How To Win The Great Gopher War

Last week we discussed the saga of the Stephens household versus pocket gophers. We ended with 1995, with the gophers clearly outwitting the Stephens 100 to zero.

Before we get into the 1996 chapter, perhaps we should reacquaint ourselves with the villain of the story. Who is this little ravaging beast?

Having long front claws and huge front teeth, pocket gophers are the most industrious tunnel engineers in the world. By constantly gnawing and clawing, they create an elaborate subway system that leads straight to unsuspecting roots of trees, shrubs, bulbs and veggies. As these little rodents dig, they push the excess soil above ground in the form of fluffy, soft mounds of earth. These mounds are a dead giveaway that little varmints are helping themselves to our garden.

With that bit of introduction, here’s the final chapter:

The Last Straw

The battle began anew this spring. What we suspected as winter damage on a few old juniper shrubs and two young Kwanzan cherry trees was really the result of a feeding frenzy by our resident gophers. This constant plant loss and injury is devastating, frustrating and downright depressing. But the last straw came when they attacked husband Jim’s pumpkin patch.

Jim likes to grow the giant fellows. This year he took the time to presprout his seed in order to get a jump on the growing season. By mid-May, his tender young plants were ready to be set in the ground. Each day he would religiously check his young charges - keeping them watered, fed and warm. It took only a couple of weeks before disaster struck. From that point on, he came in lamenting a tale of woe. Another plant had bitten the dust, so to speak. Some had even disappeared. Gophers! It’s time for control.

There seems to be as many methods for handling this pest as there are for controlling deer. The following is a short list:

Lewis, the cat. Cats are natural hunters. They’ll stalk just about anything that moves. However, we’ve found that once Lewis gets her fill, she stops hunting. I’ve even tried setting her near the mound of soil, hoping she’d catch the critter’s scent. The soft mound of dirt simply made for a great place to stretch and roll. So much for the cat.

Juicy Fruit gum. I’ve never tried gum, but it is reported that gum, well, gums up the gopher’s stomach and it dies. This doesn’t seem too humane to me.

Devices that vibrate the ground. This may work if the gopher is in the vicinity of the vibrator, but consider that this subway system may cover a two-acre tract. They may work, but it would take a lot more than one or two of these whirly-gigs to scare off our gophers.

Gopher purge (Fritillaria imperialis): This is a spring-flowering bulb with a caustic taste that supposedly repels gophers. Like the ground vibrators, they are a bit impractical for protecting the entire garden.

Water. Flooding out these little critters with the garden hose seems to work in my garden. I have a terrible feeling though, that they are simply moving to higher ground - namely, my neighbor’s garden - until the flood subsides.

Gas. There is a rodenticide gas that is sold under various brand names such as Gopher Gasser. The active ingredients are potassium nitrate and sulfur. These gases are toxic to humans and animals, so they must be handled with extreme care. They should be placed in the tunnels about every eight feet. This can become quite expensive.

Poison baits. The principle ingredient of this control is strychnine, so obviously they must be used with extreme caution. If used, they must be placed in the tunnel and the hole must be covered to protect domestic animals. Too risky for me.

Trapping. This is probably the most effective method of controlling these critters. The first step is to locate the active tunnels. Flatten all the mounds of soil by pulling a rake over them. Wait a few hours for a fresh mound to develop. Now we know where the active runs are located.

Dig into the fresh mound with a shovel down about 12 inches. With a blunt handle, begin probing the walls of the exposed hole for tunnels. You will know you’ve struck a tunnel when the probe moves easily through the ground. There may be anywhere from 3-5 runs leading into each soft mound of soil. Each run must be trapped.

The best trap is a two-prong, spring Macabee brand trap. Once set, the traps are placed in each run. The hole is covered with a box to keep light from the tunnels. Place a heavy rock on the box to keep domestic animals from digging and being caught in the traps. It doesn’t take long before the little varmints are trapped. Simply open the trap, drop the carcass into the hole and bury it.

I hate destroying any living creature, but after years of dealing with these rodents, it’s time they move on.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review