Surface Trapping With the Cinch Trap

Cinch Traps were first used by the forest service at the turn of the century to protect young tree plantings. As we know gophers cannot resist a young tree and an effective method was needed. The trap was designed to be used on the surface with its long jaws reaching down to catch the gopher as it replugged up it's burrow. Most seasoned trappers have seen this when using other traps as gophers often plug up any opening to the surface for protection. This is the instinct that surface trapping will use to lure the gopher to the surface and into the jaws of this humane trap. If you open a fresh gopher's burrow, it will close it within minutes to hours. I have seen this technique work in less than five minutes, when working early in the morning when gopher activity is at its peak. This page will help you get started with the surface trapping technique. You can try this with any commercial trap and I have used them all. The Cinch trap is by far the very best, especially the American made Cinch. There are copies out there made in China but they do not have the good action as the origional nor do they support our economy. Make sure that when you purchase them they have the "Cinch" stamp on the body of the trap.

So here are the basic steps for surface trapping:

1. Find freshest run. Look for cresent shape and open at plug

2. Open the burrow entrance with a narrow tool. Clean out all loose soil. I use an excellent Japanese gardening tool called a "Hori Hori" to do this. It is by far the most sturdy and easiest tool to use. You can find this in my store.

Be careful to not deform the burrow

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3. Carefully set and insert the trap with as little disturbance as possible. I set the trap in the most sensitive position. See setting video on home page.

4. You can check the trap in as little as ten minutes, an hour or the next day. If the spring tang is at 12 o'clock you probably caught the gopher if it is tripped all the way over you missed and if it is still set, reset in freshest new burrow

Problems

If you continue to miss the gopher, you may have allowed room for the gopher to get by without going between the jaws of the trap. This can be cause by inserting the trap straight down to the bottom of the burrow or in a burrow too large for the trap to have a snup fit. Sometimes the burrow widens as it gets deeper. Try pulling the trap back untill snug

Feel free to contact me if you are still having trouble or purchase my video "Easy Gopher Trapping Without Poisons"

Cinch Traps are also available at my store and if you are a dealer please contact me for wholesale prices and the possibility of doing a presentation in your store to help get sales started.

Good Luck and Happy Trapping,

Thomas Wittman