I see you didn't try the rototiller/lawnmower exhaust pipe into a gopher hole. Don't bother. I have tried all of the above, and it took my uncle visiting from Oregon to get me right on the subject. We went to Home Depot and bought a pack of two traps. Yup, the fatal ones. I had been avoiding that tactic, since I figured it would lead to me digging up maimed but still alive gophers, which I would have to dispatch, myself. Immediately Uncle Pat caught two in succession, which he named (on the crosses he made up), Pete and Re-pete. Made a believer out of me. For the 6 years since then I have set my traps at the first sighting of a new gopher hill, and within a day or two I dig up a thoroughly dead gopher. Sometimes a hole will yield another one or two. Out of maybe 3 dozen killed, there were only two that were still alive when I dug them up. One was a big ugly adult, but the other one was a cute little baby caught by 1/2 inch of his butt in the trap. I looked down at the poor little critter and thought "up in my daughter's room she is treating a little critter just like you(a hamster), like a king, and here you have to die, how cruel is the world?". And die it did, too. I was glad that didn't happen often. We have not had a gopher on our acre in several months. I guess I caught them all.

This is the method I use: dig a hole between two gopher mounds until you intersect his tunnel. Dig out the tunnel with your weeder going both ways. Then insert the two traps, one going each way, into the tunnels as far as you can push them. I have a piece of chain attached to each one, with a wire on the other end which you stick down into the ground. Otherwise they may pull your trap back down the hole and you may never see it again. Put a piece of wood or something over the excavation so it stays dark in the tunnel, and check it daily. Good luck. I hated to kill the little suckers, but they left me no choice. I HAVE A GARDEN! Before we got them under control, we were amazed to see them pull a 3 foot sunflower right down into the ground. Voracious, they are. Good luck with yours!!

From what I have read, death is the only relaiable way to get rid of gophurs, moles and other burrowing critters. All those other tricks may work if yo only have one or two gophurs, or if there is less dangerous habitat nearby. But if your yard is prime realestate, you have to trap and kill then or they will keep comming back (And they might well keep comming back anyway)

I'm going to answer my own post. I feel a little like an expert now and can verify that the following absolutely do not work.

1. Poisonous smoke bombs
2. Water (relocates the rodents to another part of the property).
3. Chewing Gum (albeit Juicy Fruit or not, is pushed back up out of the holes).
4. Poison Gopher Bait such as Grants (same as 3. above).
5. Destroying all tunnels visible and invisible (same as 2. above).
6. Baits like carrots and peanut butter (same as 3. above).

This particular rodent dug the main tunnel under a neighbors garage footing so I was willing to try almost everything before attempting to set traps. With not a little difficulty, I was able to locate the main run and dig two trap cavities into it laterally. I set three traps, two gopher traps and a rat trap. The two gopher traps were paired in the traditional manner (i.e., facing back to back in the tunnel cavity) while the rat trap was alone. The trap locations were covered with heavy cardboard and then weighted down with fairly heavy wood boards. Since the rat trap is much wider than the tunnel, it doesn't have to be tied down. Interestingly, it doesn't make any difference which way the rat trap is pointed. It will trip either way. This little varmint chose the rat trap for his demise. A rat trap costs US$2 vs US$11 for the gopher traps so its also a little cheaper. For anyone else with this problem, good hunting!

Are you folks still having troubles with gophers? I noticed other postings in IPM about gophers.
You have to call this guy, I have learned so much about gophers and how to get rid of them. He is in Southern California, he can help you regardless of your location. 562-866-0731.
Good luck

I cannot understand the desire to get rid of gophers, but to each his own. Try sprinkling castor oil around their tunnels.

I have gophers in my backyard too. Can't chase them away nor catch them. Would appreciate Johann1 advise me on the baits used with the traps. Thanks.

This is a response to a message from Hil53. If the traps are placed in the main run you do not have to use any bait. The trap is located between where the gopher is and where he/she is going and nothing is going to stop them. Therefore, human scent does not seem to be a deterrent to their running into the trap. Gophers will navigate their main tunnel at irregular intervals but they are always digging somewhere in their system and since the main tunnel is connected to everywhere in their domain they will always use it to get where they're going. If you don't place the trap in the main run, the chances are good the gopher may never enter that particular run again. I have not had a reappearance of gophers since I caught the last one. Best of luck!