150 years worth of Gopher mounds

[bwym342]

I've got about 35 acres of sandy loam soil in east Texas that's had cows on it since the Civil War. I bought it last year and plan to cut hay on it. It's not just a flat surface with some mounds that need knocked down. It's mounds on top of mounds on top of mounds, all with grass grown up thru them. It's miserable even in a pickup at 3mph. It will take something that can do more than just knock off the top couple inches.

I have access to a 70hp tractor and a skid steer. I've looked at everything from a box blade to a harley rake. Disc keeps popping up as the answer but has anyone tried anything else on similar conditions? The reason the skid steer option came to mind is because then I'd be riding on smoother ground. But it might be so slow it would take a month.

It has really good grass, so the plan is to smooth it in the spring before it greens up. I'm just not sure there's a good option other than buying a disc and strapping myself to the seat.

You have more than one issue. Welcome to East Texas
Gophers and moles -- Castor Beans.
There is an attachment for a tractor that creates runs and allows gravity feed to place gopher and mole poison - usually based on castor beans.
It's normally applied around the edges of fields where cattle run to keep the gophers out, but will help kill off gophers if they run across the bait, so in a case like that, applying in a grid pattern will help.

I have been successful in driving away gophers and moles from my house by applying castor oil from a spray tank, along with trapping the gophers.
When I bought my house the previous owner had small dogs and liked watching the chase gopher and moles.
It had been many years since any eradication attempts.
The gophers and moles had burrows under the pier and beam house that had pushed dirt up to the point it touched the underside of the flooring.
We had to remove all that by hand from under the house while remodeling. Pre WW2 houses - never again!
After doing extensive trapping around the house, I began application of the castor oil.
After a few years I have successfully held them back to the extremities of the lawn.
The fight progresses of the rest of the property.
For me, the gophers were easiest by far and moles have been the most expensive to rid.
Castor oil is running about $40 / gallon, but has moved them, albeit slowly.

Moving the east texas sand ... Have fun

 

[redmt]

I've removed countless ground squirrel mounds using my D5 with a brush/root rake. I built it in the shop with 6” box tubing and replaceable Cat scarifier shanks.

 

[kenhar]

Are you sure you got gophers and not fire ants. Fire ants usually run the gophers and everything else off. I have used a 3 point chisel plow set just low enough to catch the mounds but not the actual level of the field. That breaks up the mounds or piles and then come back with a heavy drag to spread the loose dirt around. A land plane would be great but who has access to one. An 8 or 10 foot section of railroad iron works good for me. I also use the chisel plow to rake brush and tree limbs after clearing land. Root rake on a dozer would be better but I don't have one of those either. Make sure your gophers don't get on you and sting.

 

[Robert walker]

I’m in east Texas also and the pocket gophers are terrible. I have heard that if you spread lime really heavy on the ground after one good rain they will leave because they can’t stand the lime. Problem with poisoning them is it also kills dogs and my dogs think my yard and pastures are a sand pit. I will need a truck load or two of dirt to fill in the holes. My biggest worry is one of my cows will step in a hole and bust a leg.

 

[tradosaurus]

I’m in east Texas also and the pocket gophers are terrible. I have heard that if you spread lime really heavy on the ground after one good rain they will leave because they can’t stand the lime. Problem with poisoning them is it also kills dogs and my dogs think my yard and pastures are a sand pit. I will need a truck load or two of dirt to fill in the holes. My biggest worry is one of my cows will step in a hole and bust a leg.

I live in East texas and got rid of all my gophers using the Cinch trap.
Moles I rely on my outdoor cats.

 

[Kschwennsen]

I use a 6' tiller behind my tractor. a couple of passes and it's velvety smooth!

 

[Gord Baker]

If it's that bad, I'd rent a dozer for a week, smooth and level it, then disk and re-plant.

That is the best advice so far. Consider carefully what you would and how you would replant it.
Hay is at a premium these days but it depends on your soil and climate. Don't rush in....

 

[PerroneMM]

I recommend consulting with NRCS on gopher control operations first; otherwise you are wasting your time smoothing the land. There is an implement called a burrow builder that allows you to run it behind your tractor and create underground burrows and inject poison bait. NRCS should be familiar with that. If not, contact USDA Animal Damage Control services. Until you turn the gopher metropolitan area into a small village, any work on rehabbing the pasture is a waste of time.

jyoutz speaks the truth. Speaking in terms of making money, you will not win against the gopher without spending many dollars annually. It will end up being more than the hay is worth. Just keep it in pasture. Now, if you just want to beat them little rascals no matter the costs ....go get'em!

 

[jwmorris]

I built this for our place.

