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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Well it seems that my pocket gopher infestation (which I thought I could control) is starting to get out-of-hand. They’re wrecking my “good lawn” and have started to work on my vineyard. The home was new about a year and a half ago, and they pretty much stayed away from the newly excavated and graded areas ... until now.
I’ve tried the caster oil sprays,
Fox, bobcat, and human urine (don’t ask)
Ammonia, and Pinesol
"MoleChaser" (vibrating devices), and
Poison smoke bombs
I was thinking of tying the Poison pellets next, and if that doesn’t work, then hiring a professional to trap them.
Any other suggestions or advice?
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Two words, "Gopher Traps".
They are spring-loaded snares that are dug into the tunnel, when the little critter passes through they get the 'sleeper hold'.
Short of that I can send you a Jack Russell Terrier, guaranteed there wont be a rodent left alive in a wide circle around your place. They have a set of genetic instructions to kill rodents that comes ahead of food or sleep, and a determination that is impressive by anyone's standards.
Of course a 'Jack' will probably dig up more of your yard trying to get to the gophers than any colony ever could destroy.
Best of luck.
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Our neighbor has a Jack Russell Terrier ... feisty little sh!t. He literally ate their leather sofa. He’d work a seam open, then pull all of the stuffing out the hole.
A friend of ours is in the process of having traps set. The person they hired charges $10 for each trap set and $25 for each gopher trapped. Also, have another friend who just paid sometype of exterminating company $180 to let “poison worms” loose in their gopher mounds. Sounded kind of like a gimmick to me.
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Get a kid, a garden hose and a sharp shovel.
Have the kid (boys are less squeamish) flood the tunnels until they come up or drown. If they come up for air whack them with the shovel.
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Flooding the tunnels ... gives me visions of that scene from “Caddy Shack”.
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
I've researched the pocket gophers cause I've been battling them for 2 years. They are evil creatures that will have you shooting at them from a bathroom window wearing only your underware in no time. My wife just starred at with that look they have of "What the hell are you doing?"
I've used the sleeper hold traps and did get one with that. But the gophers are really wiley. They used to bury my traps after shoving them further down the tunnel. I tied string/small rope to them so I could retrieve the trap. But I had to tear up more yard to dug up the burried traps.
Smoke bombs don't work. My gophers were clean gophers so they'd take the empty smoke bomb back up to the surface so I could dispose of it.
Here is a link to the Rodenator. It's the ultimate gopher killing tool. I got really close to spending the money for it!! Oh so close!!
I did use poisoned food for the ones closest to the house. I made a gopher feeder out of a funnel and plastic tubing. I dug out the tunnel and inserted the tube so the food would be down in the tunnel. I then carefully closed the tunnel back up. I haven't had any activity in the two spots I tried this. I haven't had time to feed the rest of the gophers.
Google "pocket gophers" and you'll come up with other links. Iowa State and UC Davis offer tips on "management" of the problem. I'll post more links.
Link:
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Pocket gopher info from UC Davis
Link:
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
From Nebraska.
I hate these rodents. I know how mad they will drive you. My dog has killed at least 4 that I know of. Also 2 moles. I'll post the mole story some other time. Hint - never whack a mole with a shovel if you don't want to wear the guts.
Link:
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
Thanks to everyone for the info.
Last night, just for sh!ts & giggles, I stuck a hose in one of the newest holes, after 15 minutes, it was still taking water. So, I checked the water meter just to keep track. 90 minutes (and 45 cubic feet of water) later, this hole and the surrounding holes were full. Not sure where all of the water went? Seems like a lot though?
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Pocket Gophers Gone Wild
I have had good results with the the poisonthat comes in cans. It is some sort of seed impregnated with poison. My neighbot had good luck hooking his lawn mower exhaust to a lex pipe and sticking it in the tunnels. Just stick the hose in and let the mower run for an hour or so.
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