Gophers- cinchtrap

[trappnman]

I tried the trap years ago, and did not like it in any shape or form, but know guys do well on them.

I'm down to three I like- pan traps, quick sets, and in a situational capacity death clutches.

Pans for split holes, quick sets for single normal holes, and I've found for me, its almost 100% with D.c, is I have to almost "screw" them into the hole, but poor overal if hole is wider thna trap.

picked up 4 doz or so mixed traps- a few of the lanesboro box traps, while awkward I kind of like them, used to have some but long lost, some quick sets and dcs, and also 18 cinchs, so am going to try them again.

so- educate me if you would- whats the method to use them, to get them to be a consistent producer??

last year, had 200 gophers by this date...this year, snow on ground week ago 12", then rain and lots of it all day/night sat, then another 7-8" today of snow....

but soon...........
any help much appreciated.

[exmatador]

Steve, take the "dog" and bend it down about an1/8 in set it so when the gopher just touches it it fires.. I mean hair trigger. They are an excellent trap with that mod.

[coonboy]

The more I use the Death Klutch the more I like them.

[trappnman]

exmatador- how far are you putting the end, into the hole?

[exmatador]

as far as i can.. depending on the size of the hole you can somewhat adjust the jaws... i try to get them all the way to the flat part of the trap body if you know what i mean then prop that up so the jaws are angled downward.. just have to make sure the lever does not catch the top of hole when it fires. not really a big deal tho. sandy soil helps also but do some in clay too.

[hdwolfer]

Been using the cinch traps for 25 years or so. At first they are frustrating to learn but once you figure them out and do some mod's can get them to 75 to 85% catch ratio. Never ever got a death clutch past 25% catch ratio. We're talking checking and setting 200 traps a day.
Go with what ever you feel works best for you.

[trappnman]

200 traps a day is a long day- that means checking/setting 400 traps everyday. Perhaps if I set tight on continous fields I could do it- but 130 day in day out, is about all I want to do. Esp if in hard soil or hot days.

death clutches in my opinion, work best in the early season- why this seems to matter to I don't know- but before the first hay crop, I'd consistently get 60% and usually far above that- but once it gets summer, the % went down for me under 25%-

many of the old farmers used death clutches, and they always say- gophers are dumb in spring, but then they get smart and hard to catch- and using DC I can see why they come to this conclusion.

but I've learned that anytime of year, in tight holes, but only in tight holes, I get 75-80% catch rate- and was in fact going to buy some more just for that situation (where other traps too big)

as far as any cinch type trap, where the animal is captured between "bars", its really hard to beat those quick sets, but since I have a some cinches, decided to try them again.

the one mod mentioned I'll try, if you have any others I'd like to hear them

[trappnman]

since we have a few gopher trappers here- lest discuss methods a bit

heres how I do it:

pan traps are set crossways in the split, wiggled down a bit so not tippy (I insist on minimum tension) then a grass plug is inserted halfway down the hole and then covered with dirt. I do think covering them gives me a higher %, and it also cuts down on predator losses

Dc and quick sets, are set so trigger is just inside hole, and while I don't 100% think it matters, we do toss a little loose grass over the entrance, not in anyway an attempt to cover entrance, but to just break up outline. as I said, not 100% sure it matters, but indications are that it does, and as Lori says, easy enough to do.

I'm in the habit of clearing out holes well (a must with pan traps) but I hear people using cinches, and other types of squeeze traps, leave a lot of loose dirt in th hole. any thoughts on that?

We set traps one day, then check the next. unless during breeding season, we seldom leave a trap after a catch- many experiments show that the repeat catch next day, to be under 10% for working the trap, so unless in a residential setup, we do not have the time (grass always growing) to waste days and traps.

I know some set, wait a few hours, and recheck, but unless one has the time to wait at least 4 hours, the % of worked sets is under 10%, so again not worth it for us in time and effort.

this can change for the better, depending on temps (cool, rain coming, etc) and conditions but overall, we just don't have enough % success to do it o na regular basis.

