Armadillos

[GregLaROCHE]

I never knew this much about armadillos. Are they now considered nuisibles? I think I remember that they are good eating.

https://youtu.be/80TQtxsfFpI

[Rapier]

Some critters you do not eat unless they are 100% safe because they can have diseases that do not "cook out." I treat them as pests and shoot on sight, then bury. We have more than a plenty around here.

[Thumbcocker]

They are present in Southern Illinois.

[Gator 45/70]

Choot em T-Baw!

[parson48]

They have been spotted in southern Indiana also.

[Texas by God]

I am glad that we don’t have those big South American ones here!
A shotgun at close range is my preferred Armadillo gun. Hit them with a .22 and they jump around squirting 5 gallons of Leprous blood all over the place!


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[anothernewb]

I think they (can) carry leprosy

[KenH]

Possum on a half shell

[45workhorse]

Tough critters to kill.
Q. Why did the chicken cross the road?
A. To prove to the Armadillo it can be done!!!

[deltaenterprizes]

I think they (can) carry leprosy

They can and do carry leprosy! They use them for testing purposes for leprosy research in Louisiana!

[HWooldridge]

I leave them alone. As varmints go, they are pretty harmless. People around here used to eat them during the Depression but I don't think the meat was considered a delicacy - and they are known to carry leprosy, so just another reason to live and let live.

[scattershot]

I grew up in Texas, and the only armadillos I ever saw were road pizza.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Say...you know all of us old guys have our favorite stories that we tell over and over. I told this one before, but there are always new members. Forgive me if you heard it before. True story. Back in 1961 I was going through Advanced Infantry Training at Ft. Hood, TX. That was back in the days of the draft, and although I was from a small cattle ranch, many of the guys in the training unit were right out of the cities, most from up and down the west coast.

We were camped for the night out in the brushy Texas countryside in a clearing. There was all of the usual laughing and conversation, but gradually it began to subside into the hot, sticky silence of the nighttime as the guys began to fall asleep in their sleeping bags. Lying there, I could hear what I thought must be a tank a long ways off, as I could hear "click, click, clank" but no engine.

The noise was periodic but seemed to be getting closer and I still couldn't discern the noise of an engine. Suddenly a large silver colored armadillo walked out of the bushes into the bright moonlight. I could see that he was heavily armored with scales, and that was the source of the clicking. I knew what it was, but most of the other trainees did not, and as they became aware of the armadillo's presence hurried warnings of its presence walking among the sleeping bags became shouts, even screams, and guys running for their lives.

I just lay in my bag and watched it all, as did a few others, having read about them and never having heard that they were in any way dangerous. But there were guys struggling to get out of the bags and running off into the brush, and even a couple of sack races going on with guys who couldn't find the bag's zipper and decided to hop away, bag and all. The NCOs were yelling to come back and that there was no danger, but the camp emptied out fast. The armadillo was only present for about five minutes and then disappeared back into the bushes.

Eventually the trainees began to return from all directions, but when a head count followed one was missing. There was a lot of yelling and calling, but it was a full three hours before the guy returned to camp saying that he had gotten lost in the bushes.

DG

[WRideout]

I used to be able to determine the latitude by the sight of road-killed possum changing over to road-kill armadillo.

Wayne

[Bmi48219]

My wife worked for a plastic surgeon. An MD came to the office for a large sore on his lower leg. The diagnosis came back leprosy. He had been doing yard work at home the previous month wearing shorts. They think he must have brushed up against one of the many prickly / thorny plants typically used in landscaping. His bad luck that the plant had abraded his skin AND had been previously peed upon or otherwise come into contact with a disease carrying armadillo. He was treated with antibiotics and recovered.
I tell visitors from the north most Florida vegetation has some kind of thorns, spikes, saw teeth or other feature to be wary of.
The department of health estimated fully half the armadillos in our state carry leprosy.

In the early 1970’s I heard a radio broadcast by the FWC about Florida having a big problem with too many armadillos. At the time they weren’t know to be carriers of disease or harmful to anything but local egg laying reptiles and vegetation. He suggested Floridians kill the when encountered AND also that they were edible and reportedly quite tasty.

[sixshot]

When I was in the Air Force, living in Sherman, Texas in the 60's I shot a lot of them with my recurve bow using my homemade wooden shafts. They sure were hard on the wooden arrows, they would break them off almost every time either going down a hole or running off through the brush. I also got Raccoons & a few Possums. The most fun was those big old Texas bullfrogs, I shot lots of them with my bow.

Dick

[Eddie Southgate]

I kill every one I see.

[1006]

They make excellent Shotgun targets…..

[Winger Ed.]

