Finding mysterious holes in your yard can be both puzzling and frustrating. Pennsylvania is home to many burrowing creatures that might be turning your lawn into their personal construction site.
Knowing which animal is responsible helps you choose the right solution to protect your property without harming local wildlife.
1. Look For Paw Prints Around The Holes
Animal tracks tell a story if you know how to read them. Raccoons leave behind distinct five-toed prints that resemble tiny human handprints. Skunks create smaller, cat-like tracks with visible claw marks.
Groundhogs leave large, four-toed prints with claw marks extending from each toe. In Pennsylvania, these signs are especially easy to find after a rain, when the soft soil holds clear impressions.
2. Measure The Size Of The Entrance Hole
Hole dimensions speak volumes about their makers. Mole tunnels typically create small openings about 1-2 inches wide, while voles make even tinier entrances, barely an inch across.
Groundhog burrows are substantially larger, measuring 6-12 inches in diameter – big enough for the animal to comfortably enter and exit. Foxes dig entrances roughly 8 inches across, often with scattered dirt forming a fan shape outside.
3. Notice The Pattern And Location Of Holes
Chipmunks create single, clean holes near structures or landscape features, without dirt mounds. Their entrances are typically found near rocks, stumps, or buildings – perfect hiding spots from predators. In Pennsylvania yards and gardens, moles create raised tunnel ridges across the lawn with occasional exit holes.
Skunks dig multiple shallow holes in a concentrated area while searching for grubs, leaving your yard looking like a miniature golf course overnight.
4. Check For Droppings Near The Holes
Animal poop provides major clues about your mystery digger. Rabbit droppings are small, round pellets often scattered near their burrows. Groundhog scat resembles small, dark cylinders, typically deposited away from their main entrance.
Skunk droppings contain visible insect parts and seeds, while fox scat often has a twisted appearance with hair or bone fragments. Fresh droppings mean active residents, while old, dried-out scat suggests an abandoned burrow.
5. Observe The Time Of Day When Digging Occurs
Timing reveals much about your underground tenants. Groundhogs are daytime diggers, most active in early morning and late afternoon. Spotting fresh dirt during these hours points to these large rodents.
In Pennsylvania, skunks and raccoons often work under cover of darkness, so new holes appearing overnight suggest these nocturnal culprits. Moles operate around the clock in shifts, with peak activity periods that change seasonally, making them trickier to catch in the act.
6. Look For Food Remnants Or Caches
Food debris tells tales about your yard invader. Chipmunks and squirrels leave behind nutshells or seed casings near their burrows. Their cheek pouches allow them to transport and store food for later consumption.
Raccoons might leave behind partially eaten fruits or vegetables with distinctive bite marks. Foxes sometimes bring prey back to their dens, so feathers, bones, or fur tufts near a hole suggest these predators have made themselves at home in your yard.
7. Set Up A Trail Camera To Catch Them In Action
Modern technology makes wildlife detective work simple. Position an inexpensive trail camera facing suspicious holes to capture clear images of the culprits. Many models feature night vision capabilities perfect for spotting nocturnal diggers.
In Pennsylvania backyards, motion-activated features ensure you only record when there’s activity. Review footage to positively identify your underground neighbor without disturbing them or spending hours on stakeout duty watching holes that might remain inactive for days.
8. Notice Damage To Plants Or Vegetables
Garden destruction provides valuable identification clues. Rabbits create clean, angled cuts on plants and prefer tender shoots and vegetables. Groundhogs devastate gardens by consuming large quantities of vegetation, often targeting specific crops like beans, peas, and carrots.
Voles damage plant roots underground, causing plants to wilt mysteriously. Deer leave ragged, torn edges on plants rather than clean cuts, and typically don’t dig holes but may create depressions where they bed down.
9. Consult A Local Wildlife Expert Or Extension Office
Pennsylvania’s county extension offices offer free expertise on local wildlife issues. These professionals can examine photos of holes, tracks, and damage patterns to provide accurate identification and humane management suggestions.
Local wildlife removal specialists bring years of regional experience to the table. They recognize subtle differences between similar species based on behavior patterns. Their trained eyes often spot clues that homeowners miss when determining which Pennsylvania critter is remodeling your lawn.