@#$% gophers!

ericlb · Feb 21, 2016

gophers are taking over the place and i cant have that, the worst seems to be that our gophers seem to be educated, i have 5 traps out today on 5 places that i haven't messed with before, but ive reset 3 of them 4 times in the past 24 hours, now thats weird, the little boogers push loose dirt which they get from somewhere out of sight onto the traps and spring them, how does a stupid gopher know to do that? the traps are set in a clean hole and in their tunnel, tried flooding them out and that doesnt work, might be good for irrigation though lol cant use poison due to 5 dogs several of which are free roaming, [ keeps the peddlers at bay] they cant seem to catch them either but they make the mound look like a backhoe was busy , car exhaust does nothing either, any ideas?

Adirondack case guy · Feb 21, 2016

You will have to watch the movie Cady Shack and pick up some pointers.
Maybe you could contact Red Green or Ranger Rick and get some other pointers.
Sorry,, I couldn't resist.
Loren

ericlb · Feb 21, 2016

i thought of the caddy shack way but remember in the movie that failed too, and id like to live here after the gophers are gone too, it would be entertaining too, wonder what theneighbors would think

Buddy · Feb 21, 2016

Get yourself a windmill.
We set up one 10 - 15 years ago, we have not had a problem since.

johnlobb · Feb 21, 2016

Since I have both ground squirrels AND moles, I am all ears as to how to deal with the little SOB's.

JF in MI · Feb 21, 2016

You need this...
poke here

coshoo · Feb 21, 2016

I think they all go to Gopher School at a young age. I can't seem to get them, either. So at least, you're not alone. I did hear about a new kind of trap last year- pretty cheap, and supposed to be effective. I've had so many types that didn't work that I'll withhold recommending it until I see if I can make it work.

Frank 41 · Feb 21, 2016

If you see one going into the hole, immediately pour a gallon of water from a milk jug into it. He will come back up into the milk jug. Put the cap on it and you have it. It does work and quit feeding your dogs so much so they can get them.

mite-help · Feb 21, 2016

You need my dog. female red heeler. see takes no prisoners when it comes to gophers. she cleaned out my yard, than went next door [where they came from] called neighbor & made sure no traps set. offered to fill holes. after he saw her @ work, he said no prob. have watched her dig into a nest & pull out the young, toss over shoulder, go back for another

fixerupper · Feb 21, 2016

If we are talking about the creatures we locally call pocket gophers the hole the trap is in needs to be covered with a board and the board needs to be covered with a good amount of dirt or you will find a trap packed full of dirt. I have never had them trip the trap but a good fifty percent of the time I will have a trap filled with dirt no matter how meticulous I am about the set. They can be tricky. Usually I will catch a few and the activity stops for the summer. Next spring they are back again.

Oregon Tractor Jack · Feb 21, 2016

The Rodinator would be a lot of fun except for the price. Last time I priced one, 10 plus years ago, they were in the $1200.00 range. I have been buying 30 minute road flares. Find a tunnel, dig it out enough to get couple of them in there and light them off. The only problem I have found is sometimes I will seal off the important end of the tunnel system, like the short end. The gas will not get to the main tunnel and I will have to repeat. Seems to work.

DENNIS MIN · Feb 21, 2016

johnlobb,

I have eradicated at least 25 moles in two seasons. I use the mole eliminator trap. I am not a spokesman for them, but maybe they should pay me....

I have 5 acres, I use a plate that smashes down all their tunnels. I then looke for any new tunnels in the smashed down area, set the traps.

I have had great success with these traps.

D>

DENNIS MIN · Feb 21, 2016

ericlb,

I, too, had troubles with pocket gophers. I have learned to set at least two traps inside the tunnels, one each way, and deep inside, so their normal routine to fix the hole opening is far inside.

D.

Good luck.

JD Seller · Feb 21, 2016

We used to have them in pasture and hay fields. They would get so bad you could not hardly mow the hay. Trapping them is not usually successful. They breed fast and have good size liters. I would use poison bait. It is applied under ground so your dogs should never bother it. You would use a hand probe that is made to deposit the bait into their tunnels. In the fields we used a plow applicator that created a tunnel with bait in it. The gophers would find the tunnel and follow it and eat the bait. One thing to remember your hands carry scent they can smell things you have touched, mice are the same way. I have found if I use rubber gloves I have better luck baiting both mice and gophers.

RayP(MI) · Feb 21, 2016

Well, if you don't get them, you'll still have had fun trying.

