Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Ben on April 26, 2023, 11:41:25 AM

Title: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on April 26, 2023, 11:41:25 AM
I guess it's *expletive deleted*ing bastard gopher season again. I went in the backyard yesterday afternoon, and though I'd previously seen nothing, there were like nine mounds over around a 50' spread. I figured that had to be a few gophers, so I set three traps, and yesterday evening caught one gopher. Today the other traps haven't sprung and there are no new mounds, so I have to assume this one little bastard covered that whole area in a single like half day. Holy hell.

I need to keep on top of them this year, because last year I got a little lazy, and can now see where the ground has sunk in those areas from where I wasn't on top of them. You can't let these bastards go for even a day.

Also Steve will be unhappy because my gopher lady started trapping in my upper pasture, so he can't go up there and help me irrigate anymore for the season. She always leaves the gophers piled up for the scavengers, and everytime my back is turned, he'll find those piles and start munching down, then start throwing up.  :laugh:
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: charby on April 27, 2023, 07:46:53 AM
Part of pest manager is determining why a pest keeps returning and removing that source. What do you have in your pasture that the gophers are eating?

Or encourage natural predators of the gophers to live/visit your spread.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on April 27, 2023, 07:59:10 AM
Part of pest manager is determining why a pest keeps returning and removing that source. What do you have in your pasture that the gophers are eating?

Or encourage natural predators of the gophers to live/visit your spread.

This one is in the backyard.

As far as the pasture, it's just the upper pasture with alfalfa and grass, and my gopher lady does like twenty other farms in the area. My lower pastures don't get them because the water table is high, and gopher season is irrigation season, so it's too wet at the depths they burrow for them. There are so many gophers around that Idaho has a bounty on them.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: K Frame on April 27, 2023, 08:58:09 AM
(https://www.memesmonkey.com/images/memesmonkey/bf/bfdfc3f8cc5d228ea379fe9f44041819.jpeg)
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: dogmush on April 27, 2023, 09:18:26 AM
You know what you need to do......

(https://www.ebad.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PBX_Plastic_Bonded-Explosive_Confined_Detonating_-Cord4-800x800-1.jpg)
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on April 27, 2023, 09:42:06 AM
You know what you need to do......

(https://www.ebad.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PBX_Plastic_Bonded-Explosive_Confined_Detonating_-Cord4-800x800-1.jpg)

Believe me, it's coming to that.  =D
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: MrsSmith on April 27, 2023, 09:47:36 AM
I've been having a problem with something burrowing, whether moles or groundhogs, or maybe gophers, I'm not sure. I can tell you anything you might want to know about nearly every saltwater species in the area, but land-based mammals, not so much. There are tunnels everywhere in my yard. This doesn't seem to trouble the chickens, not being heavy enough to sink into them. Remington, my GSD, often entertains himself by following the tunnels and randomly digging them up. I range from not noticing them until I twist my ankle sinking into one, to following them and smooshing them down to prevent further ankle-twisting. I'll confess to a bit of "Take That!" glee in my smooshing frenzies.
I did look up how to get rid of moles, but everything I've read seems either labor intensive given the size of the property or harmful to the fur and feather kids.
They're a pain in the arse around the house, but in the back 40 that's more "naturally landscaped" you can't really see them until you sink into one.
And apparently they breed like rabbits. It went from the occasional tunnel out by the gate a couple years ago, to an ever-expanding metropolis this spring. 
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: MillCreek on April 27, 2023, 09:49:03 AM
Has Carl Spackler taught us nothing?

(https://golf.com/wp-content/uploads/article_images/batch4/caddy-2.jpg)
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Jim147 on April 27, 2023, 10:43:15 AM
But if I kill all the golfers they will lock me up and throw away the key.

Groundhogs and armadillos are a problem here but I like my .222.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: dogmush on April 27, 2023, 10:45:14 AM
We get Armadillo's digging in my yard, which are annoying holes, but less of a burrow.  I did get one going under the corner of the house a couple years ago, and he had to go quickly.

Normally what I do if they get to bad in the yard is spend a cople of nights letting the dogs out before I turn on the lights.  The surprise German Shepherds seem to make dillo's move on quickly.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Brad Johnson on April 27, 2023, 10:56:12 AM
Had gophers for a year or two at the old house. Never was able to trap them. Finally got rid of them by the "dig out the freshest mound and put Gopher Bait" in the tunnel" method.

Brad
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on April 27, 2023, 11:14:33 AM
And apparently they breed like rabbits. It went from the occasional tunnel out by the gate a couple years ago, to an ever-expanding metropolis this spring.

