I use one similar to the black box trap. I keep an eye out for them and set it the night of the first digging signs.
Just simply unplug the hole and put in place and seal all edges with soil. Works every time.

Here is a link that might be useful: wooden trap

I believe you are talking about the metal trap with a 90* flat trigger that causes the tangs to turn inward. If so they work very well. I just set one last night. I was outback with the dogs and heard a weird clicking sound. I pointed the flashlight down and there he was poking his head out of the hole.

They work best if you use a garden shovel to make the hole wide enough to place it with some space on each side. Then push it in a few inches past the entrance of the hole. It is important to use some wire and tie it to a stake or screwdriver pushed into the ground or it might get dragged down the hole. They sense when the hole is open and they want to cover it up late at night. They push the trigger and its over.

No poisons, no smoke bombs, just a little patience and check it daily. If you forget about it you can be in for a nasty surprise. In my case thousands of Argentine ants were covering it.

Bob the cinch traps work fine. Before setting you need to break down and fill any existing holes and wait for new activity so you only work at active holes. They can not pull the trap down the hole and you do not have to dig and set the trap underground as you do the Macabee trap. The only complaint is they require some hand strength to set so some lady gardeners have a problem. Al

Al,

Whenever I find evidence of a gopher, I find a fan of dirt and a plugged exit hole. So it seems the gopher has stopped using that exit. How can I set a Cinch trap if I can't find an acitve and open exit?

By the way, they make a smaller Cinch for moles. Have you had any luck with it? I have tried dozens of times to catch moles with the Victor U-shaped jaws trap and the harpoon trap. I've caught only a few in the jaws trap and never caught one with the harpoon.

Bob

Bob, I'm not A1, but from my experience just open the hole. I've read they don't like air or that draft and will go to plug it and wham. I catch mine when they first start digging and the hole is plugged I just open it.

The only reason for removing all the gopher mounds is so you know when they make a new one, you know that they are there and don't waste your time in holes not being freguented any more. Of course you must open the hole to set the trap. My mole experience is similar to yours. Al

OK, so the Cinch trap works on the principle that the gopher comes back up to close the exit hole and gets trapped. Why then would a Macabee set in the exit hole not work just as well? All I've read over the years said the Macabee must be set down low in the main runway or you'll never catch gophers. I've taken this on faith.

I'm not doubting what you've said about the Cinch but just wondering why it would work and the Macabee won't. Or has the advice on using the Macabee simply been wrong?

Bob

I have a few active holes on the hillside in my back yard so I bought a couple additional traps this evening. They are a different brand but look exactly like the Macabee traps on google image search and work pretty much the same as the cinch traps I had before. They seem to be higher sprung and a little harder to set though. My big dog had his nose in this hole today when I was planting another tree and when I was done I noticed it was allready plugged up.

I returned with the trap and dug out the hole. I used picture frame wire about 2 feet long and tied the trap to a piece of wood (I have lost traps by not tying them down) then shoved it about a foot into the hole.

It usually takes a couple nights before they either get caught or shove enough dirt to set them off. If so just dig out the hole and reset it.

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The Macabee directions do suggest digging down into a main tunnel and setting two traps in opposite directions staking them down with wire. A big job. If your soil is easily dug and either type trap is set in the surface hole, they will usually be buried by the gopher. If the ground is hard and moist it is not easy to bury the trap and you will usually be successful, more often with the cinch type. Al

Update: after 10 days I am giving up on the Macabee style traps I bought. About four times the gophers completely surounded the traps with dirt but didn't even set them off. I moved the cinch trap to one of the active holes and cought a large gopher within a day.

I'm going to get a couple more cinch traps. I had given a couple to my brother when the activity was low but I seem to have a whole family that is now living on the hill on the side of my yard.

A funny side note I let my cocker puppy smell the gopher to see if she would run and hide like usual but the little rascal grabbed it and took of running. It was pretty large so she didn't get too far though. Now I have to put wire mesh over the holes with traps since she keeps poking her nose in them.

I've never used a cinch trap, but I've had 99% success with the Macabee style gopher traps. My Granddad taught me to use them years ago. He set them in his fields and groves.

We live on sandy river bottom, and the gophers can be prolific. I attribute my high success rate to one thing my Granddad didn't teach me to do, but I discovered by accident.

