Gophers are subterranean rodents that spend almost their entire lives underground, creating extensive tunnel systems beneath lawns, gardens, and fields. These solitary herbivores constantly forage for plant roots and tubers. Because they rarely emerge above ground, identifying their presence requires recognizing the distinct evidence they leave behind. Learning to read these specific signs confirms a gopher problem and distinguishes it from the damage caused by other burrowing creatures.
The Signature Sign of Gophers
The clearest indicator of a gopher’s presence is the characteristic mound of soil excavated from their tunnels. Unlike simple piles of dirt, gopher mounds are typically fan-shaped, crescent-shaped, or horseshoe-shaped on the surface. This unique structure forms as the gopher pushes the loose dirt out of a short side tunnel leading up to the surface.
The mound is generally asymmetrical, with a noticeable soil plug located off to one side of the fan shape. This plug of tightly packed dirt marks the sealed entrance to the tunnel system. The gopher closes the entrance immediately after pushing out the excavated soil to keep predators out. The soil in the mound is often finely sifted and freshly excavated, indicating recent activity.
Secondary Evidence of Activity
Beyond the signature mounds, gophers leave other signs that confirm their residence and feeding habits. Damage to vegetation is a destructive sign, as gophers feed primarily on roots and underground storage organs like bulbs and tubers. Plants and small shrubs may suddenly wilt, turn brown, or die because their root systems have been cleanly severed from below.
You may also notice areas of your lawn that have sunken slightly, indicating a collapsed tunnel run just beneath the surface. Gophers construct their main tunnels between six and twelve inches below ground. They are meticulous about sealing any access points, meaning any open holes are quickly plugged with soil, creating small, tightly packed earthen plugs in the tunnel runs. These plugged holes are different from the mound and confirm a highly active, sealed burrow system.
Differentiating Burrowers
Identifying the specific culprit requires comparing the signs to those of other common burrowing pests, primarily moles and voles. The gopher’s fan-shaped mound, with the off-center plug, is the most reliable way to distinguish it from a mole. A mole mound, by contrast, is symmetrical, circular, and volcano-shaped, with the dirt pushed straight up from a centrally located entrance.
Moles also create distinct, raised ridges or surface runways across the lawn as they tunnel just beneath the grass to hunt for worms and insects. Gophers, whose diet is strictly vegetarian, rarely create these surface ridges, focusing their tunneling deeper underground.
Voles, which are smaller rodents, often use existing gopher or mole tunnels. A vole infestation is characterized by small, pencil-sized entry holes that remain open, not plugged with dirt. Voles also create visible, above-ground runways—narrow, clipped paths through the grass—as they travel between feeding areas and their burrows. Voles are also known to gnaw and girdle the bark of young trees and shrubs above the soil line.