Tips On How To Trap Gophers

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Firstly, before you look at how to trap a gopher, there are a few things you need to know. We’re sorry to get so serious right away, but there are serious matters to think about when you're looking at trapping and releasing, or destroying, various nuisance wildlife species. The gopher sone of them.



In certain states, Washington included, there are certain species of gopher that are protected because of their threatened status. This means that their populations are really dwindling, and the loss of any more of these creatures really could threaten the species with permanent extinction. In the last two hundred years or so, humans have caused the extinction of a large number of animals, including the West African black rhino, the Tasmanian tiger, the Caribbean monk seal, the sea mink … We won’t go on any further. It’s actually soul-destroying to reel of the animals that humans are personally responsible for the permanent extinction of. We will NEVER get those animals back. That's why we need to be very careful how we handle wild animals that encroach on our property.

The desert pocket gopher is now classed as near-threatened. The Michoacan pocket gopher is now classed as endangered. The tropical pocket gopher and big pocket gopher are now classed as critically endangered. These gophers are all native to Mexico, but should act as a stark warning for those gophers found across North America too. Where possible, exclusion methods are always the best ones to take. This means the animal is encouraged to leave of its own accord, without too much in the form of human intervention. All you’re doing is making it really difficult for the gopher to get back into the tunnels they have created.

In many states across America, you are not actually permitted to use any other trap than a live cage trap to catch a gopher. This means that snap traps and other types of lethal trap are not permitted and unlawful. You can be prosecuted. Some states will require the application of a permit before you are allowed to use anything other than live cage traps. You can find out what the rules are in your state by getting in touch with local authorities. You will want to make sure you're not in danger of injuring an endangered or protected species.

Moving on from the legalities, are you aware of how difficult it is to catch a gopher? Just take a peek on the internet and you will find tale after tale of distressed homeowner, desperately trying to find a way to get rid of these rodents once and for all. And, yes, they are rodents too. Somewhere in the middle of mice and rats, you have the gopher. In size terms, it fits in between the two, usually only about 5-10 inches in length and a couple of hundred grams in weight at most.

Trapping is not going to be your best option here. Exclusion methods are, and these come in a variety of ways. You can first start by protecting the parts that are the worst affected. When the animal has no food in that area, or it can’t get to that food, it has no reason to stick around and will more than likely move along once the food stash has been emptied.

Hardware cloth is going to be your best friend. You can use it to create cage-baskets, of sorts, for new bulbs. Dig enough space in the flower bed for the basket to sit, fill it with soil, and then place the bulb inside. If you make sure the bulbs have enough room to grow, your flowers will be protected from the bottom. Mesh wiring - the really small kind - can be used to create a cage, of sorts, on the top, protecting the plants from above.

An actual fence around your property or land can also help, although we appreciate that this isn’t always the most effective solution in terms of cost. The aim of the game is to make sure the gophers have no reason to stick around on your property, and the only reason they're there is because there is a constant and steady stream of food on offer. When you protect that food - make it inaccessible for the gopher - they’ll move along.

Read the How to Get Rid of Gophers page.
For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How To Guide: Who should I hire? - What questions to ask, to look for, who NOT to hire.
How To Guide: do it yourself! - Advice on saving money by doing wildlife removal yourself.
Guide: How much does wildlife removal cost? - Analysis of wildlife control prices.