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Gophers are a serious problem in my neighborhood. I've looked at and tried a lot of solutions, but it seems like there's far too little actually known of these tunnels in the yard. I'd like to use what an environmental scientist would use to study these things as I consider the best solution for myself.

benn
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Philosophist
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    I am not sure if it is wise to invest in a special camera, I think it would be better to invite a pest control professional to investigate your situation. – benn Mar 20 '19 at 10:23
  • @benn The only solutions to gophers I've seen online that a professional would offer is poison. I'm not really comfortable with that method yet. I've set traps, but their usefulness is limited. Most often, they are triggered but they get away, or they never trigger them. – Philosophist Mar 20 '19 at 14:34
  • @Philosophist Can't cook an omelet without breaking a few eggs friend. – Rob Mar 20 '19 at 16:52
  • If you don't like the idea of poison a ferret would probably do the job, but keeping ferrets is more work than using poison! – alephzero Mar 20 '19 at 17:48

3 Answers3

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You can always rent a plumbing drain camera from a home improvement store and use it to scope the gopher tunnels. Or get a video borescope (which is considerably shorter) but might have a better camera.

tk421
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We use underground cameras but the problem is that gopher tunnels intersect with other tunnels. A female gopher can have 6-10 tunnels connected to her den with pups inside, allowing her to relocate them in an emergency. The rigid cameras are too short to do much good and the others are too flimsy. We’ve tried to modify RC cars the size of our thumbs and they either can’t pull the line/weight, dirt, rocks and debris, or the gophers attack them, which is entertaining to watch. If you can find a semi-rigid line and practice using it, you may be able to have some success with it. I use them daily and still have trouble at times. I buy mine on Amazon, they’re inexpensive and work with all cell phones. Go with one that works in color and in 0 light. They’re so much better.

I agree with Sherwood Botsford, go with gopher traps, they’re the only true method and a permanent solution.

Gopher Expert
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  • Look up Kyzee, that’s the best one I’ve purchased so far as it works with the cell phone and has a long line. I’d avoid the long slender ones, we went through several in a day or two, some arrived non-functioning. If you don’t mind a handheld, make sure you get one that’s waterproof, has a higher LED count and resolution. I hope this helps. – Gopher Expert Feb 17 '23 at 23:44
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I've seen 'endoscope' attachements for your phone, but they only reach a few feet.

Here, a pocket gopher can have several hundred feet of tunnel in his approximately 1/4 acre territory.

Buy gopher traps. Go to youtube to learn how to use them.

Sherwood Botsford
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