What Animal Is Digging Holes in My Montana Yard? (Identification Guide)

Identify the burrow type before choosing a method

Montana State University Extension distinguishes Richardson’s ground squirrels east of the Rocky Mountains from Columbian ground squirrels in western areas. These are ground squirrels, not a “Columbia pocket gopher.” Pocket gophers are a different group and can occupy the same broad range. The everyday name “gopher” is not enough to choose equipment, bait or a legal control method.

Montana yard-digging evidence checklist

Timing: late summer is not a universal control window

MSU’s Richardson’s and Columbian ground-squirrel guidance identifies early spring as an important control period and notes that some animals can enter hibernation as early as August in dry areas. Its timing is species- and activity-dependent. A quiet burrow in late summer does not prove an animal has permanently left, and the calendar does not justify closing an uncertain den.

For a yard problem, first establish whether current activity is causing damage and which animal is involved. Ask local Extension about an appropriate response; this page does not prescribe a trapping or pesticide schedule. Agricultural control guidance should not be copied wholesale into a residential garden.

Before filling a hole or buying a treatment

1. Record the existing evidence: photograph the opening and surrounding soil from a safe position. Note whether there is a raised ridge, loose mound, shallow feeding damage or an open entrance. Do not reach into a hole or disturb a den to obtain a measurement.
2. Separate a tunnel from surface feeding: raised runs and closed mounds suggest a different problem from many shallow turf pits. Diameter alone does not identify a species.
3. Check for recurrence: date photographs and compare the same area later without blocking an active opening. A single hole may be old or temporarily used by another animal.
4. Protect the use of the yard: keep children and pets away from uncertain openings, loose ground and suspected waste. A hole beside a building or retaining wall needs a site assessment; its size does not establish structural safety.

Do lawn grubs need treatment?

Digging is not proof of a damaging grub population. University of Maryland Extension advises verifying grub abundance before using a grub-control product. Moles also eat earthworms and other soil organisms, so a grub treatment may have little effect on their activity. Treat a confirmed turf problem on its own merits; do not use routine lawn chemicals as a wildlife-identification test.

Reduce attractants without trapping animals inside

Secure garbage and stored feed, bring pet food indoors and reduce spilled birdseed. For vole-type plant damage, mowing and reducing dense cover around vulnerable plants may help. Do not close an opening under a porch or shed until occupancy and dependent young have been assessed. Exclusion has to suit the actual animal and the opening; a single mesh size or burial depth is not a universal prescription.

Montana classifications and permission are separate questions

FWP’s trapping information lists raccoons as nongame and striped and spotted skunks as predatory animals; do not label them all legal “furbearers.” More importantly, those labels do not establish unrestricted permission for every method. FWP describes a supplemental trapping permit in a court-defined geographic area, with method-specific exceptions. Check the current map, method and applicable rules rather than assuming private land removes every requirement.

Do not move a captured animal, use poison or set traps on the strength of this identification guide. Ask FWP about the species and method, and confirm pesticide-label and other applicable requirements with the appropriate authority. No statewide removal price is claimed here.

What to send when asking for help

• County or nearest town, and whether the site is a residential lawn, garden or pasture.
• Dated photographs of the whole pattern and any already-visible animal.
• Whether entrances appear open or plugged, without opening them yourself.
• Recent plant damage or repeated new mounds, distinguished from old signs.
• Any nearby pets, play areas, structures or utilities that affect the work.

Choose the next step from the evidence

• Compare raised runs and vole-type damage
• Check recurring holes before filling again
• Compare inspection and exclusion scope