Going spotlighting, what caliber do I need?

[Handloader109]

Yeah, now that I've got your attention, I'm fed up. Between the squirrels and the moles, my yard has never looked great. Granted it is mainly a pasture, but I keep the grass cut on the 3 acres. Well about July I started noticing random diggings. Mainly way out on the perimeter. But over the late summer, the holes have steady increased. Figured it was an armadillo, and saw him about a week ago one late evening. Just cut my grass and he's been working overtime. 'Bout time to end his digging spree. Just trying to figure out should it be with a 22, 38, 9mm or 357.....
Probably will just go all out with the 357 revolver.


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[Rockingkj]

Got a 50 BMG? No such thing as too much gun when there is a Varmint to be dispatched . Good luck.

[BLAHUT]

I had trouble with the gophers, pocket gophers, squirls, moles; got some of the pine Tree soap and sprayed it around; no more problem ??

[1006]

Shotguns work best for me. They will run and blood will squirt everywhere if the caliber is insufficient for instant death. Sometimes they will get under a porch and die, stinking up the yard; would only use a 22 for a head shot.

I like the .410 the best,but have turned to other cheaper gauges.

You can walk right up on them and blast them.

[Winger Ed.]

Whatever a .22 can do,,, a .357 can do better.

[1006]

Read this:

https://www.science.org/content/article/yes-you-can-get-leprosy-armadillo

[Handloader109]

Oh, I know about the leprosy. The Marshallese who live here ate them a good bit in the past and several did come down with leprosy. I walked up on him the other day, but wasn't armed. Yeah, maybe my 16 gauge would be best.....

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[M-Tecs]

For that type of application, I like bullets that don't ricochet. The 17 HMR's or the 17 Mach 2 work well on armadillos.

[Texas by God]

Shotguns work best for me. They will run and blood will squirt everywhere if the caliber is insufficient for instant death. Sometimes they will get under a porch and die, stinking up the yard; would only use a 22 for a head shot.

I like the .410 the best,but have turned to other cheaper gauges.

You can walk right up on them and blast them.

.410 is fine, but 20 gauge is final.
Naw, they both work I just wanted to say that[emoji16]
I still think that they have 5 gallons of blood in them when hit with a .22!


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[Land Owner]

I let my 13 y.o. steer the F250 in low gear from the back line of the hunting property to the front gate through forest and field. My hunting partner, Dave, sat up front while I sat on the tailgate. Off to the left, as we traversed one field, I noted an armadillo we just past waddling along in our direction, pulled my Ruger BH 45 Colt, and took the shot. My son, ever the forecaster of unintended consequences hollered, "It's a drive by!" Neither Dave nor I could see the world through the tears of laughter for the rest of the drive to the gate.

[Jeff Michel]

May want to look into a milky spoor application. It gets rid of the grubs that moles and other critters eat. Two applications got rid of the moles in my yard/field, haven't seen any in a year.

[Handloader109]

15 minute walk about last night yielded nothing. I'll wait a bit later tonight.... He might have heard me talking and left the county.

[farmbif]

a full choke 10 gauge with about 2 oz of #6 shot should take care of problem

[akajun]

What kinda armadillos do y’all have there? Up armored?

I’ve killed thousands with various pellet guns over the years
22’s too

[akajun]

Heck if you can move quiet in the woods, walk up behind them downwind
You can football punt them or catch ‘em lol

[farmbif]

in all reality 12 gauge with 1 1/4 oz of #4 or 5 shot will give dirt nap to most all small critters with full choke you can probably be effective to 40-50 yards
get a refrigerator box for some test patterns to be sure

[dverna]

Fun read. I am not the Bullseye shooter I was back in the day so I would use a rifle or shotgun.

Don't know squat about armadillos. For my pest critters, a .22 is good enough but my longest shot is only about 100 yards.

[Frosty Boolit]

12ga to avoid needless suffering.

[firefly1957]

Up here I have no "possums on a half shell" for Skunk, coon, possums, I really like 20 or 12 gauge shotgun with #5 shot . I also use a old 180 series Ruger Mini-14 with a scout type mount a 2-7X pistol scope with a built on laser plus a green "game light" . The last racoon I shot was not acting normal did not run when I went out the door it seemed quite interested in the laser approaching it on the ground so I know it could see . I have had a number of skunks and racoons here that were blind with a bluish raised area over the eye center have no idea what causes it and DNR has no interest .

[Scrounge]

Yeah, now that I've got your attention, I'm fed up. Between the squirrels and the moles, my yard has never looked great. Granted it is mainly a pasture, but I keep the grass cut on the 3 acres. Well about July I started noticing random diggings. Mainly way out on the perimeter. But over the late summer, the holes have steady increased. Figured it was an armadillo, and saw him about a week ago one late evening. Just cut my grass and he's been working overtime. 'Bout time to end his digging spree. Just trying to figure out should it be with a 22, 38, 9mm or 357.....
Probably will just go all out with the 357 revolver.