My problem is ground moles. Don't find them until I hit their mounds in the hay with the hay mower. They push small stones up and that reaks havoc with sickle bar mowers. I have switched to a drum mower, and damage not so great, but still dulls knives prematurely.

jturbo10 · Feb 21, 2016

I used to have gopher problems in my hay fields and around the house and barns. First bought the manual poison bait injector which works around the buildings great as you don't worry about buried pipes or electrical conduit. After a few sessions you will figure out where the tunnels are and it becomes very easy to kill them. I bought a three point hitch mechanical gopher baiter for my hay fields and it has eliminated the gopher problem. I use a product called Kaput which I buy in five gallon buckets for bait. Now I only have to monitor for fresh mounds and treat them as needed. It helped a lot when I got my neighbors to also adopt a gopher eradication program. Good luck and get your local ag agent involved if you need more info.

retired farmer · Feb 21, 2016

Make sure you don't use your bare hands to set the trap, wear a pair of clean gloves. You don't want your scent on the trap. I once ran over five thousand gallons of water down a gopher hole, never did surface anywhere and never filled the hole up.

D beatty · Feb 21, 2016

I had real bad years back and shot them with .410 or .22 bird shot but couldn't control them. I ended up putting rat poison down the drop hole and no longer have a problem with them.

Ferd · Feb 21, 2016

I have both moles and gophers and got rid of all of them on my 5 acres. First thing you need to do is determine if it's a mole or a gopher because they have different diets. If it's a mole the mound will be perfectly round and they like to eat worms. So the poison for them is a product I use called Talprid. It looks like a gummy worm.

If it's a gopher, The mound will be somewhat "U" shaped. They eat grain. For them I use Prozap (zinc phosphate rodent pellets).

In either case I determine which way the runway goes out from the mound. Then I go out about 6 to 12 inches from the mound, and use a very small diameter rod to locate the runway. Once I find that, I use a three-quarter inch diameter rod to make a hole big enough to either put the worm or the pellets in depending whether it's a gopher or a mole. Then I make sure the hole that I made with a rod is covered so no light goes in the runway. Works every time but sometimes you got to be a little persistent. The minute I see a new mound pop up I immediately go out and usually I can get in the first try.

Richard from SE AZ · Feb 21, 2016

Pocket gophers are a bad problem in my area but not at my place. I buy a product at feed stores called "Just One Bite" which is a rat poison bait. It comes in a bar with four bars molded together. I cut these apart and cut the individual bars into one inch pieces. At first few mounds I use a steel rod to find their runways. I dig a hole to uncover the runway, clean out both sides of the runway and throw in a piece into both sides with a large spoon.and walk away. I leave the holes open. The gopher comes, takes the bait and covers up the open hole. End of story. I have "o" gopher problems. I have been using this method for years.

DENNIS MIN · Feb 21, 2016

JDseller,

I had tried that poison-underground deal. It was costly, and saw mole trails right next to the poisoned ones.

Satisfaction is having a dead furry mole caught in a trap. The initial cost of a trap is just that, the original cost. I tried worms, poisons, peppers, etc. The trap is my answer to them all.

D>

JD Seller · Feb 21, 2016

Dennis My troubles involved several hundred of the buggers spread over a 10-15 acre area. I used Kaput like the one poster used. I think it cost me about $1000 per acre for the first treatments. After that I just had to do the fence lines as they were still on a neighbor's land. He finally treated his side and we have not had any issues in the last 3-4 years.

J.Wondergem · Feb 21, 2016

I used to have a lot of gophers in the back yard. In the morning I'd sit by a open window with a 22 revolver and pick them off while I was drinking my morning coffee. I don't have many around here for the last few years. Now moles, last year was bad until I bought four of those traps you step on to set. I got them whittled down. We'll see if they come back this year.

Super Trucker · Feb 21, 2016

Get yourself a old riding lawnmower that smokes a little. Then put a hose from the exhaust into the hole and fire it up and pull the choke out a little and walk away for a hr or so. Works good and no mess.

jacksun65 · Feb 21, 2016

I have a Cat that gets rid of gophers and moles. well worth her weight.

LA in WI · Feb 21, 2016

If you are referring to "pocket gophers" then you are not covering the traps good enough and light is getting in.

Gophers see any light and they will push dirt to close that off.

Use a large wooden shingle to completely cover the hole, then pile enough dirt on that so light cannot get thru.

You gophers are not "stupid", but...

LA in WI

David G · Feb 21, 2016

My cat keeps them pretty well thinned out.

bmack95hd · Feb 22, 2016

What's the difference between a mole & a vole? The one's I have have front teeth like a beaver. I just stand quiet with my pistol grip shot gun and wait for the dirt to quiver and "BAM" I got him. If the plaque doesn't keep down the prairie dogs my AR takes care of the rest of them.

@#$% gophers!

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