Gopher Trapping Biggest mistake in Trap Placement
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- www.traplinepro...
This video describes the single most common mistake people make when placing gopher traps into tunnels. Paying attention to trap placement, as shown in this video, can increase trapping success dramatically. If you want to purchase the traps show here, you are in luck, as they just so happen to be for sale on our website as shown on above link. Thanks for watching.
I had been fighting with gophers in my backyard for 16 years with more than 20+ methods and hundreds of dollars spent. I ended with 2 to 3 gophers caught and backyard totally destroyed. In short, none of them really worked well after a lot of time spent and we ended with helpless and frustration. However, after seeing Stephen's videos in April 2020, in 2 years, using his traps and his techniques. ( I studied very carefully every video he put out), I have caught 20+ gophers so far. The success rate is over 90%+. Thank you Mr. Albano!
Why do you hate nature?
@odinata I won't hate them if you pay me 10k for all the trees they killed and redo all my lawns
Great tips on gophers. Plus he built a prototype so you can "see" how it works! Great video!
Thanks so much for this video! I trapped my first gopher tonight after many unsuccessful attempts. You pointed out exactly what I was doing wrong!
Been using trapline products successfully for many years and I highly recommend them. Only trapping system that gets lawn rodents easily and consistently. Thanks for making such a great product.
Found these mole and gopher traps years ago, best ever! So simple yet so effective. The large sized mole traps work great for the smaller gophers too.
I trap as a second job in my neighborhood. I can say that this is very good information for those who are frustrated with back fills. I actually us my probe to run along the sides of the tunnel to see if it T's off. If it is too short then I will definitely cut back another foot or so with the shovel to expose the main run. I love Trapline traps and have been using them for years. When I trap peoples gophers, I put out as many Trapline traps as I can and stake them down by first attaching a key ring to each one and then using aluminum tent pegs found at Home Depot to stake and flag inside of the ring. That way the gopher doesn't back peddle with my trap and loose it. No need to bait or close the hole. The open hole IS the bait, as the gophers don't want predators or elements entering the run. In regards to finding the run, if the mound is in a horse shoe formation, then come back about a foot from the part of the mound that has the least amount of dirt and shovel there. Try to place the trap so deep that it is invisible. Have fun!
I have been using Gophinators for over 15 years. I’ve caught, literally, over a thousand gophers. I never use a shovel. I typically use two fingers to poke into a fresh mound to find the tunnel, usually located in the open part of the horseshoe shaped mound. (Not all are horseshoe shaped). The fresher the mound, the better the chance the gopher hasn’t tightly filled the surface tunnel yet. I can usually clear out the tunnel with my bare hand, reaching far enough in to determine if there are intersecting tunnels. If you can feel more than one tunnel, you have to put a trap in each one. Otherwise, he’ll come around through the adjacent tunnel and bury your trap.
If you don’t find another tunnel within 12-18 inches of the surface, you’re safe in using only one trap.
Don’t cover up the surface hole! Light and fresh air will make the gopher come plug up the hole and he’ll walk right into the trap.
Be sure to anchor the trap with wire and a stake, stick, or dowel stuck into the ground. Otherwise, a gopher, once trapped, could back down into the tunnel and take your trap with him.
If your string or wire is pulled tight when you go back to check the trap, it’s a good sign you got one. Sometimes, they’re still alive when I pull the trap, in which case I just whack it with big stick or something. I usually push the dead gopher back down into the tunnel , then fill in the hole and smooth the surface flat.
Happy Hunting.
Best traps on the market! 👌 Thanks guys!
Haven’t used a gopher hawk yet
@@Sneakydevil247 The Gopher Hawk would not be cost effective for me at approximately $30.00 each. I trap on agricultural land and need to carry a bucket of traps with me. I have nearly a 100% success rate with the Gophinator. I don't know why I'd want to spend more money just to get the exact same results.
@@Exploer8591 I stand corrected, at large scale it would not be the most effective.
Use the gopher hawk. Traps from above, direction doesn't matter
The Gopher Hawk worked real good...WHILE it worked. Now it will not reset, and when it does then it won't trip. The latch mechanism is too finicky. I have slapped it per instructions. I have disassembled it and cleaned it. Washed it. Lubricated it. It just does not function any more.
@@annabellemang I'm too weak to set it. I can't push the hole digger into the clay soil either- it's far too hard.
Really good example!
Interesting that some trappers insist you must cover the hole, others say you can keep it open. My guess is that an open tunnel may indicate a predator was there, so they might abandon it. Thoughts?
Thanks for the very helpful video. Now that I'm setting the traps correctly, I'm catching gophers! One questions: If I catch a gopher, should I move on to another tunnel, or could I possibly catch another gopher in the same spot? Thx for your thoughts.
Thanks for making this video. It is very helpful. I just set my first traps today and am sure I messed up but will now know the best way to do it. Usually how deep below the surface are their tunnels or does that depend on the climate/soil/location? I thought I found the tunnel but it was only a couple inches below the surface. Didn't know how deep to dig.
Most holes are about a shovel length deep. Try to place the trap so deep that you can barely see the back of it or even deeper. Stake it down and flag it.
The gopher tunnels around my place are too small in diameter for the trap jaws.
You might want to use the Trapline mole trap standard size, it’s the same trap as the Gophinator just smaller. It will fit.
