Armadillo Hunting?

[steve urquell]

"Hansen’s disease does not spread easily from person to person. You cannot get leprosy through casual contact such as shaking hands, sitting next to, or talking to someone who has the disease.
Prolonged, close contact with someone with untreated Hansen’s disease over many months is needed to become infected. Around 95% of all people cannot become sick because they are naturally immune.
Leprosy can be cured with antibiotic treatment. Once someone starts treatment for Hansen’s disease, they can no longer spread the disease to other people."

https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/index.html

Looks like the risk of Hansen's is slim to none! Eat Up!

In reading about it it does seem more transmissable from armadillos than humans. Read a little more about it.

[barnetmill]

In reading about it it does seem more transmissable from armadillos than humans. Read a little more about it.

Lately the only armadillos that I see are those that were killed by the dogs and are rotting away. That has just turned me off of them for good lol.

[popper]

Got one Thursday nite (IR),@ 50 yds with the BO and 135gr FTX, 1st shot hit but it kept moving, 2nd one it stopped. I ran the ATV over there and saw a nice big hole in the side. Gone the next morning. I tried the phone app as a yote caller but the batt died. Fri nite saw a rabbit move by the feeder and later a hog. It kept on moving slow so I hit it (100 yds) but it went into the tree line underbrush. Using a Rattler V2 35/640.

[steve urquell]

Got one Thursday nite (IR),@ 50 yds with the BO and 135gr FTX, 1st shot hit but it kept moving, 2nd one it stopped. I ran the ATV over there and saw a nice big hole in the side. Gone the next morning. I tried the phone app as a yote caller but the batt died. Fri nite saw a rabbit move by the feeder and later a hog. It kept on moving slow so I hit it (100 yds) but it went into the tree line underbrush. Using a Rattler V2 35/640.

Fun stuff. I got one a week or so ago. AR9 with laser and 128gr MP molds HP. Hit facing me just above the head, exited next to its tail and shot the tip of the tail off. One shot and done.

[steve urquell]

[barnetmill]

outdoors: Possum on the half-shell: the amazing armadillo
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
https://www.arkansasonline.com › news › jul › outdoor...
Jul 18, 2010 — The shell is tough, but not hard like a turtle's, being composed of ... This armor covers the animal's shoulders, pelvis, tail and forehead - .

[Winger Ed.]

Some folks refer to them as a armor plated rat.

[Digital Dan]

They are a nuisance for sure. My ‘dillo eraser is a T/C carbine chambered for shorts. I use BB caps and they are 100% effective. The neighbors don’t have a clue.

[Beast of Burden]

Yes, those suckers destroy my lawn looking for grubs. They have made their way to southern Kansas. I have declared war on em. I once shot a triple with my 12 gauge. When I see evidence of activity, I flash my flashlight around if I awake in the middle of the night for a bathroom break. Occasionally I get lucky and spot one.

[Winger Ed.]

Yes, those suckers destroy my lawn looking for grubs.

A friend of a friend had a weekender house awhile back. It was out in a small East Texas town.
They loved it so much, and they'd come in sometimes on a Friday night and their flower beds and yard looked
like some sort of earth moving, heavy equipment had plowed through it.

But they really enjoyed all the wild life, and seeing a armadillo once--- 'Oh, look at them, they're so cute,,,,,'.
One night they came in and saw what was tearing up all their landscaping.
All of a sudden, the armadillo went from 'Oh they're so cute' to----- 'SHOOT THE DEVIL!!!'.

[steve urquell]

I walked my fields tonight at 8PM. No dillos in sight. I did find a burrow. Hard to see the size in pics but about 8" diameter and the initial drop down is enough for a cow to break a leg stepping in.

[steve urquell]

I busted one tonight. 124gr FP 9mm out of the Foxtrot AR9. Laser sight is perfect for this.

[barnetmill]

I do not need a gun for armadillos in Florida. Patch kills them dead and I just find usually by smell. It was good size dillo killed by patch, a white english farm bull dog off of Georgia stock.

