"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, countrymen...y'all. Foodies, gardeners, artists and collectors - let's gather together to share and possibly learn a thing or two in the mix.

Donna Baker

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts


I think I'm going to have to get a frog gig to catch a gopher.  Notice the pile of dirt at the bottom of picture.  It has slung dirt that now fills about a third of my goldfish pond.  

Some of these rocks where it resides are too heavy to move.  I can't get the little devil out.  He is happy to keep digging.  I've tried the sonic beeper to run him off.  Didn't work.  I bought some traps - can't figure out how to use them.  The old trap I used at the farm worked wonderful.  Caught them every time.  I'd resort to poison, but I'm afraid the weenies would get into it. As per the advice from an old-timer, I tried a stick of Juicy Fruit gum, both chewed and unchewed - didn't work.

But, I am desperate.  This little sucker has burrowed down eight feet to the lower yard and has a giant hill built around my Nandina bush that has so many stalks from the ground up, I can't get anywhere close to it.  And, this bush is many years old and I don't want to lose it.

Today, as a last resort, I am going to use one of those gasser things that you light and stick in the hole.  Never tried one, so don't know how that is going to work.  I just hope he comes out of that hole choking and I am going to choke him some more.  They are cute so I feel kind of bad, but I am going to have to drain this pond and shovel out all the dirt, so he's not that cute.  

  Don't know what else to do.  

37 comments:

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Gophers, groundhogs, woodchuck, whatever you want to call them, they can be incredibly destructive. Good luck on catching the varmint. -Jenn

angryparsnip said...

The packrats that live around here, are very cute. They are so destructive !
I have a service that comes out to trap and kill them. I try not to think about it. One year they caused so much damage to sons car over 5 thousand dollars.

cheers, parsnip

La Table De Nana said...

I hate destructive things in gardens and homes..we have squirrels that are rats with tails..they dig up everything except my garlic..japanese beetles..lilybeetles..skunks..to name a few..what a shame:(

Joanne Noragon said...

They aren't cute. I've no solution except no mercy.

donna baker said...

I'll need it Jenn. He has definitely worn out his welcome.

donna baker said...

Yes Gayle. They chewed some wiring under the truck hood to store a pile of acorns and a refrigerator cord in the garage. They are so darned cute.

donna baker said...

I've seen thousands of gopher hills in our little town inside the city. We never had that many even on the farm so there is something around here that makes them want to live here. I sure would hate to have to call a critter ridder guy to get it. I'm sure they would charge a lot.

Out on the prairie said...

I 've heard of getting rid of their food source, maybe grubs, an easy one to get rid of.

donna baker said...

You are right. I wish they came out at night or some other behavior that would make them catchable. This coming from a woman who fed a little black furry spider a fly this weekend. This one has got to go. I even thought about sticking a hose down a hole to see if that would run him out.

donna baker said...

Well, it's worth a try. Just got all the leaves up out of flower beds, so I can put granules down.

Michelle said...

We deal with them around here. So destructive! Best of luck to you!

donna baker said...

Thanks Michelle.

jerilanders said...

Not a problem I could solve, never had a gopher here in Tennessee. Little devil! When I lived out west, those guys were everywhere. We have moles that leave dozens upon dozens of holes in the grass. The cat and the dogs don't help matters by trying to dig them out. I hope your plan works!

ellen abbott said...

go get the trap that works at the farm. fortunately no gophers around here though we go get little voles. something has dug quite a hole/tunnel in the little backyard about 2.5" - 3" in diameter. don't know what. I've thought about flooding it to see if something pops out elsewhere but I don't want to kill it necessarily especially since I don't know what it is.

donna baker said...

Me too Jeri. We had lots of mole tunnels at the farm and dogs and cats could get those. Had some gophers too, but not like here. And, these gophers must be geniuses because they make their hills where I can't get to them.

donna baker said...

Aye yay yay. Don't know where the old trap is as I think I borrowed it. It killed some of my hosts last summer as it made its way across the flower beds. Maybe a Critter Control would be worth the price as if I don't get it and drain the pond soon, the mosquitos will breed out of control.

donna baker said...

