Wow, you have The Gift.

Anxiously awaiting replies to your question. I'm still working on the Big Daddy in the Back Forty. Half the lawn is undermined and ruined back there. And that's just the damage I've done trying to trap him.

Renee

{{gwi:561860}}

:)

Heh heh heh. "For Rent."
Renee

My gopher training was that you should put the dead gopher back into the tunnel and cover the hole. Decomposing body in the tunnel repels other gophers.

Renee, I feel for you, hang in there, you'll get Big Daddy.

I don't want to leave the dead gopher in the tunnel because I am going to grow some vegetables there.

I still don't think I've caught the orignal gopher(s), as once again both traps were partially plugged, try as I might to get it flush to the tunnel opening and seal off all light, its hard at the various angles available.

And to boot I saw new mounds this morning, but since both traps are engaged I havem't even dug them.

I guess I need more traps.

I am still wondering about the tunnels that are gaping wide open (just like in home growers picture) should I continue to leave them exposed?

Thanks!

I usually leave the trap there for a couple weeks. If nothing is trapped by then I fill it and move on.

I have a little Cocker Spaniel that got a hold of a gopher I had in a trap last year and now she lets me know when a hole is active. haha I guess she has the taste of blood in her.

BTW: if you have dogs cover the hole and trap with some mesh or a plastic crate with a rock on it so you don't harm them.

Ok,I have another question. I am in the steady process of shuffling plants around, as this is a new garden. When I have dug up plants to move them a number of times this week, I have found big tunnels right to them. There were no visible mounds near by. Does anyone know why there are no visible mounds? Thanks!

RE: tunnels You may have moles who also dig around or this is an abandoned tunnel. I just usually pop some poison into the hole and then close it off. Moles don't take the poison but voles and gophers do. When I tried to set gopher traps I start to shake as I am fearful of catching my hands.
So I use the poison that they take back to their nest and eat at leisure. Their nest can be 3 ft under ground.

Bury the gopher in an area you don't grow veg.

Penny

OK.... so I got the question wrong, and here I've been waiting for someone to say how to fill the now-empty tunnels before they just collapse and leave a large, long dent in the lawn when they fall-in.

Anyone with any bright ideas?

I have so many in my yard I don't even bother anymore, my yard hasn't collapsed yet.

Here is a funny story though. About 10 years ago I was dealing with a lot of the gophers tunneling all over my front lawn. The great advise on the internet wasn't as advanced as today so I went to my local big box store and picked up some traps and a pack of the poison smoke bombs.

I got home and put one of the bombs inthe hole, lit it and covered it up. A few days later the were new mounds in my lawn so I lit another bomb and thought of a "great idea" to get further penetration into the tunnels.

I went into my garage and pulled out my leaf blower and blew the smoke into the tunnels. It was like a while-E-Coyote cartoon as about 30 little volcanos of smoke started pouring out around the lawn. I had to quickly stop and get out of the way before I became my own victim.

Westelle, I've been wondering also, I use an old broom handle to shove as much back in as I can. Or I flood the area then probe holes and stomp on it. I've never had one in my grass though.

Becareful of those smoke bombs they can chemically damage or kill a plant. I lost a sea lavender useing them.

You are correct in that the lawn will eventually sag over the tunnels. Other than digging a small hole every 3 feet (for access) or so along the tunnel path I have not found a good way to fill them in. If you use a probe it is not too hard to follow the tunnel path.

It is important to fill as much tunnel as you can find, otherwise you are making it easy for the next gopher... If enough empty tunnel exists, they will use the old tunnels as a dirt dump instead of making mounds... I have even had them fill inverted pots with dirt... I think they know that mounds are a calling card to predators.

I like the 'idea' of putting the dead gopher in the tunnel, but I don't want to re-visit the corpse later so have rarely done this. The only exception is when I have a tunnel which comes from under the driveway, then they have a nice concrete crypt...

Chad

Great visual, home grower! I can see you high-tailing it out of the yard, blower still running.

Last year after our good rains I went out and stomped all over the area that had gopher tunnels, trying hard not to break my ankle in the process. They caved in, and I added new dirt to the surface and sowed some insta-grass seed. Now I have snaky dark green lines through my light-green St. Augustine lawn. The gopher returned and re-dug the tunnels, so I have been top-filling them once again. This time no insta-grass.

