In heavier soils, tunnels are generally 6 to 19 inches deep. Gophers feed on roots, stems, and leaves. They prefer forbs over grasses, but they will eat both. Some preferred forbs include alfalfa, dandelion, and prickly pear cactus. They generally will move out of fields that are tilled annually because such places lack sufficient food.
Gophers are prey to predators, including hawks, owls, snakes, coyotes, weasels, and badgers.
Young animals are particularly susceptible to predation when dispersing above ground to new locations. Economic Importance Losses caused by gophers typically involve damage to or destruction of plants. Forage crops, such as alfalfa, can sustain heavy damage because of gopher feeding and mound-building. In Nebraska, plains pocket gophers reduce forage yield on western rangelands by 21 to 49 percent and on hay meadows by 30 percent. They decreased yields of irrigationd alfalfa 17 percent.