Armadillo!

[gramps]

So a couple of nights ago at 2330, while walking my dog, I saw a beast walking down the fence line towards me. I first thought it was a possum, but it turned out to be on the half shell lol. I had my RUGER LCP Max, drew and waited til it was 5-7 feet, and opened fire. Each time I shot it would hunker down, then get up and walk rapidly towards a blackkberry hell. After the fourth shot it made the safety of the blackberry patch. There are some holes in there, and he must have found one. The last armadillo I shot with a .380 only took two shots to succumb. I started questioning if I had indeed hit it. The next morning I went to my range and with some skeet targets I proved my shooting was adequate.

This was shot at 15 feet. I haven’t smelled anything.
gramps

 

[Taterman]

Any blood on the ground?

 

[Mobuck]

That's why I like my little SR22 with laser--I know exactly where the bullet went especially in the dark.

 

[BearBiologist]

Be careful!!! They can carry the virus that causes leprosy!

 

[GasGuzzler]

My back porch a couple three years ago ...

 

[Mobuck]

I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see one during our trip west. Grouch Attack has never seen one and it was 'on her list'.

 

[TXTad]

I'm not sure why someone would shoot an armadillo, considering their value in eating undesirable insects.

Once I was dove hunting in Central Texas. I had been told to keep an eye out for feral hogs, as there were many in the area and they were known to roam even during daylight hours at this place. While waiting for birds, I hear a horrible crash coming through some brush towards me. My 20 ga shotgun was suddenly feeling very inadequate in my hands, but I stood my ground waiting to see what would emerge. What came out of the brush was not a huge tusker, but just an average, maybe even small, sized armadillo. It was doing armadillo stuff, consisting mostly of sniffing back and forth across the ground as it foraged, occasionally eating something it found. It continued, unaware of my presence. I was surprised that it was walking directly towards me but didn't seem to become aware of me even as it got closer. I realized that I was straddling a little trail it had worn in the grass, and sure enough it got closer and closer. Once it was about two feet away I said, "Hi there." It paused, looked up, raising itself slightly on its hind legs, and squinted up at me trying to figure out what I was. I said nothing else and didn't move. After a few moments, if an armadillo can shrug, this one certainly did, dropping back to all fours, and then continued on its business. It stuck to its trail, walked between my legs, and disappeared into the tall grass behind me.

 

[Gopher]

I have no explanation for this one.

 

[Bob Wright]

To the urban dweller who has flowers and a nice lawn, an armadillo is a wrecking machine.

As to putting them down, my niece has several one shot kills witha Savage rifle in .17 HMR. Also, as stated, they do carry disease causing virus.

Bob Wright

 

[rotor]

Efficient rototiller and build disastrous holes under your house. PITA.

 

[Terry Baird]

I live in western Kentucky and armadillos moved into this area about 20 years or so ago. I see them as roadkill all the time but I had never seen a live one until last week. They look much larger alive.

 

[kentucky yeti]

I live in western Kentucky and armadillos moved into this area about 20 years or so ago. I see them as roadkill all the time but I had never seen a live one until last week. They look much larger alive.

Yep. West Kentuckian here too (near Paducah). We have our first ones located on our property starting this year. Previously, I've seen them dead on roads/interstate for a few years now, but none actually here until this year.

 

[Mobuck]

One episode of "Monsters Inside Me" told of two Brothers who contracted leprosy from handling a dead armadillo. That's all the info I need to put the smack down on any I see.
We see dead ones now and then but consensus is they're riding in on long distance trucks from Texas. I personally haven't seen a live one north of Hwy 24 in Missouri.

 

[freakindawgen]

1 hour south of St. Louis. Yes thats snow

 

[gnappi]

A number of years ago I was in a central Florida WMA (wildlife mgt area) at dawn in my tree stand. A herd of deer were grazing towards me about 100 yards away. Since it was archery season I waited for them to graze towards my cover and an armadillo was below me and started to make a racket rooting so in my 20 something youth I decided he should be silenced with a broadhead. BIG mistake!

The aluminum shaft arrowhead went clean through him and staked him in the ground and he jumped up and started grunting and running under the dried overhanging sabal palm fronds. The arrow sticking up from his back made even more noise than before and I was now committed to stop it so I sent another at him which hit him broadside but YIKES that bugger jumped up and started running AGAIN this time with two arrows sticking out of his port, starboard, topside and bottom. When he stopped running I sent ANOTHER arrow into the other side and he AGAIN ran around the palm fronds and the deer ran off.

Finally I climbed down with my climbing tree stand and unscrewed the broadheads, pulled my bent arrows out of the armadillo and since my quiver had only one good arrow left I used the three blunt arrows at close range until the hapless animal stopped moving.

