Author Topic: Gopher Outbreak -- What is Your Kill Method? (Read 13086 times)

Left Coast Chris · « **on:** May 17, 2007, 01:36:02 AM »

Well, the garden is hurting this year. Gophers and moles have pretty much wrecked it and I have to start over.

The little buggers are the worst we have had in a long, long time......

I have tried posion grain, black hole traps, flooding (the most effective) , vibrating stakes but they just keep coming back for more.

Any sure bets that you have tried

---Help--

rbhunter · « **Reply #1 on:** May 17, 2007, 03:32:17 AM »

The best method I have found is to use flexible metal pipe hooked up to an old lawnmower exhaust and place the other end in one of the holes. Plug any holes in which you see smoke comming out of. Try and place the flexible pipe in one of the newest holes. This method has worked better than any thing else I have tried. Very seldom is a second application needed. Let the mower run for about 15 minutes or so.

Dan_Shade · « **Reply #2 on:** May 17, 2007, 06:27:10 AM »

if you try a box trap baited with chicken feed, you may find a dead one in it later in the day! (at least that's happening to the squirrels at my place.)

OneWithWood · « **Reply #3 on:** May 17, 2007, 08:32:51 AM »

The only fool proof method I found was my dog Smoke. After about a week of diggin' and chompin' the place was free of moles. Of course it was full of holes

Smoke was a fine lab that I still miss. She lived to the ripe old age of 17. When she was onto a mole the dirt would fly and her muzzle would dissappear so rapidly into the hole it look like she was blasting the dirt out with her nose! She always came up with a squeeking mole, one chomp and it was over. She knew not to actually bite into them, she just crushed 'em, tossed them into the air and left them for the cats to paly with. What a dog

thurlow · « **Reply #4 on:** May 17, 2007, 08:52:37 AM »

This made a big impression on me in the early '50s, when I was about 8 years old; I won't recommend it; dry as it is around here, one might set the world afire............to get rid of groundhogs or foxes, my Grand-dad would catch a terrapin, somehow attach a piece of wire to his rear-end (either to back leg, or through hole in shell), tie a coal-oil soaked rag to the wire, light it and put him into the hole. Whatever lived there would come out the exit hole to face a shotgun.

Gary_C · « **Reply #5 on:** May 17, 2007, 09:51:43 AM »

This Gopher State, Minnesota, is well named. Every township offers a bounty on gophers of usually a buck apiece. Some require the feet and some the ears, etc. so the enterprising young trappers collect from all the town boards they can. And the town boards all know this and don't care, they willingly pay the bounties.

Unfortunately, it doesn't help as the guy that traps my hayfield usually gets 20-30 gophers the first day and then they get smart. Those buggers will destroy a good alfalfa stand in 2 to 3 years. When I have to rip up a hay field, I really enjoy taking the 3000 gallon liquid manure tank with injectors and driving real slow thru their mounds. Makes a real slimy mess.

johncinquo · « **Reply #6 on:** May 17, 2007, 01:04:42 PM »

A 10 year old, a pellet gun, and a buck apiece. After his highly skilled "sniper training" lesson I gave him, they dont stand a chance.

Alternative, D-con has small plastic bags now. I just throw the whole bag down a hole and they chew right through it. Find em layed out in the grass in a day or two.

we wacked a wood chuck out the bedroom window last week.

couldnt find the key to the gun cabinet and this thing has been living under my barage all winter. Grabbed the 9mm handgun and layed waste to the beast. The girlie was surprising not that annoyed, she thought one "pop" in the house was better than the lunatic running around every time the beast was sunning itself.

treebucker · « **Reply #7 on:** May 17, 2007, 01:33:02 PM »

Quote from: thurlow on May 17, 2007, 08:52:37 AM

This made a big impression on me in the early '50s, when I was about 8 years old; I won't recommend it; dry as it is around here, one might set the world afire............to get rid of groundhogs or foxes, my Grand-dad would catch a terrapin, somehow attach a piece of wire to his rear-end (either to back leg, or through hole in shell), tie a coal-oil soaked rag to the wire, light it and put him into the hole. Whatever lived there would come out the exit hole to face a shotgun.

I'll have to put that one on the shelf for story telling.

Fortunately we don't have gophers around here. But I did see an interesting way they rid the large towns out west. They had a modified street sweeper vac with a hose on it. They stuck the hose down the holes and sucked them out. According to the operator it was 100% effective and didn't harm the gophers.

