Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site rruxu.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxv!rruxa!rruxo!rruxu!steve1 From: steve1@rruxu.UUCP (S Stein) Newsgroups: net.garden Subject: Re: gophers Message-ID: <125@rruxu.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-May-85 09:27:49 EDT Article-I.D.: rruxu.125 Posted: Fri May 17 09:27:49 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 18-May-85 01:41:45 EDT References: <191@nsc-pdc.UUCP> <679@asgb.UUCP>, <9609@rochester.UUCP> Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J. Lines: 33 It was I who put out the request, and it was for ground hogs, not gophers (last spring). I got several responses, most suggesting that I get an air rifle or some such weapon and shoot the thing. Aside from the fact that I live in a town where this would probably be frowned upon if not outright prohibited, that's not my thing. My neighbor and I both have Hav-a-Heart traps (well, mine is, I don't know what kind his is, but they catch without killing). The groundhog first appeared 2 years ago by himself, and showed up last year with a wife and 3 kids. I caught the wife and my neighbor caught the kids, using leafy vegetables, broccoli or celery, peanut butter, I'm not sure exactly which. In any case, we never caught the father. He is VERY CLEVER. Apparently he recognized the trap as more of a threat than the bait was a benefit, and pulled a Weight Watchers on me. He's been spotted once this year, but so far has not eaten any of my garden. I planted my peas and then put the trap right over them, so that the peas are growing up through the trap. In order for him to eat those peas, he would have to enter the trap, so maybe I'll have a 1 foot row of peas, but the peas are now over a foot tall and he hasn't eaten any of them yet. I agree that a trap is the best mechanism. Fences, repellants, etc. simply do not work. But you need a good, large trap and bait that even a Weight Watching rodent couldn't turn down. -- *************************************************************** * Steve Stein * * Bell Communications Research * ***************************************************************