Hostas.

Frances said...

Donna, do your city house neighbors have this same problem? Maybe you all could team up and hire a Critter Control? Or...maybe a neighbor has a trap that has worked. xo

donna baker said...

Yes, I noticed the neighbor catching them in his backyard. Mentioned it to his wife and she said she didn't know. I know it took him quite a long while to catch one, so I might ask him. Once he sees the mess I have (all the rocks) he'll probably walk away. If it was just a mound, I could do it, but the location makes it nearly impossible. Were you snowed in?

Doc said...

I'm surprised your Weenies don't go after it, that's how we got rid of ours. Our little Sophie made short history of it..

Sandra Cox said...

I would love to see your garden. Every picture you show is so beautiful.
I wonder if Critter Control could get him and transport him to a safe environment for you.

donna baker said...

So glad to hear from you Doc. How are you? I know - about the weenies. That's what they are for. They dug around the perimeter, but can't get to it. They lord digging with the cats for moles at the farm.

donna baker said...

That's what I'd do if I could catch him, but they are underground animals. Even the traps have to be placed underground in their tunnels. Prairie dogs scamper about from hill to hill, but gophers live down below. I've never seen one above ground.

A Brit in Tennessee said...

I've only ever seen one of these critters in our garden, it lived beneath a large slab of rock for many years, so didn't bother us.
Now deer are another story altogether !
Good luck with your humane removal, hopefully he'll take the hint :)
Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day sweet lady !
Hugs,
~Jo

donna baker said...

You too Jo. Deer are very destructive at the farm. Fruit trees, water lilies, vegetables, fruits. They eat everything they aren't supposed to.

Ry @ Sotto Il Monte Vineyards said...

Yikes!! How frustrating that must be! I've not had much trouble with them, although something did burrow down underneath a boxwood last year. It had just gotten to the right height. They take so long to grow. Don't envy you cleaning out that pond:-)

donna baker said...

It never ends Ry. Always something. Right now I am trying to keep last years baby geese and ducks off the back porch and sidewalk and messing. I think they are looking for somewhere to nest this year. Remember last year, they swam in the goldfish pond and stopped up my filter. New filter too. My weenies chase them off, but they keep coming back.

Ry @ Sotto Il Monte Vineyards said...

So true! Last year I made the mistake of letting a pigeon nest in a hanging basket on my porch. Bird poo everywhere on all my outdoor furniture. I took down that basket as soon as the baby birds flew away.

Sandra Cox said...

Happy Wednesday, Donna:)

donna baker said...

You too Sandra.

krishna said...

Last year raccoons and neighbor's cat made mess in our backyard through out the summer.. it was so gross.. :(

Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

Sandra Cox said...

To my knowledge, I've never had prairie dog issues.
Moles, voles, squirrels and ground hogs, but no prairie dogs.

RachelD said...

Awww, Sweetpea!!

There's something about a handsome rascal, beautiful snake and a really cute animal vandalizing your property that just makes us grit our teeth and want to call Terminix, but we wouldn't want to watch them work.

I'll rescue one ant from the sink and take him outside, but when there are more than two on my counter I TAKE STEPS. A troupe of little dancy mice is cute as heck on TV (especially viewed from a blanketed chair when you have the flu and are just NOT YOURSELF), but I wish all mousies had missed the Ark.

says rachel, who has amongst her vast array of STUFF a fifty dollar shaker of dried Coyote Pee for the cats latrining her flowerbeds.

Share my Garden said...

Cute stops being cute the minute it invades my space and starts messing about! Wishing you success in regaining your ground, Donna!

donna baker said...

Thanks Rosemary. I hope it disappears. I really dread draining and shoveling that pond. It will just grow multitudes of mosquitos if I don't get it done soon.

donna baker said...

Oh Rachel, I've tried that too. Stinks. It didn't work for me.

donna baker said...

They are pests, just too cute.