[sd2012]

My backyard is mostly a swimming pool (in-ground), but we also have some in-ground planter boxes along the fence. I tried planting strawberry plants in one, which have been disappearing overnight, with holes left in their place. I've looked into traps and baits, but it seems like they won't be effective because the main tunnels aren't in my yard: they're in my neighbor's; if I peak over the fence, I can see her yard looks positively infested with mounds! They just come to my yard to snack.

I consulted an exterminator and he seemed to think similarly: he said I'd probably need to ask the neighbor to do something about it, to be rid of them effectively. Problem is, the neighbor is a reclusive elderly lady who doesn't seem to care about her yard. So... what might I do?

It seems like exclusion might be an option: there's a gap between the planter box and the fence where I might be able to dig a trench and put some sort of barrier in the ground. It's a narrow space though, so it would be difficult to work with.

 

[NiNe O]

 

[chrisn]

where are you?
gophers?

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7433.html

 

[crankcase]

Spray your yard with a gopher repellant purchased in concentrate form. The granulars don't seem to work as well.
http://www.gemplers.com/product/167865/Repellex-Mole-Gopher-Repellent-1-gal-Concentrate

 

[ddawg16]

My backyard is mostly a swimming pool (in-ground), but we also have some in-ground planter boxes along the fence. I tried planting strawberry plants in one, which have been disappearing overnight, with holes left in their place. I've looked into traps and baits, but it seems like they won't be effective because the main tunnels aren't in my yard: they're in my neighbor's; if I peak over the fence, I can see her yard looks positively infested with mounds! They just come to my yard to snack.

I consulted an exterminator and he seemed to think similarly: he said I'd probably need to ask the neighbor to do something about it, to be rid of them effectively. Problem is, the neighbor is a reclusive elderly lady who doesn't seem to care about her yard. So... what might I do?

It seems like exclusion might be an option: there's a gap between the planter box and the fence where I might be able to dig a trench and put some sort of barrier in the ground. It's a narrow space though, so it would be difficult to work with.

Well...the 'American Way' would be to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the lady for failing to keep a wild rodent out of your yard....

But if she was smart, she would get PETA involved who would in turn picket your house and call in the news media telling horrible stories about how you are trying to murder the poor creatures.

Or.....you can stop being part of the 47%....go next door and nicely explain to the old lady (who just might be glad of some human contact) what the problem is and ask her if it's ok if you access her back yard so that you can address the issue....and while your at it....explain that you might clean up her yard a little bit while your at it.

I would be willing to bet that if you explained the situation to the neighbor on the other side of her...they might be willing to help as well since it could drive the critters over into their yard.

 

[chrisn]

Well...the 'American Way' would be to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the lady for failing to keep a wild rodent out of your yard....

But if she was smart, she would get PETA involved who would in turn picket your house and call in the news media telling horrible stories about how you are trying to murder the poor creatures.

Or.....you can stop being part of the 47%....go next door and nicely explain to the old lady (who just might be glad of some human contact) what the problem is and ask her if it's ok if you access her back yard so that you can address the issue....and while your at it....explain that you might clean up her yard a little bit while your at it.

I would be willing to bet that if you explained the situation to the neighbor on the other side of her...they might be willing to help as well since it could drive the critters over into their yard.

shootin em would be quicker:laughing:

 

[ddawg16]

shootin em would be quicker:laughing:

And a whole lot more fun......

 

[SeniorSitizen]

Get the old lady a cat for Christmas. I would like to help since mine has devastated my gopher population. 4 kittens " FREE ".

 

[BigJim]

There are so many cats in our neighborhood it is ridiculous we could send you 15 or 20 and not make a good dent in them.

 

[chrisn]

Get the old lady a cat for Christmas. I would like to help since mine has devastated my gopher population. 4 kittens " FREE ".

great pic:thumbsup:

 

[SeniorSitizen]

great pic:thumbsup:

Thanks chrisn.
Pics like that are few and far between. I just got lucky that day because there certainly wasn't any skill involved. :laughing:

 

[retired guy 60]

Agree with ddawg16
"go next door and nicely explain to the old lady (who just might be glad of some human contact) what the problem is and ask her if it's ok if you access her back yard so that you can address the issue....and while your at it....explain that you might clean up her yard a little bit while your at
it."
If the old lady has adult children approach them as well when they visit. However, once you have her cooperation, what method would an animal control expert use? Poison? Effective but inhumane. Repellent? Ineffective. I tried it. Shooting? Illegal in many areas. Trap and release? Humane, possibly illegal (check with your local authorities) but sounds like it would take forever. I think you need to speak to someone who removes gophers for a living and then speak to the neighbor so that you are able to answer any questions or concerns she may have.

 

[NiNe O]

trap and shoot. don't release them to become someone else's problem.