[Electrod47]

Good boy Patch....1966 on maneuvers driving my M113 across the broken terrain of Ft. Hood in the summer the weight and noise of the armored carrier would drive them out of their dens running ahead. Having a half dozen running always led to chase.......dang near threw a track a couple times.

[silvertip47]

In 1957 moved to a farm and ranch in north east Lampasas county, in Texas. That place was covered with rattlesnakes and armadillos. The first year we killed close to 100+ rattlesnakes. On the armadillos we used rocks or hunting knife, flip over and stab in the chest. Sometimes they would get in a shallow hole with the tail sticking, try pulling pulling one out when your 10 years old. The chances are it is not going to happen. Try chasing one going going down hill. After a few years we had a lot more quail.
The place was west of Ft. Hood about 20 miles, when they where shooting the big guns, would think it was a thunderstorm, with lighting.

[gwpercle]

Eight pages on Armadillo Hunting ...
Hunting them with dogs , rifles , shotguns , rocks , knives and sticks ...
You would think it's a real sport ...
When is the "hunting Season " ... how do you tell the Bucks from the Does ...
What's the bag limit and record size taken ?Gary

[barnetmill]

Eight pages on Armadillo Hunting ...
Hunting them with dogs , rifles , shotguns , rocks , knives and sticks ...
You would think it's a real sport ...
When is the "hunting Season " ... how do you tell the Bucks from the Does ...
What's the bag limit and record size taken ?Gary

This is not hunting, but more a futile attempt at extermination. I am still amazed that the expanded coyote population can not keep them in check.

[Winger Ed.]

Unless they can catch a young one, I don't think coyotes are a natural predator on them.

However--- When they are newborn, fire ants may be a threat, but probably not much else.

[barnetmill]

Unless they can catch a young one, I don't think coyotes are a natural predator on them.

However--- When they are newborn, fire ants may be a threat, but probably not much else.

If my dog can kill them, I would think that coyotes could too. But, the fact is they obviously are not killing any significant number. My dog can easily kill an armadillo, but he has a huge head and tremendously large temporal and masseter jaw muscle, He can open wide enough to apparently get a good grip and crush the critters.

Below is a discussion of this. https://dfwurbanwildlife.com/2022/09...nd-armadillos/



An Armadillo’s armor is effective protection. The plate that wraps over the front part of their torso is meant to protect the animal’s neck, spine, and shoulders. If this had been an adult Armadillo it is unlikely that the attacker would have been able to open its mouth wide enough—or clamp down hard enough—to deliver a severe injury. But because this particularly juvenile Armadillo was still relatively small, the attacker was able to apply a substantial bite to the shoulder/neck area despite the armor plating. The result was significant injury to the Armadillo—but not one that was immediately fatal. It is likely that the Armadillo was still able to thrash, squirm, and uses it sharp claws to effect an escape. Once on the ground, the Armadillo surely made his way to someplace safe before the predator could re-engage—Armadillos can be quite quick when they need to be.

There was no sign of a struggle near the body of the Armadillo. No canine tracks on the soft soil of the beach. That suggests that the attack did not take place at the spot where the carcass was found. Instead the Armadillo had likely made his way to the shore some time after the Coyote had given up the chase and moved on. By the time the Armadillo wandered to the water’s edge, the severity of his injuries finally caught up with him and he could go no further.

For Coyotes, not every hunt is successful—not even for a well seasoned hunter. And it seems that Armadillos may be a particularly tricky prey animal to subdue. I’ve recorded instances of Coyotes having similar difficulties with Armadillos in the past. The Armadillo’s armored plate ain’t just for looks—it actually works! Refer to the trail camera sequence below which illustrates a Coyote briefly capturing, and then promptly losing, an adult Armadillo.

[Winger Ed.]

Their shell is kind of slippery.
Maybe a coyote can't get a good grip on it.
If they can flip one over, they've got some pretty strong landing gear to kick and tear with too.