Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My dad started selling these traps in the 1950s. They originally were a treated wood but eventually they would get chewed on by gophers (revenge motivated), stolen by fox, or decayed by weather (forgotten for months). They sold for $3 each or so much a case. In our area a bounty was paid for the tail (today its at $3 each). I had at one time 12 traps and made some good money trapping gophers. Over the years, I've trapped hundreds of the little bastxxs. Why the hatred? Pocket gophers will eat your garden alive, drop 8' Norway pines, ruin your lawn and destroy underground electric wires. What's worse, if you let them be, the fox and badgers will come in to get them and then you'll see what real dirt moving and destruction means. A war zone! This new plastic version works as well and doesn't get damaged by weather but costs significantly more than other open trap types. However, they work better than any other trap I've used as they are easy to set, no wounded gophers (never seen a live one yet)and will get the gopher 4 out of 5 times. That said, here's some observations: 1. To find a gopher run, take a pointed steel rod (I have one with a cross handle on the top and a stepping bar on one side toward the bottom). Go around the outside of the latest gopher mound inserting the rod 6-12" into the ground and about 12" apart. When the rod "falls" through the ground after initial insertion, you've found the tunnel. Take a square head spade and dig a square hole , flat bottom, with the tunnel at either or both ends. (Use two traps or seal one tunnel if your in the middle of a run). Butt the set trap up tight against the tunnel. Lightly cover the top of the trap with dirt (grass over the tiny gaps where the metal parts enter the trap, then dirt). Not too much as it will eventually interfer with the spring strength. Leave the hole open at the end (I've caught many gophers with the air hole closed too, especially if the trap is in a runway - tunnel going both ways). 2. You may catch the gopher fairly quick but I leave traps overnight before moving them. If the trap doesn't get tripped after a day, there is a 90% chance its plugged with dirt. If full of dirt, reset. However, each time its plugged, the chance of trapping the gopher (they get smarter each time) is significantly reduced. After plugged twice, your chance of catching him there is near zero. Move the trap to another portion of their maze and try again. 3. Wear old, worn gloves so you leave no scent. I've never washed a trap after a dead gopher though. 4. To remove a dead gopher, take the box trap, turn it on end over the garbage, hold the spring bar down and shake hard. The gopher will pop out. (A little messy but it works in rural areas...Take the dead gopher and fling him in the middle of the yard. I've never had a gopher still there the next day as many, many other animals love gophers for a decent meal. Is this green or what??) 5. Don't settle for just one gopher. I always reset the trap into the same hole and its 50/50 you'll catch another. If you think you have them all, remove the trap and leave the tunnel open. If it fills back up after a day, there's more in the maze. 6. Gophers love easy digging so they will follow easy digging directions. Unfortunately underground electric wire make for easy digging and a gopher will follow the wire. For some reason (revenge again?) they will chew on the plastic wire coating as the enjoy the easy digging. Weeks or months later when a wire nick corrodes and when the lights go off, you'll know they were busy. 7. If you have fox, coyote or badgers in the area, stake your trap down with chain and an anchor. If not, a predator will gladly remove the dead gopher but unfortunately with your trap. And you'll never see the trap again. 8. With minimal care (flag so you don't forget where your traps are and anchor when necessary)these traps will last almost forever. I'm still using an original wood box trap from the 1960s. All beat up but still catches gophers. If catching gophers with minimal effort is the goal, you can't go wrong with this proven box design. Good hunting!