Well explained!! I’m using a battery powered leaf blower instead of covering, the oxygen if fueling the burning, and reaching very far and deep. And using two gassers at a time. Thanks for sharing!!
@@DirtFarmerJay it would work better if you also use a leaf blower while you smoked them out in the holle, this way the smokes travel to the network of tunnels underground-this method will speed up the process to poison the critters out in less than 20 mins.
@@gheerock4077 this is actually what i did last time myself after seeing someone mention it online. just have to be sure you have some dirt to fit around the leaf blower. it helps to have a helper. but then you can only really do one gas stick at a time because you have to go hole to hole with the leaf blower.these things really DO put out a CRAPLOAD of poison smoke!!
Hi Jay. I'm an exterminator, and they make a machine that gasses out the gophers and prarie dogs, but it would be easy to make one yourself. All it is, is a two-stroke motor with the exhaust plumbed into a pipe that goes inside the gopher hole. Cheaper in the long run than buying a bunch of those smoke bombs.
Great video! I needed that. I have tried to flood them with a hose - which opened the tunnel well enough to light a gas bomb into both the entrance and exit. Gopher wasn’t detoured so I got a contraption to put on the exhaust pipe of my husbands car and ran 15 minutes of car exhaust then after reading that their senses of smell and hearing are sensitive… I hung a wind chime and filled the hole with as much dog poop as I could find. So far so good. One week of no new holes 💪🏼 I really needed the part of your lesson on detecting the burrow tunnels. Nancy
You always give the best explanation & solutions. You’re my go to for these kind of aggravating problems that plague me. Thanks for the great video, it was very helpful!😊
On the gassers you can also use a prod to find the tunnel. Once found make a hole just big enough for the gas stick to fit. Light it, push it to the bottom of tunnel, raise it up about an inch and pack a little dirt around stick so no smoke can escape. You can get both directions of tunnel using only one stick.
I’m going to try all of these methods & see what happens. I have gofers ruining my yard and they wreck havoc on my grass. Thank you for such an in depth video.
Especially helpful for us: your explanation of how to locate gopher tunnels from the shape of the mound. Thank you 😊👍🏼. An FYI for your viewers: any nests we’ve happened to dig up are horribly flea infested - another reason (besides sprained ankles and destroyed gardens) to get rid of the creeps.
oh man! i never even thought about fleas! thats a solid tip to share. i appreciate that. I used the gasser once earlier this year and it all but eliminated the entire problem, but then the bird feeder has allowed the ground squirrel infestation to explode ans even brought back more moles. i used an entire 6 pack of gas the last time on a 0.75 acre property.
I’ve got 3 traps with so so results. I started mixing dried sewage waste with water and washing down hole, one or two of these and I don’t see them again
Great video suggestions. I seem to encounter gophers in early summer, and they do a number on my lawn. I'm meticulous with my lawn and so it's frustrating when I see evidence of them. I know grubs can be a source of feeding, so I try to get grub stuff down. I am going to try the 'smoking' method with cheap road flares that are the same thing minus a picture of rodent(s). I think they're cheaper as well and last 20 minutes per flare. I'm also going to try a set of those ground solar stake things, one vendor that had high ratings on Amazon is who I purchased from. Finally, I wonder how an 'Ozone Generator' might work? Granted, you would not want to put one in a hole during rain, but put it in there with a small camping fan, cover the hole up with some tarp/plywood to seal and see how it goes? I used one in my home for smoke damage, and it worked really well. The warning says to evacuate the home during use because it is harmful to human (bronchial), but more harmful to pets, etc. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing.
Bahaha! Gophers were harmed during the filming of this, or shortly thereafter, so you've been warned'. I had to laugh at that statement, I'm definitely not a gopher lover, they are destructive rodents.
