# POCKET GOPHERS



## KJB

HELP...... We have an infestation of pocket gophers. My plan is to use a mole plow as soon as the ground is moist enough to hold the tunnels, leave the field over winter then disc and overseed in the spring. Will this help ??? Any suggestions ????


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## swmnhay

KJB said:


> HELP...... We have an infestation of pocket gophers. My plan is to use a mole plow as soon as the ground is moist enough to hold the tunnels, leave the field over winter then disc and overseed in the spring. Will this help ??? Any suggestions ????


No.

I've tried a few things.

Not much luck with the poison bait.

Traps work but time consuming.

Gopher Blaster didn't work that great either.Time consuming also.

Phostek fumigant works pretty good early in the yr with wet soil.Need a license to buy it now tho.


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## vhaby

Is a mole plow the same as a gopher poisoning machine?






I've successfully eliminated many gophers using a locally made machine similar to this one that places strycnine coated grain sorghum seed into the machine-made gopher run. The success that I had with this machine was first noted by seeing hog rooting along the machine-made gopher run. Hogs were sniffing out the dead gophers. This allowed me a two for one- getting rid of many gophers and also night shooting feral hogs in the open meadows. Another indicator of the success with using this method on gophers is that I'm seeing very few gopher mounds this summer. In fact, I'll have difficulty seeing my previous drill pass this fall when I seed winter pasture. I used to have so many gophers that I could use the disturbed gopher mounds to indicate where the drill and drag had run.


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## hog987

Yes pocket gophers or as we call them around here moles(just cause they leave a hill like a mole. Lots of work no matter what you do. I have been trapping them. #65 today. Got to try to do something with them not only do they make the fields bumpy and get dirt in the hay but the critters really love to eat alfalfa roots.

How well does this machine work in hills. If you got to keep things level so the tunnel does not fall in?


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## vhaby

Our place has hills that vary in elevation as much as 12 to 15 feet. That is something that I did not think to concern myself about. The locally-built machine that I purchased for about 1K has a 45° forward slant down to the point on the front of the mole run builder. To make the machine stay in the ground properly the operator must put a slight tilt downward on the front end. The greatest concern with this type of machine is that you do straight runs. Attempting to turn with it in the ground will break the coulter and its hub. People here who think they know how to use these machines recommend runs every 50 feet apart and then cross these runs perpendicularly at the same width. To conserve time, fuel, and cost of the poisoned bait, I did not do the perpendicular crossing and still got good control. It may have taken a bit longer for the gophers to burrow into the created and poison-containing run to get that control.


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## hog987

12 to 15 feet elevation is flat ground on some of my land. I have 100 to 200+ feet elevation. As I go up the hill and hit the top would I need to adjust the angle as I go?


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## vhaby

Unless your hill tops come to a relatively sharp point, I doubt that you would need to adjust the angle. The maching will follow the level of the tractor.

By the way, here we have moles and pocket gophers. There is a difference. The moles are blind and make their runs just below the soil surface, pushing up a hump as they go. Moles are very difficult to trap and the best trapping success comes when one can find intersecting runs, or when the runs go along a cement barrier. The most common trap for moles is a spring-loaded bank of nail-like spears on a flat metal surface that you push into the soil over the run and then draw up the bank of spears and set the trigger. Gophers make their runs about 6- to 10-inches deep (depending on soil moisture) and kick out the soil into a mound every so often.


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## KJB

Yes a mole plow is just what your picture shows only a different brand. My fields have gotten so bad that I went through 3 sets of knives on first cut of 40 acres with my discbine!


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## vhaby

This is what we know as a mole http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/ScalopusAquaticus.jpg/800px-ScalopusAquaticus.jpg

and this is what we know as a pocket gopher

http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/species/graphics/gophers1.jpg

Are we talking about the pocket gopher or the mole in Alberta?

In our area, moles don't make hills but pocket gophers do.


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## hog987

In alberta we have both and both make hills but I would say 98% are pocket gophers. We just call any thing thst makes a hill a mole.


