Giant Destroyer

[DennisArrow]

In our pastures, we have 4 livestock guard dogs, LGD. When any critter gets into the pasture these dogs think they have to do their job and get rid of them no matter what the critter is. Fox, Coyote, pit bull, or the lowly field mouse. What starts out as a mouse hole about the size of a quarter ends up being a "bomb crater" as they dig and dig to catch up with the mouse. Lots of our pastures are on a pretty steep slope and when fertilizing or sowing grass seed with the RTV or tractor if you don't watch what you are doing one can get into one of the craters and have some real problems.......Called roll-overs or just 3 wheels on the ground and spook city reins supreme............Have tried LOTS of stuff; but the poisons will get to the dogs............so.......has anybody tried something like this:

http://livestockconcepts.com/en/rode...ticks-4ct.html

It's cheap enough to at least try and then see if it makes a difference......thoughts??????..............God bless......Dennis

 

[dave1949]

Search - LiveStock Concepts

I hope I fixed your link.

 

[turnkey4099]

In our pastures, we have 4 livestock guard dogs, LGD. When any critter gets into the pasture these dogs think they have to do their job and get rid of them no matter what the critter is. Fox, Coyote, pit bull, or the lowly field mouse. What starts out as a mouse hole about the size of a quarter ends up being a "bomb crater" as they dig and dig to catch up with the mouse. Lots of our pastures are on a pretty steep slope and when fertilizing or sowing grass seed with the RTV or tractor if you don't watch what you are doing one can get into one of the craters and have some real problems.......Called roll-overs or just 3 wheels on the ground and spook city reins supreme............Have tried LOTS of stuff; but the poisons will get to the dogs............so.......has anybody tried something like this:

http://livestockconcepts.com/en/rode...ticks-4ct.html

It's cheap enough to at least try and then see if it makes a difference......thoughts??????..............God bless......Dennis

Doubt this would work with dogs digging after a know target but...

I got a new used Dachshund out of a rescue outfit a few years ago. Diggingest dog I every had. He had a couple holes halfway under the fence before I noticed. Cured him in one shot. Dosed every one of his holes with cayenne pepper. Haven't seen him do any excavating since.

Harry K

 

[charlz]

I tried those on pocket gophers but it didn't appear to make much of a difference. You have to light it, shove it in the hole and then lay a board or something over the hole and cover it with dirt. This makes all the smoke (supposedly) go down into the tunnel system. I resorted to using a 'gopher blaster' to get rid of the infestation and now when one shows up I use a trap.

 

[ray66v]

I have used them many times.

I don't think I have ever put an end to burrowing with one, but they sure make you feel better. :thumbsup:

 

[the old grind]

GD is still my favorite of the smoke cartridges, but I've had mixed results. Moist or heavier soils allow the vapor to dissipate less than sandy, etc, and going in before a colony is dug too large is a big help. The fuses can fall out easily if you fumble with shoving them in deep, but they can be secured with a drip or two of candle wax. (and very carefully )

Don't use GDs sparingly, esp if you don't know how extensive a tunnel system is. Hit 'em hard. I've bundled GDs and tied fuses together, put pairs into all known entrances of suspected large colonies. A shovel full of dirt or a rag will often seal a hole better than a board, etc. If you see the smoke coming out elsewhere you may be able to scratch in and drop another while the first are still smoking to enhance coverage.

As with poisons you won't often get a body count, so you'd want to monitor entrances later. (scatter leaves or duff in & see if they're soon cleared) Nothing is permanent, but the cartridges are easy to pack on your tractor, UTV, or golf cart. btw: they're heqq on red squirrels or other critters cornered in hollow trees/limbs if you can close enough openings to keep the smoke concentrated. :2cents:

 

[oosik]

I've got pocket gophers everywhere here. Out in the field I just leave them be and once a year I drag the fields with my home made spring tooth harrow to level out any mounds. I also do not have dogs digging holes. I have coyotes, badgers & raccoons that may dig after - who knows what. Put these four dogs to another good use - next time the tractor gets stuck in one of their "almighty craters" - hitch them up to a trace and have them pull the tractor out.

For the gophers that invade my lawn - I use the plain old spring-jaw gopher trap. In fact my spring time trap line is in operation right now.