I am delighted to see that you and John decided to follow my suggestion for the Silver City sidetrip. I can tell, from your video, that it didn't didn't disappoint. My English cousins and I missed seeing the Gila Cliff dwellings, since they were some distance from the Continental Divide Trail and they were keen to get to Antelope Wells, on the Mexican border. They were pretty tuckered out, having ridden their bikes all the way down from Banff. My Wife and I hope to soon visit Silver City in our Class B. Based on seeing your video, we will definitely add the Gila Dwellings to our itinerary. I loved John's Monty-Pythonesque clip clop down that Texas horse trail. He must be a lot of fun to travel with! If you sponsor any Class B meetups, let us know. We would love to see you both, in person. I have learned so much about Class B camping from you. I have to be a lot more minimalist than I was in my old Class C, but it turns out that "less is more". Thanks for everything.
Thanks Chad Kerouac. I've got a huge mound in the back of my property right now that I will be smoke bombing later this week. The nice part is that you can kill and bury them in one step. Happy hunting. DFJ
Thank you for the excellent video !! Wonderful job covering how to interpret their activity from examining the surface and incredibly helpful. I am dealing with Voles which have shallow tunnels but what you shared is likely extensible.
Subscribed!! Thanks for the video! We have gophers (and voles) destroying our new yard. It's quite frustrating. We've tried the little metal traps and had a small amount of success. We've been using gassers for a little bit, and a little unsure of the success (for the reasons stated in the video). We just bought a gopher hawk trap, and have not had any success yet. I'm going to try the black box and keep using gassers. What's really helpful is understanding how they dig their tunnels. This should be very helpful and hopefully improve the success rate of the methods we've been using.
Great informative video! Thank you! One other deterrent is to drop lumps of kitty cat turds down into the tunnels from your or a friends cat litter box. The odor permeates the tunnel and makes them think a cat is nearby and they leave the area quickly. Another that works well is "Gummy Bears" dropped down in the burrows, as they cannot digest these for some reason, and they are fatal.
Thanks for the great tip John Gaines. I am in "the battle of my life" with the little suckers right now - taking over my beds and even burrowing up in the mature grass areas. I will try your suggestions!! Best, DFJ
never heard of the gummy bears trick but im gonna try it today too now. i will say this though, our garden has been all but obliterated this summer by the GD ground squirrels and moles. and now, an F'n cat it seems has decided to make our garden its personal F'n litter box. the presence of the cat turds hasnt deterred these F'n rodents a MF'n bit.
By far the best video I've found on killing gophers! You go into depth on the biology of the animals- even better than some University videos. My soil is very sandy and loose, which has presented great difficulty. This video is sure to help. Thank you.
Good insight. We are going to feature that approach in an upcoming episode. To control the gophers around our place, we find that we need to have a variety approaches to get the job done. Baits, traps, and smoke are all used. The bait is applied with a tool that puts it deep into the run to keep the bait away from pets and other wildlife that is not obnoxious! Thanks for writing. Best, DFJ
DF Jay and fellow subscribers, A great idea I found in a Popular Mechanics magazine from the 1950’s showed a man (Wearing a suit of course!)😀 killing moles in his yard. He had one of the early gasoline powered lawn mowers with one end of a metal hose connected to the muffler on the mower and the other end placed into the run. Odorless and highly effective.
Yes, that's an old fashion remedy but not as safe as you might think. Especially if the gopher tunnels are close to you house and particularly dangerous if you have a basement where the vapor could come into the windows from the gopher holes. Just be careful. Best, DFJ
my boss at golf course would run a hose down one hole and another hose down other hole turn water on and wait with machete they would pop up he would whack em
jeff eaby----- I once used one of those smoke cannisters on a gopher hole. I lit it and covered it up. The gopher kicked it out of the hole and I found it laying on top of the mound the next day. It was kind of funny but it wasn't. The gopher seemed to be mocking me and telling me it didn't work. It made me mad and I hadn't gotten rid of it so I didn't use it again. That's just my story. I liked your video. I'll try the traps next time.
