Gophers!

[Prototype]

In all honosty, this reminds me of my skunk problem. We tried every suggestion in the book, with little to no success. I would honostly reccomend bringing in a professional. It's one thing to get rid of vermin, it's another to keep them from coming back. Professionals will handle both.

[Ice]

It was about a year ago I was dealing with a gopher problem. Flooding the hole does NOT work. Apparently, the little brats have burrows within the tunnels that sit higher, so while you're flooding, they just climb up, sit there and wait it out as water rushes by. All the water does is make the ground more unstable as now you have a too much water under dirt that has already been compromised by the gopher's tunnels.

It was also suggested I try carbon monoxide. I did that, I thought it worked because I hadn't seen the little sucker for a couple of days, but it came back.

Tried the old fashioned "whack a mole" method, but the little guys are quick and you only have to swing at them a few times before they disappear for hours.

I tried baited traps and they never caught him, but the ground in my front yard was becoming more unstable every day.

I finally decided poison was the way to go. So I went to Home Depot and got this:

http://www.backyardstyle.com/shop/in...-flypage-15445

I put some peanuts down the hole and within 24 hours there was a dead gopher in my flower bed next to one of his holes. The thing to keep in mind with the poison is that you need to discard the dead gopher ASAP because any animal that eats it could be killed by ingesting poison via the rodent. I wouldn't have used the poison in the backyard because my dog is there.

Gophers are more than a nuisance, they can cause real damage. My gopher had managed to crack some of the irigation pipes which I had to have replaced. He didn't make it to my concrete walkway, but some people aren't so lucky. The last thing you want is weakend ground under concrete, whether that's a walkway, porch or your foundation.

[DropIt]

1.You find the newest mound clean off the dirt and access the hole.2. You hook up your garden hose to your vehicle exhaust pipe ( I have used a plastic soda bottle the 18oz size) cut the bottom off and tape it to the pipe then attach the hose on the cap threads. 3. insert the hose in the hole and cover it tightly.4. run the vehicle for approx 30 min5. remove the hose and cover the hole.the gas will kill the gophers and it leaves a residue in the tunnels that NEW gophers hate.

Found it on Yahoo, but I've used this method personally and it works

[Ice]

Originally Posted by DropIt

1.You find the newest mound clean off the dirt and access the hole.2. You hook up your garden hose to your vehicle exhaust pipe ( I have used a plastic soda bottle the 18oz size) cut the bottom off and tape it to the pipe then attach the hose on the cap threads. 3. insert the hose in the hole and cover it tightly.4. run the vehicle for approx 30 min5. remove the hose and cover the hole.the gas will kill the gophers and it leaves a residue in the tunnels that NEW gophers hate.

Found it on Yahoo, but I've used this method personally and it works

The flaw in this method is that you have to have every other escape hole plugged as well. I did this (even though its illegal in California) and thought it would work, but I think because I was never able to find any other holes, the carbon monoxide was escaping before it was potent enough to kill the gopher. It did keep the gopher away from my yard for a couple of days thought, so there is probably something to the residue theory.

[DropIt]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

A jack russel would do the job nicely.

Im remember hearing somewhere that weiner dogs were bred for this very reason

[DropIt]

Originally Posted by Ice

The flaw in this method is that you have to have every other escape hole plugged as well. I did this (even though its illegal in California) and thought it would work, but I think because I was never able to find any other holes, the carbon monoxide was escaping before it was potent enough to kill the gopher. It did keep the gopher away from my yard for a couple of days thought, so there is probably something to the residue theory.

I was able to see the exhaust coming out of the open holes when I did it, but I can see how that would be a problem

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

These worked wonders at my parents acreage.



Only if you want to kill the little s...

I use the above trap all the time for Northern Pocket Gophers, which are subterranean, nocturnal rodents that rarely come above ground. The bait is the light - particularly moonlight - coming in through the single small hole in the end.

For Richardson Ground Squirrels - aka the common gopher and the rodent we are talking about here - a different trap, open on two sides and placed directly over a hole, is more effective. A little bit of greenery for bait doesn't hurt.

Or, a killer Golden Retriever like Abby:



Cowperson

[jydk]

I just went camping on the long weekend, and while tossing the football around I stepped in a gopher hole.

