DIY: Gopher Trapping

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read1.4K views

We are rejoicing today as the trap we set in place finally caught the Pocket Gopher, which has been digging holes on a daily basis around my Photinia Fraseri (Red Robin) shrubs. Last week, I covered a hole it dug at the base of one of the huge barrels in the front yard and it kept returning to the same hole. Yesterday, we finally had enough and my husband decided to set a Macabee Gopher Trap in the freshly dug hole.

Gopher Trap.
Gopher Trap.

Materials/Tools Needed:

  • Macabee Gopher Trap
  • Shovel, Garden Trowel
  • Wire chain (to secure the trap in place)
  • Stake (to hold, support and secure the wire chain in place)
  • Gloves or your bare hands
  • Fabric, cardboard, leaves, mulch or anything light to cover the hole.

Step by Step:

  • Using a shovel, open the tunnel wide enough to set the trap
  • Use a stake to secure the wire chain (attached to the trap) to prevent the injured Gopher from running away with the trap. Otherwise you will have to dig further to pull out the dead rodent and recover your trap.
  • Cover the hole with plastic, fabric, cardboard, plywood, leaves, mulch or stones  (to help create the illusion that the hole has been closed from the outside).
Gopher Trapped.
Gopher Trapped.

This is the fifth Pocket Gopher we have caught since we moved here.

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