I have found a technique that is 100% effective and is simple if you have mans best friend, a dog. This is also 100% eco-friendly and will help any vegetation nearby grow better. What I did was (1) find a gopher hole and clear the entrance, (2) get a good portion of newly laid doggie poop - the softer the better, (3) insert some of the poop into hole as far as you can without packing the hole (4) get a garden hose with jet nozzle and wash the poop far into the hole (5) keep doing #3 and #4 until you use up the poop (6) refill the hole with dirt (7) Don't worry anymore about a gopher reopening that hole! Do this for all holes in your yard. I have never had a gopher reopen any hole I did this to. However, this will not prevent them from digging a new hole somewhere else but if you do this to all new holes, after a short while, they will stop putting holes in your yard. As for my neighbors yard where they did nothing, well they weren't so lucky.
I just did all new professional landscaping of my front yard. Within 4 days I had gopher activity. 🤨 I tried the Black Box, the Gopher Hawk trap and gopher bait. I don't know if the bait has worked but the critters stuffed dirt into both kinds of traps which set them off but no gratification on my part, rather annoyance! So now that they destroyed over half of my new lawn, I heard about The Giant Gasser and will give them a try. They are my nemesis. Thank you for your video. It gave me confidence to keep trying.
They are persistent and annoying pests. Ongoing diligence and effort by you will bring them under control and is so worth it. Let me know how this turns out! Best, DFJ
In So Cal area, pocket gophers and gophers caught that won’t pull up through the trap hole. I’ve found my best luck using the gopherhawk trap. I’d post pictures to show you all, but I don’t know how to do that. I really like this trap, it’s making sure you find an active tunnel, shop vac out as much dirt as you can (if need be) insert the trap, cock it CORRECTLY, then have patience..
If you want to chase them off. Buy at the home store those spinning daisy lawn ornaments. Break off one (or two on the same side) of the wind veins. This causes them to make an uneven sound/vibration when they spin, which gophers do not like. They will ignore the smooth sounding spinners. If you want to do it on the cheap. Take a 6ft to 10ft long by 3/4 x 3/4 inch stick. something that will fit inside a milk jug. Pound the stick into the ground near your garden. Put a one gallon milk jug on the stick. Melt a hole in the center of the bottom. Put a nail in the hole to keep the milk jug centered. Then cut the 4 sides of the jug making flaps, use a heat gun or torch to bend these flaps out to catch the wind. Of course you can melt and bend the milk jug into shape while in the garage/house. Old farmers used to remove a vein off of their water pump wind mill. That would cause the water tower to act as a gopher repellent. If you do the milk jug on a stick around the house.....Your family, neighbors, and relatives will be embarrassed at how redneck this looks and buy the plastic spinner daisy's for you.
Artiken - this is GREAT! Thanks for taking time to share your insights. Indeed, some of the "modern" devices work off the principle that you are alluding to - intermittent, non-repetitive noise that keeps the gophers "off-guard" or just a bit afraid that something is out and about on the surface. Thanks for the tips and yet another nod to those that have gone before us and figured out some great solutions. Don't be surprised if this doesn't show up in a future episode - if so, you'll get credit for it. Best Regards, DFJ
Thanks for the tips! We're being indated up here in the woods of north idaho. I suspect because so many new neighbors think they have to shoot the predators. Gophers and bunnies, neither good for the garden and a pain besides. Were trying the smokers after seeing this. A word to all, careful with any kind of fire! We're lucky locally so far this year, counting our blessings. Only a dozen or so smaller fires, mostly lighning caused.
Glad to be of help. This is one of several tactics to control the gophers; it may take a combination of different things to reduce the population so your garden and landscape spaces are not overrun. Thanks for writing - and good advice on fire.
I largely solved my gopher problem, but I still enjoy watching gopher traps. Cinch traps works very well, but sometimes the gophers evade them by burying the claws. You have to keep shifting them every day. Poison bait doesn’t always work. Gas didn’t work at all. I didn’t bother with the box trap since the gophers was digging in the hillside. I added a layer of metal fencing below the surface to keep out gophers. I’m replanting my yard with gopher resistant plants.
