How Good is the Gopher Hawk Gopher Trap?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2022
- #gopherhawk #gophertrap #killinggophers
The GopherHawk gopher trap is a good solution to controlling gophers - once you understand how a gopher thinks, and how to best place and monitor the trap. DirtFarmerJay demonstrates!
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Gophers are a real problem around our place. Because gophers readily grow or replenish their population they rarely can be eliminated, but they can be controlled. If there is a gopher problem on your property, it will not solve itself. Gophers continually expand their range, so you must be vigilant and use control methods to eliminate incursions into your yard.
In this episode, DirtFarmerJay shows you how to utilize a “stick” type trap made by GopherHawk®. This device was recommended to us by one of the DFJ viewer family members after he viewed our earlier video, “How to Win the War Against Gophers.” We showed several devices and methods on the market for gopher control but spent some time emphasizing the “smoke” type cartridges that are ignited and inserted into gopher runs to kill the rodents.
Our viewer said there is a better way, so we checked it out! We contacted the GopherHawk® company and they sent us one for testing. We also purchased a set of replacement straps so we could keep our trap in great operating condition for a long time to come. You can buy the GopherHawk® trap as a single or in sets, along with parts, by visiting www.gopherhawk.com.
The GopherHawk® requires locating the underground run using the included probe, making a hole down into the run, and then setting the trap. If the trap is set off, there is an indicator on the shaft of the trap above ground. There are two big advantages to this approach. First, there is minimal damage to the yard or bed when setting the trap. Second, you know when the trap has “fired.”
However, there are a few tips and tricks we show you to help you be successful with this trapping approach, along with a recommendation of keeping repair parts on hand for ongoing use of the gear.
Sure, you can call for a professional exterminator to rid your yardscape of gopher invaders, but why? Now you have another approach to allow you to “Just Do It Yourself!”
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I'm a 58 year old female who caretakes a 20 acre sports park in California and I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!! Since January 2022 I've caught 177 gophers...I average between 15 and 21 captures per week. To be fair...I must say it takes practice to find the tunnel and baiting is key, but it's worth it to learn to use it.
EmKaye - thanks for sharing your experience! Wow, you are the skilled gopher hunter! We have the same experience of learning to "read" the tunnel location to get the desired results. Thanks for watching our video and writing! Best, DFJ
MsEmKaye, loved your comment but I'm curious. You mentioned "bait." What bait do you use to attract gophers to the trap?
Thanks!!
@Emkaye what type of “bait” do you use?
@@lorinkramer1524 peanut butter is what another video showed
Someone at Gopher Hawk recommended a chunk of apple.
Homeowner in SoCal and I just caught my first within 2 hours of setting the trap. It works so well.
Great to hear it, Jonathan!
Been looking for just such a trap. I Love it. By far this is the best video I have seen to date on how to use it. Good tips on using it as well.
Always good, practical information!
Glad you think so, Michael. Thanks for writing! Best, DFJ
I’ll try to keep it short. This product WORKED.
I had a neighbor who had a massive mole problem. My dog kept it out. That neighbor moved, the new renters have 4 dogs. Oi….anyway.
The mole decided my yard was less a risk. And it actually found my garden bed. Got into my potatoes and did massive damage. I turned this property into lush lawn, garden etc over 5 years.
So the mole ripped up my back lawn. Then started on the front. I had tried many measures. I planted this trap about 8 inches behind the freshest hole.
2 days later. I saw the yellow stripe indicating the trap was sprung. Finally, the mole reign of terror is at an end!
They definitely work, you just need to experiment with them. I just caught a small mole in a surface tunnel (2 inches below surface max). The trap got filled with dirt, I shook it out and put the trap back in the exact same spot. Didn’t take long to catch one after that.
I have had a TON of success with the Gopher Hawk after two years. I have two traps and only had to replace the straps on the first one I bought last year a couple weeks ago. There is a finesse you will learn to set them to be most effective, but that doesn't take long. My biggest complaint with this trap is that the yellow paint that indicates a trap rubs off but that can be spray painted easily. These traps are really effective, can't recommend them enough for those with a goofer problem!
Thanks for sharing this! Best, DFJ
Thanks
These really do work. My pest elimination company used them. Unfortunately they charge $85 every time they catch one. So I am investigating ordering same product and managing it on our own. A side note - our pest company buries the dead gopher in the hole where the trap went off - they said that decomposing gophers deter other gophers in the tunnel. Not sure if that is true and yet my front yard is now officially a gopher burial ground. We seem to be winning the war. Uggh!
