!!Gophers!!

[Leonard]

Hey yall. Long time looker. Not so much for posts until now. Great info here, have learned alot. Now need help with gopher mounds.

Worked back field (Couple acres) 2 years ago from ideas learned here. Used box blade rippers to breakup ground. Disked several times in different directions. Tiller couple times. Dragged with heavy angle iron. Got area very smooth. In Nov. tossed out some grass seed (Wife's idea to keep the weeds down). Grass sprouted after first rains. Looked great and I was very proud of myself. And then it began.

First one gopher mound. Then ten. Now over a two year period, I'm getting beat to death trying to mow with my rotary cutter. The clay soil here is awful. The mounds start out a small pile of soft dirt. Then turn into rock hard mounds. Thought about discing again but not sure what it will do to grasses. Trying to keep it shorter now due to the weeds coming back. The mounds are so bad, I can't drive ten feet without bouncing over one. I could probably mow this 2 acres in 1 1/2 hrs but I have to drive so slow now that it takes 5 hrs.

Any ideas from you dirt gurus out there?

 

[SandburRanch]

Hey yall. Long time looker. Not so much for posts until now. Great info here, have learned alot. Now need help with gopher mounds.

Worked back field (Couple acres) 2 years ago from ideas learned here. Used box blade rippers to breakup ground. Disked several times in different directions. Tiller couple times. Dragged with heavy angle iron. Got area very smooth. In Nov. tossed out some grass seed (Wife's idea to keep the weeds down). Grass sprouted after first rains. Looked great and I was very proud of myself. And then it began.

First one gopher mound. Then ten. Now over a two year period, I'm getting beat to death trying to mow with my rotary cutter. The clay soil here is awful. The mounds start out a small pile of soft dirt. Then turn into rock hard mounds. Thought about discing again but not sure what it will do to grasses. Trying to keep it shorter now due to the weeds coming back. The mounds are so bad, I can't drive ten feet without bouncing over one. I could probably mow this 2 acres in 1 1/2 hrs but I have to drive so slow now that it takes 5 hrs.

Any ideas from you dirt gurus out there?

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If you don't mind using poisons check with your county extension to see if they have a machine called Gopher Getter. It slits the sod and drops poisoned grain. Our extension even has the grain.

Then there is the time consuming and challenging trap method.

And just for fun the Caddyshack method.

 

[KTurner]

The mounds are so bad, I can't drive ten feet without bouncing over one. I could probably mow this 2 acres in 1 1/2 hrs but I have to drive so slow now that it takes 5 hrs.

Any ideas from you dirt gurus out there?

My $.02 - talk to a gopher guru before talking to a dirt guru, or this is going to be a never-ending saga.

Keith

 

[Leonard]

I do use a gopher bait around my garden. It's got a dispenser on a pole. Stick it into the ground in a tunnel and twist a lever to dispense the bait. I could use it in the field as well although my wife would prefer I didn't use poisons where our dogs and cats could eat a poisoned gopher. Come to think if it, I don't ever remember seeing a dead gopher in my garden. Do you think they die underground? Sorry, I'm rambling now. Guess I'll get a big box of this bait stuff and see what happens.

Anywho, what's the opinion out there for smoothing the mounds? Will a disc set for non aggressive angle tear up the grass too much?

I've never talked to an extension agent. I live in Solano County, CA. I tried to find them online and was directed to UC Davis. A nearby university. Alot of info on the site but no contact person. I would also like to have a soil sample for my garden (Got 8 giant pumpkins started among other things).

 

[beenthere]

Leonard
Would you post a pic of the mounds? Thanks

 

[gwdixon]

I've never talked to an extension agent. I live in Solano County, CA. I tried to find them online and was directed to UC Davis. A nearby university. Alot of info on the site but no contact person. I would also like to have a soil sample for my garden (Got 8 giant pumpkins started among other things).

I'm in Solano County, too, Allendale area - and yes, gophers and clay soil are a problem.

Discing would likely tear up your grass to the point that you would prefer mounds. Try your box scraper (or blade) set non-aggressively (tilted back a bit) to smooth out the mounds while not doing much damage to the grass - no rippers. A landscape rake would work but may be more aggressive in tearing grass.

After going over the area the gophers will re-mound and you will have an accurate count and location.

I like to dig down in the area until a downward tunnel is found that leads to the den. Poisoning that is almost a guarantee to get them. If you can only find a tunnel then put a little poisoned grain in both sides and fill in the hole you dug.

Another method I use if a water hose is available is to flood the tunnel. Since it sounds like you water the grass it may be a solution. The gophers usually don't run out but just stick their nose just out of the water to breathe. A shovel or .22 shot shell takes care of them.

Poisoned gophers usually go to their den deep in the ground to die. It doesn't take much of the poisoned grain to do them in so the risk of poisoning pets is minimal.

We have always had a least three dogs over 30 years that like to dig out gophers and none of them have been sickened.

 

[firemanpat2910]

if you can set your disc straight, and checker board the area. then maybe a roller to flatten it out? I have used that method to smooth out hard Georgia red clay yards.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I agree with GWDixon that a box blade might do the job for you. Raise the rippers and just use the blade to scrape off and spread the mounds. You still need to get rid of the gophers, though, or the field will just be full of gopher pimples again in a short while.
BOB

 

[beeforty]

I've been using the Cinch traps, never sure if poison was working. I've always wanted to borrow a grout pump and pump mud back down all the tunnels:laughing::laughing:, but none of my friends have one to loan me!

 

[Jay4200]

Any ideas from you dirt gurus out there?

I'd recommend a .220 Swift.

JayC