Re: Gophers...Somewhat lenghty.

Charley Kearns wrote:

> Rick,
> 
> I have gophers and would appreciate knowing your solutions.
> 
> Charley Kearns
> Los Gatos, CA

Charley,

Depending on your situation there are a number of solutions.

1. If you are trying to protect a garden full of iris or other plants
then I would suggest surrounding it with wire.  Don't laugh...hear me
out.  Dig a trench 2 feet deep around the perimeter.  You can hire
someone to do this or rent a trencher.  Most gophers will not tunnel
deeper than 2 feet.  Buy 3 foot "Aviary" wire, not chicken.  Insert this
wire into the 2 foot trench and replace the dirt.  The top few inches of
the 1 foot of wire remaining will be turned over at the top, facing
outwards.  This will prevent the varmints from coming over the top. 
This is foolproof.  I have done this around my two acres, yes two acres
and have not had a gopher in my field for 4 years.  Before that it was
full of them.      

2.  If the above is too ambitious then an easier method is poisioning. 
If you have pets then this is not a solution.  Pets can get second hand
poisioning from eating dead and poisioned gophers.  If you can poision
then use Cooke's gopher bait (strychnine laced grain).  You can get this
at Wal-Mart, Target and others for 6 or 7 dollars per pound.

3. Trapping is another alternative.  I did this for years but it takes a
lot of time.  I trapped over 300 gophers and they kept coming and
coming.  I used Macabee traps and found them to be the best.  Cost is
around $5 dollars at various garden centers and hardware stores.  BTW,
the gophers I caught that were still alive I set free on another part of
my property well away from the garden.

4. Gopher babies just kicked out of mothers runs can be flushed out of
their new runs by using water.  You know these are new young gophers by
the enormous amount of soil being mounded in a new location.  I bet you
thought it was a huge adult.  Anyway, the hose will only work if you
don't let the young one make an extensive tunnel.  If you notice it
early, stick a hose in the hole, turn it on and flush it out.  What to
do when it comes out.  Grab it by its tail!  It can't get to you to bite
and it will if it can.  Or use a trowel and guide it into a bucket. 
Take the bucket with its occupant, drive a few miles and release it. 

5.  I have never tried this but others have mentioned it.  Get a shotgun
and sit at an open gopher hole.  Wait for Mr. gopher to stick his head
out to feed and blast.

I would not suggest #5 but hope 1-4 helps!

Rick Tasco
Superstition Iris Gardens
Central California
Zone 8
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