Identify

• Pocket gophers are not the only rodents that burrow underground and cause mounds in your yard. To identify pocket gophers, look for closely grouped mounds that have a characteristic horseshoe shape on the surface. Pocket gophers create openings for access above ground. These access points are at the end of one mound that branches off from the main burrow pattern. The opening will be filled with tightly packed soil to keep other animals out. Pocket gophers don't come above ground often, so identifying them by the characteristics of their mounds is the best way to make sure the culprit is a pocket gopher.
  
  

Locate the Main Burrow

• To get rid of pocket gophers, you have to find their primary burrow with a probe. You can buy a probe at a garden center or make one from a piece of pipe or strong dowel. Use the probe to poke the mounds that are about 18 inches back from the access mounds. When the probe suddenly slips down a couple inches, you have poked into the main burrow.
  
  

Set Traps

• Gopher traps are available at your local farm supply, hardware or garden store. Pincher and choker traps are the main types used for pocket gophers. To set the traps, locate the main burrow and widen the tunnel slightly with a trowel or shovel. Put two identical traps in the tunnel facing each other. Cover them with soil and tamp the soil down lightly. Plug any openings to the tunnel system to keep other animals out. Check your traps the next day. When the tamped down mound bulges, it means you have caught a pocket gopher.
  
  

Set Poison Bait

• There are several types of gopher baits available, including ones with strychnine, zinc phosphide and anticoagulants. These baits are available at your local farm or garden center. Follow the instructions on the bait package carefully. Remember: You are working with poisonous substances. If you have pets or children, avoid poison baits or fence off the area until the gophers are eradicated. To set the bait, probe for the main tunnel. Dig an opening and pour the poison in. Close up your opening and tamp it down lightly. Depending on the poison you use, you might have to set the bait several times.
  
  

Fumigate

• Filling pocket gopher burrows with smoke or gas is not an effective way to eradicate these rodents. However, fumigating with aluminum phosphide is effective. In an airborne form, aluminum phosphide is dangerous and its use is restricted to professionals who specialize in pest control. If you cannot get rid of pocket gophers with trapping or baiting, contact a pest control specialist about fumigation.