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## ScottWarr

Have you tried the rodent management irritant, Protec-T, in conjunction with other proven methods (deep rip, owl boxes, baiting). In CA, it has been very successful driving gophers and voles off property. 
http://www.netafimusa.com/files/literature/agriculture/other-literature/crop-applications/Protec-T-Brochure.pdf


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## JD3430

vhaby said:


> This is what we know as a mole http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/ScalopusAquaticus.jpg/800px-ScalopusAquaticus.jpg
> 
> and this is what we know as a pocket gopher
> http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/species/graphics/gophers1.jpg
> 
> Are we talking about the pocket gopher or the mole in Alberta?
> 
> In our area, moles don't make hills but pocket gophers do.


Those pictures? They're not moles, they're pictures of my mother in law. LMAO!!!


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## NDVA HAYMAN

When I had alfalfa, I would roll the field in early spring to level out the mounds. It made a heck of a difference on sections and dirt mounding up on my 1475 mower/conditioner.


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## vhaby

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> When I had alfalfa, I would roll the field in early spring to level out the mounds. It made a heck of a difference on sections and dirt mounding up on my 1475 mower/conditioner.


Excellent idea. Will have to try that when the opportunity presents itself.


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## jturbo10

During winter and early spring I use a drag or box blade to level all the mound to smooth out the hay fields. I use my little three cylinder John Deere diesel so fuel use is minimal and I can better locate the gopher mounds. When the weather warms up and the gophers start moving I can quickly identify the exact location of the active gopher and use my manual baiting tool to inject the bait. I now use a product called Kaput and it seems to work good. I also have a gopher machine that I use like a subsoiler to plant the bait across the field. Fifty pounds of bait cost about $80 dollars. The downside is some baits are bad for pet that are diggers or eat the dead rodents, like dogs, coyotes, owls, etc.


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## hog987

Where did u get your manual baiting tool at jturbo. Iam thinking that might be better than trapping.


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## jturbo10

I live in East Texas and bought mine at Atwood's in Jacksonville, Tx. I had a huge gopher problem around my house and buildings when I bought this ranch three years ago and now I've got it down to just a maintenance issue. I've gotten really good about finding the lateral and main tunnels. I carry the manual baiters in my golf cart and the Polaris UTV and use whenever I find a new mound. I think I paid about $29 per unit but they are sold out most of the time or don't restock.


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## jturbo10

Put out gopher bait with the gopher machine on my small John Deere diesel. Baited all the fields in a criss cross mode using Kaput bait. Looks encouraging as only a couple of gopher mounds in the last couple of weeks and I used my manual probe to take care of those. I noticed several spots where coyotes have dug out the dead gophers which won't be good for their health. I'll keep after them this winter if they start to run again. It is very important to kill the adults before they reproduce as it lessens your overall problem with gophers.


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## Vol

jturbo10 said:


> Put out gopher bait with the gopher machine on my small John Deere diesel. Baited all the fields in a criss cross mode using Kaput bait. Looks encouraging as only a couple of gopher mounds in the last couple of weeks and I used my manual probe to take care of those. I noticed several spots where coyotes have dug out the dead gophers which won't be good for their health. I'll keep after them this winter if they start to run again. It is very important to kill the adults before they reproduce as it lessens your overall problem with gophers.


Sounds like the "daily double" if you can get the gophers and the coyotes in one fell swoop.

Regards, Mike


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## vhaby

jturbo10 said:


> Put out gopher bait with the gopher machine on my small John Deere diesel. Baited all the fields in a criss cross mode using Kaput bait. Looks encouraging as only a couple of gopher mounds in the last couple of weeks and I used my manual probe to take care of those. I *noticed several spots where coyotes have dug out the dead gophers* which won't be good for their health. I'll keep after them this winter if they start to run again. It is very important to kill the adults before they reproduce as it lessens your overall problem with gophers.


Are you sure it's coyotes digging out the dead gophers? In my case last winter it was feral hogs sniffing and digging out the dead gophers. Saw them working the man-made gopher runs one night and eliminated several of them.


