Re: Tree Climbing Gophers

Lyn:

I'm pretty sure that what you're calling "tree
climbing gophers" are actually Beechey (or California)
Ground Squirrels (Citellus beecheyi).  It's the most
common ground squirrel in California and lives in
holes in the ground or rock piles.

This year, they're extra bad (due to drought) and are
eating almost anything off fruit trees.

Joe
--- Lyn Dearborn <dearborn@bengaltech.com> wrote:
> 
> Nan Sterman said, regard to gophers coming our of
> the ground to raid a raised
> bed & digging down:
> 
> >Doesn't happen.  they tunnel from the bottom and
> seldome emerge from 
> >their holes.
> -- 
> 
> When I was growing up on a ranch in the Goleta
> Valley part of Southern Calif.,
> I was paid $.25/head for gopher extermination, if I
> used a trap, or $.50 if 
> I shot one with my 22 caliber riffle... I preferred
> the latter of the two,
> because my bed bobcat would follow me through the
> orchard to see where I set
> my traps, & then come back & steal MOST of my catch
> ... he would only leave
> the heads behind.  However, when the fuerte avocados
> started getting "closer"
> to ripening, the gophers would climb up into the
> tree & eat them ... quite
> rude!! If we had a really hot/dry spell, they would
> also go after the apricots.
> 
> The best trap I've ever used (other than a pet
> bobcat) in a box trap with no
> "air hole" in the solid end, but rather an aircap at
> the top of the solid end,
> that has a piece of flashing that covers it
> slightly... This resulted in a 
> distinct "draft" as perceived by "Mt. Gopher", &
> come goes zipping down the 
> tunnel to close it up, & snap! kitty food!!
> 
> lyn
> 


=====
Joe Seals
Santa Maria, California --
where the weather is always perfect
and my garden always has something blooming
and birds galore

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