Best Gopher Poison

18 min read| Updated for October, 2019


Gophers on your property can be dangerous to your house pets because of their territorial nature and willingness to fight.
To keep your pets safe, prevent gophers from making a home in your law.

The Best Gopher Poison

If you are looking for how to get rid of gophers, poison is an option. Reducing the gophers on your property can save your plants and garden from damage.

It is vital to make the right choice to ensure efficacy. We explored a diverse array of products to make the process easier for you. Here are three of the best gopher poison products.

How We Found the Best Gopher Poison


8 Reviewers

26 Products Considered

3 Products Reviewed

3 Top Picks

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Kaput Pocket Gopher Bait


  • Easy to place in gopher tunnels
  • Do not need a lot for larger yards
  • Does not cause a secondary reaction for dogs and cats


  • Reapplication may be required
  • Requires bait applicator
  • Some gophers may not eat


Kaput Gopher Bait uses the most effective ingredient in battling these ground destroying demons, and makes application simple and easy.

Our Review

Like many other products, Kaput Pocket Gopher Bait uses diphacinone as the active ingredient. Diphacinone makes this product ideal for all gopher species and works to attract the pests so they want to eat the poison. Place the pellets inside the gopher tunnels and around your property and let nature take its course.

It can take several weeks to drive gophers out of your yard and stop them from building new tunnels. Re-application may be necessary in certain situations.


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Learning About Gophers

Gophers are destructive diggers that create large and complex underground tunnel systems using their sharp teeth and claws. Their tunnels include drainage tunnels, travel runs, and separate chambers for eating, living, and excreting waste. Gophers live throughout the United States. In the wild, they live for an average of one to three years.

They forage for plants to eat now and to hoard for the cold winter months in their tunnel systems. They are solitary. Unless they have babies or are mating, they tend to spend the rest of their lives alone. Gopher are extremely territorial and will fight any creature who attempts to invade their tunnel system.

When to Use Gopher Poison

Once you have gophers on your property, they are typically there to stay unless you do something. Once you notice them, it is time to place the poison to prevent the eventual destruction they can cause. The following are signs that gophers are present:

  • You find gopher mounds on your property
  • There are tunnels along a solid object, such as your home or driveway
  • You notice that your garden plants are disappearing
  • Your plants have damage due to an animal eating them
  • You notice gopher holes on your property

Picking the Right Gopher Poison

When you are using gopher poisons, you usually will not find dead gophers on your property to know if your poison is working. Instead, you should ensure that your poison has proven ingredients. Strychnine is effective and was once the most common gopher poison ingredient. However, this ingredient is incredibly potent and can cause harm to pets and children. Because of this, modern poisons usually contain zinc phosphide instead.

Zinc phosphide is a viable alternative. It causes a toxic gas to occur in a gopher’s digestive tract. However, it does not cause secondary poisoning like strychnine can. This characteristic makes it safer for pets and children who might come into contact with the poison in your yard.

Diphacinone is another ingredient option. This ingredient is a type of rodenticide that works as an anticoagulant. Once the gopher eats the poison, it causes internal bleeding that does not stop since the blood is unable to clot.

It is vital that you follow the instructions on the product label exactly. All poisons differ slightly when it comes to how to use them. Pay close attention to the instructions regarding dosage. If you do not put enough down, you likely will not be able to get all of the gophers that are causing problems on your property. You also want to put it down at the right frequency to ensure proper control of gophers.

In most cases, you will need to locate the gopher tunnels and get the poison into them. Use a dispenser tool to inject the poison into the tunnel for the gophers to find it easily. To find the tunnels, you can use a metal rod that is at least 10 inches long. By poking it into the ground, you will be able to identify the tunnels. You can also look for gopher mounds to get a starting point.

If you use gopher mounds to find the tunnels, make sure you identify the direction of the tunnel before inserting the poison. This step is critical to ensure proper placement.

There are a few safety tips to keep in mind to protect yourself and your family when you are using gopher poison on your property:

  • Always follow the instructions regarding usage
  • Never store poison where pets and children can get to it
  • Use gloves and other basic safety gear when you are laying the poison
  • Know the symptoms of exposure to the product you are using so you know if medical help is necessary should exposure occur


Use this knowledge to choose the gopher repellent that is most suitable for your property. To ensure you are using it according to the law, check with your local wildlife laws before use. It is also essential to follow all product instructions.