As much as I hate the extra work this time of year, I've found that as soon as I see a fresh mound, if I stop whatever else I'm doing and set a cinch trap (best traps I've found for these gophers), it has ended up saving me work down the road. If I let them go for even a day, these pocket gophers just do ridiculous damage, and as fast as they tunnel, I don't want them getting anywhere near the house foundation. Out in the fields, I'm a little more lazy on keeping on top of them and make the excuse that they're just aerating the soil.  :laugh:
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on April 27, 2023, 11:17:42 AM
Had gophers for a year or two at the old house. Never was able to trap them. Finally got rid of them by the "dig out the freshest mound and put Gopher Bait" in the tunnel" method.

Brad

I'm super paranoid about bait. For a while I was stuffing the dead gophers back in their hole, as I've read, and maybe it's a wives tale, that it keeps other gophers away from taking over that tunnel system. However I've seen Steve dig the stupid things up, and my understanding is that the poison is viable for a really long time.

Plus Barney is still on the job and I don't want him to catch a gopher that came out to die.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: 230RN on April 27, 2023, 11:49:48 AM
Fun with propane.  There are simpler ways of doing this, but for your perusal...

https://youtu.be/7zPnTtF0Wk8 (3:39)

He could take a lesson from how model rocketeers set off their motors.

Many variants on this theme:

Search term: <propane for gophers>

Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: HeroHog on April 27, 2023, 08:19:39 PM
Pour a gallon or so of gas in the main Burrow or one that ties into it.
Cover hole and give it a few minutes for the fumes to spread.
Toss in match.
QUICKLY stick leaf blower in hole and fire that puppy up.
Proffit!

 [popcorn]
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: BobR on April 27, 2023, 08:24:11 PM
Pour a gallon or so of gas in the main burro or one that ties into it.
Cover hole and give it a few minutes for the fumes to spread.
Toss in match.
QUICKLY stick leaf blower in hole and fire that puppy up.
Proffit!

 [popcorn]

What happens to the rest of the herd, will they scatter into the desert before they regroup and come back. Maybe they will get adopted by grizzled old prospectors, the gold is going to come down the hills with the snow melt. ;)

bob

Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: HeroHog on April 27, 2023, 08:35:27 PM
I KNEW I spelled it wrong but the wife convinced me it was right. I BLAME HER! :old:
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: BobR on April 27, 2023, 09:07:09 PM
I KNEW I spelled it wrong but the wife convinced me it was right. I BLAME HER! :old:

I do that too, especially when I know she won't find out I blame her!!!   :rofl:    :old:



bob
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Kingcreek on April 27, 2023, 10:26:27 PM
I’ve had reasonably good results just running a hose off the main hydrant to a tunnel and flooding the crap out of everything. Granted, my hydrant is on the high ground and everything else is downslope.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: HeroHog on April 28, 2023, 03:33:32 AM
I do that too, especially when I know she won't find out I blame her!!!   :rofl:    :old:

bob

The thing is, my wife, PinkPigParts (Terri), is a member here!
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: HeroHog on April 28, 2023, 03:34:27 AM
I’ve had reasonably good results just running a hose off the main hydrant to a tunnel and flooding the crap out of everything. Granted, my hydrant is on the high ground and everything else is downslope.

My way is MUCH more entertaining though.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: MrsSmith on April 28, 2023, 08:14:20 AM
I'm super paranoid about bait.

Same. Remington was abandoned as a pup and became quite an adept scavenger. And chickens will eat anything. There's also a magnificent great horned owl and two red-tailed hawks that hunt on the property, and I'd hate for any of them to either eat tainted critter or eat the bait. I did see the owl with what looked like a mole in her talons last year, but so far there's only one of her and many of them.

I'm guessing it's moles here, since there are no obvious gopher holes. Any suggestions that DON'T involve setting the whole place on fire?
I read one article that suggested digging a two-foot trench around the area, lining it with chicken wire, and filling it with gravel (obviously written by a town-dweller with a postage stamp yard) to keep future moles from moving in, then poisoning those that remained.   
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: JTHunter on April 29, 2023, 06:32:49 PM
Fun with propane.  There are simpler ways of doing this, but for your perusal...

https://youtu.be/7zPnTtF0Wk8 (3:39)

Not gophers but moles in my yard.
I've done something similar.  I have an old regulator from a gas grill with an 18" piece of PVC pipe on the end of the hose and, after a decent rainfall, I shove the pipe into the tunnel 1/4 to 1/2 way in and turn on the propane.  After about 5 minutes, I pull the pipe, stick a piece of rolled up newspaper with some lighter fluid or kerosene on it into the hole, light it and step away.
I don't usually get an explosion, just a WHOOSH as the flame moves through the tunnels.  The rain helps seal the tunnels and keeps the gas in the tunnels.  Dry earth lets the gas leak out.
  >:D
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: 230RN on April 30, 2023, 02:21:40 PM
Gophers, prairie dogs. groundhogs, moles, holes. All the same techniques.