Years ago, a friend of a friend bought a weekend home out away from the city.
Nice place, and they just ohhed and ahhhed about all the cute critters and wildlife there.
They spent days doing all sorts of landscaping and had big beautiful flower beds.

One evening they pulled up and it looked like a kid with a tractor had gone through their yard.
It was a armadillo that had destroyed the yard.

The next time they came, they caught it digging in the flower bed.
In a second, the wife went from "Oh, we have all these cute animals out there', to "QUICK!!-----SHOOT THE DEVIL!!!!

[justindad]

How do you find an armadillo, for recreational purposes?

[almar]

They carry leprosy i wouldn't even touch them.

[Texas by God]

You can’t pick full grown ones up by the tail- it will break off. When you catch them with both hands, keep your fingers as close to the back feet as possible, because it will claw the skin right off of your hands with its front digging claws. Learned that in one try!
I haven’t touched one since I learned of the leprosy thing forty years ago.


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[Gator 45/70]

As kids do my brother and I would run em down and catch em until.....One crapped on him hanging upside-down!
That cured me as I laughing at him.
Did I mention as a kid we were dumb as a box of rocks?

[45workhorse]

When I was in the Air Force, living in Sherman, Texas in the 60's I shot a lot of them with my recurve bow using my homemade wooden shafts. They sure were hard on the wooden arrows, they would break them off almost every time either going down a hole or running off through the brush. I also got Raccoons & a few Possums. The most fun was those big old Texas bullfrogs, I shot lots of them with my bow.

Dick
I shot one with a 45-70, lyman Gould bullet cast with WW. It went in through the right rear, exited the front left! Critter still made it to it's hole! Covered the entrance, no exit!
So I can only image what they would do to an arrow!

[elmacgyver0]

Armadillos don't seem to get much love, but I have never heard of one becoming a politician.
People can also carry leprosy, and some of them become politicians.
If I don't bother armadillos, they don't bother me.
I can't say the same for politicians.
Think about it.

[Winger Ed.]

How do you find an armadillo, for recreational purposes?

Sometimes you'll see them in the day time, but they're mostly active at night.

[Finster101]

Me and my .22 are about to have a late night rendezvous with the one that keeps digging around my pole barn . I'm worried one of my dogs will mess up a leg in the holes.

[Shanghai Jack]

I grew up in Texas, and the only armadillos I ever saw were road pizza.

Armadillos are born on the road dead.

[Winger Ed.]

Armadillos are born on the road dead.

If you try to straddle one crossing the road, when the car goes over them, they jump straight up.

[justindad]

I’m curious…
Armadillo + .218 Mashburn Bee = ???

[higgins]

When one is hit on the road and not broken open it's kinda funny to watch vultures figuring out how to best break into it. I saw a couple of vultures eating what was left of one that had been mashed flat; it was laying upside down and it looked like they were eating off of a plate.

[contender1]

Der Gibirgsjager,,, I was about to say; "Uh-oh,, he saw me at Ft. Hood.'

But you were there LONG before I was.

In 1977, I got assigned to Ft. Hood as well. Having previously caught several (and eaten some) armadillos I was very familiar on how to catch them, clean them, & all.
Well, walking back from the PX to barracks one late afternoon, I spied a "dillo." Well, I caught him and carried it back to the barracks. As noted,, many of the other soldiers had never seen one or knew anything about them. I even have a picture of me holding that one. Well, for some reason,, I released it in the hallway of the barracks. Lots of screaming, and running, followed by the slamming of doors etc. Especially from the black soldiers. (NO OFFENSE meant here,, just stating the facts.)

Now,, I work in Animal Damage Control. And we are on alert to finding them here in the mountains of WNC. So far,, no calls or complaints about them.

[sukivel]

Possum on a half shell

That’s it!!!


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[barnetmill]

Well armadillos are said to dig up and eat yellow jacket wasp nests and so that is a good thing. They are dumber than possums both of which have a short life expectancy if they venture into my little of bit Eden. My pup little guy kills them.
Long and skinny and so he only weighs 90 lbs with maybe 15% of it in his head. The first one he killed scratched him across the muzzle and the skin became infected. He has killed many others since without any damage. The first ones he crushed. But later I would find that they had buried themselves and he seems to have learned to break their necks after allowing them to partially bury themselves in. His mother seeks the dead ones out and rolls on them when they get real ripe. But after several weeks when they reach the right consistency he and his older sister will pull them out of the hole and start to eat them if I have not already located them.
311344

They are most active at night. The last two that were killed I still smell. I threw one over the fence and the other that was still in the ground I covered with logs to keep the dogs off of the rotting carcass.
PS I am in northwest florida

[Winger Ed.]

