# Gophers in horse pasture



## RachieT123 (Mar 13, 2013)

Any tips on getting rid of gophers without harming anything else? We have neighbors too close to shoot them with a real gun. Tried the gopher smoke bombs, flooding the holes, filling in the holes and BB gun. Our cats hunt the small ones so we haven't poisoned them yet.


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## Forlane (Jul 17, 2010)

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1276044&KPID=956461&pla=pla_956461

Its an adapter that hooks to an exhaust pipe and hose for flooding the hole.

The reason the gopher bombs tend not to work is that they don't produce enough smoke to fill all of the tunnels. 

Make sure you unplug every hole before using one of these, you need a chimney effect (only way I know to describe it)

-Chris


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I'm not a fan if poison because if it's not placed properly, it's deadly for horses. 

We use traps or good old fashioned bubble gum in the holes but ultimately, if you can avoid over grazing, you can reduce their numbers drastically.


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## Convoy (Dec 2, 2012)

just wanted to mention that do not completely decimate the population since moles will generally move in. Poisoning is good to keep the pop in check and has never hurt the horses at the farm to date. Also if you want to mark them out for predators paintballs work wonders. 

Just don't do what the Hutterites near me did - use propane and light it. Caved in half the field when it collapsed expanded then collapsed the tunnel networks.


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Our county agents' office rents out a Gophanator--the thing that blows up tunnels with LP. It doesn't cost much to use, men and boys love it, it can really make a mess, and the gophers usually come back. One of our neighbors uses little foot traps and gets rid of a lot of them.

If you are going to use poison, get a probe -dispenser that will drop the poison into the tunnels when you hit one. You can't leave the poison above ground, it will kill birds ect. You want the gophers to die underground so there is no second hand poisoning.


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

Cats!!! Ours have done a PHENOMENAL job of ridding our pastures of hole making animals! We gave them a bit of a start by having the professional dude come out once. He did it so that it wasn't unsafe for the horses, or even our dogs, as far how it was in the ground. And our dogs dig, so it *had* to be safe. I think it was the type that only makes them puke, not die. Also, might not be a great idei to do poisons if you have cats currently. We waited to get them until after the poison was done.... months later. Hoping no caught and eaten animals would have it in them by that point.
We will always have barn cats now.. they do such a great job 

And Convoy- you have Hutes near you, too?! Where do you live? We have them right here as well! I know they only have a handful of communities in the country. They are awesome neighbors!


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## StarofHearts (Jan 6, 2014)

My husband's dad used to pay him and his brother a quarter a gopher, they would fill milk jugs half full with water and stick them down over the holes, the gophers would dash out and into the jugs. 

They once caught the gophers from their school's soccer field and spray painted them orange and let them go. The next soccer game was madness.


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