Any advice on how to get rid of a gopher?

[axescot]

Any advice on how to get rid of a gopher? I have tried several things such as Solar Powered Spikes, dryer sheets, and a mixture of castor oil and dish soap but I keep finding fresh holes in my yard. I would hate to poison it but if I have to. I am looking to seed a lawn in the spring so would like to get rid of it in the next couple of months. Does anybody have tried and true tricks?

 

[Chuck]

Trapline Products Mole and Gopher Traps

Trapline Products specializes in design and manufacture of mole and gopher traps. Learn to effectively control mole and gopher damage to your property

www.traplineproducts.com

I've never had gophers but my daughter did. She used this gopher trap and got every one of them.

 

[Sinajuavi]

Any advice on how to get rid of a gopher? I have tried several things such as Solar Powered Spikes, dryer sheets, and a mixture of castor oil and dish soap but I keep finding fresh holes in my yard. I would hate to poison it but if I have to. I am looking to seed a lawn in the spring so would like to get rid of it in the next couple of months. Does anybody have tried and true tricks?

I had serious gopher problems in California. If you buy the gas, it fills the tunnels and kills them, though of course it is not organic. There are other ways... one is to use water. Stick a hose in a gopher hole and let the water run, and observe where it comes out. Also, if you're about to have a freeze, fill the gopher area with water and when it freezes overnight it can kill them.

At one point in the garden I carried a machete, and I'd see them pop up their heads out of their holes and then decapitate them. They're ornery little critters to be sure.

 

[cpp gardener]

I found a trap years ago called “The Black Hole” that worked real well. It’s black plastic tubing with a spring and wire. On the non-entry end there is a small hole that I stuffed with rose or citrus leaves to attract them. One critical item is to be sure to exclude light from the tube. Gophers have very poor eyesight but react to light by pushing soil toward it and will fill a trap with dirt.

 

[Logan]

Just remember they were there before you.