Trapping Set, Includes Wedge and Probe Tool

After years of trapping moles + pocket gophers ( and now needing to trap ground squirrels, which is a whole other subject ) ... and after taking a free lesson from a nursery to do so using the CINCH traps... FINALLY now a nearly PERFECT TRAP for the tunnelers...no lessons needed and more success! 1) It's NOT TERRIFYING to set + I can't see any possible way you could crush, break, bruise, cut or otherwise hurt your fingers with this trap! (CINCH was always a tad scary for me + more strength is needed) 2) It's unbelievably EASY and FAST to set (once you have estimated the active tunnel location) 3) It's unbelievably EASY to know when it's been activated + to remove the vermin 4) If you watch some Youtube videos or read about being careful w the straps, you'll be better informed about how to handle it. And the straps are replaceable. 5) You don't need much strength to set this. The secret to success (after learning how to NOT damage the straps) is to position it properly in an active tunnel. I believe if you are NOT catching these guys, you are not positioning the trap properly or in the right location. Practice makes perfect. You kinda have to mentally process the positioning... Our vermin seem to have the IQ of a rocket scientist. A pocket gopher actually detoured a new tunnel AROUND the straps. Oops... new hole nearby + unsprung trap! That was okay... I put my gloved fingers into the new hole ( as far as I could, since my vermin now twist + turn their active tunnels... it can be a real challenge, I insert a thin rod sometimes to follow the curve ) And within minutes, we had the bugger. Being in the high desert, we have areas that are sandy, + areas that have great soil. In areas where the ground is very soft and inconsistent, it's more difficult to find the right place + sometimes to keep the trap upright. In sandy soil, when I reach the bottom of the tunnel, I raise the trap ever so slightly to keep the straps free, + sometimes I use a couple of large rocks to hold it upright + to keep it from sinking too much into the ground of the tunnel (I don't want the straps to get "stuck" in the sand, but I don't know if that's even possible,) Additionally, we have the following challenges: vermin invading our bumpy berm that is covered w Wooley Thyme + other delicacies that make it hard to detect runs PLUS vermin that now make turns in their active tunnels, sometimes within a foot or less, and sometimes several times, making it difficult to know where to position the trap. In spite of this challenges, I AM catching them, AND 6) This trap causes MUCH LESS DAMAGE TO LANDSCAPING !!! Thanks for such a nearly perfect trap !!! And thank you to AMAZON for your patience regarding a trap that I returned because I lacked the strength to set it, or being too nervous to handle another one safely, or a trap that the ground squirrels avoided like the plague. THANK YOU AMAZON Previously, we had only been using CINCH very successfully for the last few years, but even those are a little bit scary to set. However now our vermin seem to know how to avoid them. After having caught many, I literally couldn't catch a single one anymore with CINCH, which has also been a great trap for us until it wasn't!

I fight with a gopher digging up my lawn every year. I have used gopher bombs (waste of money but fun like fireworks to use), poison bait, wire traps that are hard to set… none of those things worked for me. I was reluctant to try this trap for a couple of reasons. First, it is kind of expensive. Second, it looked too different from any trap I’ve ever seen. Third, they sell this trap as a kit… the trap plus a tool to locate tunnel and open a hole to insert the trap. I wondered if the “tool” was really necessary. You could probably survive without the tool but for the small extra cost it really makes life easier. I was desperate so I searched for Gopher Hawk videos on You Tube and decided to give it a try. It’s Amazon, right? If it doesn’t work send it back. I am so converted! I received the trap from Amazon, went into my yard the same day and used the very clear instructions to insert the trap into the hole and arm the trap. On YT I saw a couple of videos showing the traps working in 15 to 30 minutes. I didn’t expect that to happen for me but I was really surprised when I went out a few hours later and the yellow band on the trap was showing, indicating that the trap was sprung. I pulled the trap out of the hole and out comes a very angry gopher! I was sorry he was still alive and that I had to finish the job but for the moment the gopher war seems to be over. Bottom line for this trap: It works. It feels a little pricey but it’s worth it. It is much easier to use than any other gopher trap I have used and it feels cleaner. The business end of the trap doesn’t get near you. If you only have a small gopher problem you should get the insertion tool also (as a kit) but you only need the one tool if you buy multiple traps for a bigger infestation. If I had any issues with this trap it would be that the gopher wasn’t already dead when I pulled the trap out of the hole. The trap is designed with kind of flat “straps” that spring up to trap the gopher when he bumps the trigger. Makes for less blood but not as instantly lethal. Finally, either read the instructions carefully about how to set the trap or (my choice) watch a video. It matters how you set the trap and it takes a little bit of strength to arm it. As for me, I am happily repairing the lawn damage and chewed up sprinkler valve wires from this gopher while I check daily for new gopher evidence. Gophers, I no longer fear you!!! Bring it!!!