Well, by then I was pretty sure that every deer in the 60,000+ acre WMA was apprised on my location and I met my buds and told them the story and to leave the damn armadillo alone!

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Whenever an armadillo would visit my grandparent's farm in Texas, my grandmother would club it to death with a baseball bat.

That's her on the right next to my granddaddy and my 1978 IHC Scout:

 

[old breed]

don't have those critters in ohio. virus, leprosy, eats bugs. don't appear to have a shedding problem. i know some democrats whose pet rock died and may need a new pet.

 

[Cholo]

I hate those things! This was from last summer. One hole was under my PU truck and the other under my deck. Same dillo.

It had literally "tilled" my yard with its digging. I was going to get up at 4am and wait for it So far so good this year.

 

[black1970]

Shot at one last week just before dark on my firing range. First time seeing one. Shot 10 round magazine of 22 out of one of my 10-22’s. Thing never slowed down. They are about as fast as a rabbit. Time to break out the 221 Fireball.

 

[arfmel]

"I'm not sure why someone would shoot an armadillo, considering their value in eating undesirable insects."

One of my cows broke her leg (a death sentence) from stepping in an armadillo hole. I found her, still alive but unable to get up, with fire ants all over her. I had to put her out of her misery. That armadillo cost me about $1000. Not to mention the suffering of the cow.

That's why I kill 'em. Nasty little bastards.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Hmmmm... Hoover hog, 'possum on the half shell!

 

[Lt Choate]

So a couple of nights ago at 2330, while walking my dog, I saw a beast walking down the fence line towards me. I first thought it was a possum, but it turned out to be on the half shell lol. I had my RUGER LCP Max, drew and waited til it was 5-7 feet, and opened fire. Each time I shot it would hunker down, then get up and walk rapidly towards a blackkberry hell. After the fourth shot it made the safety of the blackberry patch. There are some holes in there, and he must have found one. The last armadillo I shot with a .380 only took two shots to succumb. I started questioning if I had indeed hit it. The next morning I went to my range and with some skeet targets I proved my shooting was adequate.
View attachment 52685
This was shot at 15 feet. I haven't smelled anything.
gramps

I hear what you're saying, Gramps.
I see that you live in Woodbury, down near Murfreesboro. I live in Dickson, so a few miles north and west, but those things have really taken over. That said, I still prefer them over the other recent visitor that is making a presence in the area...... Fire ants. If you have ever been on a horse that gets into one of their hills, then you know what an exciting time that can be.

 

[Fox Mike]

I have no explanation for this one.




View attachment 52770

Kinda like a post turtle

 

[Don Lovel]

My Airedale Gus lives to play with armadillos. Pure joy doing the puppy dance, making the Dillo jump and he jumps with it. Chased a really big fat one all over a mowed hay field for an hour until it got under a brush windrow Gus spent an hour circling the brush pile looking for it. He has now played with 5 of them, has not killed one yet but has rolled one all over the pasture like a soccer ball for an hour

 

[krw]

In my youth I deer hunted with 30-06 and always used 180gr Round Nose bullets. They will HULL an Armadillo!!

 

[DGW1949]

So the OP is saying that a .380 pocket pistol has been proven to stop an armadillo with 2 hits....but....this time it's believed that one got away after possibly being hit 4 times....And there's folks here that say they carry the same type of gun for self defense?....Hope that works out for 'em.

DGW

 

[Cofaler]

We saw a nice one just east of KC yesterday, legs up and not moving…

 

[GasGuzzler]

I'm not sure why someone would shoot an armadillo, considering their value in eating undesirable insects.

Guessing you don't have a nice yard or a house with a slab foundation. This topic reminds me I need to set my traps. You see, I found a 'dillo hole under my bedroom window. They dig under the slab. They also tear up the yard digging for insects. I spend a lot of time and some money on my yard in town. Armadillos are like feral pigs when it comes to destruction, only smaller. I'll take some pics of the golf course today to show what 'dillos do.

I have no explanation for this one.

I'd say large feline predator. They like to kill, climb, eat.

 

[TXTad]

Guessing you don't have a nice yard or a house with a slab foundation. This topic reminds me I need to set my traps. You see, I found a 'dillo hole under my bedroom window. They dig under the slab. They also tear up the yard digging for insects. I spend a lot of time and some money on my yard in town. Armadillos are like feral pigs when it comes to destruction, only smaller. I'll take some pics of the golf course today to show what 'dillos do.

I actually do, and we have armadillos.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I forgot to take pics of the 'dillo damage at the golf course but I have some tracks to show here. I have a new nest under my slab and now I'm seeing the nighttime activity by these guys. They may eat insects but they don't eat fire ants. See below.

Here's where the guy headed north last night. See the next caption.

And here's the other end of that track where he crossed into the street walking RIGHT BY an ant mound that showed no distress.