Compressed Air Powers Low-Cost "Gopher Gasser"

Compressed Air Powers Low-Cost "Gopher Gasser" MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Pest Animals 27-4-27 "It's cheaper and far more quiet than underground blasters and can be just as effective," says John Rogers, Occidental Nuisance Wildlife Control Co., about his company's new low-cost "gopher gasser". It's designed to kill gophers using carbon monoxide gas, forced down into burrows via a small battery-operated, rechargeable air compressor. Rogers also makes the Safekrush underground rodent blaster that was featured in our last issue (Vol. 27, No. 3). It uses a propane explosion to kill pest animals including ones with large dens such as ground squirrels, prairie dogs, woodchucks, badgers, coyotes and armadillos. The idea behind the Oxygas is to use an 8-lb. cordless air compressor to force gas from a CO2 cartridge or vehicle exhaust down into underground tunnels. "It works better than underground blasters because there's no oxygen tank or hoses to drag around and because there's no noise - all you hear is the compressor. And, it costs far less - the entire system sells for only $277 compared to underground blasters that sell for up to $1,900," says Rogers. "Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and has no smell so the animal never even realizes it's there. The problem is that until now, there was no way to force the gas throughout the animal's entire tunnel system, even if you used vehicle exhaust." To use cartridges with the Oxygas, a flame-proof vinyl "wind guard" with a 2 1/2-in. dia. hole in it is placed over the burrow's opening. The operator then lights the fuse on the cartridge and places it through the hole and into the burrow. Then he fits the foot of the Oxyjet inside the hole and flips a switch to turn on the compressor. He runs the compressor for one to two minutes, then turns it off for about 30 seconds to let the cartridge build up more fumes. The pattern is repeated in 20 to 30-second spurts to keep driving the gas into the burrow. To treat with exhaust from a vehicle, you follow the same procedure except that you attach one end of a hose to the exhaust of the vehicle and the other end to a port on the Oxyjet. The compressor pulls exhaust from the vehicle and pushes it into the hole. "The compressor forces the gas to reach every nook and cranny of the tunnel system," says Rogers. "We recommend using the compressor in short bursts in order to let the smoke build up, so that when you run the compressor again it pushes big wads of gas along. If you're using just the cartridge you install a cap over the port. If you want, you can use both vehicle exhaust and gas from a cartridge at the same time. The more carbon monoxide, the better." Rogers says CO2 gas cartridges have been available for a long time. The idea is to stick a fuse in the cartridge, light it and place it in the hole, then cover the opening. "The problem is that without compressed air, the gas moves slowly through the tunnel and doesn't always penetrate the deepest recesses of the tunnels so the animal doesn't always get killed. Also, if the soil is dry much of the gas gets absorbed by the soil without ever reaching the animal," says Rogers The cartridges are commonly available at USDA government offices. They come in two sizes depending on animal size. The small cartridges sell for $1.48 apiece plus S&H and the large ones for $2.60. "In many states you can buy the cartridges in hardware or feed stores, or you can order them from your state's fish and game department. These cartridges are considered an unregistered pesticide so you don't need any license or permits to use them," says Rogers, who notes that his company can provide state-by-state information on where to buy the gas cartridges. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Occidental Nuisance Wildlife Control Company, Box 920, Forestville, Calif. 95436 (ph 707 824-0903; fax 707 824-0922; email: sales@Safekrush.com; website: www.safekrush.com).

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