On the gasser, what helped big time was after pushing the lit gasser down further with a stick, waited for about 20 seconds then used a leaf blower to push the smoke through the whole system. Not on full blast but either low to medium setting or pulling trigger on and off. Don't want to fan the stick too much because it will catch fire. Ask me how I know. lol I've found other entry holes this way when smoke starts rising at various places around the yard. Then cover and pound all the holes with dirt where smoke came up to seal it and keep the gas in the tunnel system.
I usually use the pyrotechnic gas generators for rat tunnel complexes around our birds- I add electric igniters to these "gopher getters", place in burrow, cover entry with a scrap of plastic sheet and a shovelful of sand, then ignite remotely. I note and mark the exits I didn't find before from the places smoke escapes. Also, it's a good idea to have a .45 loaded with shot cartridges for "the runners". The mixture in cartridges is basically a crude black powder type mixture with a lot of excess charcoal, and a little excess Sulfur compared to the normal ratios used for gunpowder. The effective gasses released are Carbon monoxide and Sulfur dioxide. The SO2 smells nasty but the CO is actually more deadly.
Bert2368 - these are some great insights. What brand of gas generators do use and where do you get them? These might be something we review as well. For us rural people, have shot cartridges for those attempting to get away is a good piece of advice as well. Thanks for lesson on cartridge composition as well. Very helpful. Best Regards, DFJ
@@knot4man Pretty close- Google "Lead chamber process". Realize, the gopher getters are made of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur, but have more sulfur than would be used in normal black powder. Rough on rats...
@@Bert2368 That gives me an idea, I have some loose black powder I don't use any more. Do you think that would work in small amounts? It sure creates a lot of smoke.
I liked and subscribed because this video was definitely helpful and informative. I believe the smoke sticks are what I’m going to try first. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for watching. Sounds to me like you've had some significant gopher problems yourself. They are destructive for sure. We turned on our sprinkler system after the first winter in our house and had a geyser in the front yard. Gopher had chewed through the funny pipe underground. That was the beginning of our quest to eliminate the menaces! Best to you. Dirt Farmer Maggie.
Well done Jay. Great delivery and articulation. Question: Do you find it effective to bait the traps with veggies? If so, what works best for you? My problem is the gophers burying traps over and over. Any advice? Thank you.
Thanks for watching and commenting Jason Brawner Record Producer. I've never put any bait in the trap. What attracts them inside the trap is the small hole of light coming from the opposite end of the trap and the noise that comes into that hole as well. Gophers are very curious. Dig your hole, into the tunnel, wide enough that the hole on the end of the trap has light coming through it. Set the trap then place it on the "active end" of the tunnel (The direction where you are seeing a lot of gopher activity in the field). Push the front of the trap up against the opening of the gopher's tunnel then bury it with enough dirt on the top and sides of it that no light is coming into it except the light from the hole at the end. Hope this helps DFJ
My father didn't have sons so he taught his daughters how to do this, I am one of the daughters. We never used any bait like veggies to attract a gopher at all, but I have run some water down in the hole and they normally come back to see what is happening and close it off, but my little metal traps normally get them when they do this. I use the little Victor traps but my father realized the little loop on the long straight piece that holds the trap open was just a bit too long and required more force from the gopher to release the trap so he ground the tip of that loop down a bit to make more of a hair trigger, which works really well! Make sure you are always working on a fresh hole, as that shows where the gopher is working. I have wondered at times if the smell from our hands to the trap is something that may tip gophers off that there is a trap so I now use gloves. You may have to remove a SMALL amount of dirt to allow the trap to slide inside the hole and hopefully close, killing the gopher. I don't cover it with dirt but do place an old rug over the top with something heavy on top to keep it dark down there. On the Victor traps at the end you will see two coils and you should take a thin piece of wire and feed it through one and twist tie it off. Leave about 18 inches of wire to come out of the hole and make a strong loop in the end. This is where you are going to secure your trap so it is not drug down into hole never to be seen again! Take an old screwdriver and stick it through the hole on your wire and lay it out on the ground, sticking your screwdriver into the ground at an angle to hold your trap secure. Check your traps in a day or two and we most always will have a dead gopher to dispose of. If you have more, find another hole and repeat! Good Luck and Good Hunting!
