During the summer, when cones are scarce, fungi are the main food source. Whenever the cone crop fails in the winter, fungi become the most important food source. Hibernation occurs from October through March. They awake intermittently for periods of 5-6 days to feed on the cached food. The may be active if conditions in the winter are mild.
Males emerge earlier than females.
Long-eared chipmunks are solitary and territorial around their nests, which tend to be in cavities of trees logs, stumps, snags, and burrows. Their home ranges have been found to vary between 0.8-4.6 ac. Breeding season is from April to mid-July with a gestation period of 31 days for females. They have one litter per year of 3-8 young, which are born in June. In July and August, the young emerge from the nest.