Chris -
Being in a fairly rural section of Connecticut, we are plagued with deer mice. They are an important component in the life cycle of Lyme Disease and why it was first discovered/studies conducted/ treatments introduced in southern Connecticut. Lyme is a rural town just southeast of me on the Connecticut River where the disease first emerged, so there is an urgency to keep the deer mice st bay.
That being said I like your trap. For bait I have always used chocolate after reading a professional’s suggestion. The mice can’t resist it and it stays good for months - all the preservatives. I will take a piece and place it on a spoon over a stove burner. When it softens a little, I press it into the bait area and it remains adhered to the trap for extended periods.