need mole killer

[ScottOkla]

I know that some county extension agents can rent the 3pt gopher machines very cheaply to you. I have never used one, but have heard they work fairly well if done right.

I personally have trapped almost 200 and have them under control at my home and partially under control at the farm. No pecan tree made it past 2 years until I got serious with them. A wooden box called the "Gopher Getter", made in Henryetta, OK, is the best trap I have found. Atwoods used to carry them but now has a cheap version from China that I would not buy. The coop in Coweta has had them occasionally. I think I have also seen them at the TSC in Muskogee and some local feedstores.

 

[Egon]

Cultivating the land will work well. It removes their food supply.

 

[capi75rs]

I had same problem, the cheepest, but slowest way is to go after the food supply. I had to put down grub killer in the spring, it took a while (about 2 months) but the rodents did finally leave. I did that 2 years ago and I see since this winter I'll have to do it again this spring. Starting to get a few mounds again. I'm thinking that I'll have to do this anually. They have several option, including a propane powered contraption, but it was way more than the 22 rifle shells I was using before I put down the grub killer. Good Luck!

 

[PBinWA]

These might work and they sure seem fun:

Remedies for Gophers - How to get rid of Groundhogs!

Whoops - I just noticed that this has already been posted - sorry for the dupe!

 

[EdC]

We live in an area of Washington that does not get a lot of moisture, about 13-15 inches per year. I use a combination of bait, and 17HMR. The rest of my problem is taken care of by my water feature. The critters climb in for a drink and end up drowning. I usually end up cleaning 4 or 5 a week out of the ponds.

 

[santacruzer]

The problem with killing gophers by poison is that other animals will occasionally find one not quite dead...mabey your cat or dog.

There's a number of methods that work but none of them are 100%. Close by to me they grow Brussel Sprouts. One gopher killed plant takes a big bite out of the bottom line. Most of those guys use a trap called a McAbee (sp?). It's been around for many years for a good reason. Is it the best method....who knows?

There a jillions of methods that work... all the way from chewing gum in the tunnel to straffing runs with stealth bombers...but you can't get them all unless you dedicate more time than most people have to spare. It's a job that requires constant attention.

As a guy that farms up by me says, "when I first started this farm I had a million gophers. I bombed, poisoned,trapped, burned, used noise devises and worked on it every day. I now have them down to several hundred thousand".

Paul

 

[wushaw]

What about a Jack Russell or two, wouldn't they hunt/dig/kill on a pretty constant basis.

 

[FrogLick]

I can live with the moles & gophers, but I sure would like to get rid of a beaver. This guy just won't give up on plugging up my lake trickel tube and overflow culverts. I seldom actually see him since he works the late shift so firearms at night make that option more difficult. Anyone got a better idea?

 

[pitt_md]

One of the hardest things to do is completely get rid of gophers. You can trap/blast/poison them out and they come back. I have a front lawn that has been destroyed by the little SOB's. The problem is if the land around your land is not cleaned out then you will be fighting this was as long as you own the land.

Some one already mentioned that tilling the land works well. I agree. The thing is people do not want to till up their lawns every couple of years to kill off the gophers.

Since not many people have a Rodenator I wanted to give a evaluation of the one that I own. It's expensive to buy. Then you need to by the gas to operate it. One bottle of propane lasts a long time. Oxygen gets used quickly since it's most of what you pump into the den. It does kill the critters though. It has the potential to be dangerous if misused. Its bulky to carry around. It kills gophers without question and is satisfying to use. But like everyone else has said you have to keep after them because they keep coming back. It works for me in spite of all of the things I mentioned because I have a couple of big dollar hunting dogs and horse's that I do not want to take the chance of killing with poison.

 

[charlz]

I have a thread in rural living where I built my own gopher blaster... certainly does not have all the safety features of the commercial ones but I disconnect my hoses before each blast. The mixture is like 90% oxygen and 10% propane so you use up some oxygen.

Are they pocket gophers or 'regular' gophers? Pocket gophers you almost never see above ground so a rifle is of no use. I have pocket gophers and tried traps, poison etc. but blasting is far more effective. Especially in the spring when they start making a 'run' across your property. Go out early, move back a few mounds from where they are working and start blasting towards them, works every time. Established areas are harder. I worked over a corner of my property where they were in there heavy and between them digging it up and me blasting it up it almost looked like it had been tilled Each time you work them them level the area with a drag or your foot or whatever so you can see new activity and jump on it the next morning.

When I started I though I'd go over it for a summer or whatever and be done but they move in from other areas etc. Plan on a long-term treatment plan.