Great video !!!! Did just what you said 1foot from the plug and dug down and found the main tunnel, dropped a smoke bomb in each direction, fingers crossed that does the trick.
Thanks John's Fun. I'm fighting quite a battle this year with gopher mounds showing up everywhere, even in the lawn! The Gopher Hawk has worked the best. Watch that video to see how it works. Happy hunting! DFJ
We are using highway flares clipped into 3-5" segments and lit with a torch (matches, lighter are not hot enough). The flares are cheaper than the gasser smoke. Then we run a leaf blower into the hole. You cannot believe the extant of the tunneling until you do this. Smoke comes up many yards from the flare. My record is 20 yards. Quite effective.
I had gophers about a year ago, prior to getting rock landscaping and a drip system. Well, they're back and create mounds around the plants. I managed to kill 2 early 2022 with the small wire traps, but then they stopped going for the traps. I've been using the poison pellets and at first they seemed to disappear for a couple weeks, then another mound of dirt and rocks reappears! I'm going to try the gassers and/or highway flares because I can't really dig up their tunnels without cutting through the material and raking all the rocks away... If the gassers/flares don't work, I'm going to use the carbon monoxide exhaust method!!! 🤬
This is great! We went years without gophers, then all of a sudden two years ago, BOOM! Gopher metropolis in our backyard. I have a cat too, but he can't keep up. Even with extra help from feral cats and coyotes passing through. One question: Do you know if an animal eats a gopher that has ingested the poison pellets, will it be harmed? Thank you!
Sorry to hear this is happening to you. Indeed, there is a danger if a cat, dog or coyote eats a poisoned gopher - it is called secondary poisoning. Our experience has been that the treated gophers go deeper into their burrow to die - so its unlikely they will get dug up and eaten. I hope this helps! Best, DFJ
With the smoke bombs, use a leaf blower to fill the tunnel quickly. Also leave the hole open, if they seal it back up, you know you need to do it again.
Great informative video, very well made. I have found that placing some Iceberg lettuce, (not Romain lettuce) will reduce the time frame necessary for the metal traps to complete their mission. Score so far....... Me 16 - Gophers 0 Note: be certain to tie a shoe sting to the trap to retrieve it after mission completion.
Thanks for watching and commenting Robert Allen. We will pass this on to our viewers. The problem is that many people don't want to kill the gophers, just get them to move somewhere else. That doesn't work very well!! Congrats on your score!! Best, Dirt Farmer Maggie.
@@grannypantsification I put the lettuce behind the trap, not in front of the trap in the hole. So the gopher has to go over the trap to get the lettuce. Works really well. Good Luck!
I use several kinds of traps. I use two at at time, one in each direction, chained together and fastened to a stake to prevent gopher from dragging trap into tunnel or scavenger from stealing the trap and dead gopher. When I catch one I always reset the trap in the same hole for at least a day. I've more than once caught up to seven this way, probably young ones still living with their mother. Sometimes I destroy the tunnel to keep the next gopher from using it.
My local Farmer's Co-op has Victor gassers that are much bigger than the Amdro gassers, and they are made in the USA. I've had the best luck with the Gopherhawk so far, but I lost one. I think a Fox may have ran off with it and the dead gopher. Lol.
@@DirtFarmerJay Hi again, I have to plan a trip to that area in Utah. Do you know the mountain range name? Of course it's beautiful!!! Socal is nice but, the background in your video is just so Great!!!
Whats a good recommendation for someone with gophers that have taken over 10 acres of land?? Probing and poisoning seems to be working, but its very time consuming.
