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Gophers do not hibernate, meaning you could, at least theoretically, have a gopher problem in your yard any time of year. During the colder parts of the year when soil isn't as easy to work with, gophers may not dig as many holes or be as active and instead will burrow deeper into the earth to go below the frost line to stay warm.

You can expect to see more gopher activity during the spring and fall when warmer temperatures make digging easy, and there is an abundance of new (or recently harvested) plant life available for them to graze on. They come out during the day and sleep at night.

Moles live underground and feed on insects. They dig and move through tunnels, usually in meadows or forests but sometimes in lawns and gardens. They are about 6 inches long with large claws, tiny eyes, and hidden ears. 

Shrews do not dig their own tunnels but will use other animals’ tunnels, and are about 3 to 4 inches long. They look similar to mice and feed on insects.

Voles are similar in size to moles but have large eyes and small but visible ears. Rather than eating insects, voles are herbivores that prefer seeds, grasses, and plant roots.

If the snakes in your yard are non-venomous species (like common Rat or Garter snakes), why not consider the live-and-let-live approach? Some benefits of not getting rid of snakes include:

• They’re great at controlling disease-spreading rodent populations, including rats, mice, voles, and moles.

• Some non-venomous species (like the common kingsnake) eat venomous species like rattlesnakes and copperheads.

• Species like the garter snake keep down populations of garden pests like slugs and grasshoppers.

You know if you have a skunk hole if you can smell the skunk’s musk. Skunks have a strong odor even when they aren’t spraying due to threats, and you may smell it coming from under a building or another hiding spot, such as a shrub or wood pile. They may also dig shallow holes around a lawn in search of food.