Economic Status Pocket gophers are harmful in cultivated areas. They are particularly destructive in alfalfa fields, where they consume vegetation and their mounds hinder crop harvesting. Root crops and gardens also suffer from their depredations. On the positive side, pocket gophers can be important soil forming agents, aiding in water conservation and soil aeration. Control Because pocket gophers are solitude control methods are difficult and expensive.
Control is most effective in the spring when green surface vegetation starts to grow.
Although, trapping is recommended for control in the fall when gophers are most active bringing soil up to the surface. Trapping and poisoning are the two most practical methods. Fumigation has very limited effectiveness against pocket gophers. Trapping The most successful types of traps are firstly the Macabee and next the box type with choker loop. Traps, quick and positive when properly used, last indefinitely.