 

[retired guy 60]

Where I live a 10 minute drive puts you in the woods away from anyone's homes. So, trap and release works fine. The OP should consider that the discharge of any firearm within a residential community is illegal. So then, one is suggesting driving the trapped animals to a wooded area away from any people and then executing them when releasing them right then and there would be far easier and humane. Makes no sense to me. And no they will not find their way back. They will simply reestablish their colony in the woods and hopefully live long lives out of the reach of people.

 

[NiNe O]

no they won't, they'll make there way to some other neighborhood and cause problems for other people, just shoot the thing. The world is not going to miss one groundhog. A 10 minute drive is 6 miles, it will find it's way back.

 

[PAbugman]

Trap and release is generally illegal for good reasons.

We own and live in the woods-we don’t want someone's nuisance here. Neither do farmers, state/federal parks, etc.

 

[retired guy 60]

It is obvious that NiNe O and PAbugman have their minds made up about the best way to get rid of gophers. I am not certain where they obtain the facts that they use to justify their opinions. My advice on trap and release comes from 20 years of following this practice. I have caught and released gophers, skunks, raccoons and possums and never had a repeat customer. They both agree this is impossible to do successfully based upon their expertise in the matter. That's fine. People believe what they want and there is little anyone can do about it. Or as one philosopher once said, "Stop trying to confuse me with the facts." If they believe that a 10 minute ride away from the capture site is insufficient then why not increase the distance. I never said the OP had to use my estimation of how far I travel (timewise) to release a critter. In fact it is likely to be illegal for firearms to be discharged so close to his home and both individuals seemed to favor shooting over releasing. In my town one can phone animal control and the agent puts a Havaheart trap in your yard and then relocates the animal to the woods. How do I know? Because I asked an agent as she was loading a raccoon caught in a Havaheart trap into her truck and that is the information I was given. So maybe the very best advice to give the OP is to call animal control and have the town trap and release assuming this conforms to his township's policy.
I find it interesting that PAbugman would prefer that the OP catch a gopher and instead of releasing it in the woods (where it might come in proximity with his home) shooting the animal as it lies helpless in a trap. Certainly this is something you'd want to capture on YouTube or bring your children to witness.
Do either gentlemen know that an errant 22 caliber bullet can travel over one mile (other bullets may travel even further) and there are many cases where hunters have killed livestock and farmers that were too far away to be seen. Still, if PABugman prefers gunfire near his property in the woods to the release of a gopher, it's his choice and I think it should be respected. By the way, that home in the woods probably used to be the home of mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and other creatures that were forced to leave to make way for human residences. That may be why gophers and other "pests" end up in residential yards where thay are not wanted.

 

[NiNe O]

I suppose you're a veterinarian also. That way you can be absolutely certain the animal you relocate doesn't decimate a native population with some disease. Relocating an animal does nothing but help you sleep at night, all other side effects are negative. Quit being so selfish, grow a set, and do the responsible thing and terminate the varmints existence. Or deal with the damage it causes and let it be. Some people.

 

[crankcase]

You could get your neighbor a pet GopherSnake. :jester:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=ARADB26020

All kidding aside, I have had good luck with repellants. It's not an overnight fix as the oils need to saturate the ground to be effective. You need to keep application schedules and reapply after heavy rains until you have established your control area. You also have the benefit of a small area to control.

I control 2+ acres by metering repellant concentrate into my irrigation system. Huge difference for me at least. Now I have activity just outside the treated zone. Those get trapped.

Does your city or township have a bounty for trapping them? My township pays $2 per pair of clipped front feet. Get the neighborhood boys a few clench traps for about $4 each and give them a quick lesson. They can earn a few bucks and you neighbor would probably appreciate the company.

 

[retired guy 60]

Nope, not a vet. And you are correct... somewhat. Animals that enter the US from foreign countries are often if not always quaranteened and checked by a vet to prevent illnesses and parasites from infecting domestic animals. But here we are talking about transporting a native animal ten minutes away from A to point B-a distance that you were so certain the animal could transverse by itself according to your previous posts.
I am not opposed to hunting and have guns of my own (legally and registered). But shooting an animal that is already caged is not hunting, it is an execution.
OK, I can't change your point of view. That's fine. But if the OP does as you have advised him and has the courage to post a video of it on YouTube I hope he remembers to credit DIYchatroom and you personally for providing the inspiration for his behavior. And as I wrote before, if he has children I hope he remembers to bring them to the execution along with his wife so that they can learn how real men deal with problems.
Yes, I do sleep rather well after relocating an animal rather than killing it. But if there were no alternative (like having animal control or the police intervene) and the animal appeared to pose an immediate and clear threat to the safety of others, ie. a rabid raccon about to bite my neighbor's infant, then I would do what is necessary even if it left me exposed to prosecution. Fortunately that day has not arrived and the OP's original post does not even remotely suggest such a scenerio.
Again, I have no intention of changing your view. That ship sailed a long time ago.