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## swmnhay

Badgers like to dig out pocket gophers here.They make a bigger mess then the gophers.


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## deadmoose

Damn Badgers beat the Gophers today.


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## Vol

deadmoose said:


> Damn Badgers beat the Gophers today.


Pretty cold up there today.....maybe the gophers had their hands in their POCKETS too much.

Regards, Mike


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## deadmoose

They made a game of it. You would not have thought that possible before Coach Kill came to town. 8-3 is the best they have done in a LONG time.


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## Vol

Just punning Moose. Gophers are having a great season. I hope they go to a bowl where it's nice and warm.

Regards, Mike


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## Hugh

I used a Verminator to make tunnels and drop poison last spring. This gave good control but the problem is that I created miles of new tunnels that made for easy infestation of a new population. In hindsight, I should have stayed at least 50 feet from the perimeter of the property and tunneled in one direction only. The machine works great but renting one is a far better option than buying, at least for small acreage. The big problem is setting the machine's angle to make a good tunnel. Also, the soil's moisture must be near perfect for the tunnel to hold-up. Too much moisture and you can get muddy, not enough and the tunnel will collapse. I found that maximum label rates are the only way to go. Strychnine works best. A hand applicator will work. If you have 20 acres or less, and are willing to put in an hour per day for a month or two, you will get control by hand. You can check on bird houses for birds of prey in your area. This is a possibility for a small percentage control. You will never get 100% control unless you are a fanatic about it.


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## blueriver

Gopher plow and bait ... 3 rounds around the perimeter about 15' apart. Its a never ending battle because if your neighbors aren't doing the same well that's more gophers ... If its moist enough I plow 2 times a yr, spring and fall.


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## jturbo10

Don't have feral hogs at this time. It was normal coyote holes.


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## Vol

Here is a link to a "newer" bait product that is supposedly highly successful.

Regards, Mike

http://progressiveforage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5247ld-school-gopher-control-the-game-is-changing&catid=76ests-and-diseases&Itemid=154


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## ForemanTX

I have always wonted to get a gopher machine,my pastures getting pretty bad but thought maybe paying someone to come do it instead,any suggestion? Do the cattle need to be out the pasture?


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## Stuckey1

So what is the best bait with the machine you pull behind a tractor?


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## tooterbill

Hey I fought gropher in my irrigated field for 2 years and the only way to get rid of them is to trap. I have caught over 2000 in less then a year n half. Best way to do it is get a flexible spike tooth harrow that you can pull with 4wheeler and drag what you can trap in one day. I have 60 traps and it would take me 2.5 hrs to set them all. The best traps I have found are from trapline.com the gropherator. Use peanut butter to bait with I cover the hole with a board. I have tried everything from gassing, poisioning, and blowing them up. Trapping is the only to get a handle on them. It is very time consuming but by dragging you are on the fresh holes. Wish you well on killing satan's pet.

Ryan


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## swmnhay

tooterbill said:


> Hey I fought gropher in my irrigated field for 2 years and the only way to get rid of them is to trap. I have caught over 2000 in less then a year n half. Best way to do it is get a flexible spike tooth harrow that you can pull with 4wheeler and drag what you can trap in one day. I have 60 traps and it would take me 2.5 hrs to set them all. The best traps I have found are from trapline.com the gropherator. Use peanut butter to bait with I cover the hole with a board. I have tried everything from gassing, poisioning, and blowing them up. Trapping is the only to get a handle on them. It is very time consuming but by dragging you are on the fresh holes. Wish you well on killing satan's pet.
> 
> Ryan


I've never heard of using peanut butter as bait.Do they prefer smooth or chunky? 

I'll have to give it a try.I've never used any sort of bait in a gopher trap.With PB for bait do you get near 100% success?


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## tooterbill

SWMNhay

I have about 90 to 95 hit rate and yes the smooth peanut butter works the best. Not sure why but it does. I also leave the traps for 24 hrs. Set them in the mid morning when the grophers are asleep pulling your traps first thing the next day. It has worked for me and now I set traps once a week and only about 20 mins worth of work to keep them at bay on the edge of my field.


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