I unfortunately have lots of pocket gophers too, but they've co-existed with my drain field for 19 years now. Our dogs root out a few, but the gophers are persistent.
But the septic guy didn't seem to think they were an issue.
What damage do they do to your drain field?
thx,
-Mark
Help! Pocket Gophers Destroying Drainfield
Re: Help! Pocket Gophers Destroying Drainfield
eye86fire wrote:
> I have been trapping gophers since 2018 with the green snap traps, last
> year 128, year before 97.
>
> I'm willing to teach all I know with anyone having issues with them.
>
> Tom McKittrick
>
> P.S. Yes its legal with the no trapping laws in place.
I could certainly use some advice Tom. I got the green traps and have been setting them every evening for two weeks straight without luck. Every morning I come out and the gophers have backfilled the hole along with trap, trap is untriggered every time. I put the business end in the tunnel, placing them in far enough so the trigger plate is well within the tunnel... nothing I do works...
> I have been trapping gophers since 2018 with the green snap traps, last
> year 128, year before 97.
>
> I'm willing to teach all I know with anyone having issues with them.
>
> Tom McKittrick
>
> P.S. Yes its legal with the no trapping laws in place.
I could certainly use some advice Tom. I got the green traps and have been setting them every evening for two weeks straight without luck. Every morning I come out and the gophers have backfilled the hole along with trap, trap is untriggered every time. I put the business end in the tunnel, placing them in far enough so the trigger plate is well within the tunnel... nothing I do works...
Re: Help! Pocket Gophers Destroying Drainfield
This is an extension to Steve's (Burwinzer) advice.
Gophers run their errands along a main tunnel system from where they fork off
discharge tunnels.
Those discharge tunnels serve as a way to get rid off all the debris that gets
in their way while doing their business. We can see the exit as those dirt mounds.
The discharge tunnels run in the shape of a horse shoe and as such connect to
the main tunnel at two points.
In order to be successful catching them one needs to find both arms that lead
away from the mound towards the main tunnel. This is important since one never
knows from which direction the gopher will approach the trap (since there are
two ways to get there from the main tunnel).
If one traps only one of the side tunnels there is a chance that the gopher will
approach the trap from behind and from the other arm of the side tunnel and
consequently smother the trap with dirt.
So, the right way to trap them is to locate both of the discharge tunnels
and then place one trap in each one. It can be a time consuming and tedious
chore to find both side tunnels leading away and towards the main tunnel.
Some of those little beasts are quite feisty and block their side tunnels with
some serious chunks of rock which makes it hard to probe for the side tunnels.
Good luck,
Peter,
in Twisp.
P.S. in case anyone wonders, I use that straight forward basic Victor wooden
mouse trap, made irresistible with likewise basic peanut butter.
Gophers are mice after all !
Gophers run their errands along a main tunnel system from where they fork off
discharge tunnels.
Those discharge tunnels serve as a way to get rid off all the debris that gets
in their way while doing their business. We can see the exit as those dirt mounds.
The discharge tunnels run in the shape of a horse shoe and as such connect to
the main tunnel at two points.
In order to be successful catching them one needs to find both arms that lead
away from the mound towards the main tunnel. This is important since one never
knows from which direction the gopher will approach the trap (since there are
two ways to get there from the main tunnel).
If one traps only one of the side tunnels there is a chance that the gopher will
approach the trap from behind and from the other arm of the side tunnel and
consequently smother the trap with dirt.
So, the right way to trap them is to locate both of the discharge tunnels
and then place one trap in each one. It can be a time consuming and tedious
chore to find both side tunnels leading away and towards the main tunnel.
Some of those little beasts are quite feisty and block their side tunnels with
some serious chunks of rock which makes it hard to probe for the side tunnels.
Good luck,
Peter,
in Twisp.
P.S. in case anyone wonders, I use that straight forward basic Victor wooden
mouse trap, made irresistible with likewise basic peanut butter.
Gophers are mice after all !