Armadillos

[deminin]

Seems to me an arrow would be a steathly way of taking care of these vermin, even if you lived in a subdivision with neighbors close by. Jeff

Yup, an arrow would certainly be the safer way...especially if a person lives in a urban area. However, out here, gunfire is not uncommon...lots of hunters, and everyone knows not to aim the gun where it might cause harm to others or property.

I walked the yard again today, and saw no further evidence of "digging"...hopefully my destruction of the Armadillo "hotel" yesterday will prove to be the answer.

 

[Pumper54]

YOU are talkin bout HARLEY Hog's .. Right Tom .. ?? Yeah when ya get a bunch of them in your yard, they party-hardy !! .. :laughing:..:laughing:

View attachment 40252

This is what wild hogs will do to your yard:

 

[Boit4852]

When I acquired my 26 acres of rural acreage in 2007, I immediately went about ridding my property of those destructive demons. The only method that I have found works is to go out almost every night with a .22 rifle using hollow points. Since I first started, I think I have eliminated about 20-25 of them. Turkey buzzards will make short shrift of the remains but keep in mind that armadillos can carry leprosy and other diseases. Nasty animals.

 

[ILENGINE]

Armadillos were native to South America. Over the centuries , as the climate has warmed, they have traveled further North. They feed primarily on grubs and earthworms. This is a rural area, and there are lots of people with "hunting" dogs, but dogs are smart enough to stay away from these things. Additionally, armadillos are known to carry leprosy, and other serious illnesses that can transfer to humans if a person tries to handle one of these pests. Until recent years, they only existed in the warmer Gulf coast states...Florida, Louisiana, etc., but as the Winters become less severe, they are rapidly moving North. It's pretty common, anymore, to see them mashed by vehicles all over these rural roads. I'm hoping to find someone familiar with them from some of our Gulf coast states who might have some valid and useful information....doubtful that residents of Australia have ever seen any of these.

And to think that when I was in my twenties stationed at Ft Sill, Twice a year the base had a armadillo hunt where we would chase the things around the base golf course at night and catch them by hand and put them in burlap sacks for check in the next morning. Stinky little things too. I can tell stories about those hunts.

 

[deminin]

When I acquired my 26 acres of rural acreage in 2007, I immediately went about ridding my property of those destructive demons. The only method that I have found works is to go out almost every night with a .22 rifle using hollow points. Since I first started, I think I have eliminated about 20-25 of them. Turkey buzzards will make short shrift of the remains but keep in mind that armadillos can carry leprosy and other diseases. Nasty animals.

Yup, the Only way to get rid of them is to shoot them. Their shell is so hard that a .22 barely penetrates it. It seems that we get an infestation every 3 or 4 years. This Fall, when I go out into the woods and start cutting down dead trees for my outdoor wood furnace, I will keep an eye out for any more "mounds" where they might be living. Like you, I've probably had to dispatch 20 or more in the past few years. I guess this is just another "side effect" of the warming climate. The next thing will probably be the "feral hogs" moving North from Arkansas....as the people from Texas mentioned. They are already showing up in Southern Missouri, and if I see any of them around here, they will get a welcome from one of my deer rifles.

 

[Boit4852]

Yup, the Only way to get rid of them is to shoot them. Their shell is so hard that a .22 barely penetrates it. It seems that we get an infestation every 3 or 4 years. This Fall, when I go out into the woods and start cutting down dead trees for my outdoor wood furnace, I will keep an eye out for any more "mounds" where they might be living. Like you, I've probably had to dispatch 20 or more in the past few years. I guess this is just another "side effect" of the warming climate. The next thing will probably be the "feral hogs" moving North from Arkansas....as the people from Texas mentioned. They are already showing up in Southern Missouri, and if I see any of them around here, they will get a welcome from one of my deer rifles.

A rifle with .22 Long Rifle hollow points will pass completely through the dillo's armor. I like CCI's high velocity as these loads not only have the muzzle speed to do the job, but they are very reliable. As time has passed with me living on my very rural property, I have come to notice some these animals habits. They don't like rooting in yards if weed N feed or fire ant killer products are used. These animals have a very sensitive sense of smell and quite poor eye sight. They also seem to be sensitive to ground vibrations even though their hearing is not acute. A few years ago as I was hunting them at night, I came across a mated pair. I shot the huge male and severely wounded it. As it ran thrashed around, it's mate came to investigate. I could tell she was upset and confused as to what was going on with her mate. That cost her her life. She froze just long enough for me to dispose of her with one shot from about 4 meters away. I also had a young male that was damaging my property with regularity. He was the most astute dillo I had ever encountered with what seemed to be an above average eye sight and sense of my presence. It took a few encounters before I was able to dispatch him. Most dillos are simple and if you stay down wind and move gently, you can get right up on them.

 

[deminin]

A rifle with .22 Long Rifle hollow points will pass completely through the dillo's armor. I like CCI's high velocity as these loads not only have the muzzle speed to do the job, but they are very reliable. As time has passed with me living on my very rural property, I have come to notice some these animals habits. They don't like rooting in yards if weed N feed or fire ant killer products are used. These animals have a very sensitive sense of smell and quite poor eye sight. They also seem to be sensitive to ground vibrations even though their hearing is not acute. A few years ago as I was hunting them at night, I came across a mated pair. I shot the huge male and severely wounded it. As it ran thrashed around, it's mate came to investigate. I could tell she was upset and confused as to what was going on with her mate. That cost her her life. She froze just long enough for me to dispose of her with one shot from about 4 meters away. I also had a young male that was damaging my property with regularity. He was the most astute dillo I had ever encountered with what seemed to be an above average eye sight and sense of my presence. It took a few encounters before I was able to dispatch him. Most dillos are simple and if you stay down wind and move gently, you can get right up on them.

Yup, my "hunt" goes on. So far, I'm up to 6 of them "removed" from the yard, this year. I've just been going out about 10PM with my spotlight, and Ruger .22 MarkII pistol, and scanning the yard....I tried using a rifle, but juggling the rifle and spotlight is almost unwieldy...but one hand on the light, and one on the pistol allows me to make a clean shot. Slowly, but surely, the evidence of holes in the yard is slowing down. I can usually creep up to within about 25ft. of them before they begin to notice my presence. I suppose I could spread some chemicals in the yard that would discourage them, but I have a huge yard, and it would take a lot of smelly stuff just to cover most of it...and then, the next rain would probably wash it all away.