Coyotes, dogs, badgers, and skunks dig a few of them out, and occasionally a cat, hawk, or owl surprises one above ground. Spring floods are probably the greatest danger facing adult moles and their young. It is important to properly identify the kind of animal causing damage before setting out to control the damage. Moles and pocket gophers are often found in the same location and their damage is often confused. Control methods differ for the two species.
Moles leave volcano-shaped hills that are often made up of clods of soil.
The mole hills are pushed up from the deep tunnels and may be 2-24 inches tall. The number of mole hills is not a measure of the number of moles in a given area. Surface tunnels or ridges are also indicative of mole activity. Pocket gopher mounds are generally kidney-shaped and made of finely sifted and cloddy soil. Generally, gophers leave larger mounds than moles do.