Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

We compared trapping vs. traditional strychnine baiting to control pocket gophers in alfalfa fields in southern Utah. Additionally, we compared trapping efficiency of three different pocket gopher traps: Macabee, Cinch, and DK-1. Baiting and trapping resulted in similar levels of pocket gopher activity and reduced pocket gopher activity in study plots (P = 0.02). When comparing the three trap types, Macabee was the most successful at trapping pocket gophers (P = 0.004). Macabee traps were also the most time-efficient (P = 0.02). Trapping success was very low; future work needs to focus on increased study plot size, trapping density, and modifying traps to improve trapping success of larger animals.