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Getting Rid of Gophers

YardSmart Marin

GETTING RID OF GOPHERS

By: Tracey Liao Van Hooser | April 7, 2023

Holes have suddenly appeared in your lawn or near your plants. It could be a gopher. A single gopher can quickly cause significant damage to your garden so it is important to`act quickly. But don’t be like Bill Murray in Caddyshack - there are definitely better ways to manage gophers!

The Best Offense is a Good Defense

Install protection for your lawn, trees, plants and vegetable garden before you plant to prevent gopher damage. Learn more here.

Signs of a Gopher Problem

The first step is always to identify the problem. It can be difficult to know if you are dealing with a gopher, mole, vole, or ground squirrel. You could get lucky and see the gopher but it’s unlikely; they spend most of their time in their tunnels. Instead, look for these signs:

Mounds of dirt. A gopher can make multiple fresh mounds in a single day. Here are photos of holes made by gophers, moles, voles, and ground squirrels to help you identify your culprit. In this video you can watch a gopher pushing dirt out of its hole, creating the classic crescent shaped mound.
A plant that dies overnight. This may be a sign that a gopher has eaten its roots.
A plant that suddenly disappears! Check out this video of a kale plant being pulled into a gopher tunnel.
Damage to tree bark near the ground (this may also be evidence of a vole problem)
You might get lucky and spy the gopher as he peeks out to nibble on nearby vegetation, as shown in this video.

How to Get Rid of Gophers

First, let’s talk about what NOT to do:

Don’t use poison baits!
- It is illegal to place baits above ground. It is only legal to use bait if inserted directly into the gopher’s tunnel. Still, we do not recommend baits.
- Once the gopher eats the poison, they are not killed immediately. Anything that eats it will also ingest the poison. This creates a secondary risk to pets and wildlife. WildCare reports that 76% of raptors and other rodent-consuming wildlife brought into their facility have tested positive for secondary rodenticide poisoning, which causes a slow and painful death.
Steer clear of ineffective treatments.
- There is no evidence that repellents intended to frighten or annoy the gophers are effective (e.g. vibrating stakes, ultrasonic devices, pinwheels, etc).
- Some plants such as garlic, castor bean, and gopher purge have a reputation for repelling gophers. However, they do not work according to scientific studies.
- Do not use smoke or poisonous gas - it won’t work. Gophers can quickly seal off tunnels to block them.
- Flooding tunnels may bring the gopher briefly to the surface but is primarily a waste of precious water. The volume of water may damage your lawn, flood your basement, and loosen the soil, making it easier for all kinds of burrowing rodents to return.

How to Manage Gophers

Try to identify tunnels that are actively being used. A dark mound of dirt that feels damp is a good sign. Or, simply flatten out any existing mounds the day before you intend to set your traps and then see what new mounds have popped up by morning.
This video will show you how to use a probe to find the gopher tunnel, where to place your traps, and how to cover the hole you’ve created.
There are several types of traps you can purchase. Read about them here. This 10-minute video contains a great overview of a variety of traps, how to find the main tunnel, and how to set the traps [note: toward the end, this video shows a dead gopher caught in a trap]. This video shows how to set the Macabee gopher trap specifically and this video shows how to use the Gopher Hawk trap.
Raptors and snakes are great natural rodent control! Unfortunately, gophers can inflict too much damage to your garden too quickly - you don’t want to wait around, hoping for a predator to eat him. Still, you can encourage raptors to live nearby by hosting an owl nesting box or installing a raptor perch on your property. Here is how you can make your yard more welcoming to snakes.

And remember: prevention is always best. When planting or installing, use hardware cloth to prevent gophers from damaging your plants or lawn. Learn more here.

Tracey Liao Van Hooser is the Program Manager for YardSmartMarin, a nonprofit organization that empowers people to reduce or eliminate pesticide use through awareness and education about safer, effective alternatives. For more information visit www.yardsmartmarin.org

Visit YardSmartMarin for safe and effective solutions to all of your pest problems including rodents, weeds, bugs, and plant diseases. Learn more about why it’s so important to protect your kids, pets, wildlife, and the environment from pesticides. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and email us anytime: info@yardsmartmarin.org