In my state you may see anywhere from 10-40 holes attributed to 1 gopher.
As the ground freezes you will see them use lower runs and systems so they can
still be "active" but you may not be wanting or able to dig down to where they are.
With any "set" of holes you see keep in mind that can be some older holes used by
a previous occupant and eventually they may be utilized again, but here I can see 1
gopher (say an adult male) occupy a circle that would be about 20-30 feet inside,
while his neighbor maybe a female or young male is in the next circle or line of holes
you see.
My first year I worked on a 2 acre property with a residential home, there were more than
18 total pocket gophers including dispersing young and adult males and females on that property
at that time.
People often call (I don't do any gopher work these days) and say I've got lots of gophers, but in reality
based on the size of their yard and the number of holes and quality of forage they just have 1-2 not
10-12 like they think they must.
An adult breeding female here in the southwest can manage 3 litters a year with a fair number per litter
so you can see spikes in mounds popping up when they are dispersing to find their own territory.
Just my .02 saw no one had replied thought I'd send you some info. Very unique and adapted species
of wildlife, though can be a major problem for people producing crops and trying to keep manicured lawns
as a simple biological study, quite a cool animal! Cheek pockets for traveling with forage after clipping, ability
to sense when someone goes against logic and tries moth balls and walls off their run to avoid having to smell
it, keeps the door plugged to keep snakes, predators and the air quality as they like it.
I can't find the link at the moment but look for a video from WA state where they did a demo of a gopher in a soil
box with clear plexi, dude moved some dirt in a hurry!!
Hope that helps!
Justin