I would love to revisit the corpse after it has decayed. I really need a gopher skull to add to my collection. I draw the line at digging up my dearly departed dog Sleekit, though, even though I'm sure she had a fine skull.

Renee

I lay a big black plastic trashback (loosely so as not to interfere with the trap snapping) over the trap to block the light. I place a few bricks or stones or loose soil around the edges of the bag. This keeps the trap in the dark so the gopher is not warned. This has worked reliably for me.

Filling in the soil, all you can do is get out there with a shovel and suffer through the hard manual labor of it all. On the other hand, saves a trip to the gym.

Well I already had at least one more move into some of the tunnels where I caught the first 3.

I think it might be a mole,it has filled the Black Box trap with dirt at least 7 times without being captured.

This garden area is a superhighway of tunnels. I filled some in, to start afresh so I can figuring out where the most current activity is, I have 4 traps out now, I tried to buy the Black Hole, but no one has them, so I bought 2 sweeney style macabees, hoping maybe they might throw a curve ball.

I was once told that you should never use a trap twice since the "smell of death" will warn other criters of the danger. I never use a wooden trap twice, and wash metal ones really good and set them in the sun to dry before using again.

I am surprised no has mentioned the "Clinch" trap in use for the last few years. It kills by squeezing the gopher without puncturing the carcass. It is effective without all the digging. I do not believe the scent from your hands or from the last catch makes a used trap ineffective. I too have heard this, but not from a researched source. Al

I have used the same traps for years, sometimes with a little fur stuck on them :) I think the rusty old ones are actually better than the new ones... probably have less odor from paint etc.

I ordered 2 cinch traps years ago, they work very well and are very durable, but are fairly large so you need to have a big tunnel to use them, also the distance from the trigger to the business parts is fairly long so they can 'miss' a small gopher.

The Macbee type trap may pierce the carcass, but it's not dripping blood or anything...sometimes it just barely catches the gopher and it's still very alive but caught...a shovel is the best cure for this problem.

I put the gopher and trap into a plastic bag, then remove the gopher from 'outside' so I don't have gopher-human contact. In tough cases I use pliers to hold the trap open... then you can tie the bag shut and 'bin it'.

After more than 3 weeks of filling in various traps with dirt, night after night, the intrepid mole has been caught.

Thanks Al for mentioning the Cinch trap. It did the trick.

Congrats! Persistence pays off. You have inspired me to go out after Big Daddy again.
Renee

My college grad daughter informed me that you can have 600 gophers an acre. So we bought more traps.
I have been informed that professional exterminators collapse the tunnels by pumping in propane gas and exploding it. I do not suggest you do this yourself.
I have a terrible vision of my house dropping six inches into the ground as they explode the tunnels . . . so personally, I'll pass on this idea.
I found a tunnel in my yard that, no lie, was big enough for a kitten to walk through. I called it "gollum's tunnel" until I caught "gollum" last week.
He was this . . . . . . . big! What a gopher story.

THE RODENTINATOR! I have wanted one for years. KABOOM! They cost over a thousand bucks, though, and you could blow your septic system up among other things so they are not recommended for suburban or city use. But still, even if you didn't kill the actual varmints it would be fun just to blow up the tunnels.

I bought Mikey a propane weed torch a few years ago, and he loves it. He set fire to a few roses, though, so you have to watch him.

Renee

Yeah, I bought one of those cool propane torches with the long handles for weed removal from a rocky drainage ditch in my yard. My husband won't let me use it, he says he doesn't like the way he has to follow me around with the hose.
Dee

Since we had that wonderful rain, it was enough to sink in some of the tunneled areas. I then was able to add some extra soil to the sunken spots.

Hi,

Have not tried it yet but saw an add for Gopher fill.

Check it out at the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gopher Fill

Gopher Goo!! There is a GREAT product that both fills the tunnels like a plug and actually drives the gophers out without trapping. You can find it online at www.gophergoo.com or if you are in California its at Miner's Ace hardware stores. What a garden saver, and its a 'green' and feeds your soil as it rids your garden of gophers and other burrowing rodents. I no longer trap because I don't have to . . . when I have a gopher I go for my Goo! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Gopher Goo