If you are reading this review, you have to be at your wits end with these critters tearing up your yard. As was I. So I bought the set with a probe and an extra head over a year ago. The set is a must. I am really shocked about how well thought out the set is. The pvc pointed tube has the probe incorporated into the handle. Snug fit- it’s not going anywhere without you pulling it out. So you find a fresh mound, probe around it till you find the spot that gives. You found the tunnel! Put the probe back in the tube. Put the pointed tube at the probe mark and rock it until the hole you made intersects with the tunnel. Pull it out. Then grab your gopher hawk, spring side up, put the end down to the bottom of the tunnel. Then pull the outer sleeve up until the spring is loaded and clicks. The three prong metal expander thing is ready for its victim! Yes I watched a few videos, they were helpful. I am still so excited to use this at every opportunity I can! I have caught about 12, some are quick and some are sneaky, so occasionally a little more patience is required. If I haven’t caught the little booger within 18 hours, I just move it to another tunnel. I pull them up to see how big the are, inflict mercy if not dead, drop them in the hole and cover the hole up. It’s rare now I have them in my yard, sadly… So I have been known to mosey to my neighbors looking for mounds! Just got one of theirs today. (It’s been awhile, guess I got ‘em already…) Excellent product, will always be a staple for my 1.5 acre yard… No need to go into the GREAT amount of satisfaction at seeing that the spring is sprung… and another one bites the dust… YES!

EDIT… the company did reach out to me and offered a refund if I send the stuff back at my expense , I don’t really know much about shipping things back like that but I imagine it costs a lot so it was good of them to offer to do that but I probably won’t send it back cause by the time I send it back and pay for that and time and effort it’s not worth it but at least they did offer I have a terrible mole problem in my yard so I bought this and an extra trap after reading the reviews here and watching YouTube , I know this gets pretty good reviews but they do not work for me. I bought these in January 25 and couldn’t use them until the last couple of weeks which is now June of 25 , I started seeing activity again so I followed the instructions and videos I’ve seen and I found the tunnel and made sure it was an active tunnel and set both of the traps out, let say this these are very hard to set , I will admit that I have small hands for a guy but I have plenty of strength but I had to rest my chest on the top of the trap and pull the black part to Set the traps with both hands , but I finally got them set and waited a couple days and nothing if anything they just laughed at these things it’s like wherever they are set they will dig up to it and go back the way they came or go around them , I pulled them back out of the ground to find one trap was bent where it catches the mole they are flimsy pieces of metal and it was all bent up , I’m not sure why but if they won’t hold up better than that I don’t need them , the other one was in good shape so I set it again where the activity was and as you can see in the pictures they are going right up to the trap but then going away from it , I wrote the company to try and see if I could get a refund or something even though it’s outside the return window , but I’ve heard nothing from them as of yet so I assume there will be no resolution and I’m out a ton of money on junk in my opinion . I know folks do have luck with them but not me , BUYER BEWARE !!!!!!

