Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Control and Prevention of Gophers

Looking for some advice or past experience in dealing with gophers (more precisely the damage they can do to earthen dams). Recently one finally dug his way through my earthen dam and dewatered most of my pond overnight.

I've read the previous post from Sniper and understand gopher traps, poisons, and toxic gases can be effective tool for removal. In addition to gopher removal, I'm looking for preventative measures (e.g. wire cloth, rock/gravel layers, etc.). Any info will be useful since I've never targeted gophers before.

If you are crafty you can make your own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2umEFHeo6mw

Are you allowed to kill them in California? Jusy sayin.'

Are there any feral cats or bird of preys in your area? These help keep mine in reasonable check.

They don't like tall grass. If gophers can't see, they either get eaten by predators or leave because they will.

Great video! Was laughing through most of it. I like the instant satisfaction part.

Yea...there tends to be more of a formal process to "take" anything in California, but gophers are not on that list.

Once some animal does damage to livestock, property, etc. even those out of season (i.e. hunting seasons) may be taken care of when officials are notified and it's been approved.

Was wondering about the vegetation around the dam and other areas near the pond. Although I do have gophers popping up in bare dirt fields, I will keep the grasses and other forbs cut down to expose them when they surface.

I am poor at explaining things.

Leave the grass grow even if its for part of the year. They like bare spots so they can see preditors coming. Tall grass helps preditors get them.

We had a 160 pasture covered in gophers and we left it ungrazed for one year and they pretty much disappeared.

A quick update - went with a couple Macabee gohper traps for now. So far 2 gophers have caught in 3 days near the pond. I will continue to look for gopher signs as I know this will be a ongoing battle with them.

Obviously poisons and traps can kill these buggers, but when you kill one, more than likely about 50 of his closest friends are not far behind.

Preventitive measures are the way to go here, the tall grass is one thing that gophers absolutely hate, but I also have used wire cloth in the past.

I bought some 4 x 4 galvanized (check it out: link removed pending Bob Lusk approval)and that was very effective in keeping gophers, and just about any other predator/unwanted nuisance from doing any harm in areas that you will not allow them.