When I had my farm, I tried setting up a rich mixture on my VW, plugging up one of the exhaust pipes, adapting a hose to the other, shoving it into the prairie dog holes as far as I could, and running the engine for a while. Then I pulled the hose and covered the hole. Although no evidence of dead ones appeared, no more holes showed up for quite a while, This actually seemed to work in that respect.  They were sneaking in from the neighbor's property and rhe holes endangered the horses.

I used to do a lot of prairie dog "thinning" for the farmers hereabouts with a .223 Remington out of my beloved ancient antique Savage ( 1-14 twist, 53 grain bullets, 3031 for about 3k f/s), but that's all you can do with a rifle  -you can't actually eradicate them that way unless you do it every day and have unlimited handloads.

I used to call this operation "Feeding the raptors."

Trouble is, with modern cars, you can't diddle with the fuel mixture unless you hack the computer, I guess.  And you can't hardly find a .223 rifle with a 14inch twist any more, either.

Terry, 230RN
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Cliffh on May 02, 2023, 10:59:26 PM
Had a gopher move in when we were living in AZ.  I tried using one of the gopher bombs, following the directions; blocking all holes, setting if off, covering the hole, etc.  Next morning I went out to find the bastard had reopened the hole and shoved the remainder of the bomb out of the hole.  One of those spring loaded, 3 spike traps took care of him.

I have heard of, never used, pumping oxy/acetylene down the hole & tossing a match at it.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: JTHunter on May 03, 2023, 09:48:27 PM
Cliff - using the propane and no additional oxygen lets you light and send a "flame front" through the burrows without the "blast".  I live in a residential neighborhood and don't want to "upset" the neighbors.  :laugh:
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Cliffh on May 03, 2023, 10:21:58 PM
Life is easier when the neighbors aren't sweeping dirt clods off the roof.   =D
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Brad Johnson on May 25, 2023, 05:44:37 PM
Ran across a gadget today and it made me think of this thread. GopherHawk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDY_8k9Za0

The guy is about as engaging as a pile of toenail clippings, but the trap is neat.

Brad
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on May 25, 2023, 06:38:16 PM
Ran across a gadget today and it made me think of this thread. GopherHawk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDY_8k9Za0

The guy is about as engaging as a pile of toenail clippings, but the trap is neat.

Brad

A friend got me to try that a couple of years ago. Way too small for the gophers I get. Never caught one. She caught the dinky city gophers she got it for all the time though, so YMMV.

I've wiped out the gophers (for now) and am on to killing rockchucks before they hibernate. I got 9 of them at the colony digging under my bridge, and from what my game cam is telling me, I have two adults to go. They've just switched from being out in the afternoon to being out earlier in the morning, so they're probably getting ready to hibernate. I'm hoping to get the last two tomorrow morning. Then I'll probably thin out the colony they split off from, so that this doesn't happen again next year.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: K Frame on May 25, 2023, 06:44:14 PM
So... have you ever thought that the gophers and the irrigation system have joined forces?

 :rofl:
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on May 25, 2023, 06:48:57 PM
So... have you ever thought that the gophers and the irrigation system have joined forces?

 :rofl:

It is quite possible. And they have enlisted the rockchucks as their Wagner Group shock troops to create a two front war.
Title: Re: %&$!@#! Gopher Season Again
Post by: Ben on May 26, 2023, 10:54:00 AM
Well, got the last two bridge chucks this morning. At least I hope it's the last two. We'll see what the game cam says. Anyways, these 55 grain Hornady V-Max bullets are devastating. Pretty much just two gut piles.

Now if there are no more left, I can pour some concrete slurry down the holes and hope it's enough to stabilize stuff. It looks like I might have to pour some thick concrete pads around the bridge at both stream banks, I had halfass poured a couple of inches for about a foot around where the bridge meets the bank, but these guys just burrowed underneath and out. Little bastards.

There's a couple burrowing under a big elm tree by the house, and I'll need to get them with the shotgun and BBs since my shot is right in line with the one neighbor's house.