I've been using this trap for three months now and have caught six pocket gophers. It definitely does the job. Here's what I've learned: 1. If you live somewhere with heavy soil, it doesn't work quite like the videos. We have a heavy loam, and during dry spells it can get hard as dry clay. If it hasn't rained in weeks (like this June), I just have to give up until it does. Most of the time, I can find the tunnel with the probe, start the hole with a piece of 1/2" aluminum conduit and a hammer, and then finish it with the pointy hole-digger they provide with the trap. It's a five minute job but it's better than digging like you have to do with a jaw trap. 2. Similarly, when the trap has sprung, if you have heavy soil, you won't be able to just pull it out. I have found that if I put in a long shovel slightly more than a pocket gopher's length away from the hole, sink the shovel tip below the depth of the tunnel, and then pry from the bottom while lifting from the top, I can extract the gopher. If you get the shovel too close or too shallow, however, you can bend the blades quite easily with this method. Nonetheless, it's the only way I've found to lift a full trap out of heavy soil. 3. Usually, the trap kills cleanly and quickly. Five of six were killed with a blow to the base of the skull. One was trapped by the paw, and I had to kill him after digging him out. Since then I've learned to check the trap several times a day to minimize suffering. 4. As many people have mentioned, the blades bend. Mine are a little caved in from a time before I learned to use the shovel well, but the trap still works. You have to be very careful with them, though. 5. The best place to set the trap is halfway between two fresh mounds. I've tried between two older mounds and on the edge of a mound and have had no luck. If I can get the trap set while the soil is still freshly dug, I have success almost every time. 6. After six catches, the bottom of the trap is starting to show signs of wear. I would guess that if I'm careful, I might get 25-50 catches with this trap. I would be very surprised if it's still going at 100. Bottom line: it's cheaper than hiring a trapper, safer than the old style jaw trap my grandmother used to use, and effective. It's not heirloom sturdy--you can't be as careless as you want with it--but it does the job. And the design is ingenious. I've triggered the mechanism above ground to see how it works, and it is fast and powerful. As killing traps go, it's about as humane as they come. I regret that I have to use it, but given that I have to trap or lose fruit trees, I'm glad to have found this trap. It's not for the squeamish, but it's less "medieval" than a jaw trap.

I don’t know what happened to my gopher(s). I’ve been trying to kill these little suckers for over a year. They’ve torn up the grass in front of my shop and NOTHING works. Smoke bombs, poison, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and fine ground black pepper pumped into the system using a leaf blower.... the exhaust pipe of a 96 Chevy... more smoke bombs...!!! Nothing works! I saw the amazing reviews for this and tracked down even more amazing YouTube videos of happy owners.. so I figure, what’s $35-$40 if I’ve already spent hundreds on things that don’t work and the grass is getting more torn up every day. I make sure to read the negative reviews.. I know lots of people smash down on the trap when setting it and bend up the metal bars... one guy went so far as to blame the gopher for mangling up his 😏... yea.. I bet. Just be gentle when setting it and pull up without pushing down. Easy enough... right? So I go and set my trap for the first time... I wait a few hours and then I get pessimistic and decide to change the location. I trip the trap and pull up, fearing I may have bent my trap already... I lucked out.. seems like my anticipation of breaking it payed off. So I go and reset the trap in a different location, this time deeper and more confident with my hole location... but I hesitate and feel like I didn’t set it all the way at the bottom of the hole. Since I was mostly pulling up on the trap, vs. pushing down to set it.. plus the spike was deeper in the ground than the trap appears to be... I felt like I set it mid-way on the hole. I remove the trap only to discover... a I’ve mangled my metal guides! 🤬 WTHeck! The metal is so junk on this trap. Why would they do this to me?... us...?!? I can work it back into shape, for the most part, by hand... but this has to be the single part on this device which causes people to complain, return, or toss it out. The company HAS to know this. I own lots of tools, and as a result, I’ve come across many thin metals which are temper treated in a way that they retain their spring and are virtually indestructible. The metal on this trap is just pure garbage and as careful as I was being when I set this, I can see myself just warping the heck out of the guides in no time to a point I render the trap useless. The company seems to sell a replacement part for it, but with it being this delicate, it should come with a couple spares.. or just one spare... or just fix your product with better metal! I haven’t caught my gopher yet. I left the trap in the hole for about 4 days... but I also haven’t seen any new holes pop up! Either I managed to kill this guy with my most recent attempt at pouring pellets into the hole just a day before I received the trap... or I scared the bajeebers out of him once he saw the gopher hawk enter his tunnel system, and he just packed his bags and took off. I know the trap will work. There are plenty of holes around the corner from my front door, so it’s only a matter of time before I get a chance to set the trap again. It’s likely the best design out there as far as trapping method. But the company needs to address this ridiculous issue with the metal bending so easy.. like seriously easy. I also don’t like how difficult it is to dig the hole with the spike they give you. I think there are better ways of making a 1.5 inch hole without collapsing the tunnel. I had a hard time sinking this into moist semi firm dirt... and I have the weight and strength that many do not. My review is primarily because 1) I know the trap is legit and will work, even though I have not caught anything yet, but 2) the metal guides are pure trash, so you only get 3 stars.

