Suzi,

The .22 subsonics I like are CCI brand called quiet .22.  They are a long rifle so go through a clip fine unlike the shorts.  The shorts generally will not exit the body of a squirrel but are lethal.  The down side is all subsonic .22 ricochet very easily even off items like tree limbs.  I smack at least 100 squirrels a year.  That said the pocket gophers we have here are never seen during the day so shooting them is about impossible.  What I do is run a hose from my diesel tractor into the hole/runs and let it idle for awhile.......works like a charm and the smell seems to deter new gophers from entering the runs for awhile.  

Russian made night vision goggles are relatively cheap and readily available on the market. It should be good for nocturnal vermin :)

I can just see Suzi now, decked out like Bill Murray in "Caddyshack." Just make sure you don't kill the golfers. :)

How about these garlic repellents you can buy http://www.gemplers.com/product/151286/Mole-Gopher-Garlic-Repellents. Apparently, while they will eat fresh garlic, they don't like sulfuric compounds. Can't vouch for it because never tried it.

Probably not. Gopherpurge doesn't work. The thing is they LOVE, LOVE, did I mention LOVE fig trees, so the will endure almost anything and tunnel around almost anything to get to them. They will take down (as in fall over) trees at least as big at 3" in trunk diameter. Fig trees are a fantastic motivator for them.

I love my owl box and plan on getting a second. So far the parent owls have raised 7 babies in 2 years. They are a blast to watch at night especially when the babies start to fledge. Kept my gopher problem under control. The owls hunt at night and that's when the gophers stick their little heads out of the hole and travel. They eat an average of 4 gophers per night! Suzi, check out http://www.owlnestboxes.com He's right down the hill from me here in Ramona.

Sue

Sue, but will the owls eat my chickens?  I plan to let them free range, and I know hawks love them!  What about owls?  I'm open to all things, of course, but not open to encouraging predators that eat chickens.  Of course, they will be penned up at night, but sometimes a couple stubborn ones won't come in.

Suzi

The Rodenator is funny, but it's definitely no joke--http://www.rodenator.com/. If you can find a burrow, you can kill the occupant instantly and humanely without having to wait for it to stick its head up and be shot, or enter a trap. It also destroys the burrow system so another gopher or whatever can't  just move in and take over. Trouble is, it's not cheap!

Ken, the Rodenator is not cheap, but we've already included it in the cost of landscaping!  When you have thousands of holes over one to eight acres, you would have to get something like that.  Trouble is, a lot of this property is on the edge of the wilderness, so there is nothing stopping these rodents from coming back.  I loved that site and the testimonials too!  It's war against these things, and as Jon says, they love fig trees and they love vineyards too, so it's gonna be WAR!!

I think owls eat chickens but could be wrong.  Hawks do, so JD might get a paint gun for that purpose. 

Love the Rodenator!

Suzi

wow those are expensive. i heard we have barred owl here. not sure if near my house, but i hear them occationally.

A neighbor across the wash from my house said great horned owls tore through a shade cloth roof on her chicken enclosure to get two of her chickens. She did not actually see them, but found what was left of one chicken up in a tree, and assumed owls were the culprits because they live in the neighborhood. We also have bobcats, which seem just as likely to be responsible--but owls can certainly do the job. You might be okay if you can train the chickens to go into a protected area at night, but I would still expect to lose some chickens to predators, if they are free-ranging.

Well Ken, that seals the deal!  Bring on the traps and the Rodenator.  There are portable chicken coops on wheels, so they can free range within the chicken wire enclosure.  Guess that's the answer. 

Suzi

Suzi,

I have a dozen hens and 25 or so ducks with a healthy owl population and no problems at all.  As long as you put the chickens away at night they will be safe days from the owls, least they are here.  We also have a lot of hawks and while they look at the chickens and ducks they have never tried to take them..I did have a hawk take a sick few day old duckling once but that was it.  The hawks here are red shouldered but if you have bigger hawks you may have a problem with them.  If so you could always employ the SSS policy for them.  

What a lovely idea, Shana!  But, how do you stop the gophers from eating the roots before the beans happen?

Suzi

Whatever method you choose to use or whatever critter eats another critter, please tell me you won't eat any Gopher tortoises!!!  

It will be interesting to find out about these beans.  I googled them, and can get them on Amazon, but the plants are taller than a house, and what if a bean or two escape and my girls eat them?  The girls are the chickens.  We just can't have that!!

Suzi

BLB, Barry, I promise never to eat anything with the word "gopher" in it.  I also promise never to eat a cat a dog a mole a mouse a song bird or a turtle!  I also promise never to eat a castor bean!

Suzi

That'll do nicely Suzi!

Pee of the natural predator.

http://www.predatorpee.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LE&Category_Code=CU