Are There Voles in North Dakota?
Yes, voles are very common in North Dakota, particularly the meadow vole across the entire state. They thrive in grasslands, prairie regions, agricultural fields, and wetland edges throughout both eastern and western portions. Voles are abundant despite remaining hidden underground most of the time. The state's grassland ecosystems provide ideal vole habitat.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself. Updated July 22, 2026.
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Yes, voles are in North Dakota. Next you'll want:
Yes, voles are very common in North Dakota, particularly the meadow vole across the entire state. They thrive in grasslands, prairie regions, agricultural fields, and wetland edges throughout both eastern and western portions. Voles are abundant despite remaining hidden underground most of the time. The state's grassland ecosystems provide ideal vole habitat.
Where Voles Are Found in North Dakota
Voles are distributed across all counties in North Dakota, from the eastern deciduous forest transition zone to the western badlands and prairie regions. The tallgrass prairies of northeastern North Dakota provide excellent vole habitat. Central North Dakota agricultural lands support dense vole populations in fields and grasslands. The mixed-grass prairies of western North Dakota, including areas within Theodore Roosevelt National Park, contain strong vole populations. Badlands regions and the Missouri River valley support voles in suitable grassland patches. Wetland margins, including those around prairie potholes and shallow lakes, host voles. The Sheyenne National Grassland in southeastern North Dakota provides prime vole habitat. Glaciated landscapes in the eastern part of the state include numerous grassland parcels supporting voles. The state's extensive rangelands and prairie dog colonies create a mosaic of vole habitat. TheNorth Dakota wildlife hubprovides additional habitat information. Voles require areas with dense grass and are most abundant in ungrazed or lightly grazed grasslands.
Season and Timing in North Dakota
Voles in North Dakota are active year-round despite harsh winters, using tunnel systems and snow cover for protection and movement. Spring arrival of milder weather triggers rapid population growth and intensive breeding. Females can produce five or six litters during the long breeding season from April through November. Summer sees peak vole populations reaching densities of hundreds per acre in prime habitat. Fall breeding continues into early winter if conditions permit. North Dakota's famous population cycles are driven by predator-prey dynamics and density-dependent factors. Populations boom every three to four years, reaching pest proportions in some agricultural areas. Crashes follow booms when predators increase or when density-dependent stress reduces reproduction. Winter survival depends on snow cover depth and food availability beneath the snow. The state's continental climate creates extreme conditions that select for hardy vole populations. Severe winters can kill significant portions of the vole population despite their adaptation to cold. For more on vole in North Dakota, see ourNorth Dakota vole guide.
How to Identify Voles in North Dakota
Voles are small rodents measuring four to six inches long with very short tails. North Dakota meadow voles have dense fur varying from dark brown to gray, with some reddish coloring. They have characteristically blunt, rounded faces with very small eyes barely visible in their fur. Small rounded ears are completely hidden by dense fur. Their large incisors are adapted for cutting grass and other vegetation. Vole droppings are small and cylindrical with blunt ends. The most distinctive vole feature is the runway system visible in grass, showing where they have worn paths through vegetation. In North Dakota's grasslands, old vole runways remain visible well into winter. You might find grass clippings scattered near burrow entrances during active seasons. Dead voles occasionally appear where predators have caught them. Young voles are smaller but similar in appearance to adults. Distinguishing voles from deer mice and shrews requires noting the vole's short tail and blunt face profile. You can also browseNorth Dakota wildlife.
Where Sightings Concentrate in North Dakota
The most productive vole habitat in North Dakota includes the extensive grasslands of the Prairie Coteau region in the eastern part of the state. The tallgrass prairies near the Minnesota border, including preserved remnants on national grasslands, support abundant voles. Central North Dakota's agricultural belt contains numerous fields and grassland patches with vole populations. The northwestern prairie and badlands regions host voles in mixed-grass areas. Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota provides accessible grassland habitat where voles are present. The Missouri River valley from Fort Peck reservoir area contains suitable vole habitat. Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge area and surrounding prairies have vole populations. The Sheyenne National Grassland in Ransom County is a reliable location. TheVole guide for North Dakotaoffers detailed location information. Best observation times are late spring through early fall when grass is tall and runway systems are visible. Winter shows previous year's runways but spring reveals current vole activity.