After setting the trap(s) in the run, I place flower blooms in the hole as a lure. (Wisteria blooms are a sure thing, every time!) In absence of any blooming flowers, I use something tender and succulent from the garden. When covering the hole, I leave a small airway to pull air and the scent of the blooms down into the run. This method catches even the 'trap-smart' granddaddy size gophers! I picture the gophers scurrying blindly to a 'tasty treat', not even smelling the trap until it catches them.

Thought this might help anyone battling the gophers, and might even be adaptable to the cinch trap mentioned.

I use Gophinator traps -- less expensive than Macabees in my area and won't rust. Same technique as with the Macabees.

OK two Cinch traps and a carrot for bait. I'm starting to feel like Bill Murray in Caddyshack.

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Hello home_grower. Love the picture! Did you catch 'em? My husband and I were curious to know if you were successful with your trap and bait!

Not yet. Sometimes it takes a couple days. With one trap he just went around it so I decided to try two and add a carrot.

home_grower........Yes, it takes patience to catch gophers. I generally check my traps after a full 24 hours, unless the dogs tell me that there's a gopher in the trap sooner that that.

From looking at your picture, I would offer two suggestions, if I may.

The idea is to pique the gophers curiosity without raising a danger alarm, which will cause friend gopher to backfill his run and avoid that particular entrance hole which youve nicely set with trap and lure. This can be accomplished by establishing a minimal air flow with an enticing scent, along with no light from the surface shining down into his nice and safe, dark world

First, if you can dig down under the mound of dirt you first find on the surface, going beneath the entrance tunnel, you can find the main run underground. This can be 6 to 24 inches below surface, depending on your soil composition. And the main run will seldom be directly beneath the opening on the surface, but off to one side or the other. This main run will go out in two directions from the entrance tunnel. Once you find the main run, you can then set one trap into each side of the main run. Granddad always attached light chain to each of his traps, and left the chain up on the surface looped around a stake stuck in the ground. He said this was to keep an injured gopher from crawling back down the run with his trap, causing him to have to dig up the run to find his trap. I have several sets of traps made by attaching a trap to each end of a 3-foot length of chain.

The gopher travels underground, and comes to the surface usually at night. The entrance you've uncovered will be one of many. The idea is to lure him back to the entrance you've set with traps. By having a trap in each side of the main run, you can catch him no matter which direction he comes from to investigate your 'lure'.

Sometimes I cannot find the main run, or can find only one side of it opened. I will then set the trap down just the one side of the main run, or as deeply as I can into the entrance tunnel. The tunnel may have to be slightly enlarged to accommodate the trap, but set it as deep as you can.

Second, I was taught to cover the hole with the soil/root clump dug up to find the run, or a board with something heavy set on the board to weigh it down. The idea, Granddad said, was to keep the sun from shining down in the hole. As a nocturnal creature, the gopher is apt to interpret light in his run as danger (something has invaded my home). Danger outweighs curiosity and he will just backfill the run without investigating the 'lure' placed in the entrance, thereby missing the trap altogether.

It's important to leave a small hole up top and a channel that is clear and open from the surface down into the run, making a small airway to pull air from above the ground down into the run. Think 'chimney flue'. An opening thumb to half-dollar size is ideal, just so the pathway is clear for the air to get sucked down inside to main run, carrying the scent of the 'lure' down with it. Too much breeze wafting down a hole tells the gopher that something has opened and/or invaded his run and hell close it off without even bothering to investigate. Again, danger outweighs curiosity and he doesnt even go near the trap.

So, you might (1) set your traps deep into the main run, one trap in each direction. Then (2) cover the entrance with soil and/or a solid cover to block the light, leaving a small airway to carry your wonderful lure scent down to him. This will allow Mr. Gopher to feel safe to investigate that nice scent wafting gently down into his safe, dark run. Hopefully that curiosity will get him caught!

Happy hunting.

home_grower, my husband said to tell you, if the gopher left an entrance hole so big you had to place two traps side by side, you might want to take a shotgun with you when you go to check the traps!

HAHA Jolo, you just made my night. My boxer/sheppard did help to enlarge the hole. That is why the steel mesh is covering it now.

I agree with everything you posted above. This area however is on a steep 45* slope. It is cement like clay/sand mix that is hard enough to stand on let alone go digging more holes.

I could be very wrong but I always felt it pissed off the little buggers when you left their holes open and while they were doing a little gopher cussing they would try and close it up. Maybe I grew up watching too many cartoons.

I just watched a Gophinator video on Utube and he did as you described but used peanut butter as bait. That could work good but I will really have to dog proof it. Yana loves peanut butter.