Sorry there is not an easy answer to this issue. I'm actually fighing gophers on my farm right now too! Best of luck to us both to get rid of these critters! DFJ
Gassers- I've used them but beware they will kill everything inside. Good critters use gopher burrows: worms, good snakes, salamanders, lizards, and insects that are all good for the land. Hence the endangered or threatened species issues. I don't think you want to kill any of the good guys. Start with traps - unless you do it wrong only gophers with be harmed. By the way, gophers are good for the soil but if they are eating up and making hazards time to remove them! good luck!
For the past few months, we’ve been trying out Gopher Hawk traps. They don’t appear to be very effective: we’ve only caught a couple. The gophers seem to dig around them.
Elaine, it's difficult to know if this is the particular brand trap, or it "your" gophers would dig around other brands as well. I've found that in some cases, ongoing attempts wins the day and you finally win. Don't quit trying to trap them, as they are relentless in multiplying numbers and commensurate damage. Let us know if you try another type with better success. Best, DFJ
I have some insights: run a small ride-on mower cutting the weeds or grass, and you will see dirt mounds from the soil vibration/disturbance within a day or two, then go to work on the little fellas.
Hey Jay, thanks for the info. I found it all very helpful. Have you ever discovered a method of ‘filling’ gopher tunnels to prevent them from returning? I have a friend who pumps concrete…. And I am ready to recruit him! -Eric
Three problems (at least): 1. Not cost effective 2. wet concrete could leach and damage the grass 3. the gopher has no problem with making a new tunnel right next the old one Source: 25 years as an exterminator
Hey PC, welcome to the DFJ Family! So glad to have you! I appreciate our viewer family so much. Looking forward to comments from you in the future. Best, DFJ
When you use the black boxes set 2 of them one each direction that way your more likely to get the critter no matter which end of the main tunnel it comes from
can I use the gas tubes for ground Moles? the trails aren't as deep as the gopher trail, but I need to get rid of the two I have. I think I saw these in my large box store.
Put a hose from your water heater and drain the hot water into the hole, they'll all drown because the gppher that tries to block the tunnels will boil, the rest will drown. That always works.
In south Texas no gophers but we have ground squirrels and they dig holes as well...it also happens that the burrows can cave in...which makes great big holes in your yard. Its not fun to trip on a hole you can twist an ankle or worse depending on how you hit it. I have been watching them and taking aim with an air rifle to keep them in check.
Here in Oregon the DOC uses a propane trash burner. Inmate digs up the dirt waste hole. Places propane trash burner nozzle in the hole. Opens propane valve letting the gas enter the tunnel for about 5 minutes. Then using a used up fire place or bbq Bic lighter, you know the kind, long tip, click to light lighter. The inmate removes the trash burner nozzle. Second inmate bends over and lights the propane gas within the tunnel. You will hear a satisfying whoomp as the gas explodes within the tunnel. Obviously the inmates with pyro charges are best suited for this task. The inmates put the dirt back into the excavation hole and move on to the next fresh excavation hole. In case you think I am joking. I am not joking. I investigated. When I heard loud thumps (whoomps) coming from the local prison I asked a corrections officer what the hell was going on. Explosions coming from the prison. That can't be good. I asked if they had tried other methods. They tried gasoline down the hole and lighting that. it does not work. It is also an eco hazard. The gophers, if not suffocated from the gas (propane), end up getting their fur singed off or dying from the concussion. As far as starting a fire. The explosion does not last long enough to ignite dry grass. An added bonus is if you have yellow jacket nests within the gopher system it helps to eliminate them as well. There is a 3rd method for you.
Artiken - more great information. This sounds like great party fun as well when you have "the guys" over. Nothing like (somewhat) controlled explosions to bring life to any party. Thanks again for writing! Best, DFJ
Bryan, I got your other message as well. I welcome the commentary and insights. Thanks for letting me know about this other product. We'll take a look at it. Best, DFJ
Hello I see this video has some age on it but just found it. Great information. I have a friend that lives in OK an he uses the box traps . He will dig down an find the runs an he will use two box traps putting them back to back facing in both directions because he said you do not know the direction they are going so it will trap them no matter witch way they are going. I have moles bad at my house here in NC . A question is the box traps to big to use on moles or should I use the traps you said that goes up in the run ??. Thank you
DF Jay, I remembered another way to control them. Pour used kitty litter into their holes and runs. Haven’t tried it but it’s supposed to work. Doesn’t kill them but they move to the neighbor’s property.