Guess which foot.

Just got xrays done, waiting for call back from the doc to see just how bad it really is.

[dissentowner]

Such a typical human response, there is another creature trying to survive in the same area I am, lets kill it! Either have somebody come in to remove them or live trap them and release them away from your home. Killing an innocent animal just because it is doing what nature intended it to do is sad and wrong.

[Azure]

Survival of the fittest?

I have a gun. Therefore I can kill and claim my territory.

Its the gophers fault he doesn't have a bigger gun.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Looks like I have a gopher problem. They have moved in under my steps/ front porch and have started eating plants. I have tried fortifying their access points with rocks/concrete/landscaping ties and they just end up digging new holes. I also put out a couple of those ultrasonic pest chasers but they seem to be unphased by them.

I was just wondering if anybody has any suggestions to get rid of them that doesn't involve:

- Caddyshack or Gainer references
- Explosives
- Unlawful discharging of a firearm within City Limits
- Any other illegal activity.

Poison is the easiest way, but be careful about what type of poison you use. If there's any chance of other animals getting into it, be sure you use anti-coagulants rather than acute poisons; it'll take several feedings for a squirrel to get to a lethal dose, which means the level of poison is pretty mild for other animals such as dogs or cats, and it also means that the ground squirrels don't get bait shyness (if others see one squirrel eat and soon die, they may avoid the food source, but with an anti-coagulant, because the poison happens gradually, they don't realize the source is tainted).

Here's a good link:
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3471

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Azure

Survival of the fittest?

I have a gun. Therefore I can kill and claim my territory.

Its the gophers fault he doesn't have a bigger gun.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Such a typical human response, there is another creature trying to survive in the same area I am, lets kill it! Either have somebody come in to remove them or live trap them and release them away from your home. Killing an innocent animal just because it is doing what nature intended it to do is sad and wrong.

When we first moved to the country more than a decade ago, we were enjoying the countrified ambience, including a Richardson Ground Squirrel, the common gopher, moving in. Cute guy!!!

Then he started to dig and dig in very inconvenient places. This wouldn't do. He was disturbing our wah and our yard.

I phoned the Humane Society and asked if there was a way to humanely trap the cheeky fellow and move him somewhere.

The person on the other end of the line seemed to misunderstand the question because they launched into talking about concussion bombs to blow their brains out, pouring kerosene down the hole to burn them out . . . . . and various other methods of mass destruction.

I finally got it through to the Humane Society person I wanted to trap it and move it somewhere. "Oh . . . . I guess you could do that. Where are you going to move it? Farmers don't want him. They'll just kill him too."

So . . . . . I killed him. This was a disturbing event and I actually felt pretty bad disposing of the corpse, bidding him farewell, digging him a little grave, etc, etc.

Then more came.

Soon it was just "plop" over the other side of the fence with the bodies. No ceremony. Eventually the dogs just took care of them, including one mortifying scene where they played tug of war with one and ripped his squealing ass in half right in front of me before I could stop it. (Cue nightmares).

But the Northern Pocket Gophers, said subterranean gophers, were the worst. They are beneath the dogs attention, rarely surfacing like Richardson Ground Squirrels.

I had the traps but I couldn't figure out the bait until a little old lady told me the bait should be light. Then the slaughter started. About 22 late one Fall. Then over 70 each of the following two summers as I finally cleared out my field, then about 20 a year for several more years and now . . . . . . about five to ten a year.

I still toss them over the fence. Someone drags them off and eats them. Hello food chain!!!

But I still remember that first guy and my call to The Humane Society.

It shows you the priority placed on the gopher population when the Humane Society is suggesting concussion bombs and kerosene.

Cowperson

[Ren]

[Finny61]

[holden]

Good post Cowperson, so very true. There is little support or options for those that don't want to kill the animals, and it almost always comes down to trapping or poisoning.

Poisoning works on a small scale if you monitor the holes and remove the gopher IMMEDIATELY after its dead. If not, Magpies or Crows may swoop in and kill themselves and whatever else comes in contact with their carcass. The best thing to do would be to make sure the gopher has gone down their hole, put the poison in, and use a big rock to plug it + cover it with dirt, sealing it as best you can (all entrances+exits). I lost a family dog because of an idiotic neighbor who didn't monitor the open holes he poisoned, so you have to be careful.

