As cute as the little creatures are, I have recently declared war on all LZ gophers. I do not know of any humane way to get rid of them so I have set multiple traps in the LZ to get rid of them. I am also working with a few others to undo the damage they have done (leveling mounts and filling ankle breaking holes and depressions - one of those ankles was mine!). Big Mike, LD, Phil, Jim T and a few others have helped.
The trap areas are marked with verical sticks. Please do not remove them or disturb the traps. I am checking / resetting them on a daily basis and it is just a matter of time before I have the majority of the fuzzy little leg breakers fed to the coyotes.
Once I have the little varmets clearned out, I would welcome any ideas about how to keep them out, like maybe electronic noise makers around the perimeter of the LZ or something like that. Otherwise I will just continue to trap as needed. Hell, I have nothing better to do now that I am retired and this one of the few things I am pretty good at.
I will update this post with the most recent "dead count" from time to time. Hopefully this will satisfy those who miss the HBO series "Deadwood", and the weekly blog that went along with it.
The count is 4 so far - be carefull of any fresh stew offered up by Russ. He tells me that gopher meat is not too bad when prepared correctly, and the kill is fresh...
Where have all the gophers gone?
Moderator: Chip
-----enjoy 
Re: Where have all the gophers gone?
I caught some nice video of our very own BudRob in action......[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv87T1CQF8E[/youtube]BudRob wrote:............I have recently declared war on all LZ gophers..............
electronic gets my vote
if we could electronically warn them off, it'd be great. i don't object to them being killed, if they can be consumed by some creatures other than maggots, you know? hawk meals, coyotes, sidewinders, rattlers, russ...
yeah, yeah go hug a tree. don't mind if i do--as long as i don't land in it first...
yeah, yeah go hug a tree. don't mind if i do--as long as i don't land in it first...
janyce
"You HAVE to make it..."
"You HAVE to make it..."
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_i0eG_I55I[/youtube]
Any poison will find its way into the food chain and into the condors. Look for dead ones and put them in the trash with a shovel. A Forrest worker at one of the neighborhood days said they can carry bubonic plague. One of our female pilots stepped on a gopher hole and it damaged her knee to where she cannot fly 6 months to a year.
Doug
Any poison will find its way into the food chain and into the condors. Look for dead ones and put them in the trash with a shovel. A Forrest worker at one of the neighborhood days said they can carry bubonic plague. One of our female pilots stepped on a gopher hole and it damaged her knee to where she cannot fly 6 months to a year.
Doug
Ballistic Method
A decent scoped air rifle will do the job nicely, IF it can be accomplished without alarming the neighbors, and bringing the local SWAT out for an "exercise". No poison to harm the condors or the local raptors (which will also go after carrion) or the coyotes for that matter. Getting there early enough and being patient are paramount, but remember ze Nature Nazis are alvays aboudt! .02 (before depreciation) worth. Joel
work to fly, don't fly to work
Rob,
You arrived on the scene in the nick of time. I was ready to turn Rome loose in the l/z with one of these.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c80ijm5f ... re=related
You arrived on the scene in the nick of time. I was ready to turn Rome loose in the l/z with one of these.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c80ijm5f ... re=related
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JT
dude! someone else is as dumb as i am? (always land as close to the ground as possible, etc...) or as mickey, from elsinore, says, "pay attention to what the ground is doing!" i know I got the message, I hope she does too. and tell her to leave those poor gophers alone!
janyce
"You HAVE to make it..."
"You HAVE to make it..."
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JT
Sarcasm is lost on you guys.
It was just a final reminder to my erstwhile flying buddy to be safe, gophers or not. Which, by the way, eluded the traps, so far, this week. But as Rob says, "I can make many mistakes. The gophers only get one each." A rather touching sentiment for the rodents, no?dude! someone else is as dumb as i am?
Maybe we need a Poll
Maybe the SHGA members should have been given on option regarding Bud Rob's activities.
Choice One: Rob goes after the gophers
Choice Two: Rob continues to work and continues to supply large amounts of free beer
Choice One: Rob goes after the gophers
Choice Two: Rob continues to work and continues to supply large amounts of free beer
We need more raptors and more owls.
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/ ... b1602.html
http://www.hungryowl.org/boxes.html
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/ ... b1602.html
http://www.hungryowl.org/boxes.html
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JT
I think we need a lot more gophers. From the Cooks.com recipe book:
GOPHER STEW
6 lbs. gopher meat
1/4 lb. salt pork, cubed
3 Spanish onions, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 (16 oz.) cans sliced tomatoes
10 c. water
2 datil peppers, whole
Salt and pepper to taste
3 potatoes, cubes
5 tbsp. brown flour
1/2 c. water
Clean gopher meat well and drain. Fry down salt pork in a large cast iron pot. Add meat and brown. Remove meat, drain on paper towels. Add onions, celery and bell pepper to salt pork grease and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and a little water if needed and cook down to a pulp on low heat for about 2 hours. Add gopher meat, 10 cups water and datil peppers and salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add potatoes the last 30 minutes of cooking. Mix brown flour with water in a glass jar and shake vigorously. Bring stew to a boil and thicken with flour mixture. Serve over UNCLE BEN'S® rice.
Bon Apetit!
GOPHER STEW
6 lbs. gopher meat
1/4 lb. salt pork, cubed
3 Spanish onions, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 (16 oz.) cans sliced tomatoes
10 c. water
2 datil peppers, whole
Salt and pepper to taste
3 potatoes, cubes
5 tbsp. brown flour
1/2 c. water
Clean gopher meat well and drain. Fry down salt pork in a large cast iron pot. Add meat and brown. Remove meat, drain on paper towels. Add onions, celery and bell pepper to salt pork grease and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and a little water if needed and cook down to a pulp on low heat for about 2 hours. Add gopher meat, 10 cups water and datil peppers and salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add potatoes the last 30 minutes of cooking. Mix brown flour with water in a glass jar and shake vigorously. Bring stew to a boil and thicken with flour mixture. Serve over UNCLE BEN'S® rice.
Bon Apetit!
Gopher number 8 "cashed in his chips" this morning. This one was operating near the driveway when you first drive in and make the right turn. All traps were reset in active areas this morning - there are now 4 sets of traps in the LZ.
Honorable mention goes to Ron Wiener, who dug the hole for dead gopher number 6. Today, Jim Thompson dug and set 2 of the 4 trap sets (there are 2 traps in each hole) this morning. There may have been more dead to add this afternoon but we were too tired to check the traps after flying. Tomorrow morning will be the next check and may yield added victims to the dead count. Although I have never caught a gopher in ever trap I set in any one day, the "potential" is 4 more dead tomorrow morning.
Honorable mention goes to Ron Wiener, who dug the hole for dead gopher number 6. Today, Jim Thompson dug and set 2 of the 4 trap sets (there are 2 traps in each hole) this morning. There may have been more dead to add this afternoon but we were too tired to check the traps after flying. Tomorrow morning will be the next check and may yield added victims to the dead count. Although I have never caught a gopher in ever trap I set in any one day, the "potential" is 4 more dead tomorrow morning.