The most effective gopher traps are pincer-style kill traps, specifically the Gophinator, Cinch, and Macabee. University field trials consistently rank these three above box-style traps for catch rates, though each has tradeoffs in ease of use and setup time. Your best choice depends on whether you prioritize speed, simplicity, or raw effectiveness.
Top Trap Models Compared
The Macabee is the most widely used gopher trap in the country, originally developed in 1900. It’s a small, wire pincer trap that’s fast to set and requires minimal digging to place inside a tunnel. In university trials, Macabee traps attracted more gopher activity than other models and were the most time-efficient option, catching the most gophers per minute spent in the field. The downside: gophers tripped or plugged Macabee traps more often than competitors, and the trap struggles with larger, mature gophers that can push past its jaws.
The Gophinator is a beefier pincer trap that addresses the Macabee’s main weakness. A University of California Cooperative Extension study found it outperformed the Macabee specifically because it caught larger gophers at a higher rate. Both traps performed equally well on smaller gophers and took about the same time to set. If you’re dealing with an established population of mature gophers, the Gophinator is the better pick.
The Cinch trap was rated the most effective overall in a USDA National Wildlife Research Center comparison against the Macabee and a box-style trap. The catch: it takes longer to set and requires more excavation to place properly. It’s a strong choice if you don’t mind the extra labor, but for most homeowners the Gophinator offers a better balance of effectiveness and convenience.
Box traps (like the Black Hole) are sometimes recommended for beginners because the enclosed design feels more intuitive. But they require significantly more digging to fit inside the main tunnel, which tears up lawns and garden beds. Their catch rates in comparative studies haven’t matched the pincer-style traps.
How to Find the Right Tunnel
A single gopher burrow system can span several hundred square feet. It consists of a main tunnel running 6 to 12 inches underground, with shorter lateral branches that the gopher uses for feeding and for pushing dirt to the surface. Those fan-shaped dirt mounds you see in your yard mark the lateral exits, not the main highway. Trap placement in the main tunnel is more reliable, especially during summer and for catching experienced adult gophers. Lateral tunnels work in a pinch and require less effort, but expect lower catch rates.
To find the main tunnel, start at a fresh mound (one with moist, dark soil). Use a probe, which can be a metal rod, a long screwdriver, or a commercial gopher probe. Push it into the ground on the side of the mound away from the plug, about 8 to 12 inches deep. When you feel a sudden drop in resistance, you’ve hit a tunnel. The main tunnel typically runs between mounds, roughly parallel to the surface.
Once you’ve located the tunnel, dig down to expose it. For pincer traps, you only need a small opening. Slide the trap into the tunnel with the jaws facing the direction a gopher would approach from. Many experienced trappers set two traps facing opposite directions to cover both ways.
Bait, Scent, and Covering the Hole
You do not need bait. University of California researchers tested peanut butter, anise oil, carrot oil, and a grapefruit-based attractant against unbaited traps and found zero difference in capture success. Gophers investigate disturbances in their tunnels regardless of scent, so adding bait is wasted effort.
Human scent on the trap also doesn’t matter. Testing confirmed no impact on trapping success, so you don’t need to wear gloves during setup (though you should wear them when handling any dead animal). And recent tests showed that leaving the hole uncovered after placing the trap worked just as well as covering it. Skipping that step saves meaningful time if you’re setting multiple traps. One earlier study did find that covering the hole increased catches of heavier adult gophers, so if you’re targeting a big, wary animal specifically, plugging the opening with soil or a clod of dirt may be worth the effort.
When to Check and When to Move
Check your traps after 24 hours. During the growing season, if a trap hasn’t caught anything, hasn’t been tripped, or has been buried in soil after 24 to 48 hours, pull it and move it to the nearest fresh mound. Gophers are territorial and solitary, so you’re typically dealing with one animal per mound cluster. A fresh mound with moist dirt means the gopher was active recently, while old, dry, crumbly mounds may belong to an abandoned system.
For a small yard with a few active mounds, you can often resolve the problem over a weekend. Larger properties or heavy infestations can take a full growing season of persistent trapping.
Why Trapping Beats the Alternatives
Trapping is the safest and most consistently effective method for residential gopher control. The alternatives all carry significant drawbacks.
Toxic baits containing strychnine or zinc phosphide are lethal in a single feeding, but they pose real risks to pets, children, and wildlife. They can only legally be placed inside burrow systems, never on the surface. And if you grow root vegetables, you can’t use them at all because the roots may contact the poison directly. Anticoagulant baits are no longer legal for residential use in some states.
Smoke and gas cartridges are largely ineffective. Gophers detect the fumes and quickly seal off the affected section of their tunnel. Professional-grade aluminum phosphide fumigation works, but it requires a state license and can’t be used within 100 feet of any building. Carbon monoxide exhaust machines have shown removal rates above 70% in some settings, but the equipment is expensive and impractical for a homeowner dealing with a few mounds in the backyard.
Traps, by contrast, are reusable, chemical-free, and confirm the kill immediately so you know the problem is solved. Because they sit inside the tunnel system, they pose virtually no risk to pets or other surface-dwelling wildlife.
Quick-Reference Trap Picks
- Best overall: Gophinator. Effective on gophers of all sizes, quick to set, and doesn’t require excessive digging.
- Best on a budget: Macabee. Inexpensive, widely available, and the fastest to deploy. Works well on smaller gophers but may lose larger ones.
- Highest raw catch rate: Cinch. Outperformed other models in USDA testing, but requires more digging and longer setup time.
- Easiest for beginners: Box trap. More intuitive design, but demands more excavation and generally catches fewer gophers than pincer traps.