How do farmers control gophers?

Question

How do farmers control gophers?

Answer 1

When they become a nuisance and damage is costly, they are gassed. If they are not that big a problem, you let them be. Depends on the crop, size (garden vs farm), and lose expected. Nothing really works unless it's permanent. Fences won't keep them out if the want in but I found that fences encourage them to stay in because you fence out their enemies. Cats and dogs do have a place on the farm and in the garden. The smell is enough to keep the rodents out, by fear alone. You can try to trap them but if you catch them live you generally, by law in most places don't want to get "caught" moving them.

Answer 2

to remove the entire pop. the most effective way is to use a vacuum truck . hook the hose to the hole and just suck them up . very human also!

Answer 3

sit on the side of the field and shoot them

Answer 4

I remember how we used to do it at my farm. First you find all the gopher holes (this is really hard, took us a week). Then you build something like a nest on each of the holes but the two furthest ones, using grass, pine anything green

Then you set the 'nests' on fire which makes a lot of smoke, and that pushes the gophers out into the two farthest holes where you can either trap them humanely and relocate them, or where you can humanely put them down with a 12ought shotgun.

Answer 5

I live on a farm, when my dad sends me out to rake hay (which I love doing) I take the 22 with me to shoot them.  Otherwise we have this thing that digs out the holes and places poison in it.  My grandpa always used to use the 22 when he was out baling alphalpha.

Answer 6

guns

Answer 7

There are humane sonic devices that repel rodents by sending out high pitched sound waves through the ground (for moles, gophers, etc).  I know that they've been used in residential areas but not sure if they work well or not.

Answer 8

Probably one of the best control methods is the use of Ground Ceyane pepper.  Gophers and other rodents as well hate the taste and will relocate if you sprinkle it in the holes.

Answer 9

gophers cause no damage to field crops such as corn, soybeans an wheat, so we dont do a thing.  I dont think I have even seen a gopher in IL....groundhog yes, but no gophers

Answer 10

There are many ways to control pocket gophers.  However, if you are referring to control over large areas such as a grain field or pasture then some use of a poison bait is one of the few (if only) method that is economically viable.  

The University of Nebraska and it's extension service has the following recent publication

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/page...

This method has been used since the 1960's (or before) as I saw a machine like this demonstrated while I was a greenhand in FFA.

Answer 11

Farmers control gophers with dogs and cats, if they control them at all.

Answer 12

Trapping them with gopher traps, pay $3.50 for each tail by the township, good little income for our local kids.  

Badger is my state animal, they eat pocket gophers.

Answer 13

There are two ways in which farmers can control gophers poison baits and also traps.

Poison Baits:   There are two main types of bait which will consistently achieve a reduction of gopher population, The first one is Strychnine which is a natural occurring poison that is mixed with grain. The other is the same type of poisons used on rats and mice.

Trapping: There are lots of different types of traps availible for gophers all that kill, the main types are the wire Macabee, the wooden box and cinch traps. The main reasons why traps fail is due to incorrect setting of them

Answer 14

My dad just used to stand on the edge of the fields ith a shovel...and well that took care of gophers. They flee when the tractors are working the land.

Answer 15

O Yea, Farmers hate gophers especially in pasture land for cattle, you get a mixture of barley and something else, and mix together. Walk around each hole and and put a dab in. This  something else is only sold to farmers, and that cures the problem.