Pocket Gopher Control: How To Get Rid of Pocket Gophers

This page is a general Pocket Gopher control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Pocket Gophers. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Pocket Gophers. Consult your local and state guidelines to see if Pocket Gophers are a protected species in your location before applying control.

Pocket gophers may be funny-looking in cartoons or even considered to be a cute animal to some people, but the type of damage they can do on a landowner's turf is no laughing matter. Pocket Gophers are destructive rodents that not only burrow through yards and leave ugly looking bumps and holes, they also are notorious for devouring and destroying crops and plant life wherever they decide to reside.

Because Pocket Gophers spend most of their time underground in their self-created tunnel systems, these quick-moving rodents can be rather difficult to control or capture. If you’re a gardener, a homeowner, or an agricultural farmer, Pocket Gophers can be a total nightmare that needs to be eradicated immediately.

Our DIY Pocket Gopher treatment guide below contains helpful answers and product recommendations to tackle this frustrating pest. With the correct approach and the right control products which we both offer, you can get rid of pocket gophers from your property to put an end to the havoc they create.

Identification

Before you can treat you need to make sure you're dealing with a Pocket Gopher, or "Gopher" as they are commonly known. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment products, which can be ineffective and a waste of time and money. Below you can find the list of identifying traits that Pocket Gophers have.

• They have large whiskers that allow them to navigate underground in the dark.
• They can measure anywhere between 12 to 4 inches in size.
• Color can vary depending on species but usually yellowish-brown to black.
• Their belly is usually a lighter shade than their top fur.
• They create extensive burrows and tunnel systems.
• Have large claws and large front teeth.

Use the image and description above to help you to properly identify Pocket Gophers. If you are not entirely sure, contact us and one of our pros will assist you with identification.

Inspection 

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with Pocket Gophers, you will need to proceed with an inspection. During this phase, you need to pinpoint the areas that Pocket Gophers are occupying. This usually means locating their burrow and tunnel systems. 

Where To Inspect

Begin your inspection outside. Search near crops, gardens, fields, turfs, and lawns. Focus your search on finding their dirt mounds and where there are piles of dirt.

What To Look For

You're looking for dirt mounds which will lead you to their tunnels. The size of a Pocket Gopher mound can be 1 foot tall and 2 feet in diameter. They will also not have surface tunnels, or raised ridges, as molehills do.

Once you have located Pocket Gopher dirt mounds, you will use a probe like a broomstick, to locate the tunnel. Move a couple of inches away from the dirt mound, and probe the ground, at a 45-degree angle. Probe around the dirt mound until the ground underneath gives no resistance and the probe sinks deep into the ground.

Once your probe has found a place with no resistance and it digs deep into the ground, you will have found their tunnel, and this is where you will apply treatment.

Treatment

Once you have discovered Pocket Gopher activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Step 1 - Dig and Probe for Gophers

Before applying the Gopher Bait, you will need to probe around and locate active tunnels that Pocket Gophers have burrowed. You can do this by using a metal rod for probing areas where the Pocket Gophers have pushed up dirt from out of the ground and formed mounds

Stick the rod around the areas where dirt mounds are found and if you push the rod where there it easily sinks into the ground, then you will know that you have located an active tunnel.

After locating the tunnel, you should take a shovel and dig a hole where you probed. This is where you will be applying the Gopher Bait 50.

Step 2 - Apply the Gopher Bait 50 To Hole

To use Gopher Bait 50 Strychnine you can use the Kaput-D Big Boy Gopher Bait Applicator. The Applicator is easy to use. The applicator comes with a sharp metal rod that can be inserted into the tunnels that have been identified. 

Insert the applicator into the tunnel and fill the applicator with 1 teaspoon of bait. Turn the lever found on the applicator for 3 seconds (or until all the bait is dispersed) and turn it back to its original position. This will open a small hole on the end of the metal rod that will disperse the bait deep inside the tunnel. Remove the applicator and close the hole making sure no dirt covers the bait.

One pound of bait will cover 1 to 8 acres of land, depending on the number of burrow systems that are treated. Application of bait should be made every 100 feet to ensure proper coverage.

Prevention

Once you have eliminated the Pocket Grophers, you don't want them to make a return. Take the following preventative measures to ensure that Pocket Gophers keep away from your property:

• Start by building fences around flower beds, gardens, and crops. Bury your fences a couple of feet under the ground to protect your crops, vegetables, flowers, and gardens.
• Grow fewer plants that gophers have shown an affinity for in your yard. This may discourage them from setting up camp in your property or yard.
• To use a natural method of prevention, you can also apply repellents such as Animal Stopper Granular Repellent around your property to discourage Pocket Gophers from invading. Using a rotary spreader, spread the Animal Stopper Granular Repellent liberally to dens, tunnels, entries, and around plants that need protection. When using near edible crops, apply a perimeter application. You could also use the granules to create a band around areas you wish to protect from Gopher Damage.
• Apply Gopher Bait 50 Strychnine as soon as the new ctivity is observed will yield fast results.

Key Takeaways

What are Pocket Gophers?

• Pocket Gophers, also known plainly as gophers, are burrowing rodents that get their name from their large cheek pouches, or pockets which they use for carrying their food and nesting materials. This method of carrying food in their cheeks often get them confused to be a chipmunk, a woodchuck or a squirrel.
• Pocket gophers can cause a lot of damage, not just from burrowing but also from their eating habits. Pocket gophers eat just about anything. Most of the eating they do, however, is from underground. They yank plants down from the root and eat them underground.

How to Get Rid of Pocket Gophers

• Our top recommendation to kill Pocket Gophers is by applying Gopher Bait 50. Locate active tunnels and apply the bait to holes made along the tunnel at a rate of 1 teaspoon per hole.
• The application of Gopher Bait 50 should be made every 100 feet for the best results.

Preventing Pocket Gopher Reinfestation

• Discourage Pocket Gophers from re-invading your property by building fences or growing less plants that may attract them to your land.
• Applying Animal Stopper Granular Repellent also serves as a solid deterrent to keep Pocket Gophers away.