Gopher Traps: What are the best gopher traps?

There are three primary types of gopher traps, and all of them have proven results including gopher control with bait and poisons. However, each has advantages and disadvantages that you will want to consider before choosing one of them to rid your pasture or back yard of these furry pests.

Box traps are the classic tool in gopher control. The Red Box Trap was the very first – all wood. There are some box traps that are supposed to catch the animal for later release – not this one. This trap is intended to kill what it captures.

As far as design, the box is open on one end (so the gopher can enter from the tunnel) and on the bottom. The other end has an air hole. There is a firm wire along the bottom that attaches to a spring device on top. If the gopher walks far enough inside the box trap, it will run into the trip plate, which will free the spring and wire, pulling it up beneath the gopher. The gopher will quickly suffocate, because the wire is holding it tightly against the top of the box.

For the box trap to work, you’ll need to place it even with the dirt in the tunnel. You’ll need a fairly large access hole – about a foot and a half across – for these traps. You’ll be placing two box traps in the same hole, with the open ends facing away from each other. If you are putting this trap in a lawn, you’ll want to remove the sod above your access hole and then replace it – gophers are quite good at noticing changes in their surroundings, particularly in their tunnel. The box trap sits level with the dirt, with only the wire running across the floor, and so the gopher is not as likely to be suspicious with one.

The wire trap sort of looks like those bar puzzles made by blacksmiths, with a bunch of interlocking metal. The Macabee wire trap dates back to 1900 and still gets rave reviews for effectiveness. The design of this trap takes advantage of the small diameter of a gopher tunnel. Because gophers are often pushing loads of dirt in front of themselves, they often overlook the wire trap. Once the gopher pushes past the prongs, the dirt in front of him sets off the trip lever, and the trap grabs the gopher by the chest or neck, suffocating to death.

The third type is called the “black hole.” It uses the same engineering as the Box Trap, but it is cylindrical and uses a mechanical noose poised on a spring. The round shape makes it easier to slide into gopher tunnels without the huge access holes that the Box Trap needs.

The Box Trap has the best overall reviews of the three types, but each method has its benefits and drawbacks. Home improvement stores have consultants to help you consider your specific situation.

We hope your search for gopher traps goes well.