I do have some huge farms, 500-750 acrs of hay, but 90% of that is long strips, so drivng time adds up and we often are trapping multiple farms paced apart. We more often that not, are putting on 75-100 non field driving miles a day, plus the in field driving.

Rates-

we charge commercial enterprizes (golf courses, apple orchards) $35 an hour door to door, plus mileage.

Residential- $35 setup, $25 gopher for 100% elimination

Farmers: $3.50 for control, not elimination

all gophers also have from $1.50 to $2.50 bounty

so farmers gophers, our bulk, pay out from $5.00 to $7.50 depending on township

[Gerald Schmitt]

For what its worth, we sell mostly Death Klutch, me and the kids fool arond with the Johnson Quick sets at home

Gerald

[exmatador]

got a couple doz or so quick sets.. just cant get the hang of em for a consistent catch.. yes i like a little loose dirt in the burrow to bed the " jaws" for cinches.. i like them for tilled land like alfalfa rotated from corn or beans but but but they can be a pia in grass meadows or virgin soil.. most of my customers had alfalfa till the corn boom.. tried six gophenators last spring liked them also so far in virgin soil.. less digging to get them set.

[coonboy]

The Clinch trap seem to expensive to own very many of. My 9 year old can set the Quick Set's by himself so he feels like a big shot. So it's mostly Quick sets and Death Klutch for us. I like to throw a little grass over the hole also.

[exmatador]

the cinches are a little more expensive yes but with my mods they are 75 to 85 % catch rate and i cant find anything better.. before they took out all the alfalfa fields i trapped 650 to 750 a year so not as many as most on here... steve, i get $30 setup $10 a head residential, $5 for farmers with quantities.. hell i even like the cinch mole traps in some places tho my main trap is the albano mole trap.. not a cinch spokesman tho lol.. just my favorite.

[trappnman]

do you do other mods besides the trigger?

[Iowa Badger]

Steve do you use 0's or 1's for gopher trapping?

[exmatador]

the only other mods are taking a pliers and turning the trigger loop tighter to make it smaller so it doesnt touch the top of the tunnel at all.. after its placed i "test fire" it to make sure everthing clears.. just have to make sure the trigger moves freely.. hair trigger is key.. oh ya and i put used snare cable on them for staking..

[trappnman]

#1-

I do have some zeros, but they are last resort to use- for whatever reason, and it has to be jaw size, I get far more plugs with 0s than I do with #1s. but heres something odd- I have a doz or so jump /coilsprings #1, and I don;t even use them anyomre casue they seem to get plug constantly. now why a coil/jump would be so, and a longspring no, is beyond me, I just know for me, thats the way it is.

I find better luck with death clutches, if I cut off a half inch or so on the trigger- the trigger is too long, IMO and can hang up on the top of the tunnell at times

[exmatador]

On the DC is the trigger close to the 90 degree bend on the trap frame not allowing you to get it farther in the tunnel? haven't used them in years didnt like them for some reason.. not saying they dont work tho.. do you guys set more than one mound per "colony"? last couple years on a farm 1/2 mile from home i have been setting one new mound in a "colony" catching stragglers moving in. other than those that hay field is bare of gophers.

[Gerald Schmitt]

I think every farmer in Minnesota has a few small longspring traps hanging in the shed for gopher trapping.

Steve, what is your biggest day's catch on gophers?

Are there other folks who do it in the summer on the same scale that you do?

[coonboy]

Do Cinch traps ever go on sale? Do you wax your gopher traps? I just wire brush and WD-40 them.

[trappnman]

WD them a couple of times a year for sure

I know guys trapping irragation lands, where they can catch more a day thna I do, but for someone taking cre of 75 or more farms, for me its like a constant rotating trapline during the entire warm weather season- we have hit 100 a day, and consistently take 3000 plus a year, with our best year a few short of 3600. trying to figure out "lifetime" catches, puts us in the mid 60,000 range