Woodchuck nearly broke me

[thistlebloom]

I see a few gopher mounds in our yard . They are not close to the garden yet, but I better get proactive about it. Has anyone used the pounding windmills to keep them out? Wonder if they work!, if I use a trap I am afraid I will catch one of the five dogs around here or the cat.

Gopher it Collector, but I'm pretty certain they don't work for either gophers or moles. I tried them for gophers, and got no satisfaction. My mom battled moles and tried them with about the same results.

The best thing for gophers IMO is Macabee traps. Since they are below ground I don't see it being a big problem unless you have a nosy digger dog. I wouldn't worry about cats at all with a Macabee.

My mom thought that the castor oil treatment worked best on her moles.

 

[journey11]

After reading this thread, it reminded me that I ought to put the trap out before I put my starts in this next couple of days. Baited it this evening with corn husks and the ends of the cobs I cut off when making dinner. We trapped and killed 4 groundhogs last year. If I had any sense, I'd set it out in the fall/winter before they start having their babies...

 

[valley ranch]

Here we have rabbits~Cotton tails, Jacks and kangaroo rats.

 

[Collector]

Gopher it Collector, but I'm pretty certain they don't work for either gophers or moles. I tried them for gophers, and got no satisfaction. My mom battled moles and tried them with about the same results.

The best thing for gophers IMO is Macabee traps. Since they are below ground I don't see it being a big problem unless you have a nosy digger dog. I wouldn't worry about cats at all with a Macabee.

My mom thought that the castor oil treatment worked best on her moles.

That what I thought I would put it up but probably just irritate the worms and we cannot have that. I guess I just use traps with a cage over it for dog proofing. So what's the best strategy, find the freshest mound and put the trap in?

 

[catjac1975]

Gopher it Collector, but I'm pretty certain they don't work for either gophers or moles. I tried them for gophers, and got no satisfaction. My mom battled moles and tried them with about the same results.

The best thing for gophers IMO is Macabee traps. Since they are below ground I don't see it being a big problem unless you have a nosy digger dog. I wouldn't worry about cats at all with a Macabee.

My mom thought that the castor oil treatment worked best on her moles.

Is the trap like a giant mouse trap? I bet they are illegal in Ma. I would worry about my pets.

 

[digitS']

I have been successful at just harassing rodents until they leave.

However, if they are not yet in your garden, they might choose that location as a new residence, @Collector . When gophers showed up in my potato patch one year, I spent about 30 minutes out there with a metal rod and hammered it into the ground at various angles everywhere and anywhere close to their activity. Of course, I just might have driven that rod thru a gopher underground. Whatever the case, their burrow was riddled with holes by the time I was done.

Ground squirrels got the ""rock hammered into their burrow" treatment. Once again, the 5# sledge hammer came out. This time, accompanied by a short piece of 2 by 4. Not just 1 burrow sized rock but 3 or 4 were driven down.

I've used this technique several times to rid my garden of the Columbian Ground Squirrel (LINK). It has not worked as well with Marmots. They are much larger rodents and seem to always have their burrows in rocky areas, anyway. The critters worked around the rocks but have then stopped showing up in my garden.

My efforts may have frightened off the marmots while the rocks may have trapped the ground squirrels underground and a gopher or two just might have been skewered with the metal rod. Whatever the case, harassing has worked for me.

Steve, ever vigilant
has been known to "shoot" tree squirrels with a water hose.

 

[Collector]

Hope they stay put where they are, but I'm gonna keep my eye on them. If the mounds start migrating towards the garden I will take action.

 

[Nyboy]

Mouse made me jump at work last night. I am not afraid of mice it was the unexpected movement that made me jump.

 

[catjac1975]

I never have heard of a marmot. It is the woodchuck family. Did not realize they were in the squirrel family.




Groundhogs are also known as a woodchucks or land beavers by some. They belong to a class of large ground squirrels commonly known as marmots, and they only live in low-lying areas. ... And just like gophers, groundhogs or woodchucks can dig a network of tunnels running to about 46 feet in length.

 

[thistlebloom]

The freshest mound is usually the best for trapping, although if they are in the area for very long they will have several tunnels and trapping gets a little tougher.

This is how I do it...I take two traps and tie strings on them and then tie that to a rebar stake that will get anchored in the ground after my traps are set.
I use a probe, a sharp pointy stick usually, and work back from the mound of fresh soil until I find the tunnel. I gently make a hole into the tunnel, and set a trap going in each direction.
I find that carrot tops, or some fresh chopped carrots make a good bait to attract them toward the traps. I'll put those between the two traps, and sometimes I'll rub the carrot all over the trap before I set it and put it in the hole.
Then I place a piece of cardboard over my hole and cover that with dirt to keep the light out.
I try to wait a day or two before checking them. If they aren't sprung I'll probe for a different tunnel and repeat the process.

I have never had a dog or cat bother my traps and I've set hundreds, but do what you think you need to for your animals.

http://gophertrapping.com/