Armadillo Hunting?

[barnetmill]

It is weird that the coyotes can't kill them or choose not to. I spread the word about them and hope others join the crusade but know it is a losing battle.

I was watching something that involved coyote attacks on armadillos. It appeared that coyotes would go after the smaller armadillos and still have problem going through the shell. One of my dog has a head that is oversize for his body, crushes them without a problem. Think one reason that armadillos are getting larger is in part as defense against coyotes and smaller dogs. Likely the extinct eastern red wolf would of had no trouble killing them.
But coyotes in some locals that have eastern wolf or dog genes are getting bigger and 60 lb coywolves and coydogs or a mixture of all exist. But coyotes will kill turkeys also. There is very little that a coyote will not eat and I have had them climb pear trees to strip all of the pears off. I tracked them the next down to the creek where they had diarrhea leaving piles of pear poop. At 2 AM in the morning I woke and heard them going after the pears, but there was no way that I was going out there in darkness unable to see.

[steve urquell]

I was watching something that involved coyote attacks on armadillos. It appeared that coyotes would go after the smaller armadillos and still have problem going through the shell. One of my dog has a head that is oversize for his body, crushes them without a problem. Think one reason that armadillos are getting larger is in part as defense against coyotes and smaller dogs. Likely the extinct eastern red wolf would of had no trouble killing them.
But coyotes in some locals that have eastern wolf or dog genes are getting bigger and 60 lb coywolves and coydogs or a mixture of all exist. But coyotes will kill turkeys also. There is very little that a coyote will not eat and I have had them climb pear trees to strip all of the pears off. I tracked them the next down to the creek where they had diarrhea leaving piles of pear poop. At 2 AM in the morning I woke and heard them going after the pears, but there was no way that I was going out there in darkness unable to see.

I used to have a bunch of coyotes here hearing them every night. I don't know if someone went to war on them but I haven't heard any in months and my game camera has not picked any up.

[barnetmill]

I used to have a bunch of coyotes here hearing them every night. I don't know if someone went to war on them but I haven't heard any in months and my game camera has not picked any up.

If they are truly gone, they will most likely be back.

[versa-06]

Yup!! -06

[Charlie Horse]

2c worth:
my neighbors in Argentina buried a 55gal barrel in corner of field with a few inches exposed (might have been a cross section of a barrel). They claimed that Armadillos headed for the corners and fell in. [were they putting me on?].

What you've described is a turtle trap.

[Charlie Horse]

They are deceptively easy to kill . The "shell" is only stiff leather hard and not very thick at all . 22LR or any thing you hunt squirrel / rabbits with .
I squirrel hunt with a 20 ga. and #5 shot but usually take a armadillo with the 22 LR revolver I carry on my belt , CB cap or shorts work fine ... a head shot is best .

Most armadillo's do not carry Hansen's , the few that do are usually in the deep South , Louisiana and Texas ... the bacteria doesn't thrive in cold weather areas . Reaserch has shown only about 6% in the deep south have it ...that's a low number and there is a easy way to avoid transmisson ... Cook to 155 F. - 160 F. med-well !
Do Not Undercook ...Cooking the meat well , as you would cook pork (remember trichinosis) kills the Hanses's bacteria just as it would the trichinosis bacteria .

They are edible and the meat quite good . My Mom said that during the 1930's depression Her daddy would take armadillo , squirrel and the occasional rabbit to feed them ... She called them "Hoover Hog's " ... Quote " We would have starved slap to death if not for the Hoover Hogs and such daddy shot with his 38 S&W DA belt pistol , times was hard and meat wasn't easy to get . "

After hearing Mom's stories and seeing the curved knives her daddy made to clean under the curved armadillo shells ... my brother and I decided to take a couple and try them . Taste like pork . We made a great Chili and Sauce Picante , cooked the meat well and neither of us got Hansen's .
Don't be afraid to try eating , simply cooking the meat as you would cook pork - well done - kills any bacteria ... and not every armadillo is carring it .
My Dad always insisted we try and utilize whatever we killed for food ... He didn't take to killing animals for no reason ... He said God made every animal for a reason and if we didn't need it for food then we shouldn't kill it .
Gary

I've been wanting to try muskrat and baby ground hog. Racoon is good and beaver is excellent.

[versa-06]

Charlie Horse knows what he is talking about. To me Coon is very good when smoked & Beaver the same smoked. Wish we had more Beavers around here. -06

[versa-06]

P.S. Ground Hog needs to be soaked in heavy salt water for 24 hrs. then rinsed well. On Kritters like Coons and such, make sure to remove all glands in the arm pit & rear leg area. -06

[steve urquell]

Well, looks like I still have my work cut out for me. Just checked the game cam and found these

[steve urquell]

I mowed my pathways in my lower field yesterday after I got home from work. It's ~ 1/4 mile to the bottom and I have paths along the perimeter and crossways thru it and around trees to keep me from walking thru tall(tick/chigger infested) grass. Probably 1.5+ miles of paths from bottom to top.

I was determined to bust that dillo on my game cam. I walked it last night from 9:30 to 10:30 to no avail. He's a late comer. Dang it.



I saw this guy out there a little earlier than this pic took. There's a wild cherry down there dropping fruit and he was chowing down. I did not mess with him. I did smell him out there the last time I went out.