# Controlling Prairie dogs



## CowboyRam

We have some prairie dogs that are starting to get down into our hay fields. What is the best way to get rid of them.


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## IHCman

.22-250 with 55 grain Vmax

No prairie dogs here but years ago used to be able to get posion oats laced with strychnine. Very effective on the big brown gophers. Can prairie dogs be poisoned? Or are they protected?


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## CowboyRam

The problem with poison is that we have several cats, it would be bad news if we poisoned some of moms cats.


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## IHCman

then you might be limited to shooting or trapping.


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## azmike

We are building a propane gopher killer. I'll let you know specifics as we work it.


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## mlappin

An anhydrous hose down their hole should work well, it certainly does on groundhogs and other burrowing rodents.


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## r82230

mlappin said:


> An anhydrous hose down their hole should work well, it certainly does on groundhogs and other burrowing rodents.


Is this an 'off label' use??  I hate to get a whole tank, for just a couple of ground hogs, but at the price of some ammo, could be the way to go. :lol:

Larry


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## glasswrongsize

Bubble gum down the hole. They will eat it, can't digest it, plugs up the innards and DONE!! If not, I kinda like a 40 gr blitzking in my 250 for short work and 647 gr in the 50 bmg for longer/harder to kill stuff

73, Mark


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## CowboyRam

glasswrongsize said:


> Bubble gum down the hole. They will eat it, can't digest it, plugs up the innards and DONE!! If not, I kinda like a 40 gr blitzking in my 250 for short work and 647 gr in the 50 bmg for longer/harder to kill stuff
> 
> 73, Mark


That sound like a good idea, and it should not harm the neighborhood cats.


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## glasswrongsize

CowboyRam said:


> That sound like a good idea, and it should not harm the neighborhood cats.


That's what the ranchers used around SD that I have spoke with about it.

If you're worried about cats, the lead/powder method would not be very good as every gun I have ever known was pretty nasty on every cat that it encountered. 

The worst I ever had it... I had a coyote in the scope one day and observed that he was carrying a cat that he had captured (it was no longer putting up a fight). As much as I don't like coyotes, we developed a quick bond at a couple of hundred yards and I let him slide...we were kindred spirits.

73, Mark

PS to be back on topic, they would buy the cheapest gumballs the could find. It came in one of those big containers like cheese puffs/cheeseballs come in.


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## Thumbtack

There are some pellets that you can buy I think and you put them in the hole after you have covered up all but one hole and the pellets are activated by moisture. You put the pellets down the hole and them put newspaper in the hole and then cover with dirt. Kills them underground so no cats or predatory birds can get to them. Check with your extension office.


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## Coondle

One method on rats here is to use freeze dried potato powder. Rats apparently cannot vomit and when they eat the dry powdered mashed potato it swells up rapidly on gut moisture and blows their innards. No fatal residue for owls and the like that can pick up a fresh dead rat so no by-kill.

No prairie dogs here so no chance I can try it out, but some-one may like to.

Just a thought.


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## azmike

We tried a propane mix that didn't work too good. Our next attack mode was/is the Gator exhaust piped into the gopher hole. So far it's been three days with no action at the sites we gassed. The most expensive part of this program is the 30 pack of Keystone as we run the Gator for 20 minutes or so on each hole!


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## swmnhay

Thumbtack said:


> There are some pellets that you can buy I think and you put them in the hole after you have covered up all but one hole and the pellets are activated by moisture. You put the pellets down the hole and them put newspaper in the hole and then cover with dirt. Kills them underground so no cats or predatory birds can get to them. Check with your extension office


You need a fumigation lisence to buy that.It's also used to fumigated bugs in grain.I've used it but before you needed to have a lisence to buy it but have run out of it and need to take the test for fumigation endorsment on pesticide lisence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_phosphide


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## carcajou

Really enjoyed this thread on Gophers. Anyone have any good ways to kill moles? Suckers are on my hit list now that i'm back on land in Southern Alberta. No moles, gophers, skunks, badgers etc up here this far North.


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## HALOjumper

I spent a small fortune trying to kill moles. I was told by an old man, they eat grubs and such. I spread an insect killer that killed the grubs, etc. They left due to no food in the ground. Just my .02.


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## carcajou

HALOjumper said:


> I spent a small fortune trying to kill moles. I was told by an old man, they eat grubs and such. I spread an insect killer that killed the grubs, etc. They left due to no food in the ground. Just my .02.