I threw one over the fence


It's been my experience that fences do very little to stop the smell.

[725]

One farmer asked me to shot everyone I saw. His cattle would break legs in their holes.

[barnetmill]

It's been my experience that fences do very little to stop the smell.

I wanted one of the dogs to quick rolling in it and hope some other predator would be brave or hungry enough to eat the armadillo on the side of the fence. But apparently they are too frightened of patch to even come over to approach the fence to eat or just did not care for dead armadillo.
Below is the one that likes to roll on dead critters. I have recently renamed her as Miss Piggy.
311347

[Winger Ed.]

[QUOTE=barnetmill;5545906]Below is the one that likes to roll on dead critters. I have recently renamed her as Miss Piggy.

Ours do that too.
One seeks out dead earthworms to roll on.

The other waits unit he can find some nice, fresh possum poop.
That may be the most foul thing I've ever smelled.

[sukivel]

I’m curious…
Armadillo + .218 Mashburn Bee = ???

= Too much fun!


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[GregLaROCHE]

[QUOTE=barnetmill;5545906]Below is the one that likes to roll on dead critters. I have recently renamed her as Miss Piggy.

Ours do that too.
One seeks out dead earthworms to roll on.

The other waits unit he can find some nice, fresh possum poop.
That may be the most foul thing I've ever smelled.

We once had a border collie less than a year old. We gave him a bath in our bathtub with shampoo and conditioner. We dried him with towels and he shook off what water was left. He looked good standing there for a moment until he bolted out the door. The neighbors had just finished spreading manure on their field and he was right there rolling in it. That was the last bath he ever got!

[popper]

Kids found one the ranch dog was playing with, went and got the 22LR and dispatched it. Pick up by the tail and into the woods. It was a big one! Mostly eat grubs so I say, spray grub poison. Don't know if yotes or hogs will eat the dead ones.

[45DUDE]

Seems like every time I see one they are drinking a Texas beer.

[Good Cheer]

Had them baked in camp fire coals and chicken fried. Once you got the hang of holding the edges of the shell down with your boot toes they're easy to clean. Between them and rabbit, coon, quail, deer, duck, frog legs, crane, squirrel, a fella with a bag of rice could eat pretty good on his own in northwest Texas.

[elmacgyver0]

[QUOTE=Winger Ed.;5545911]

We once had a border collie less than a year old. We gave him a bath in our bathtub with shampoo and conditioner. We dried him with towels and he shook off what water was left. He looked good standing there for a moment until he bolted out the door. The neighbors had just finished spreading manure on their field and he was right there rolling in it. That was the last bath he ever got!

Doggie hygiene, it's perfume to them.

[Gator 45/70]

If you try to straddle one crossing the road, when the car goes over them, they jump straight up.

True enough, I've seen at least 1 wrecked car beings the dillo jumped into the steering linkage, In the ditch the car went.

[gbrown]

During the Depression they were called "Hoover Hogs". Killed plenty of them on deer leases. Never ate one, had too much "good" meat to eat. Never handled one, let it lay for the varmits to eat on. I shot one with a 65 lb bow with aluminum arrow and it bent the arrow. After that, when bow hunting, I shot them with a .45 auto.

[SSGOldfart]

they dig lots of small holes in the yard and fields

[Good Cheer]

Years ago I was talking with a fellow over by Baton Rouge and he told me about the armadillo that was digging up his yard. One night he spotted the critter and eased on out there with his .22. Drew a dead bead on it and put a hole right through the water bowl his dog had turned over.

[dverna]

I am not too sure about some of you guys. What in the Wide World of Sports causes a person to dress and eat a critter that may carry leprosy?

I friend of mine who used to do deer mounts got infected with TB from an infected deer here in MI. He went through hell until they figured out what happened. Seemed he had nicked his finger and he figured the TB got to him that way. He had health issues for over a year. He stopped his side business.

Just bought corned beef for $2.49/lb and chicken thighs for $.99/lb at the discount grocery we frequent. Pork butts were $1.29/lb but no space in the freezer or I would have grabbed some.

Eating armadillo? Not going to happen.

[John Guedry]

They have awful eyesight. If you shoot one with a.22 they will take off running and if you're not good at "dodging" will try to run over you.

[Winger Ed.]

They have awful eyesight. If you shoot one with a.22 they will take off running and if you're not good at "dodging" will try to run over you.

Yeah, they don't have teeth--- but do have a mean set of landing gear, and constant 4 wheel drive!

[alfadan]

They're so ugly, I feel sorry for my bullets when they touch em.

[GregLaROCHE]

Doing a mount of an armadillo wood be an interesting task for a taxidermist.