If you saw a groundhog in your yard, there is a burrow somewhere nearby. Groundhogs do not travel far from home, so finding the burrow is the first real step in dealing with one. They are not random holes either. Once you know what to look for, a groundhog burrow is easy to spot and easy to tell apart from the holes other animals dig.
What a groundhog burrow looks like
The main entrance is about the size of a dinner plate or a little bigger, and it is shaped like a half circle, wider at the top. In front of it you will usually find a fan-shaped mound of loose dirt the groundhog pushed out while digging.
There are also escape exits, sometimes called bolt holes. These are smaller, tucked under brush or near a structure, and they often have little or no dirt mound because the animal spreads the soil around inside the tunnel.
A full burrow system has one main entrance, a couple of escape exits, and tunnels connecting them that can run for dozens of feet. Inside there is a nesting chamber, a spot for waste, and a deeper chamber for winter.
Where to look
Groundhogs like well-drained soil that is easy to dig, and they like cover. Check:
- Along fence lines and field edges.
- Under sheds, decks, porches, and crawlspaces.
- Near gardens and the base of trees.
- Around foundations and concrete slabs.
Under a structure is the one to watch closest, because that is where the digging starts to threaten a foundation.
How to tell it apart from other holes
- Rabbit holes are smaller, a few inches across, with no big dirt mound. Rabbits scrape shallow spots, they do not build tunnel systems.
- Mole tunnels show up as raised ridges running across the lawn, not as an open hole with a mound.
- Gopher mounds are fan-shaped like a groundhog’s but smaller and more numerous, and gophers plug the hole with dirt. A groundhog leaves its entrance open.
- Chipmunk holes are tiny, an inch or two, and usually tucked under a rock or log.
How to tell if a burrow is active
Fresh, loose dirt at the entrance with no grass growing on it is the best sign the burrow is in use. A mound that is covered in weeds has probably been abandoned.
Also check for tracks leading to and from the hole, fresh droppings nearby, and whether the entrance is clear. A burrow full of spider webs and dead leaves has not been used lately.
A simple test: loosely stuff the entrance with a few leaves or a wad of grass, then check it a day later. If it has been pushed out, something is still living there.
How to figure out how far the burrow runs
Knowing the extent matters if it is near a foundation or a barn. Here is how I map it:
- Find every entrance and exit. The distance between them gives you a rough idea of the tunnel length.
- Probe the ground with a thin metal rod or a long stick around the entrances to feel for hollow spots where the tunnels run.
- Watch which direction the dirt mound faces, it points roughly away from where the main tunnel goes.
- If the burrow runs under a building, call a wildlife operator or structural person before you dig or fill anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually a few feet, down below the frost line so the den holds a stable temperature. The depth depends on the soil and the local frost line.
Typically one main entrance with a dirt mound, plus a couple of smaller escape exits that are easy to miss. The whole system can run dozens of feet.
Yes. They often come back to the same burrow and expand it year after year. That is why removing the animal and then properly closing the burrow matters.
Daytime, mostly early morning and late afternoon. That is the best time to watch for one coming and going, and to spot the burrow.
