When gopher season begins in Arizona, you may notice underground intruders begin to make their home on your property. These homes can be easily identified by their telltale entrances: a small hole with a fan or crescent shaped pile left from the gopher excavation marks the start of a gopher tunnel run.

Arizona gopher season begins as the cooler weather begins to set in during November and December, and this activity extends throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring into March and April.

If gophers begin to make their way onto your property, Fall and Winter is the time of year in Arizona where you’ll notice their distinctive gopher holes begin to appear around your home. When dealt with at first sight, gopher removal can prevent further spread of the colony and recurring problems by getting the gophers out of the area quickly.

Gopher Damage to Your Arizona Property

Arizona pocket gophers are excellent diggers, creating an elaborate system of tunnels that can run hundreds of feet just below the surface, however some may reach several feet down. While the tunnels are only a few inches in diameter, pocket gophers will create larger chambers used for breeding dens or storing food.

As they dig through the ground with their teeth and claws, they kick the dirt back out through the hole at ground level, creating a crescent or fanned pile surrounding their entrance. Since they spend most of their time underground, they will also plug this hole to keep intruders out.

Typically feeding on roots, grasses, and green plants, the damage caused by gophers can easily leave your backyard looking like an old battlefield. Gopher problems require immediate attention, as colonies can quickly grow and spread across your property and into others, and vice versa.

So, when cooler weather begins to take hold in the Arizona desert, be sure to keep an eye out for the unmistakable fan-shaped holes left behind by gophers. Get rid of them quickly, and your odds of keeping future gopher problems at bay greatly increases.