BTW - a neighbor down the way tried one of those propane "blaster" arrangement and tore the snot out of his newly installed underground lawn sprinkler system. He is really pleased with his efforts.:laughing::laughing:

Oosik

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Rototiller

 

[Capt Dan]

For groundhogs I've been dumping my used cat litter into the holes because I read it somewhere. I do think it helps them find a different home.

 

[DennisArrow]

Oosik and Old Grind.........thanks for the good common sense stuff........Oosik you got me laughing about the whole situation.....Cpt Dan...........hmmmmm that is a good thing to try.......Got LOTS of that with our new HUGE tom cat.......A Maine Coon..........he is gonna get the Non-pasture chipmonks........probably about 20 acres worth........God bless.......Dennis

 

[GregbkH]

Sorry, no input to your thread. I am curious as to what breed of LGD's you have and how effective they are.

 

[charlz]

BTW - a neighbor down the way tried one of those propane "blaster" arrangement and tore the snot out of his newly installed underground lawn sprinkler system. He is really pleased with his efforts.:laughing::laughing:

Definitely not something I would use near anything that could be damaged. Between the pocket gophers digging it up and me blowing it up the heavily infested section of my hayfield looked like it had been tilled.

 

[DennisArrow]

Sorry, no input to your thread. I am curious as to what breed of LGD's you have and how effective they are.

Surely NOT to take the subject someplace else as I truly want thoughts about rodent removal and specifically about the GIANT DESTROYER method.

But............

We have a mix of Anatolian AKC pure breds.......and Pyrenees and Anatolian mix . 7 in all. Here in Georgia I just cannot punish a pure Pyrenees with their double coat and long fur........They just have no energy in the summer due to the heat. Also Pyr's are just about the least obedient dogs I have ever owned and if they get their feelings hurt they will definately go off someplace and pout for the rest of the day. The Anatolian mix makes for a really good dog as they are a bit more "trainable" than the straight Pyr.

But the deal is..........train them to do what. They are born with the herd, live with the herd, and defend the herd. They are NOT some kind of obedience training type of dog.......They are NOT the sharpest knife in the drawer; but golly what instincts. Super at keeping critters at bay. A good LGD will take care of perhaps 200 acres of predator control. We use 2 in a pasture as no bunch of pit bulls on a tear is gonna gang up and beat 2 where they will get to just one dog.
We have sold the puppies to all kinds of situations but NEVER sell one to someone that has just a yard or apartment. To cruel to the animal. We have a doc in Atlanta that sends his brain trauma children type patients to us for puppies as the bond that takes place is something to see...........Not protecting with being vicious but care, love, and devotion to that master.
We have had 2 momma dogs that stay with a doe giving birth..........cleans up the babies and the mom and stands over them till we get there. A momma dog will usually have around 10 healthy pups and at the minimum they sell for $250 if we are giving them away. The AKC pups go for $1000 up. NO we don't run some kind of puppy mill..........
The Anatolians are used in South Africa to go out with a herd of goats by themselves and protect them through the day from African types of predators and then bring them home at the end of the day. Again, they are not the brightest bulb in the house; but such great natural instincts that it is hard not to really depend on them to take care of the place.............
They are BIG..........They bark and carry on at strangers..........NO they do not instinctivly attack humans and I really don't know if they can be trained for attack type dogs..........Little kids are their favorite type of humans as they act pretty shyly around adults but will sneak up behind you to check you out with their sniffer.......then if you pass the test they might allow you to scratch their ears.........
Can go on and on about them............My favorites though are my Border Collies.......NOW that is a dog with personality............God bless.......Dennis

 

[Capt Dan]

Thanks for describing the dogs. I think i learned something tonight. Have been curious about it.

Dan

 

[oosik]

Rancher/sheep herder about ten miles south supposedly has around 2500 sheep. Three winters ago, in a blinding snow storm, I'm down there looking for a geocache. My GPS unit indicated it was just off the roadside ditch - so I'm down in the ditch scuffing around, All of a sudden I hear a really LARGE WOOF. I look up and there on the other side of the fence is the largest, all white dog I've ever seen. Almost soiled myself. The dog and then a second just came to the fence and watched me. Fortunately, I very soon found/logged the cash and was on my way. I found out from my next door neighbor that this fellow is Basque and he has two Great Pyrenees that guard his sheep. You talk about a ghost story - to see two all white dogs appear out of what was the nest thing to a whiteout--------. I will never forget that experience. I thought for sure I was going to be somebodies lunch.