It's that time of the year. Gardens are planted, flowers are blooming then wham, gophers show up.
I had two gophers show up from the other side of the fence and within a couple of days were just two feet away from one of the beds. Though loners, it's mating season so if they show up you will soon have a pack of them.
Ran to the hardware store to pick up a Victor trap, the kind you have to burrow like a gopher yourself, reach in with two back to back traps and risk losing your hand if it snaps shut. You have to chain the thing to a stake to make sure the gopher doesn't run away with it if partially caught. Still, it's supposedly the most reliable. It's about $10/trap.
The gal at the hardware store said she just caught one that morning and showed me a picture on her cell phone. It was a totally different and more expensive trap. Hesitant at first, I told her "good upselling" and purchased it for $25. Amazon sells it for as high as $35. Here's a pic:
http://www.amazon.com/Gopherhawk-Gopher-Starter-Wedge-Probe/dp/B00KXE6RKK
Went to copy the site and Amazon has sold out for now but you can get them elsewhere.
In a nut, here's how easy it was without getting on your knees and digging and setting traps.
I merely probed to find the tunnel, used the wedge (both provided) to open a hole and dropped the trap inside then set it from above. Takes a couple of minutes and you never get dirty. I did something others didn't from reviewing Amazon (where I later posted my success story). I also used the probe and wedge to open two more holes, one on either side of the hole I placed the trap into the hole at a very slight angle to allow more room without damaging the trap.
The gopher coming from either direction will instinctively plug the first hole then head for the second opening. In-between is the trap. The trap goes off with a vertical spring which exposes a yellow section of the trap and you know you got one.
When I used this method I caught one overnight. I merely lined a 5 gallon bucket with a plastic kitchen bag, dropped it in and tossed the bag in the garbage. I replaced the trap in the same hole and opened back up the hole he plugged. Took one minute, super easy and clean.
Caught the mate later that day. Reset the trap again and nada. For now I'm gopher free and I would pay $25 all day long to keep them out of the garden. I mentioned my success to two friends and they each went out to pick one up.
Thought I'd pass this along if you want a super easy sure-fire way to catch the buggers.
Happy gardening!
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