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, use the recommended products, and we guarantee 100% control of pocket gophers. Consult your local and state guidelines to see if pocket gophers are protected in your location before applying control.

Pocket gophers, often called just gophers, may look funny in cartoons or even be considered cute animals to some people, but the damage they can do to 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, but they are also 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 difficult to control or capture. If you’re a gardener, a homeowner, or an agricultural farmer, pocket gophers can be a nightmare that needs to be eradicated immediately.

Our DIY pocket gopher treatment guide below contains helpful answers and product recommendations for tackling 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 and put an end to the havoc they create.

Identification

Before treating it, you need to ensure you're dealing with a pocket gopher. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment products, which can be ineffective and waste time and money. Below is 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.
• They have large claws and large front teeth.

Use the image and description above to help you properly identify pocket gophers. If you are unsure, contact us; one of our pros will assist you with identification.

Inspection 

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with pocket gophers, you must proceed with an inspection. During this phase, you need to pinpoint the areas that pocket gophers occupy. 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 that 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 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 finds a place with no resistance and 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, 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 must probe and locate active tunnels that pocket gophers have burrowed. You can use a metal rod to probe areas where the pocket gophers have pushed up dirt from the ground and formed mounds.

Stick the rod around the areas where dirt mounds are found. If you push the rod so that it easily sinks into the ground, 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 the Hole

To use Gopher Bait 50 Strychnine, you can use the Kaput-D Big Boy Gopher Bait Applicator. The Applicator is easy to use and 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 it with 1 teaspoon of bait. Turn the lever on the applicator for 3 seconds (or until all the bait is dispersed), then return it 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 treated. To ensure proper coverage, bait should be applied every 100 feet.

Prevention

Once you have eliminated the pocket gophers, 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 prevention method, you can 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 when the new activity is observed, yielding 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 gets 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. They eat just about anything, but most of their eating is 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.
• Gopher Bait 50 should be applied every 100 feet for the best results.

Preventing Pocket Gopher Reinfestation

• Build fences or grow fewer plants that may attract pocket gophers, and this will discourage them from re-invading your property.
• Applying Animal Stopper Granular Repellent is also a solid deterrent to keep pocket gophers away.