Good to know. Thanks


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## azmike

I built an oxy/acetylene set-up to blow up gopher tunnels while killing the rodents. I cut off a welding tip and pushed on 3' of rubber hose and drilled the hole larger for more mixture flow.

I had a few packages of the kids 4th of July sparklers.

This afternoon I dug a mound, found a good tunnel, shoved the rubber hose in and opened the valves for about 30 seconds-- lit a sparkler taped to a 10' 1/2 PVC stick and stuck it in the gassed hole---WOW what a great explosion! Dirt jumped 20' away. These little gophers in my alfalfa are in for some serious reckoning!


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## rjmoses

azmike said:


> I built an oxy/acetylene set-up to blow up gopher tunnels while killing the rodents. I cut off a welding tip and pushed on 3' of rubber hose and drilled the hole larger for more mixture flow.
> 
> I had a few packages of the kids 4th of July sparklers.
> 
> This afternoon I dug a mound, found a good tunnel, shoved the rubber hose in and opened the valves for about 30 seconds-- lit a sparkler taped to a 10' 1/2 PVC stick and stuck it in the gassed hole---WOW what a great explosion! Dirt jumped 20' away. These little gophers in my alfalfa are in for some serious reckoning!


I LOVE IT! TRIPLE LIKES!


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## carcajou

azmike said:


> I built an oxy/acetylene set-up to blow up gopher tunnels while killing the rodents. I cut off a welding tip and pushed on 3' of rubber hose and drilled the hole larger for more mixture flow.
> 
> I had a few packages of the kids 4th of July sparklers.
> 
> This afternoon I dug a mound, found a good tunnel, shoved the rubber hose in and opened the valves for about 30 seconds-- lit a sparkler taped to a 10' 1/2 PVC stick and stuck it in the gassed hole---WOW what a great explosion! Dirt jumped 20' away. These little gophers in my alfalfa are in for some serious reckoning!


Come on you just gotta make a video and post it here.


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## azmike

carcajou said:


> Come on you just gotta make a video and post it here.


Will do!


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## swmnhay

azmike said:


> I built an oxy/acetylene set-up to blow up gopher tunnels while killing the rodents. I cut off a welding tip and pushed on 3' of rubber hose and drilled the hole larger for more mixture flow.
> 
> I had a few packages of the kids 4th of July sparklers.
> 
> This afternoon I dug a mound, found a good tunnel, shoved the rubber hose in and opened the valves for about 30 seconds-- lit a sparkler taped to a 10' 1/2 PVC stick and stuck it in the gassed hole---WOW what a great explosion! Dirt jumped 20' away. These little gophers in my alfalfa are in for some serious reckoning!


I had a Rodenator that used oxy and propane.97% and 3% miixture


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## azmike

That's what mine does, but with equipment that was extra.


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## swmnhay

azmike said:


> That's what mine does, but with equipment that was extra.


Mike,Wear some ear protection,I felt it on my ear drums when blasting a badger hole and giveing it some extra gas.

Unfortunatly it didnt work on pocket gophers here very well.I think because are ground is to mellow in the spring and it didn't hold the concussion inside the tunnel enough to get a good kill.Sure made the dirt fly though


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## Wethay

The Rodenator sales adds seemed to just disappear and I haven't seen a used one for sale in awhile. Friend and I speculated that liability was the reason they are no longer offered new.


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## azmike

Cy, huh? what did you say....speak up a bit...

Actually having a "blast" with the campaign. When we back fill the entrance some when we gas we keep almost all the blast and noise underground, the tunnels are lifted so we can then excavate and blast further down the tunnel.


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## azmike

Update: It's working good, we are stopping new mounds so I guess the little rodents are DEAD!


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## PaMike

So you shovel the hole shut so that just the propane wand is going into the hole and its packed shut around it? That makes a big difference? I had a guy out to blast 10 years ago. I would like to do it again, but so many neighbors called the cops last time I am not sure if I am up for it again...


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## azmike

Yes, we found blocking the hole some helps keep the blast underground. Got no neighbors and no cops!

You paid someone for this service? How much, did you buy them beer too?


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## PaMike

It was 10 years ago...I think it was something like $3/blast. Guy had a Kubota RTV with bottles in the back. It worked pretty well..


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