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IIRC, a .22LR is traditional while spotlighting. Of course you can use any caliber you want if you don't need to avoid the game wardens! I don't know if $5 (minimum!) per shot it worth the cost, but a .50 BMG could be fun if you don't need to have enough left over to eat. ;)

[gwpercle]

I helped my Daddy fight a loosing Mole war in his yard for years .
We were at the Hardware store trying to find a poison or trap that might work better than the stuff we had been trying . So we asked ... what works best ?
The owner of the store , I know this sounds crazy but we have these electronic stakes , you drive into the ground and the moles hear the constant noise / vibration , they don't like it and move ... I swear . He said that since Dad was such a long time good customer ... if they didn't work , he would refund his money !
We followed the instructions and slowly , one by one the moles left .
He only got 4 stakes and just moved them around , after a while they all eventually went away . The traps and Poisons we were using always bothered Dad , he didn't want a child or dog/cat getting hurt ... but the electronic repellers ...they were safe .
His took a battery but now some have Solar Cells for power .
the name was Pest Guru ... strange but they did the job .
Dad kept the repellers just in case !
If the things made any noise ... neither me nor Dad could hear it ... it must be low .
Gary

[ebb]

22 magnum, just in case a cape buffalo interrupts your fun. You always want some thing quiet, but must have enough oomph to deal with the unexpected.

[KCcactus]

Light load backwards hbwc in a 38 spl case works well on armadillos. Also less ricochet risk than a .22.

[Handloader109]

Well rained the other night, didn't get out, just walked back in. Dang, I've seen a few in the day, but this guy saw my flashlight at 30 yards and he hightailed it back down the hill towards a pond, I go off one shot, but missed him by a mile. I'll be more careful tomorrow night, I don't expect him back for a few hours.

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[technojock]

Connect a hose to the exhaust on your mower and run it down their hole. The carbon monoxide should do the trick...

Tony

[Texas by God]

Well, night before last the Aussies(Floyd and Pepper) actually earned their Gravy Train by killing the latest nocturnal digging visitor.
Bully sticks were given out for a reward!


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[David2011]

Connect a hose to the exhaust on your mower and run it down their hole. The carbon monoxide should do the trick...

Tony

It will, but it's not nearly as satisfying and seeing the hit.

[Handloader109]

Well, night before last the Aussies(Floyd and Pepper) actually earned their Gravy Train by killing the latest nocturnal digging visitor.
Bully sticks were given out for a reward!


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkMy last two terriers had fun a few years ago with a possum that got in their yard. Were really confused when it finally got tired of hissing at them and just rolled over dead. They started sniffing at it and walked away. He got up 10 minutes later and sauntered away and over the fence....
I did finally put the dillo down. Almost stepped on him the other night and he went by me at his 30mph. Yes, they have been clocked that fast and he could do close to that speed. Last night caught him with his head in a hole and he didn't see me. Missed first shot, 30-35 feet with a laser sight. 9mm Got him second shot. About a 20 pounder. Huge. Supposedly they have a 10 acre area they prowl. Sure been all over the 4 acres or so around me.

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[BrassMagnet]

A live trap might be a good option!
Eggs, fish, cat kibbles are all an option for bait. Mistakes can be released.
#4 bird shot in a 12 works well. #7.5 in a 410 not so well unless you hit them with a wad full of shot. 22 works well, but my place is surrounded by neighbors and cattle. I don't want irate neighbors.

[Good Cheer]

Long time ago a friend of mine had an armadillo digging up the place. He kept watch and one night he spotted that rascal in the moonlight. He eased on out onto the porch with his .22, took careful aim...

And put a hole through the stainless steel water bowl that his dog had turned upside down.

[Rockingkj]

Long time ago a friend of mine had an armadillo digging up the place. He kept watch and one night he spotted that rascal in the moonlight. He eased on out onto the porch with his .22, took careful aim...

And put a hole through the stainless steel water bowl that his dog had turned upside down.
Lol

A while back the wife hollered at me to shoot this d -danged coon in the back yard at night. Made out the shadowy figure at the edge of the light cast by the porch light. a single shot from the 25-20 anchored it in place. Was surprised to find it was a porcupine I had potted. Why he was impersonating a coon I will never know.

[Good Cheer]

Fifty years ago we used to eat armadillos (heh, and most anything else) when out camping. Buried armadillo under the mesquite coals, wrapped in foil with onions and new potatoes, coming back to camp in the evening and digging it up.

[Handloader109]

My only issue with live trapping an armadillo is what am I going to do with it once I catch it? Take it 5 miles down the road and release it? Why would I inflict damage upon a neighbor? I guess I could have taken him down to fayetteville and dropped him in one of the new lib subdivisions....

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[Duckiller]

If you are jack lighting use a 22. Right between the eyes. This info from high school friends whom have since become law abiding citizens.