How to Trap and Remove Gophers



Gophers are rodents that are almost the same size as rats. They are about 14 inches long, and their fur color ranges from brown, black or white. Most of the time, gophers are mistaken for squirrels as they burrow underground. They use their teeth, and front claws to burrow into your front lawn, yard, and golf course. They dig tunnels on the ground and use their hind feet to remove any rocks they find in their path. Gophers have poor vision and hearing due to their small eyes and ears. However, their strong sense of touch makes up for this. There are over 100 different types of gophers, but the pocket gopher is the most common.

Gophers are unpopular with humans due to their destructive nature. They disrupt human activities such as landscaping, underground cables, garden plots and commercial agriculture. This has led humans to treat gophers like pests. To avoid predators, adult gophers stand watch at the entrance of the tunnel and whistle to warn the others of any approaching threat. Gophers can cause irrecoverable damage on your flowerbed and lawn. They dig up the grass and make your lawn a playing ground. Recent studies estimate that one gopher can dig up to 70 mounds in a month.

When you discover a gopher mound on your lawn or fields, it is better to take precautionary action immediately. You should do the following:

1. If you want to trap the gopher, first ensure that you get a license to do so. This license can be obtained from your local wildlife store. It is illegal to trap the gopher without a license.

2. The next thing is to buy a gopher trap. You can visit your local stores and sample the traps available. When buying a trap, you can also seek advice from your local exterminator on the best trap to use to catch the gopher.

3. Trapping a gopher is done underground on the active burrows. Therefore, ensure that the trap you set the trap on the underground burrows. You do not require to use any bait or poison in this trap. Setting the trap underground reduces the chance of humans and pets being exposed to the traps. If the gophers have dug up many burrows, you may be required to set more than one trap in each tunnel.

4. Once you have caught the gopher, you can relocate them to another approved area far from your home. You can also call your local wildlife service to come get the gopher.

5. If you are not able to get rid of all the gophers in your field, you can hire the services of an exterminator or local wildlife service. Some of these companies have service plans that ensure that your fields and lawn are free of gophers at all times. The service plans range from per trip basis, per monthly basis and annual basis. You choose the service plan depending on the level of gopher activity in your lawn, fields or golf course.

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How to Trap and Remove Gophers