Do Gophers Hibernate in Winter? Gopher Activity in Southern California Year-Round
Gophers do not hibernate. Unlike ground squirrels, bears, and some other mammals that enter periods of reduced activity or true hibernation in cold weather, pocket gophers remain active year-round in all but the harshest climates. In Southern California's mild Mediterranean climate, gopher activity never stops — it simply shifts in intensity with the seasons.
Why Gophers Don't Hibernate
Hibernation is an adaptation to seasonal food scarcity — animals that cannot find food in winter survive by drastically reducing their metabolic rate and living off stored fat. Pocket gophers are underground root feeders whose food supply — roots, bulbs, and tubers — remains present and accessible year-round regardless of above-ground weather conditions. There is no seasonal food scarcity that would drive a gopher to hibernate. The roots and underground plant material that gophers depend on do not disappear in winter, so the biological pressure that drives hibernation in other species simply does not exist for gophers.
Winter Gopher Activity in Southern California
Southern California's mild winters mean that even the temperature-related reduction in gopher activity that occurs in cold-winter climates is minimal here. Soil temperatures in the Inland Empire, San Gabriel Valley, Orange County, and coastal LA rarely drop low enough to meaningfully suppress gopher activity. Winter rainfall actually stimulates activity by softening soil and triggering new root growth — the post-rain mound spikes that Southern California homeowners frequently notice are a direct result of increased gopher activity following wet weather.
Winter is generally the least active gopher season in Southern California, but less active does not mean inactive. Winter gopher jobs are common throughout our service area, and winter treatment is just as effective as treatment in any other season.
Ground Squirrels Are Different
California ground squirrels do exhibit periods of reduced activity in winter — some individuals enter torpor during the coldest months — which is one reason ground squirrel activity is more seasonal than gopher activity in Southern California. If you stop seeing activity in winter that was present in summer, and the activity looked like above-ground animal movement rather than underground mounding, you may be dealing with ground squirrels that have reduced their activity rather than gophers that have disappeared.
What This Means for Treatment and Maintenance
Year-round gopher activity in Southern California means year-round treatment effectiveness and year-round reinvasion risk. There is no winter window when you can safely stop maintenance service and be confident that activity will not return. Properties on monthly or quarterly maintenance plans are protected continuously through all seasons — which is why maintenance customers consistently have better outcomes than those who treat seasonally.
Related Articles
- When to Start Gopher Control — Seasonal Timing Guide
- Why Gopher Activity Increases After Winter Rain
- Why Gopher Activity Spikes in Spring
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but any gopher that establishes on your property over winter will have had months to expand its tunnel system and cause damage before spring treatment begins. Year-round maintenance prevents this.
Winter does see reduced activity compared to spring. However, reduced visibility of activity — fewer new mounds — does not mean the gopher is gone. The animal is still present and active at a lower rate.
Yes. Trapping and CO treatment are equally effective in winter as in any other season. There is no time of year when professional gopher control does not work.
Call 909-599-4711 — we provide year-round gopher control throughout Southern California in every season.