Is there any way to contain bull snakes to the desired area? I watched a bull snake stalking a young gopher one time. Awesome and effective process. Another time, I watched one carry a dead gopher down into its hole. So I was happy when a bull snake showed up in my yard last year, and am even happier to say: I have no gophers in my yard, much fewer mice this year!
I read that a bull snake will eat 1000 mice in a year. So maybe...300 gophers?
“Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend. But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards? No problem. We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards. But aren't the snakes even worse? Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat. But then we're stuck with gorillas! Oh, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death” https://youtu.be/LuiK7jcC1fY?si=xxfqUQPA0ZFeLNSd
Clarification: The gophers at the fair grounds are more than likely 13 stripe ground squirrels or stripies--as they are commonly known. The gophers that had (or may have depending on where you live) a bounty on them are pocket gophers. They got their name from of the pockets on either side of their faces. These are the gophers that build tunnels leaving piles of dirt in their path. These piles of dirt can harm machinery and do really mess up a good field of alfalfa or a nice pasture. They are very seldom seen. They are basically blind and can be overcome only by trapping or poison. (I know that sounds nasty, but until your property is overrun by the little creatures.......) There only natural enemy is the badger, which there are getting to be so few for various ignorant reasons. Anyway, good luck with the gophers!
Sometimes folks call any smaller mammal that lives underground a "gopher" . They could have a colony of ground squirrels (three possible species), or pocket gophers (two possible species). No matter what, they were all here before the city was founded. If they are ground squirrels, "The prairie dogs of the east", they might want to keep a small colony and have a diorama display showing the complexities of a ground squirrel den, as a new display for the fair.
Did you miss the part where burrowing rodents can and do cause expensive damage to buried utility lines? That in addition to badgers excavating large holes trying to dig them out which is an even larger issue for buried utilities. Then there is to damage to pasture and their holes injuring livestock. Your comment shows that a huge urban – rural divide exists. Rodents are not the friends of rural folk. If they are to be controlled trapping is the humane method compared to chemicals or poison that works into the food chain. Amusing that a picture of a ground squirrels is used with this piece on gophers. Maybe ground squirrels are the issue at the fairgrounds but pocket gophers are a lot uglier than the picture used.
Where is Carl Spackler when you need him?
Is there any way to contain bull snakes to the desired area? I watched a bull snake stalking a young gopher one time. Awesome and effective process. Another time, I watched one carry a dead gopher down into its hole. So I was happy when a bull snake showed up in my yard last year, and am even happier to say: I have no gophers in my yard, much fewer mice this year!
I read that a bull snake will eat 1000 mice in a year. So maybe...300 gophers?
“Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend. But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards? No problem. We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards. But aren't the snakes even worse? Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat. But then we're stuck with gorillas! Oh, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death” https://youtu.be/LuiK7jcC1fY?si=xxfqUQPA0ZFeLNSd
Clarification: The gophers at the fair grounds are more than likely 13 stripe ground squirrels or stripies--as they are commonly known. The gophers that had (or may have depending on where you live) a bounty on them are pocket gophers. They got their name from of the pockets on either side of their faces. These are the gophers that build tunnels leaving piles of dirt in their path. These piles of dirt can harm machinery and do really mess up a good field of alfalfa or a nice pasture. They are very seldom seen. They are basically blind and can be overcome only by trapping or poison. (I know that sounds nasty, but until your property is overrun by the little creatures.......) There only natural enemy is the badger, which there are getting to be so few for various ignorant reasons. Anyway, good luck with the gophers!
Sometimes folks call any smaller mammal that lives underground a "gopher" . They could have a colony of ground squirrels (three possible species), or pocket gophers (two possible species). No matter what, they were all here before the city was founded. If they are ground squirrels, "The prairie dogs of the east", they might want to keep a small colony and have a diorama display showing the complexities of a ground squirrel den, as a new display for the fair.
So, Moser is disappointed that young people have no interest in trapping animals. Is this really an activity that we want to encourage? Sick.
Did you miss the part where burrowing rodents can and do cause expensive damage to buried utility lines? That in addition to badgers excavating large holes trying to dig them out which is an even larger issue for buried utilities. Then there is to damage to pasture and their holes injuring livestock. Your comment shows that a huge urban – rural divide exists. Rodents are not the friends of rural folk. If they are to be controlled trapping is the humane method compared to chemicals or poison that works into the food chain. Amusing that a picture of a ground squirrels is used with this piece on gophers. Maybe ground squirrels are the issue at the fairgrounds but pocket gophers are a lot uglier than the picture used.