The short version
Around Pueblo, the digger is usually the northern pocket gopher. Trap the main tunnel near a fresh mound. Repellents rarely work.
- Usually one or two gophers.
- Fan-shaped mounds mean gophers.
- Wire protects beds and trees.
- Repellents rarely work.
Anyone in Pueblo trying to figure out what's digging up the yard.
What to look for
Gophers eat roots, bulbs and plants from below. They push up fan-shaped mounds as they dig. One gopher can ruin a garden bed in a few days.
- 1Fan-shaped dirt mounds.
- 2A plugged hole off to one side of the mound.
- 3Plants wilting or pulled underground.
- 4Chewed irrigation lines.
- 5Soft, sinking soil.
- 6Fresh mounds after rain or watering.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- Roots, bulbs and young trees get eaten.
- Irrigation lines get chewed.
- Mounds dull mower blades.
- More gophers move into empty tunnels.
Treatment options and typical costs
Activity Mapping and Tunnel Probing
$75–$200
Fresh mounds, plugged feed holes, and clipped plants get logged on a simple property map before any control starts in Pueblo. That record is the baseline for judging when work is done.
- Time
- 45–90 minutes
- Best for
- Every job; separates fresh activity from old, abandoned mounds
Exclusion and Follow-Up Monitoring
$200–$1,500 depending on scope
A gopher-proof bed in Pueblo uses half-inch or smaller galvanized mesh laid across the bottom before soil goes in. Buried perimeter fencing with a surface lip helps in smaller gardens.
- Time
- Half a day for barriers; monitoring visits 20–40 minutes
- Best for
- Gardens, raised beds, young trees, and properties near open fields
Burrow Fumigation
$200–$600 per treatment
Fumigation works best in moist soil that traps the gas. Dry, sandy, or cracked ground common on some Pueblo lots lets it leak out before it reaches the gopher.
- Time
- 1–2 hours, with re-entry restrictions
- Best for
- Heavy activity on large lots, away from structures, where legal
Labeled Burrow Baiting
$150–$400 per treatment
Which gopher baits homeowners can buy varies by state and county. A provider working in Pueblo should know the current restrictions without being asked.
- Time
- 30–60 minutes per visit, plus follow-up
- Best for
- Larger properties and heavy infestations where trapping alone is too slow
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Hardware cloth under raised beds keeps gophers away from the plants you care about.Which gophers live around Pueblo.
They live alone, so a yard usually has one or two. Pocket gophers are stocky, with cheek pouches and long claws. Voles may also be at work; they leave surface runways.
When they dig.
Frozen ground slows surface work in winter. Digging peaks in spring and fall, when soil is moist. Summer heat and dry soil push activity deeper.
Gopher mounds are fan-shaped, with a plugged hole off to one side.Finding the main tunnel.
Probe a foot or two back to find the main tunnel. That's where traps belong. Yards from Pueblo out to Colorado Springs share the same pattern. Find a fresh, fan-shaped mound. The plugged hole is on the open side of the fan.
A year of digging in Pueblo.
- Fall: a second peak before winter. - Summer: highs near 92°F in Pueblo push activity deeper. - Spring: peak digging as soil warms and stays moist. - Winter: lows near 16°F in Pueblo. Surface work slows.
Gopher, mole or vole?
- Vole: surface runways and chewed plant stems. - Mole: round mounds and raised ridges. - Gopher: fan-shaped mounds, plugged hole to one side. - Chipmunk: neat holes, no dirt pile.
Protecting gardens and trees.
- Bulbs: use small wire cages. - Trees: plant in wire root baskets. - Raised beds: line the bottom with hardware cloth. - Drip lines: check for chew marks each spring.
What works, and what doesn’t.
- Rarely: sonic stakes, gum, castor oil or flooding. - Sometimes: labeled baits placed deep in tunnels. - Works: traps in the main tunnel. - Rarely: plants said to repel gophers.
How gopher traps are set.
- Cover: block light with a board or sod. - Set: place a trap facing each way. - Open: dig down to expose both directions. - Find: probe near a fresh mound for the main tunnel. - Check: look again within a day.
Lawn care that discourages diggers.