Thanks for sharing this info. It does sound like you could save a lot of money getting the traps yourself. Burying the gopher is an interesting idea, but I have no experience to know whether gopher corpses are a deterrent to others or not! Keep up the effort, they don't rest, so you need to be vigilant ongoing. Best, DFJ
I’ve spent over $1,000 on traps!
GH is the king!
I’ve caught 56 moles in the last 2 years on my property!
I’ve recommended this to many others who have killed hundreds of moles!
Thank you Ken at Sunbirds in Yelm, WA for recommending GH!
Thanks for jumping in on this. We use a combo of methods, and the Gopher Hawk is one of the main ones we used. I trapped a pocket gopher yesterday within about 90 minutes of installing the trap. It's a great device. Best, DFJ
Looks to me like you’ve found another good product, Jay. We have voles across the valley and have had good success with
windmills we buy from Lehman Brothers Hardware in Ohio. They’re called Mole Chasers. The vibration drives the critters away. You may have mentioned this method in your first video which I will now watch. Cheers my friend!
Sounds great, Corey. Thanks for weighing in. We love Lehman Brothers and have actually been in that store in Ohio. What a hoot! We are doing another episode on the traditional ways that farmers used to keep gophers and other critters at bay - sound being one of the main one! Good to hear from you! Best, Jay
It works amazing on gophers. I got the two in my yard within the first week. It does also work on moles if you can find their mole hills, but not so well trying to trap their surface runs.
I had same results, no good on surface routes due to they push dirt into the trap, but if you get into their deep runs it does work.
@@klikboom most of my moles are surface runs. This year I am going to look for deeper runs. Skeptical to pay 100 bucks for these and they don’t work. I would be buying them mainly for gophers.
How is it minimal damage to the yard when you have to dig a giant hole to get it out?
How does the gopherhawk compare with macabee-style traps? These 2 seem to be the top most recommended traps, but not sure what is the most effective or the pros/cons.
Great video! Thanks! Quick question - will this work in mounds (volcano-shaped) or just the elongated runs? I've seen mounds without adjacent runs lately for moles.
You can try using the trap in the mounds. It takes a bit of patience learning the behavior of rodent and setting trap.
The wire strap can be re-straiten small needle nose pliers to remove pins from plastic assembly, With a 1 1/2 metal pipe on a vise and a small propane torch apply heat and round off strap on pipe with a small hammer its easy to save$10.00. For the Coors sunset😂
I like it!
My soil is fairly hard. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a long auger to drill into the tunnel. It works great. I haven't used bait yet, I just look for fresh dirt. I'm going to buy more traps and snares.
Great tip!
This trap is a hit or miss, especially for smaller one because they are not big enough to trigger that plastic pin in the center.
You're so cute. LOL. I have a gopher in my garden and I thank you for your helpful videos. I enjoy your speaking style! Now, if I could only find my first tunnel. So far, no luck at all. I hate to lose to a gopher!
Thanks, Sunni, for taking time to write. Don't give up, you'll find their tunnels and then you'll get the upper hand. They are relentless, so you'll need to be as well. Best, DFJ
@@DirtFarmerJay You're very welcome. Waiting for my gopher hawk to arrive on Wednesday. Then, the fun begins for me and ends for it, hopefully. Relentless -- nailed it!
I caught a vole within 5 minutes of setting the Gopherhawk. Just make sure you set it properly into the tunnel's bore.
Works 100% ! Clean, easy and hassle free. I bury the corpses back into the holes to rot so any future critters will get a whiff and run. Helpful hint
Can a Gopher Hawk Gopher Trap be used to trap Voles and Rats too
Keep the human smell off the trap. Especially the straps, avoid touching the straps completely
I agree. I also learned when setting the trap, make sure no daylight can shine through the trap when set. Push dirt up and around the set trap. Moles are extremely sensitive to the daylight.
Great tip! Thanks for writing!
good video Jay. Any thoughts about whether it would be effective for voles?
Catch and Release - I don't think this system would be particularly effective for vole control simply because the tunnel patterns tend to be quite shallow. Since voles are vegetarians, they tend to stay near the surface to each roots, stems, seeds, etc. The Gopher Hawk depends on insertion down into the run to be orient the trap correctly and to support it upright. I hope that helps! Best, DFJ
Hell yes they work on voles. If it crawls through a tunnel this trap will gaffle it!
I freaking love the gopher hawk,I have killed like three moles with it.
Jay, Is it possible to release the gopher in the hole and pull up the trap, (trap shows yellow) instead of digging up a lawn ? I understand it could be a miss fire. Thanks for the video.