If you want to chase them off. Buy at the home store those spinning daisy lawn ornaments. Break off one (or two on the same side) of the wind veins. This causes them to make an uneven sound/vibration when they spin, which gophers do not like. They will ignore the smooth sounding spinners. If you want to do it on the cheap. Take a 6ft to 10ft long by 3/4 x 3/4 inch stick. something that will fit inside a milk jug. Pound the stick into the ground near your garden. Put a one gallon milk jug on the stick. Melt a hole in the center of the bottom. Put a nail in the hole to keep the milk jug centered. Then cut the 4 sides of the jug making flaps, use a heat gun or torch to bend these flaps out to catch the wind. Of course you can melt and bend the milk jug into shape while in the garage/house. Old farmers used to remove a vein off of their water pump wind mill. That would cause the water tower to act as a gopher repellent.
Thanks Norma Levesque. They can be so destructive - eating roots away from healthy plants. Best to get them as soon as you realize they are present. Keep watching and commenting Norma Levesque. Best, DFJ
The smoking gassers work a lot better if you use a gas or battery powered blower to push the smoke into the holes at idle speeds. When you just cover the hole like that, it takes longer for the gas to get to the far end since there is no air current. You just end up using more of them to get them all. A cheaper way is just to use a road flare.
Thanks for this. We show the leaf blower method in an upcoming episode. I've seen the price of road flares start to increase and they are about $5 each in our area (or more). The gas cartridges can be acquired for $2 or less. Best Regards, DFJ
I’ve killed 5 gophers in 4 weeks with the gopher hawk. It’s all about placement and timing. Make sure to disrupt the latest mound by the trap. They’re extremely persistent on fixing a mound that’s open and being used. Good luck!!
Love it. Indeed, the more active the area, the more tendency the gophers have to defend and keep it open. With a well placed trap, your chance of success is very high, as you have experienced. We are doing a series on gopher control, and will feature the different methods, including smoke cartridges, traps, and bait. Thanks for writing! Best, DFJ
Great tip Billy. We have 5 acres and the back 2 1/2 have been left fallow so the gophers have a hayday back there. Thanks for taking the time to comment. God bless. Dirtfarmermaggie
I have found that olive trees seem to eliminate gopher habitat. As the olive tree grows and the fallen olive leaf litter accumulates the gophers abandon the area. Only twice have very young olive trees been attacked by the gophers and the trees recovered and survived. Once the olive tree has established itself the gophers stay out from under them, but they will dig right up to the edge of the drip-line where the leaf litter has accumulated. I am in San Diego county where the olive trees thrive. So I have planted a hedge of olives along my property lines, spaced about 20' apart (for me that is 9 paces) and eventually they grow and fill in leaving no gaps. I let them grow as a bush with the branches touching the ground. Olive is a plant that once it is established it does fine with no irrigation and they usually last at least 500 to a 1000 years so I do not have to do anything there anymore. Olive is an evergreen tree that is wild-fire resistant. They shade out the weeds, so no more mowing the weeds. Fruit if I want , but irrigation is needed for better fruit size. And there are fruitless varieties if you do not want to deal with fruit. For killing the gophers I use Gopher Bait 50 by Martin's applied with the Yard Butler. It has strychnine coated seeds. This controls about 90% of the gophers, I use a variety of traps for the 10% that ignore the poison. I attach a plastic jug ( Prestone or Downey jugs work good) with 4' of bailing wire so it is easy to find the traps in tall weeds, especially if my dog has dug up the trap and eaten the gopher. My dog has also eaten many poisoned gophers and he has not been phased by the little bit of poison in them.
Thanks G L. We are located in the Mountain West of the United States. Unfortunately right now our air is full of smoke from the wild fires in neighboring California! Best to you! DFJ