Keep weedy edges and tall grass mowed. Water deeply but less often. Healthy turf recovers from digging faster. Pull mulch back from tree trunks.
Fixing the yard afterward.
Rake mounds flat and fill sunken tunnels. Wait until the digging stops. Reseed or patch bare spots in spring or fall. Water to settle the soil.
Irrigation lines and sprinklers.
Check for wet spots or weak spray each spring. Gophers chew drip lines and sprinkler tubing. Fix leaks fast, since damp soil draws more digging. Bury lines a little deeper where you can.
Natural help.
Barn owl boxes can help on bigger properties. Owls, hawks, snakes and foxes all hunt gophers and voles. Traps avoid that risk. Bait can harm pets and wildlife if misused.
Myths about yard diggers.
- Repellent plants: little proof of results. - Sonic stakes: animals get used to them. - Car exhaust or flooding: unsafe and unreliable. - Gum or laxatives: no evidence they work. - Many mounds, many animals: often it’s one.
Signs the problem is over.
- Flattened mounds stay flat. - Plants stop wilting or disappearing. - No fresh mounds for two weeks. - New mounds later? Another one moved in.
Underground wire baskets.
Leave a few inches of wire above the soil. Plant new trees, roses and bulbs in baskets of galvanized wire. Baskets last several years, long enough for roots to get established.
Raised beds that stay safe.
- Edges: run the wire up the inside walls. - Wire: half-inch mesh, not chicken wire. - Base: staple hardware cloth across the bottom. - Soil: fill after the wire is in place.
When a whole street has them.
Clearing your yard alone may only last a season. Diggers move in from vacant lots, fields and neighbors' yards. Talking with neighbors and treating at the same time works better.
Pets, kids and digging.
Choose traps over bait if a dog likes to dig. Keep kids and pets away from traps and bait. Fill old mounds so no one twists an ankle.
Gopher-proofing new landscaping.
Plant shrubs and trees in wire baskets. Lay wire mesh under new sod before it goes down. It costs more up front but saves replanting. Raised beds with mesh bottoms protect vegetables.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- What if another one moves in? - How often will you check? - Which method will you use? - Is it a gopher, mole or vole? - Is it safe around pets?
How to size up the yard damage.
For Pueblo homes, because each gopher is solitary, a yard with several fresh mounds usually means several animals, each with its own network. For Pueblo homes, count the active mounds during your walk-through — that number, not a national average, is what should drive a treatment plan. For Pueblo homes, state wildlife agencies put a single pocket gopher at roughly a ton of soil moved per year, and mounds are the first thing most people notice. For Pueblo homes, tunnel systems typically run 6 to 12 inches below the surface, with deeper nesting and food-storage chambers.
Gopher mounds vs. other lawn damage in Pueblo.
Around Pueblo, CO, 12 inches of rain a year softens the soil and makes new mounds more visible after a wet spell. For Pueblo homes, reading the shape of the mound is the first step in choosing the right control method. For Pueblo homes, gopher activity shows up as fan-shaped mounds of fresh soil with a plugged entrance off to one side. For Pueblo homes, the mounds are the giveaway — moles leave raised ridges without a clear entrance hole, and voles leave shallow surface runways through the grass.
What a gopher control job should cost in Pueblo.
For Pueblo homes, a small yard with one or two active tunnels is a small job; a large lot with tunneling across a wide area costs more because it takes more traps and more return visits. For Pueblo homes, ask for a written quote that spells out the number of visits, the method, and what the follow-up covers, rather than a single flat number. For Pueblo homes, gopher control is priced by how many active tunnels there are and how much ground the animal is using, not by how many animals you can count.
Why gopher problems come back after removal.
For Pueblo homes, that is why removal alone rarely holds: if the food and the tunnel access are still there, a new gopher will simply re-colonize the same tunnels. For Pueblo homes, the long-term fix pairs removal with habitat changes, like limiting the grubs and earthworms or irrigated plantings gophers feed on and keeping nearby overgrown areas trimmed, so your yard stops being the easiest target on the block. For Pueblo homes, gophers are solitary, but the space they leave is quickly filled by the next animal that moves in from neighboring yards or open ground.
