How I Trap Gophers

Here is how I trap gophers.

For trapping thirteen-lined ground squirrels I use #0 and #1 long spring traps and, garden staples for stakes.

You will find their holes along corn fields and in hay fields.

Simply place the trap pan down over the hole and stake the trap.
You can bait the trap by putting peanut butter on the pan.

The catch.


This is what I use for trapping pocket gophers a shovel, garden spade, steal pole, box covers, and #0 and #1 long spring traps and garden staples.

This is a picture of a gopher mound.

Use the pole to poke around until you find the tunnel.

Dig where the pole goes in the easiest.


Once you have found the tunnel clean out all the extra dirt with your hand.

Dig a bed for the trap in front of the tunnel.

Set the trap in front of the tunnel.
Make sure the trap is lower then the tunnel.

If you find where the tunnel splits two ways set the trap in the middle.

Stake the trap and cover the hole with a cover.

Cover the cover with dirt so no light can get in.



Come back the next day and uncover the hole and find this.

Any questions?

Thanks for reading this.

sweet. thanks for sharing!

i love seeing picture posts on "how to"'s we need more of these.. thanks for posting

That's funny I used the same method years ago. Back in the late 80s I owned a couple acres in Southern Caliphony that was so infested with pocket gophers the slab around the pool cracked and tilted on the edge of the hill. I pulled out my #0s I had brought from Indiana and started my own ADC work. I estimate in two months I trapped, the cat caught and I found drowned in the pool almost 100 gophers. That was out of just a 1/2 acre front yard, that yard was literally swiss cheese with gopher holes. I never realized I was such an innovator. he said while slapping himself on the back.

Nicely done.

nice series of pictures. Thanks for posting these. So interesting to see different trapping methods.

I had a smart gopher that kept filling the hole, so I decided to try something new.
This was the first and last gophinator he ever saw.

Excellent photo journal! Thanks!

Two kinds of "gophers', I see...

just set 3 of those out last night in the wife's flower garden...will see what we have later. Tom