Voles are small, burrowing rodents known for creating intricate tunnel systems, or "runners," beneath the thatch of grasslands and gardens. These runners provide them with a safe haven from predators and a network for foraging. Voles primarily feed on a diet of grasses, roots, seeds, and bark, and they are particularly fond of tender plant shoots. Some people call them meadow or field mice. Voles do not hibernate and are active day and night throughout the year, even under the snow in the winter months. They are found throughout Montana. Unfortunately, they found just what they like in a modest flower garden we have just off our back deck.
To catch the voles, I recently purchased a live
trap and set it among the plants in the garden, baited with chunks of walnuts.
After first catching three mice in the trap, I finally caught a vole. Although
similar to mice, voles are dark brown, fuller-bodied, and have a much shorter,
fuzzy tail. Their round head, beady eyes, and tiny ears are also more typical
of a hamster than a mouse.
After capturing the vole, I took it for a ride in
my car (something it did not enjoy, as indicated by the way the critter
ping-ponged about in the trap) and then released it in a gulley about a mile
from my house. I have posted a photograph of the vole I trapped.
—Mitchell Hegman
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