Typical Vole Behavior and Diet
Voles are herbivorous specialists that feed primarily on grasses and clover throughout the year. They consume green vegetation in spring and summer, including sedges, forbs, and agricultural crops. Fall and winter diet includes seeds, underground plant parts, bark, and dried vegetation. Each vole eats roughly one-third of its body weight daily, requiring constant foraging activity. Voles spend most of their time in runway systems just below the soil surface or within dense grass cover. They rarely travel far from these established routes, which protect them from predators and weather. Voles are solitary and maintain territories against other adults. Females reach sexual maturity within three weeks of birth. Gestation lasts approximately twenty-one days. Litter size ranges from five to ten pups. High population years see multiple overlapping generations producing hundreds of voles per acre. Low years may have only a few voles per acre. Population dynamics are driven by predation, disease, weather, and density-dependent stress. See all of ourwildlife guides.
Coexistence and Safety Notes
Voles present no direct danger to humans and cause no permanent property damage in North Dakota. They are fully protected native wildlife with no hunting season. Predators including red-tailed hawks, rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, great horned owls, barn owls, and weasels depend on voles as primary food. Vole population cycles create corresponding cycles in predator populations. High vole years lead to predator population increases, which then suppress voles, creating natural oscillations. These cycles are normal ecosystem dynamics requiring no human intervention. During high vole years, agricultural damage may occur, but this is temporary and part of the natural cycle. Pesticides and rodent poisons should not be used in grasslands, as they poison predators dependent on voles. Natural predation is the most effective and ecologically sound population control. Observing vole runways indicates healthy grassland productivity. Prairie restoration projects benefit from understanding vole as a key ecological component supporting predator areas.
Species Confusion: Voles and Similar North Dakota Rodents
Deer mice are frequently confused with voles, but mice have longer tails, pointed faces, and visible ears. Prairie voles, western meadow voles, and sagebrush voles may overlap with meadow voles in western North Dakota but are similar enough that field identification can be difficult. Shrews inhabit North Dakota grasslands and resemble voles but have distinctly pointed snouts. Eastern moles do not occur in North Dakota. Ground squirrels and prairie dogs are diurnal and much larger than voles. Pocket gophers create much larger burrow systems and distinctive mounds. Lemmings do not occur in North Dakota, though they are vole relatives. Voles are identified by their blunt faces, short tails, tiny hidden ears, and characteristic runway systems in grass. Mice avoid grassland habitat and prefer margins and shrubby areas. If you find a runway network in a prairie or grassland, it almost certainly represents vole activity. Learning these distinctions supports accurate wildlife identification across North Dakota's varied habitats.
Frequently Asked Questions About North Dakota Voles
Why do vole populations cycle? Population cycles result from predator-prey interactions, density-dependent reproduction, and weather effects. Booms attract predators, which then suppress voles. Do North Dakota farmers need to control voles? No, vole damage is temporary and occurs only during peak population years. Predators naturally suppress populations. Can I keep a wild vole? No, it is illegal to capture wild voles in North Dakota without appropriate permits. Are voles dangerous? Voles are harmless to humans and carry no significant disease risk. What North Dakota predators eat voles? Hawks, owls, weasels, and snakes all depend on voles. During high vole years, predator reproduction increases dramatically. For more information about North Dakota's prairie ecosystems and the wildlife that depends on grasslands, explore thenational wildlife hubto learn about predator-prey relationships and grassland conservation.
Plan your vole sighting in North Dakota
5,177 verified vole records have been logged in North Dakota, most recently in 2025. See the GBIF records.
Where to look in North Dakota
- Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail · Wildlife Watching · Find hotels
- North Country National Scenic Trail · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site · Find hotels
More places to see vole
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