Thank very much. Liked and subscribed.
I.e., thank You
Can you please make a ground squirrel trap. They ate all the blossoms off my squash plants.
I love your content! Is there a way I can sell your traps on line?
If you leave the hole open, they'll push dirt into the trap and bury it while trying to close the hole
Need to follow the Theory of the Two Holes. The mound you see at the surface is the Ejection Tunnel, where he comes up from the Main Tunnel to throw out the spoils. If you place the trap in the Ejection Tunnel, he can still walk in the Main Tunnel and plug the Ejection Tunnel, and in doing so he'll bury the trap. Need to dig out the Ejection Tunnel, back to the Main Tunnel. When this is done, you expose two holes, which is the Main Tunnel to the right, and the Main Tunnel to the left. Set a trap in each of these holes, and you will catch him 99 percent of the time. Always use 2 traps and always remember the Theory of the Two Holes.
@@wildmanofborneo I think I remember that theory, goes something like "two in they pink and something or other.
Thank you.
Most common mistake is touching the trap with your hands and getting your scent on it
Nope. That’s not an issue at all. I handle my traps bare handed all the time and have caught over a thousand gophers.
Not a problem. I always handle with bare hands and they never care. But better to wear gloves to keep hands clean.
I have set the trap described in this video and each time the gopher covers up the trap as it pushes dirt to seal up the opening in the tunnel i made. I have set two of the described traps, one in each direction of the tunnel and both were buried with dirt and did not trip. What am i doing wrong?
I can think of a couple of things that might be happening. This video states that you can either cover up the hole that you dug or you can leave it open. I'm thinking that if you leave it open, the gopher may want to push loose dirt to plug the opening where the trap is set. If the hole is covered completely when setting traps, the gopher may be more likely to pass through without pushing loose dirt and trigger the trap.
Another possible issue is the trigger bar on the trap. I believe that the Trapline folks call this the "pan". I think that it can be helpful to set this to be as sensitive as possible, which should make it more likely to be triggered while being covered with dirt. This is true with any gopher trap, and it just involves adjusting the position of the trigger "pan" as close as practical to the point where it will trigger the trap.
I have several of these traps, and I have modified them by using zip ties to attach a small rectangle of thin plastic to fill in some of the opening under the top of the trigger bar (pan). I use scissors to cut these pieces from a thin plastic kitchen cutting mat. There is a fairly large open area encircled by the wire of the trigger pan, and filling in the upper half of this opening will increase the trigger surface area significantly and make the trap much more sensitive when loose dirt is pushed against it. There some other gopher traps that use a solid panel for the trigger, instead of a wire loop, but these Trapline "Gophinator" traps are still the best and most durable traps that I have used.
Are you sure you're not placing the traps in the angled access tunnel...which is the tunnel where the gopher is pushing dirt up into and out to the surface. The dirt is pushed in front of the gopher and buries the trap and sometimes triggers it.
Get a gopher hawk, way better trap and you only need one per tunnel
You’re doing it wrong. The trap is being buried from another tunnel you missed.
Reach in and check for intersecting tunnels. Out a trap in each tunnel. Leave the main hole open. The gopher will come back to close up the hole and he’ll get trapped. I’ve caught over a thousand gophers with the Gophinator.
It's not an exact science, you just have to keep at it and you will be successful.
what if the tunnel is very small because of a smaller gopher but not an adult? The trap won't' even fit in those.
Hollow narrow tunnels out with your hand or a narrow garden trowel. Just enough for the trap to slide in, but don’t jam it in or the jaws will not snap when it’s triggered.
Use an L-shaped piece of metal to scoop out and enlarge the hole.
I did put my hand in the tunnel to clean out all the loose dirt. I did get it cleaned out, but the damn gopher bit my finger. (LOL) I had the last laugh though. I got him. Next time I'll wear a glove. I have had gophers bury my traps with dirt. Wish I knew what I did wrong.
I think about this now every time I reach in a hole. Haha.
I’ve trapped well over a thousand gophers with Gophinators. I, too, clean out all tunnels by hand. Never been bitten. Gophers are going to go hide when the tunnel is invaded.
If your trap is getting buried, it means ghat you have missed an intersecting tunnel. You have to reach in and feel for other tunnels and place a trap in each one.
But if you find only one tunnel coming down from the mound, one trap pushed down 12-18 inches will do the trick.
Need to follow the Theory of the Two Holes. The mound you see at the surface is the Ejection Tunnel, where he comes up from the Main Tunnel to throw out the spoils. If you place the trap in the Ejection Tunnel, he can still walk in the Main Tunnel and plug the Ejection Tunnel, and in doing so he'll bury the trap. Need to dig out the Ejection Tunnel, back to the Main Tunnel. When this is done, you expose two holes, which is the Main Tunnel to the right, and the Main Tunnel to the left. Set a trap in each of these holes, and you will catch him 99 percent of the time. Always use 2 traps and always remember the Theory of the Two Holes.
Get a gopher hawk instead
Get a gopher hawk
Agreed
Not for me. Trapline makes an awesome trap.
The wires in the gopher hawk get bent too easily.
The biggest mistake is thinking that gophers nedd trapping.
Stop talking this useless stuff, I have been trapping gophers for years and they are smarter than the guy in video.
I'm sure this guy has forgotten more than you think you know about gopher trapping.