Gophers kicking my butt.

It's sooo dry out here with the drought. I am having such little,success on one particular dry property. I am thinking of telli,g the owners I want to come back after a rain, but who knows how long that will be. Or trying Apple juice for a lure. Any other ideas.

Please explain what the problem is

Throw Back,

I'm assuming they know they have gophers based on sign but you aren't seeing much surface activity?

In NM they often go deep during very dry and very cold times. How far down have you dug to locate deeper runs?

I don't mess with them much I send them to PCOs who send me other things I want but when I have done them I
prefer the run between the mounds now the mounds themselves. Have had one run just near surface and deeper runs
18" deep that have picked them up. Gophinator pointing each direction in one straight run between last good above ground action.

Not sure if you've already done that or if they are snapping traps, sounds like you are saying they aren't active in which case for me they are either dead already, moved on, or deeper down...

Justin

There is a ton of sign. The ground is just reaLly bard and dry. I

Because of the drought conditions, gophers should be feverishly throwing up fresh mounds in search of roots, tubers, bulbs,etc. Where we normally set traps are simply the feeding/travel tunnels where they find this preferred vegetation. Are you seeing new mounds? Gophers cache their food in deeper dens/burrows for harder times like you are experiencing now and are not as active.

Have you tried using chunky peanut butter between your sets as a lure?

There are new mound daily. I use peanut butter all the time. I may try apple juice for the moisture.

So you're setting traps on the new mounds that pop up daily? And instead of revisiting those mounds, they're creating new ones? Just trying to learn. I know Steve Albano makes gopher traps also (Gophinator???), so what are you using?

Yes, that's what's happenin. I use Steve's traps. I set a dozen last week on new mounds without a si,gle catch

Do you ever set between the mounds?

I prefer the middle of the street rather than the cul de sac if you know what I mean.

Can't bypass you and don't need to be coming to push up soil at the end.

In a 20' circle of numerous mounds I'm looking for a straight line between two good fresh mounds.

Haven't missed them there yet.

(Never used or needed bait either)

They go deep when ground is dry, and they must be REALLY deep by now.

Gophers do sometimes become trap shy no matter what the conditions, soil types, number of traps, location of traps, etc. They can trip your traps if the traps are not bedded somewhat and tight in the tunnel, they can plug in front of your traps in the tunnel and a lot of times they'll just cover up your set completely.


Apprise your customer that this is sometimes the nature of the little beast, level all the mounds, and come back and try again when Mr. Gopher gets happy again (when he starts throwing up fresh mounds again)! Good luck.

Is it practical for them to water the lawn tonring them up? I realize youre in CA and it might not be.

sent you a PM.