The pocket gopher traps work very well and are more humane than poisoning, I've been using them for years. One could try them in Richardson gopher holes as they have worked for me, but most of the time the gopher just pushed the trap out (somehow?) or doesn't use that exit.

You can pick the pocket gopher traps up at the Rocky view Municipality offices off of 32nd ave N.E.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...169.57,,1,1.85

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

When we first moved to the country more than a decade ago, we were enjoying the countrified ambience, including a Richardson Ground Squirrel, the common gopher, moving in. Cute guy!!!

Then he started to dig and dig in very inconvenient places. This wouldn't do. He was disturbing our wah and our yard.

I phoned the Humane Society and asked if there was a way to humanely trap the cheeky fellow and move him somewhere.

The person on the other end of the line seemed to misunderstand the question because they launched into talking about concussion bombs to blow their brains out, pouring kerosene down the hole to burn them out . . . . . and various other methods of mass destruction.

I finally got it through to the Humane Society person I wanted to trap it and move it somewhere. "Oh . . . . I guess you could do that. Where are you going to move it? Farmers don't want him. They'll just kill him too."

So . . . . . I killed him. This was a disturbing event and I actually felt pretty bad disposing of the corpse, bidding him farewell, digging him a little grave, etc, etc.

Then more came.

Soon it was just "plop" over the other side of the fence with the bodies. No ceremony. Eventually the dogs just took care of them, including one mortifying scene where they played tug of war with one and ripped his squealing ass in half right in front of me before I could stop it. (Cue nightmares).

But the Northern Pocket Gophers, said subterranean gophers, were the worst. They are beneath the dogs attention, rarely surfacing like Richardson Ground Squirrels.

I had the traps but I couldn't figure out the bait until a little old lady told me the bait should be light. Then the slaughter started. About 22 late one Fall. Then over 70 each of the following two summers as I finally cleared out my field, then about 20 a year for several more years and now . . . . . . about five to ten a year.

I still toss them over the fence. Someone drags them off and eats them. Hello food chain!!!

But I still remember that first guy and my call to The Humane Society.

It shows you the priority placed on the gopher population when the Humane Society is suggesting concussion bombs and kerosene.

Cowperson

[ken0042]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions. I will have to consider my options. Like many of you have said I really need to be careful of my neighbours' pets. One neighbourhood cat likes to hang out in that same flowerbed (possibly with the hope of catching a gopher) so a safe way of getting rid of them is what I'm hoping to do.

So far tonight I did a variation of the CO gas down the holes, and I ripped up a deck board to be able to put one of the ultrasonic devices under the porch. I then softly covered up their holes; enough that they can re-dig them easily and I'll be able to see if they are back.

And on a side note, I was secretly hoping there would be a "Cowperson's dogs" story in here.

[4X4]

This is such a good excuse to buy a really nice pellet rifle.

[Berger_4_]

I know I'm late to the party but if you can, get your hands on some strychnine, and a five gallon pail of grain. Mix the strychnine in with the grain and you're guaranteed to kill your gophers. Don't screw around with that nancy crap you get at Home Depot. If you know someone who lives on an acreage or farm, get them to get some for you. One bottle would do more than enough grain for you. Just be careful that any other animals you want to live don't get a hold of the dead gophers...they'll bite the big one too. Apparently a guy had a couple horses keel over dead after two mouthfuls of the stuff.

Another possibility is foot traps. Just set them in the hole and when they try to come out, bang! Then you have to kill them...I really didn't enjoy that very much, the stepping on the heads of gophers and such. It's pretty gnarly.

A final option is ammonia gas if you can find it...again, go to an ag place and rent it for a day.

Originally Posted by 4X4

This is such a good excuse to buy a really nice pellet rifle.

Bah, those things are friggin' useless. You pump and pump and pump, then just stun them, if you even hit them at all. If you're gonna get a rifle, go for a little .22. They're not very loud, and look pretty much the same as a pellet gun, so you could get away with it if you were feeling brave.