Like Bill Murray in Caddyshack, we have all felt the frustration and pain of a gopher running amuck in the backyard. While we may not be struggling to get rid of it on a golf course, we do notice the evidence of a gopher’s work. Getting gophers under control is, fortunately, not as hard as you may think.

Why Gophers Are Hard to Control

Gophers are difficult to keep under control because we never really see them. We only bear witness to the damage they cause, such as digging up crops and creating holes in the backyard.

They also tend to mine through the front yard, chew through the roots of shrubs and potentially damage buried utility cables and PVC pipes. Gophers even chew on heavier wood pieces, such as outdoor furniture, sheds and garage doors.

Getting Rid of Gophers

Getting rid of gophers that have taken over your yard depends on how large your yard is and how many gophers you have. Traps are effective but harder to use, especially if you’ve never dealt with gophers before. You’ll know whether you captured the gopher, and because traps are inexpensive, you can use them over and again. You cannot cover the trap in dirt — you have to place it in a dug out area and block the light.

Baits are another popular way to get rid of gophers, as well as voles and moles. These are easy to use with an applicator and if the baits do their job, you don’t have to clean up an empty trap.

Poison pellets are dropped into gopher tunnels with a below-the-ground applicator. This ensures that the gophers die underground, but some might consider them inhumane. Working with poisons can be hazardous. You also don’t know for sure whether you are getting rid of the gophers.

Other Ways to Control Gophers

Electronics are devices that send out sound waves or vibrating signals that gophers will find extremely unpleasant. Again, these are easy to use — all you have to do is sink them into the ground and replace the batteries every now and then. They’re also more humane, since you do not outright kill the gopher but only encourage them to relocate. Electronics can be expensive, however, and you can’t tell if the gopher is really gone.

Gas bombs look like fireworks, igniting a fuse that clears out the entrance to the gopher’s tunnel. Lawn sprays use a garden hose to spray chemicals that change the gopher’s main foods into a bitter meal. Remember, major gopher infestations should be handled by professional pest control agencies.