It was also a cool way of doing it. But I would follow him with a shot gun just to make sure he didn't try to get some repeat business by dumping them nearby.

caz · « **Reply #8 on:** May 17, 2007, 03:39:25 PM »

Get a Ferret they do wonders and they are cheap

Sprucegum · « **Reply #9 on:** May 17, 2007, 06:42:01 PM »

Those .17 caliber varmint rifles are getting real popular around here. You can sit comfortable and pop anything within 100 yards easily. Its an afternoon entertainment for the town boys.

Texas Ranger · « **Reply #10 on:** May 17, 2007, 06:54:44 PM »

There is a post series here some where, where we talk about the judicious use of propane, and its fun.

Raider Bill · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2007, 07:37:42 PM »

I use castor seeds for my moles. Used to use castor oil but this is easier. Just drop some down the hole.

alexinoklahoma · « **Reply #12 on:** May 17, 2007, 09:27:54 PM »

I used the 'pellets' for a season. No worth at all. Dogs could not keep up with them, and the holes were big enough to flip a tractor. This year, the 'smoke bombs' that look like big firecrackers are doing a good job, and I am also thinking of doing the car exhaust thing also. There are several areas *infested* with numerous little varmints on my two acres, and I'm finally starting to *not* see new 'mounds'. The 'repellent granules' don't seem to a dang thing either - doesn't faze them when the mounds are circling nice landscape plants and getting closer each day. One taste of a large Prariefire crabapple &/or 2 Magnolia Jane(s) root systems and they are hooked, I guess. Propane would be fun, too...plenty of distance for safety, hehe!

There sure seem to be a LOT more this year compared to last 5-6 years, IMO! I've also planted numerous castor plants to lay down seeds this Fall for Spring 'feedings', I hope...

Alex

IndyIan · « **Reply #13 on:** May 17, 2007, 10:19:14 PM »

Coyotes are working well in our area for gophers, I have seen about 5 so far this year and we have no active holes on our farm

Not so great if you have livestock though... We have free range chickens and we've had two coyote raids in 18 months. First one never came back as we we're home and chased it for quite a while, second raider showed up when we weren't home and got two.
That one came back the next day and met his maker courtesy of the shotgun. I had a full choke in(for turkeys) so I couldn't use slugs, so the most lethal stuff I had was #6 turkey shot. From 20 yards it did the job quite well.

Don_Papenburg · « **Reply #14 on:** May 17, 2007, 11:01:03 PM »

Bleach and CLEAR ammonia poured down the hole in equal amounts, then plug the hole

CHARLIE · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2007, 12:13:23 AM »

Farmer77, I have both pocket gophers and stripped gophers. I tried the "Spring Trap" for the pocket gophers and got a few but it was a lot of work digging into their tunnels and setting the traps and continually checking them. I finally bought some poison smoke bombs that look like a huge firecracker and they do the job the best. Just dig open the tunnel. Light the fuse and stick it down in the tunnel, fuse side first. Then cover the tunnel with dirt. No more pocket gopher. Everytime I see a mound pop up, I get a gas bomb and gas'em. I hardly have any anymore.

Now, with the stripped gophers, about all you can do is either shoot them with a .22 or get a live trap and bait it with peanut butter.

Left Coast Chris · « **Reply #16 on:** May 18, 2007, 09:54:45 PM »

Thanks for the info,

I have heard of the engine exhaust, I will try it. Have not heard of the striped gopher. With my luck I probably have them. The large fire cracker bombs I have tried... but they are expensive for the amount of gophers and moles we have. Im guessing we have 50 or more active holes on the three acres around the house. They must have multiplied well this spring because this is the first time I could not keep up with them and now we are over run.

As for guns........... its a great way to get them to pay the price but our soil is so deep we rarely see on moving......... maybe because we have to leave for work in the morning and that seems like when they strike.

The amonia and bleach sounds good .......... if I knew I was not going to gas myself.

Our dog is a Jack Russell and he digs them out occasionly but the soil is so deep and sandy that the holes go 3' or more so he is limited.

The loss of the garden is so disapointing Im ready to try anything as long it does not take forever.

--thanks--

pineywoods · « **Reply #17 on:** May 18, 2007, 09:57:07 PM »

Ammonia and bleach when mixed makes chlorine gas. Nasty stuff. Be carefull

brdmkr · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2007, 10:18:01 PM »

I think it is funny that where you are trying to get rid of them, we are concerned that they may be declining to critically low levels in GA

(course ours is different species). I am currently working with some folks to develop a live trap for them.

Don_Papenburg · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2007, 11:24:10 PM »

Gassing yourself is not a problem . If you see the cloud coming up just put your foot over the hole . You should have had a clump of sod to cover with as soon as the clear amonia is dumped.

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Author Topic: Gopher Outbreak -- What is Your Kill Method? (Read 13086 times)

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