Hey guys I have a couple of gopher questions. I setup a gopher job yesterday at a clients home that I have trapped for before. I put in 5 double trap sets with death klutch traps. Today I had two gophers and the rest of my traps were packed shut. I normally do not have this problem anywhere else but every time I trap this property I get about a 50\50 success rate. Any tips or tricks that might help me improve my catch rate? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The last time I trapped gophers here the client said it took a month and a half before he saw any sign of gophers again

Do you bait? Might try it. I try to set without bait, but will use it after a plugged trap. I like to save it that way I feel like I have a "plan B" should I come up with a plugged set. I've used peanut butter, acorns, and foliage from plants they've been feeding on in the area. I found they also like manila office folders. I was using the folders to create a "tunnel" when I didn't have a good plug of soil to close the hole up. The paper tunnel to keep dirt from closing the tunnel and making the gopher perceive it had been disturbed. More often than not, I found that paper was chewed and put in their pouches before the gopher was killed.

I have a property that is the same way. On one side of the driveway it is usually a one set deal. I set the traps, and have gophers the next day. The other side of the driveway, lots of plugging. I do not get it at all.

Sometimes I think it is suspicious gophers, others I think they are pushing dirt regardless and I just happened to be in their way.

Do you just apply peanut butter to the trigger of the trap or put it beyond the trigger so he has to pass through to get to it?

Behind the trap. You want them to have to try and push by the trigger to get to it.

It doesn't take much.

Gotcha thanks for the advice terrier. Do you run the death klutch traps or something different? I've been kicking around trying the albinos. I have his mole traps and love them.

I use Albano's.

I've never used anything else, so have no basis for comparison. But I can't come up with any complaints. He's made a very nice product.

So what do you do when you get a plugged set. Do you immediately reset, or back out and wait for new activity? Are you successful on subsequent sets?

Well if I have the time. I will pull back and attack the new activity. But if I'm on a paying job I just move to the next closest mound and reset. Never reset in the same hole already learned that lesson. Sometimes the resets work sometimes not. Just would like to get a better percentage on my initial setup.