How to Trap Gophers

[@LoydChampion]

Very informative. I use the Gopher Hawk and have caught 5 gophers with it. Worked great...

[@ucmastergardenersofsanluis8276]

Lester, that’s another great trap! Glad you’re having success with it!

[@chuck1284]

Cinch traps - you don't have to do all that digging and you can set 2-3 in just a few minutes. I learned from a guy who traps commercially (schools/golf courses/cemeteries). First thing to do is find a fresh mound, fresh mounds are always productive and old ones are a waste of time. If you can't tell for sure by their appearance just stomp-down or flatten the existing mounds and check the area again within a day or two, any mound you find then will be fresh. There are two sizes of Cinch traps - small and large. The small are used for small gophers or moles, the large are for larger gophers. The size of the hole that the gopher dug will indicate which to use, if the big one doesn't fit use the smaller one to avoid time-consuming digging - although you can hog-out the tunnel for a big trap if that's all you have. Avoid using small traps on big (2 1/2-3" wide) holes. I'm in Northern CA and am across the street from a school (source of vermin) so most of mine are adolescents and I mostly (75% of the time) use a small (mole sized) trap. If the hole is BIG be sure to use a large trap - I have had several big gophers go around the jaws of a smaller trap and cover the whole mess with a foot of dirt, so have at least a couple large traps handy so they don't clown you. Probe with a rod/screwdriver about a foot away from & around the perimeter of the gopher mound until you find the tunnel (no resistance to probe). Take a Hori-Hori tool (Amazon.com or eBay - similar to a thin trowel but beefy and really the only tool you will need to dig hole and cut sod) and poke it into the run to create a hole big enough to insert the trap - you'll want to orient the trap so it's facing AWAY from the mound. Pack any loose dirt you have in the hole on the mound side of it so that your trap is inclined around 30-45 degrees so that the protruding arms are touching the dirt from the galvanized base down to the jaws/trigger. Then insert the trap into the hole and push it in as far as it will go, shove the edge of the galvanized plate into the dirt to help anchor it. Recheck the trap often, I catch most within 4 hours of setting it. ** IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have animals (dogs/cats) cover the set trap with a bucket to keep them from getting to the trap since the gopher aroma from the open hole WILL attract them and you don't want them to get injured from the spring if they trip it.. If it's in an open field you can tether the trap with some wire/paracord to a stake (rebar is best, or use something too heavy to drag off) so some wild critter doesn't make-off with your trap! Best of Luck all!!

[@deecee3900]

Thanks for the tips 👏

[@pattyreay9731]

Can you flood them out with a hose?

[@ucmastergardenersofsanluis8276]

Gophers can backfill their holes quickly and block off passages, so flooding is not effective.

[@janethughes1042]

Can the Macabee Gopher trap be used on rats?

[@ucmastergardenersofsanluis8276]

Janet, the standard Maccabee trap may be too small for rats. Here is an article from University of California Integrated Pest Management about rats that includes specifications for their traps. ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74106.html I hope this helps.