Gopher plow

For years my father has been killing gophers with a modified pry bar and cups of poison, baiting tunnels a few hours at a time as he felt like it. We just finished a machine that baited the problem spots over 32 acres in under two hours. I had the 3 point hook up leftover from another project...

www.tractorbynet.com

Hootens in Emory sells one very similar.

Need to keep every field that you want bailed free of the mounds. The critters bring rocks up with the dirt and when a mower hits them, glass is broken out.

I’d start preying now that once you turn your dirt you don’t have an invasion of pigs come in and make it even worse than it is now.

Welcome to East Texas…

 

[oosik]

If I had 35 acres and fire ants and pocket gophers and moles......... I would beg, borrow, rent or steal the heavies PTO driven rototiller I could possibly pull with my 70 Hp tractor. Set the rototiller to scarf up the top one inch of the native soil. Then...... round and round you go. EVERYTHING is tilled, level and smooth.

Now it's time to work on eliminating the ants, gophers and moles. If the current land is so jumbled up with old mounds, hills and runs - it's just really hard to know where to start.

 

[Mad Mac]

Where in East Texas are you? I'm between Crockett and ********* and have the same gopher problem.

In my case, after trying to poison them out, I just live with them. Like you said, the grass grows through and they don't bother the cows. I just drive slowly.

The equipment, fuel and time it takes to poison and renovate pastures is such that the juice does not seem worth the squeeze. But I could be wrong, I often am.

If it was a golf course, I would feel differently.

 

[Graybeard315]

I've looking for a poison attachment for a tractor at the moment. Gonna poison in a grid pattern after getting it smooth and then I'll just have the new mounds to knock down til their dead.

I'd be a little leary of poison as it's non-selective, other wildlife will be effected.

 

[Mad Mac]

If you are running cattle on the property here is a compromise that will help.

It's a good idea to break up cow poop with a pipe drag. The pipe drag will also knock down gopher mounds. Over time, it will flatten the ground.

A gang of tires can also be used as a drag. They can usually be obtained for free.

I'm no whale hugger, but discs and shanks break up the soil and release carbon. The pipe drag skids over the turf. It is more environmentally friendly.

 

[dbeeler]

Thanks for all the replies. A couple things...

No I'm not poisoning any animals other than gophers. Lol
I've done some tests with a box blade with scarifiers behind a tiny kubota just because it was easier for me to haul out there and it does ok. It does great on the brand new mounds and what look like last year's mounds. But it doesn't get the mounds that are way down deep (yes I know that sounds backwards but I can't think of another way to describe this place).
What I've learned is that most likely nothing except a disc, tiller, or dozer is going to get deep enough to completely smooth this place. I don't have a big disc, I don't want to sit on a tractor long enough to till, and don't want to spend the money renting a dozer.
I'll probably smooth it with what I have this year, then plow poison into ground, and next year get someone with a big disc to start it from scratch for me if i feel like it's still too rough.

I'll try to post before and after pictures in the next few weeks when I start dragging.

 

[dbeeler]

Where in East Texas are you? I'm between Crockett and ********* and have the same gopher problem.

In my case, after trying to poison them out, I just live with them. Like you said, the grass grows through and they don't bother the cows. I just drive slowly.

The equipment, fuel and time it takes to poison and renovate pastures is such that the juice does not seem worth the squeeze. But I could be wrong, I often am.

If it was a golf course, I would feel differently.

I'd be fine with it but it's so rough I couldn't get anyone to cut hay last year. Had to offer it nearly for free.

 

[ZFreak]

I live in East texas and got rid of all my gophers using the Cinch trap.
Moles I rely on my outdoor cats.

100% Cinch traps work! We have 20 acres and they were reproducing like crazy for the 20-30 years the previous owner had our land. We bought a dozen cinch traps and caught almost 300 gophers in a month! They take a little practice but they work as advertised and no poison needed!

 

[Gord Baker]

How about a Blind and 22/250 with scope?

 

[jyoutz]

How about a Blind and 22/250 with scope?

Better pack an ice chest, stove, and sleeping bag also.

 

[Gord Baker]

If you are running cattle on the property here is a compromise that will help.

It's a good idea to break up cow poop with a pipe drag. The pipe drag will also knock down gopher mounds. Over time, it will flatten the ground.

A gang of tires can also be used as a drag. They can usually be obtained for free.

I'm no whale hugger, but discs and shanks break up the soil and release carbon. The pipe drag skids over the turf. It is more environmentally friendly.

Well we certainly don't need more Carbon.... a component in every living thing.

 

[Gord Baker]

Better pack an ice chest, stove, and sleeping bag also.

They Hibernate.