Gopher Trapping - How To Trap

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How To Trap A Gopher
Gophers are burrowing animals that will often cause significant damage in gardens and in agricultural areas, which is why many people really do dislike them. However, they are very cute animals and are an important part of a varied environment in their natural habitats. As well as being very destructive in a garden because of their tunneling, they are also likely to eat any root vegetables that they can find in the garden which can often see an entire crop decimated within a short space of time.

Live Or Lethal Gopher Traps?
The majority of people who are trying to catch gophers will actually look to use a lethal trap, mainly because the issues that are raised by catching a live gopher can introduce a range of other problems. Similarly to dealing with a mole problem, many gopher traps will need to be set in their tunnels, and although gophers do come to the surface more often than a mole, they still spend much of their lives below ground. The traps that are usually used will be triggered by the gopher moving or tunneling into the trigger, which will then snap shut, usually using a blade or an edged jaw to kill the gopher quickly. These tend to be the most effective gopher traps.

With the growth in the number of people actually looking for non lethal gopher solutions, there are a number of traps available on the market. These will usually be similar to a cage trap except in an enclosed plastic tunnel, where the metal gate will close behind the gopher once it gets into the trap. There have been a number of efforts to adapt lethal traps by using rubber covers to turn them into traps that simply hold the animal, but these are generally ineffective.

Where Should You Place The Trap?
The majority of people who are looking to trap a gopher will need to place the traps near or at the entrance of the burrow, as this is where it will be most likely to trigger the trap. The lethal traps are usually designed to be effective in any part of a gopher tunnel, but some of the humane traps are specifically designed to be placed at the end of the gopher’s burrow. Gopher’s naturally plug their burrow, and this can be identified by a small circular patch of earth within the usual mounds of dirt that are typical of gophers. By placing a tube trap in this are the gopher will try to plug the hole with earth, and this activity at one end of the tube will cause the gate to close at the other end of the trap.

Can You Bait A Gopher Trap?
The majority of trappers will not bait a gopher trap, as the success rate is not normally greater. There are some people who will use foods such as peanut butter, lettuce or apple to try and attract the gopher to the trap.

Handling And Releasing Gophers
Much like other rodents gophers are known to carry a number of diseases including rabies, so minimizing contact with the animal is very important. Although it may appear to be quite small, the gopher has large teeth and can deliver a nasty bite, so it is worth handling with care. Some people will grip the scruff of the neck to ensure that it cannot bite while being held.

In terms of releasing gophers, they should be taken to an area at least five to ten miles from your property before being released. It is also worth bearing in mind that they can be a pest species in agricultural areas as well as gardens, so woodland areas would be the best place to release the gopher.

More in-detail how-to gopher removal articles:

Information about how to kill a gopher - with poison or other methods.
Information about how to keep gophers away - prevention techniques.
Information about how to catch a gopher - remove one stuck in the house.
Information about gopher repellent - analysis of types and effectiveness.

This site is intended to provide gopher education about how to trap a gopher in your house or property and and information about gopher trapping, so that you can make an informed decision if you need to deal with a gopher problem. This site provides many gopher control articles and strategies, if you wish to attempt to solve the problem yourself. If you are unable to do so, which is likely with many cases of gopher removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts listed in over 500 cites and towns, who can properly help you with your nuisance gopher.

Click here to read more about how to get rid of gophers.