springing it. Here’s how to set up a Victor Out O’Sight scissor jaw trap correctly, from finding the right tunnel to releasing the safety latch.
Find an Active, Straight Tunnel
Before you even touch the trap, you need to figure out which tunnel to target. Moles create two types of tunnels: shallow feeding runs that zigzag just below the surface (the raised ridges you see across your lawn) and deeper, straighter travel tunnels they use repeatedly. You want the straight travel tunnels. These are the highways moles use daily, which means a trap placed here is far more likely to get triggered.
To test whether a tunnel is active, press down a small section of the raised ridge with your foot. Mark the spot and check back in 24 to 48 hours. If the ridge is pushed back up, the tunnel is active and worth trapping. If it stays flat, the mole has abandoned that route.
Prepare the Tunnel and Build the Dirt Mound
Once you’ve chosen your tunnel, dig out a section of it with a trowel or small shovel. You want to expose enough of the tunnel to see both openings on either side of your hole. Remove any gravel, roots, or debris from the soil you’ve dug up.
Now build a small mound of that loose, damp soil back into the center of the hole. Pack it firmly with your fingers until the top of the mound sits roughly flush with the surrounding ground level. This mound is critical. It sits directly between the two tunnel openings and serves as the platform for the trap’s trigger pan. When a mole traveling through the tunnel encounters this soil blockage, its instinct is to dig through it, pushing upward on the trigger and springing the trap.
Take your time packing the soil. If the mound is too loose, it will compress under the weight of the trigger and the trap won’t fire. If it’s too tall, the jaws won’t sit at the right depth. The trigger pan should just barely rest on the packed earth.
Open the Trap Jaws
The Victor Out O’Sight trap has two setting levers. Thread each lever under the top of the handles on both sides of the trap, then fit them over the springs in the center and slide them upward. Push both levers together using the palms of your hands. This takes real force, so don’t be surprised if you need to bear down. As you compress the levers, the scissor jaws will open fully.
While holding both levers together with one hand, flip the small metal safety latch on top of the trap upward so it catches on the opposite side. This locks the jaws in the open position. Once the safety is engaged, you can remove the setting levers and set them aside. Do not skip the safety latch. The jaws are under significant spring tension and will snap shut instantly if released.
Set the Trigger Bar
With the jaws locked open, look for the setting bar on top of the trap. It has a hooked end. Take that hooked end and place it onto the edge of the trigger pan, which is the flat metal tab on the bottom of the trap. The hook should catch the pan’s edge securely. Make sure the safety latch is still engaged while you do this. The setting bar is what holds the jaws open once you release the safety, and the trigger pan is what the mole will push against underground.
Place the Trap in the Tunnel
Lower the trap into the hole so that the jaws straddle the dirt mound you built. The jaws should sit about an inch below the tunnel floor on either side. Position the trap so the open jaws don’t block the tunnel openings. The mole needs a clear path into the tunnel from both directions so it walks straight into the trigger zone. The trigger pan should rest directly on top of the packed soil mound, just touching it.
If the trigger pan hovers above the dirt, the mole can pass underneath without applying enough pressure to trip the mechanism. If the jaws are too shallow, they won’t close around the mole effectively. Take a moment to adjust the mound height or press the trap slightly deeper until the fit feels right.
Once the trap is positioned, lightly cover the exposed area around the trap with loose soil. Moles avoid light and open air, so blocking out sunlight encourages them to move through the tunnel normally. Don’t pack this covering soil tightly over the trap itself, or you may interfere with the jaw movement.
Release the Safety Latch
This is the final step. Flip the safety latch back over to its original position, disengaging it. If everything is set correctly, the jaws will stay open, held only by the tension between the setting bar and the trigger pan. Any upward pressure on the trigger pan from below will unhook the setting bar and snap the jaws shut.
Keep your hands clear of the jaws when you release the safety. Work from the top of the trap only. Once the safety is off, the trap is live.
Checking and Repositioning
Check the trap once or twice a day. If nothing has happened after 48 hours, the tunnel may not be as active as you thought, or the mole may have rerouted. Pull the trap, re-engage the safety latch, and move it to a different active tunnel. Moles can be persistent about avoiding disturbed areas, so patience and willingness to relocate the trap are part of the process.
If the trap has fired but is empty, the trigger pan was likely set too high or the soil mound shifted. Rebuild the mound, repack it firmly, and reset. Getting the trigger pan height right is the single biggest factor in whether the trap works.