Tell us how you know what it's NOT. What evidence do you have to work with?

Hole too big for a chippy....and chippies don't throw the dirt out like that....they hide it.
Again too much dirt for a squinny ( 13 lined ground squirrel)
Too deep and not large enough for a rabbit.
I am just now remembering gophers....but haven't seen them since I moved away from the corn field.
I am puzzled because I see no damage to anything....but of course if it's a gopher....he's eating my tulips!!
Linda C

doubtful thats it a gopher,the one i have in my yard never leaves a opening in the dirt piles it "shovels" up .
Zeke

Could it be a wood chuck??
Linda C

Isn't a woodchuck the same as a ground hog? Their holes are about 4" across or so. Sometimes you'll see them lounging around the area. I had one in a hole under a bush. It disappeared sometime after our dog chased it up a tree. We also had a badger once under the bushes by the house. They make a fairly large hole and leave a big hill of dirt next to it. They can be very mean, so watch out not to tangle with a badger. Ours came one year after a drought. The neighbor dog chased it to our house. Could also be a racoon maybe, not sure...Do possoms dig holes?

yes a woodchuck and a groundhog are the same animal .
occasionally racoons will live underground but they wont dig a hole in the ground .
a possum wont either but like a racoon they will take up residence in a abanonded hole in the ground .
i wonce saw a racoon crawl out of a 5 gallon cream can .
Zeke

Yeah?...Well I have seen a raccoon crawl out of my chimney way too many times!..It's well screened now.
I'm leaning toward a woodchuck...I poked around under those hosta and there is a lot of dirt thrown around under there....
Tomorrow I call animal control and have them bring a trap....
Anyone want woodchuck stew??
Linda C

It's probably a mole. We've had a terrible summer for gophers. They've dug and tore up a lot of my perennial beds and aren't really too picky as to where they leave soil. And of course, there is their little gopher tunnels.. My husband has taken out probably 5 or 6 this year and that is really unusual. We've also had some nasty problems with gophers too...... It's been a wierd year for critters.

Diann
IA Z5a

That's what I would say too. A mole. We've had them digging up my hostas and my bleeding hearts. Making a real mess.

Jeeze, I said mole and then went on a tirade on gophers. ;) Well, that said, we did have problems with both this last year. The moles did do the most damage in my flower beds, digging and up-rooting established plants. The gophers, well, I haven't actually seen any gophers, but my husband set both mole and gopher traps and we got several moles, but I don't know about the gophers. They may have migrated back out into the corn fields. My fearless cats also have taken out a couple moles. :) I think now that all the grubs flew off to be moths that my mole problem will subside, til next year.... *sigh*

Diann
IA Z5a

Well talked with all sorts of people who shoud know and the consensus is that it's a woodchuck....no one seems to have a live trap small enough...all I found were Raccoon or coyote sized. But finally someone recommended one of those smoke bombs......went to Farm and Home and theyw ere fresh out. On to the Tru Valu and they had them....came home and dropped it down the hole and covered it up.....
I just hope he was home when I did that!
Linda C

A WOOD CHUCK! I thought they only chucked wood! LOL had to say it :)

Is a Woodchuck the same thing as a Groundhog?? Cause, we've had Goundhogs out in the back under a bunch of old railroad ties for the past 5 or 6 years and they've never bothered any of my gardens... They just come into the yard and eat the fallen apples and then go back to their home....

Diann
IA z5a