Local gopher information

Gopher control in Oklahoma

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Gophers in Oklahoma: what to know

Around Oklahoma

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see gophers, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Gophers in Oklahoma: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which gophers actually live in Oklahoma, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

2: plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) over most of the state, and Mexican pocket gopher (Cratogeomys castanops) in the Panhandle

Pocket gopher species in Oklahoma

Two species, split east to west, so mound size and bait placement advice differs by region.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University

Not protected by federal or state law

Legal status in Oklahoma

Extension still argues for managing populations rather than eradication, since gophers aerate soil and feed predators.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University

As many as 200

Mounds per gopher per year

Mounds run 18 to 24 inches across and about 6 inches high; mound building peaks in spring and gophers do not hibernate.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University

Gopher species recorded in Oklahoma

Plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) — The Great Plains and Midwest species.
Yellow-faced pocket gopher (Pappogeomys castanops) — Southern High Plains.

When gophers are busiest in Oklahoma

Mound building is heaviest in spring; control is timed to fresh mounds in spring or fall.

Tunnels run 4 to 18 inches deep and one gopher may tunnel across an acre.

Rules that apply in Oklahoma

OSU Extension NREM-9001 Controlling Pocket Gophers

For context, nationally

14 species in 3 genera (Thomomys, Geomys, Pappogeomys) — Pocket gopher species in the U.S.. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
200 to 2,000 square feet — Botta's pocket gopher burrow system. UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources)

Sources: Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University; Pocket Gophers; UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Oklahoma cities

Ardmore

Humid Subtropical · rural setting

Gopher control in Oklahoma

Gophers in Oklahoma: what to know

Around Oklahoma

What to note

A useful next step

Gophers in Oklahoma: what the public record shows

Gopher species recorded in Oklahoma

When gophers are busiest in Oklahoma

Rules that apply in Oklahoma

For context, nationally

Explore Oklahoma cities

Ardmore

Bartlesville

Broken Arrow

Edmond

Enid

Lawton

Midwest City

Moore

Muskogee

Norman

Oklahoma City

Owasso

Ponca City

Shawnee

Stillwater

Tulsa

Durant

Ask about gopher control in Oklahoma