Jerry, yes, you could hold the top of the trap and pull up on the black sleeve, being careful not to put downward pressure into the burrow. That will bend the straps if you do. If there was a catch, the animal would be left behind in the burrow, but it will be hard to confirm a kill. If the trap simply comes up with a load of soil, you'll need to try again. I hope that helps! Best, DFJ
@@DirtFarmerJay Thanks for the info Jay. All the best to you and yours.
I CAUGHT A POCKET GOPHER ON MY 2ND DAY AFTER RESETTING THE TRAP TO ANOTHER TUNNEL, IT WORKS GREAT
Wahoooooo!
I've been having my gopher hawk get buried
more often in the last couple months, any
ideas? I'm using the same methods I did in
the spring and I'm up to 80 gophers for the
year.
I've heard a lot of reviewers say they have strong sense of smell. Make sure not to touch anywhere near where the gophers spring the trap. Including the probe tool, maybe don't touch the pointed end. Just speculating. Not sure if that's the issue or not.
These do work pretty good. Not great if you have really hard dirt, or very shallow tunnels as they will will not stand up without support. My second favorite trap overall. It does take patience to learn how gophers operate, or catching them will be difficult.
What is your first favorite?
@@artemioflores6748 1. Gophinator. 2. Gopherhawk and Cinch Trap is a tie. I like both. I have used Victor Black box(decent), and gopher gassers (terrible) the gophers expelled the spent casing. Lol.
Cut a hole in a piece of cardboard and use it as support. It also helps block the sun.
@@twobeer3316 too much digging with the gophinator trap
Bought 1 and it would not trip,sent it back and bought another and it will not trip either!
Is there a way to repair the Gopher Hawk trigger?
I have the same problem. I sent the first one back and the second one takes a lot of force to trip with a stick which I believe the gopher will not duplicate the same force. Can you set the trip trigger to me more sensitive?
As an older person with a bad wrist I'm wondering what type of strength it takes to get the thing set.
Hmmm. That's difficult to describe. It does take a moderate amount of pressure to set it.
I think it's very hard to set but I turn it upside down and press it against the ground to set the trap before I put it in the hole. Hope that makes sense?
I haven't been able to catch anything after months of trying
Does the trap need to be washed off completely before resetting for moles?
We don't wash ours, just make sure that the end is free of dirt. It doesn't hurt to wash it though, just to keep it working smoothly. Best, DFJ
@@DirtFarmerJay appreciate the feedback. I’ve tried both victor and wire tek models and was advised to wash after each use due to the ability of the moles’ high scent sense to avoid the traps for later use. I just ordered the gopher hawk trap and hope it will take care of the moles that are literally tearing up my front yard
😄
What is your favorite gopher trap to use?
Artemio - if it is a fresh mound that I can be assured of current activity and where the underground run is, I use the GopherHawk. If not, then I dig up the the area in front of an older mound to access the underground run, then wait a few hours to see if a gopher attempts to seal the hole, and from what direction. Then I insert the cartridge with assurance that the gasses will go to where the gopher is. I hope that helps! - DFJ
Never caught one gopher or mole for the 6 months I have owned this. Total disappointment.
Ramses, thanks for sharing your experience. It took me a bit to figure out how to effectively locate the trap and monitor it. If the trap set more than a day without a catch, it was likely that I had place the trap just adjacent to the run and that the gopher had filled the trap with dirt. A removal, slight location adjustment and reset usually did the trick. This device is not our go-to at this point, but it is one of the methods we use. Thank for watching and writing! Best, DFJ
@@DirtFarmerJay thank you for your response. I have only killed one gopher and that was with the fake poison worms.
Even thought electric sound would help, but they are a failure also.
Bought this off Amazon, it broke within the first hour.
WireTek trap is better100%!
Bryan - we'll check it out! Thanks for writing. Best, DFJ
I swear to all of you, the gopherhawk trap isn't that good. the flat wire parts of trap spooks the animals (gophers & moles), they're not dumb. The best tap you can get is the WireTek traps!! I have used both of these traps. The problem is, the gopherhawk trap leaves part of the trap in the tunnel. The WireTek trap does not! When the WireTek trap springs up, you've caught something, 100%. I've used both traps for 2 years and I've caught 0 with the gopherhawk trap. with the WireTek trap, I've caught dozens and never had a misfire. Good luck!....... you've been warned!
Bryan, thanks for giving an alternative. I've caught several gophers using the GopherHawk, but it's not a sure thing. Sometimes I get something, other times, not so much. I do know a turf manager at an outdoor sports facility that swears by the GopherHawk because of the minimal damage to the playing fields when setting the traps. I'm not familiar with WireTek, but based on your enthusiastic recommendation of it, I'll check it out! Best, DFJ
You need to re-record this video. The sound is awful. I am gone after the first minute.
Thanks for the feedback!
No it doesn't work !!!