The hot and dry dog days of summer are upon us and as sure as you can set your clock, it means those stripped field gophers will be here looking for a high moisture source food. My first migrant arrived today. I'll give 'em a nice warm welcome.

I've never seen a device like that - looks kinda like a giant clothes peg! I guess the gopher goes in and it snaps shut? Does it kill them or capture them?

Looks like an oversized mouse-trap to me. The mouse version breaks their back and they die almost instantly.

My concern with the above is that it might injure an inquisitive cat or dog. Two of our family cats each had one of their back legs smashed by some kind of animal trap when I was young. They managed to drag themselves home (which was rather traumatic to my five-year-old sister, as one of the cats was hers). One of them had to be put down; thankfully, my sister's cat survived but lost the leg.

Cats, dogs, rabbits and such can't get in my work gardens. I've got a 6 foot high galvanized steel deer and predator fence that has 1 inch spacing at the bottom graduated to 4 inch spacing at the top. In addition, I've got a 30 inch high galvanized steel hardware cloth that has I/2 inch spaces anchored in the ground about 4 inches deep designed to keep out rodents like voles and gophers. But occasionally, a gopher is resourceful enough to tunnel under both fences to gain entry. That's when the traps come out rather than poison baits which both birds and rodents might eat and while still alive and weak, become easy prey for a hawk or owl or even a cat to take home to feed to their babies. Now in the front mixed gardens for show, I don't even need a fence because they are the favorite hunting grounds for neighborhood cats. The only bad experience I had with traps was a garter snake accidently got caught in one a few years ago. That bothered me.

Sounds like you've got it covered, Lorn.

Mr. Gopher checked out shortly after lunch today.

and where is mrs. gopher and children?

Answer: on Lorn's most wanted list!

Not far behind, I expect. Once that scent trail is established, it's certain there will be more to follow. They go after the stem bulblets first, then when that's over, they go underground from bulb to bulb, right down the row. Just so you know, those 'Have a Hart' live traps don't work out well, as gophers have an excellent memory of finding their way back. When my boys were younger and still at home, we'd spray their tails John Deere green, then drop them off somewhere half way to town--about 3 miles distance. Sometimes it was less than a week and we'd catch the same ones over again. In fact they caught the same one 3 times one summer.

Wow, pretty stripes! I hope he checked out after your lunch, Lorn, and not his! Maybe soon you'll have enough for a stylish new gardening jacket.

I can just imagine the look on Lorns face everytime he catches one! Lol

They may have an excellent memory for finding their way back, but not for being caught!

dellac said: Maybe soon you'll have enough [gopher pelts] for a stylish new gardening jacket.

Back in the old country, Slovenians were known for their "stylish" hats made with Door mouse fur. True story!

Now I have to wonder how you shear Dormouse for its fur!

Whoops! Dormouse, yes.

I have @#$%&*! squirrels, and recently the feral rabbit population reached my end of the street. I have a stupid cat, the squirrels attack her.
The neighbors on 2 sides of me added wood fencing, so with my existing fencing the squirrel freeway has become greatly expanded.
I am outnumbered.
The squirrels only eat sunflowers and bird seed out of my yard, it is the digging and planting of large woody weeds from the neighbors that is the problem!

BUGGYCRAZY said:it is the digging and planting of large woody weeds from the neighbors that is the problem!

Same problem here: Black walnuts and Ohio buckeye seedlings come up all over the place!

Why is it that squirrels want walnut trees everywhere?? And raccoons want mulberry trees everywhere. Perhaps we should introduce them to grafting or something a little more refined if they have time to burn planting useless weeds.

Australis said:Looks like an oversized mouse-trap to me. The mouse version breaks their back and they die almost instantly.

My concern with the above is that it might injure an inquisitive cat or dog. Two of our family cats each had one of their back legs smashed by some kind of animal trap when I was young. They managed to drag themselves home (which was rather traumatic to my five-year-old sister, as one of the cats was hers). One of them had to be put down; thankfully, my sister's cat survived but lost the leg.

now realistically what is the odds of TWO family cats getting hurt in a trap, BOTH getting out, AND making it all the way home?
I'd say a neighbor(?or someone closeby) did something on purpose to hurt your cats. like *really* on purpose, like planned on purpose. I know no one wants to think other people do that stuff, but boy do they

Frillylily said:now realistically what is the odds of TWO family cats getting hurt in a trap, BOTH getting out, AND making it all the way home?
I'd say a neighbor(?or someone closeby) did something on purpose to hurt your cats. like *really* on purpose, like planned on purpose. I know no one wants to think other people do that stuff, but boy do they

Honestly, I don't know if it was intentional or not. I grew up on a farm and we had three cats at the time, plus a dog. My parents assumed that it was probably a nearby farmer that had set traps (cats can wander a surprising distance). I know some of the surrounding neighbours would not have intentionally done that to our cats. It makes me sad that some people deliberately hurt animals like that. I don't have a problem with pest control, but needlessly killing animals or "collateral damage" bothers me.