3 for 3 and 98 for the Last Year

[Left Coast Chris]

We dug down at the edge of our garden to plant some bare root ruhbarb and in the first three holes hit gopher tunnels.   Set traps in each and Wa-La....... 3 for 3.  Im hoping its a good year for traping and a bad year for the gophers.   Over the last year the count is at 98 on our 10 acres with about half kills during flood irrigation by Crickett (Jack Russell).   The rest were with the Victor Black Boxes shown.   

We are having day time temps in the upper 40s and lower 50s with the early plumb blossoms starting to buldge.   The gophers will start reproducing again so now is the time to go after them. 

[D Hagens]

Looks like some good eating there! Should post this under the food section. 8)

[Woodwalker]

Looks like some good eating there! Should post this under the food section. 8)

I knew the economy was bad, but did realize just how bad it has gotten up north. Ya'll need a emergency shipment of grits to tide you over?? 

[Onthesauk]

No gophers in our part of the NW but many moles.  And this winter has been worse then most for them, maybe because of the mild weather.  Started setting traps this last week and have two so far, one of those maybe the biggest I've ever got.  Great sense of satisfaction every time you get one of those little suckers! :D

[Magicman]

How do you cook gophers.....recipe  ???  Gotta be as good as armadillo.... :D

[timberfaller390]

"Gopher Evritt"

[Don_Papenburg]

Woodwalker , you putting Tide in your grits?  Is that good ?

[Texas Ranger]

"Care for a gopher, Everett?"

[Left Coast Chris]

We are not going hungry but its not because of the gophers.    Maybe I can sell the pelts to improve the economy and reduce the trade deficit.   

Onthesauk,   what traps and techniques do you use to get the moles?  They are more difficult to trap than gophers since they keep moving forward with thier tunnels and don't seem to return much.  They also seem to fill in the black hole traps alot even when I wear gloves.   They are real buggers.

[Onthesauk]

I use the scissor type of trap, about the only one I've had any luck with.  And you're right, sometime tough to find a run they reuse.  But once you do, cut into the tunnel between two mounds to set the trap.  Often times works better to have two traps within a couple of feet of each other, they seem to avoid one and get caught in the other.

I try to get started on them early.  I have a tough time ever catching them if they get into the garden during the summer, in the loose soil they hardly form mounds, and they are hard on the potatoes.

[pineywoods]

We don't have gophers , plenty of moles, same problems. The soil here is sandy and loose, so they seldom bother re-using a tunnel, just root out a new one. Last big run was right beside my driveway, so I tried something different. Dug down into the tunnel, inserted a piece of 2 inch hose and hooked it to the tail pipe of my pickup. Left the motor running for half and hour or so. So far no new runs, but wait and see. I know a way to kill them, but I don't like to use it for obvious reasons. Dig down to the tunnel, pour about a cup of clorox, followed by a cup of ammonia. Cover the hole up quickly. The green fumes coming from this mixture is clorine gas, very nasty stuff, will mess your lungs up big time.

[Don_Papenburg]

It has to be clear ammonia , the cloudy stuff has no reaction with the bleach .  Definatly nasty but effective.  I have used it when I was overrun with gophers and no end in sight.   I have very few gophers now 

[logwalker]

My dear old Dad made a mix of castor oil and detergent and sprayed it on the lawn. It lasted for more than 3 years. Drove them all to the neighbors.

[Left Coast Chris]

I met a guy today that bought the windmills with BBs in them from Harbor Freight.  He had moles and moved the wind mills around his yard (small) and said it has kept them out for a couple of years.  Not likely to work on 10 acres.   

I like the castor oil spray for the borders where the neighbor does not control their population.   

I do hit them early also.  They seem to trap easier coming out of winter or in the Fall too.  Once they settle in and start breading..... watch out.

[BaldBob]

Onthesauk, you may want to be careful talking about using bodygrip traps to catch gophers.  The people of Washington (well at least the large voting block in the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia area) in their infinite wisdom passed a law some years ago banning the use of body grip traps - even mole traps. There was recently a big stink when it was revealed that the groundskeepers of the State Capitol properties were using mole traps and were ordered to cease and desist.  Its unlikely that they will actually receive a citation as several private individuals have.

[Onthesauk]

Have followed the issue in the paper for years.  People pretty much ignore it.  The governor at that time gave instructions not to enforce the law as it applied to moles and no one complained.  But nothing prevents a different governor from changing that policy.  But with the state looking at a 2 billion dollar deficit I don't think this is going to be the most important thing on their plate.