What affects the price
- Proximity of activity to buildings and hardscape.
- Trapping versus baiting versus fumigation.
- State restrictions on which baits can be used.
- Soil type, since dry or sandy ground limits fumigants.
- Travel distance from the provider to the property.
- Lot size and total ground the provider must cover.
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What's digging in your yard?
When to call for help
A pro can find the main tunnels fast. for big lots next to fields. Call if new mounds keep appearing after a week of trapping.
What you can do yourself
Find the right tunnel and follow the trap instructions. Skip sonic stakes and home remedies. Once you know what it is, trapping is DIY-friendly.
Gophers in Pueblo
For Pueblo homes, parks, schoolyards and watered yards see the most mounds. Winter lows near 16°F freeze the topsoil around Pueblo, but tunnels below keep going. Pueblo only gets about 12 inches of rain a year, so watered lawns and gardens draw most of the digging.
Gopher tips from the experts
Fresh mounds tell the story
Around Pueblo, Colorado, fresh, dark soil means a gopher is active now. Look at the mound shape, the plugged hole and any wilting plants before deciding what you have.
Gopher, mole or ground squirrel?
Gopher mounds are crescent or horseshoe shaped, with a plugged hole off to one side. Mole mounds are rounder, often with raised ridges nearby. Ground squirrel holes stay open, with no mound.
UC IPM: pocket gophersWhat they damage
Gophers chew roots, irrigation lines and sometimes buried cables. Fresh, moist soil means they’re active now. Keep watching after treatment, since a quiet yard doesn’t always mean they’re gone.
Utah State University Extension: pocket gophersSoil ropes after the snow melts
In snowy parts of Colorado, gophers tunnel through the snow and pack the tunnels with soil. When it melts, those soil ropes are left on the lawn. They show where gophers were busy over winter.
Based on guidance from university extension services.
How we check our sourcesLocal research
Gophers in Pueblo, CO: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which gophers actually live in Colorado, when they are busiest around Pueblo, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Gopher species recorded in Colorado
- Northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) — Smallest and most widespread western species; all of eastern Washington and Oregon east of the Cascades.
- Yellow-faced pocket gopher (Pappogeomys castanops) — Southern High Plains.
When gophers are busiest around Pueblo
Spring, then fall; irrigated sites year-round. California and Southwest: up to 3 litters a year on irrigated turf; trap at fresh mounds.
Based on Pueblo’s semi-arid climate profile.
Sources: Pocket Gophers; UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources); Living with wildlife: Pocket gophers. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep gophers away
- Line raised beds with wire mesh.
- Plant trees in wire root baskets.
- Check for fresh mounds weekly.
- Trap new gophers early.
- Keep weedy field edges mowed.
- Skip sonic stakes and repellents.
Mark fresh mounds on a sketch. New ones show where the gopher is working now.Did you know?
A gopher's fur brushes flat in either direction
Their lips close behind the front teeth to keep dirt out
Questions people ask
Will gophers leave on their own?
Rarely. If there's food, they stay and keep tunneling.
What time of year are gophers most active?
Spring and fall, when the soil is moist. They stay active all year.
What is the best way to get rid of gophers?
Trapping in the main tunnel works best. Baits can help when used as labeled.
Can I trap gophers myself?
Yes. Set traps in the main tunnel near a fresh mound.
Do gophers carry diseases or bite?
They rarely bite unless handled. They're not a major disease risk to people.
Can a household pest infestation affect your health?
For Pueblo homes, treat the damage early, before the tunnel network spreads across the yard. For Pueblo homes, the real risks are practical: their tunnels can create tripping hazards, dry out grass and plant roots, and undermine patios, walkways, and irrigation lines. For Pueblo homes, gophers and moles do not spread the diseases that rodents do, and they rarely come into contact with people.
When is digging worst in Pueblo?
Frozen winter ground slows things down.
Are there gophers in Pueblo?
Yes. Around Pueblo, it's usually the northern pocket gopher.
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Sources (5)
The facts in this article come from the public sources listed above. Every home is different, so ask the company you talk to about pricing and what’s included. Published by Gopher Exterminator · Updated September 11, 2026 · How we write these guides