There are some substances that gophers’ sensitive noses don’t seem to like. These include peppermint oil, fabric softener sheets, and castor oil. Coffee grounds mixed with the soil around plants or sprinkled into the gophers’ tunnels may help repel them, and ammonia is a natural repellent as well.The problem with choosing repellents to solve your gopher problem instead of professional extermination is that gophers aren’t likely to be driven very far away. They may simply move next door and return to your property when the repellents lose their effectiveness.