At first I really didn’t think they would be much of an issue. I mean, they have to live somewhere, don’t they? A few mounds of dirt here and there… nothing much to worry about. Until the day I realized that mowing the weeds in the orchard was just a few steps short of starting my own private Dust Bowl! And to make matters worse, my sweet little Corgi has figured out that there are critters living below the surface so walking through the orchard was like walking through a minefield. A gopher mound here, a doggie hole there… you get the picture?
And then there was the morning I woke up to find a trail of dirt mounds on my garden lawn… and it became all out war. I started my gopher research and found that the most effective thing to use was a rather frightening little piece of hardware called a Macabee trap that looks like it was invented by none other than the Marquis de Sade himself! Fortunately, a sweet young clerk was willing to teach me the tricks of setting the thing without losing half of my hand. After heading back to the front lines, I set the trap, tied it to a string, tied the other end to a metal stake, and made a mental note to put Caddyshack on my Netflix list.
Next morning I peek out the back door to see if my trap had any action during the night. Success! Yes (the Macabee did the trick) and No (the rodent was alive). When reasoning fails, I defer to my gut reaction: stick a flower pot over its head and wait for it to die. Next morning, it’s still breathing and flies are starting to gather. And that’s when the metal stake became a lethal weapon.
Millie's Farm 
Bob Tanem, who has a gardening show on the radio, suggests dropping dry ice down the hole. They are supposed to go to sleep quickly and painlessly.