I’ve tried flooding the tunnels, setting off smoke bombs, and even the old bleach-and-ammonia trick. Nothing worked. But this thing? Absolutely incredible. It’s easily the most effective — and honestly the most humane — method I’ve found for dealing with moles. In just 6 days, I got two of them and finally feel like I’m winning the battle. One small piece of advice: buy a couple of replacement heads. They bend pretty easily. That said, it’s still extremely effective and well worth it. I’d post pictures, but I’m pretty sure nobody wants to scroll past dead moles while shopping online.

This GopherHawk flat does its job!! It has cleaned out the gophers in my back yard! After weeks of trying to dig them up and clean them out, my father-in-law recommended this product! Boy was he right. Just a couple of days ago, I noticed another gopher moved in. Well, needless to say, I set the GopherHawk trap, and the gopher is gone. Best Gopher Trap on the market!

Had a while did try early on when I purchased but to no joy, moles have been busy so set the hawks again this week i have caught 3 in last 3 days so obviously got something right. Remember placement is everything so pick spots carefully

This trap is a winner. I have used many different types of traps to catch moles, and this trap is way more effective. I caught two moles I had been trying to catch for two years. The trap is very easy to set up, with the mere use of a stick to poke a hole in the ground, minimally disturbing the mole's tunnel. The trap is best suited for tunnels that are six inches or more deep. I am very satisfied with this trap. Well designed. Just be careful not to crush the metal straps when you set the spring.

Un excenlente trampa para las tuzas y muy segura

I was unfortunate enough to have the offspring of the Caddyshack gopher set up residence on my commercial property. I tried everything to get rid of them. If they saw the pellet gun, they'd run. I tried other gopher traps and they'd throw dirt on them to safely set them off. I tried filling the holes with water, I tried gassing them with exhaust - nada, zilch. I set up figure 4 traps and caught 2 of my employees and zero gophers... The very first time I set the Gopher Hawk up, though, I had immediate success. I was able to do in a couple days what I've been working on for 2 months - complete gopher genocide. They should call it Gopher Himmler.

For the last 4 years we’ve paid for pest control to set traps to get rid of our mole problem. Living in a rural location with a large garden it was becoming too expensive to keep getting them in. So after god knows how many mole mounds in our front and back garden I read up about the gopher hawk. Seemed like a great option. Had to purchase from the US at a cost of £50. So far no results and I’m beginning to think it’s because I need a few of these traps but at 50 quid a pop it’s just not an option. Would like to see these in the UK at a cheaper price so you can have a number of them set at once. Will report back if I manage to catch a mole.