Armadillo work

Boattale

Boattale

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I've got a regular infestation of armadillo's ruining the yard. Finally got one last night right after dusk. 2 3/4" Remington #2x#4 worked perfect but I'm down to three of them left and can't find anymore. Did finally find a box of 2 3/4" #2 for $46 shipped. That's a little stiff but I guess it is what it is. Big lead shot works wonders on them and the shotgun is needed at night over a .22. It's actually kind of fun looking for them and preparing to repel boarders. This thing that stays by the back door isn't fancy, but Armadillo's don't seem to care, and I happen to like it.

Any advice on getting more of them in front of the gun?
Back door 3.jpg
 
Find their hiding spot . If it's a hole under a foundation or similar you put the open end of your live trap right at the opening. They blunder in . Then shoot in the head but blood can shoot out several feet.
 
When I don't feel like reloading, Academy, Walmart etc usually has small game, birdshot, skeet loads reasonably priced. Armadillo do not have great sight. Walking slowly and quite sometimes you can get close enough to catch one. I just get within 20 to 30 steps and shoot. Skeet loads have worked fine. Some of the good old boys from Texas that have been dealing with them forever can add colorful ways to destroy them.
 
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Show Me said:
Find their hiding spot . If it's a hole under a foundation or similar you put the open end of your live trap right at the opening. They blunder in . Then shoot in the head but blood can shoot out several feet.
Click to expand...
When I was a kid we had one that got under the small slab that our HVAC unit was positioned on. My father poured moth balls down that hole for weeks until the ‘dillo eventually vacated the hole. We promptly poured quick crete in that hole and he never returned.
 
I've killed around 100 of them in my yard since about 1985 with a Ruger 10/22 loaded with hollow points. I think in that whole time I've only had 2 of them escape after I spotted them. In a broadside shot most of the time the bullet doesn't exit the off side the hide/shell will be cracked a little where the bullet almost made it out. If you catch them in alive trap don't leave them in it to long or the damn thing will destroy your trap. Little buggers are like a mini bulldozer.
 
Kill the grubs/bugs in your lawn/yard and the armadillos will move on...
But shooting them is more fun.
Yes, poor eyesight so they walk along a wall or fence with their whiskers touch that wall/fence.
If using a trap set it along that wall/fence.
They are able to arch their back and break the wire welds on a have-a-heart trap, so get them out soon after trapping.
jmo,
.
 
I've found #6 shot out of just about any gauge kills them well. They're easy enough to sneak up on; I walked down six in my grandparents pasture one afternoon with a single shot 410. The farthest shot was 50 feet, the closet about 15. All that to say, no need to spend a lot of money to kill them.

Recently, I've gone to a mag light and 45 auto for the ones in my backyard. Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way that 230 grain ball isn't good at stopping them! Luckily, Sellier and Belliot makes a good 230gr HP that my 1911 feeds for only $27/50. Not exactly cheap but cheap enough to waste on varmints. If the dogs would ever learn how to kill them, I could save a lot of money on ammo!

Mac
 
Simple answer to finding the 2x4s is to load them. A basic Lee load-all is sufficient and plentiful. A couple bags of shot will easily be the most expensive part of the initial outlay. I have seen the loaders in the 70 dollar range, shot is about 40 a bag but you need 2s and 4s. Primers are $4 per tray, and shot wads are $25 for big bag. Powder 35 a pound.

$230initial outlay (5 trays of primers). Hulls are easy to pick up from a trap shoot. You make 500 rounds this way. Assuming you never use the Lee loader again you are at basically 46 cents per shot, and have a whole lot of ammo to use. Then sell the loader if you don’t want to load any more and that cuts down your investment to about $180 for the 500 shells.

Reloading is not for everybody, but it’s not brain surgery. It’s the only way to get a lot of the old school specialty loads nobody makes anymore, and it’s the far cheaper way to get things like the 2x4 loads. I really like 4x8 and 4x6 loads.
 
Boattale said:
Any advice on getting more of them in front of the gun?
Click to expand...

Digital Night Vision or Thermal and you won't need the shotgun. The .22 will do just fine.

If I was going to go the cheaper route, it would be with something like a DNT Optics Zulus for as little at $400.00.

Thermal would work better, but then you are probably going to want to spend over a grand and you would want at least 384 resolution unless you plan on getting close. If you are shooting them at 20-50 yards, you could get away with 256 resolution and spend less than a grand.
 
Brings back memories, as a kid/teenager about twice a year me and my brother would load up in the back of dad’s truck and ride the pastures a couple hours after dark. We killed a lot of them just spotlighting, I’d be surprised if that was legal but they kill cows so that’s just how it went.
 
We don't have armadillos this far North, as well as many other unpleasant flora and fauna found in the South. We do, however, have raccoons, skunks and opossums.

I find my leftover steel waterfowl ammunition of #3 or larger shot to work well. After waterfowl season, I cull the shells showing some rust spots on the bases, and use those for "barn" loads. When those are expended, my late season pheasant HV lead #4 1 1/4oz comes into play. Based on other comments, seems boutique shells are not needed for armadillo, so any HV #4 or 5 lead, or #3 or larger steel loading should suffice and be a less expensive option. The steel loads will throw a very tight pattern at distance with even an IC choke, Mod tends to throw almost a turkey pattern, Full may throw tight or blow up and get splotchy...you'll have to test yourself. Just make sure your loads are clocking 1400fps or higher steel, 1300 or higher lead. Velocity kills. A quick visit to your local sporting goods store should turn up some conventional Steel #2HV or #4 lead field loads in the $20-25 range.

https://www.natchezss.com/ammunitio...tLink&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=56335 Had to scroll a long ways down ammoseek to find a seller I'm familiar with. There were less expensive options higher up if you've heard of and trust them. This load should work swimmingly for anything smaller than a coyote. I'd feel confident dispatching a coon to 40 yards with a tight choked gun and this load. Any farther, I'd expect to shoot a few shells and have to run it down.
 
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Boattale said:
Any advice on getting more of them in front of the gun?
Click to expand...

Set these out where they are causing damage.



You can funnel them with a 2x6 on the ground, they bump into them and keep going. They also are not very aware of what is around them, I use .22 CeeBees in an old Remington fieldmaster pump and a flashlight. I grab them by the tail with channel locks to drag them off.

cvmbs.source.colostate.edu

New evidence that wild armadillos spread leprosy to humans

An international team of researchers has found that human contact with wild armadillos — including eating the meat — has contributed to extremely high infection rates of a pathogen that can cause leprosy.
cvmbs.source.colostate.edu cvmbs.source.colostate.edu
 
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Tilos said:
Kill the grubs/bugs in your lawn/yard and the armadillos will move on...
But shooting them is more fun.
Yes, poor eyesight so they walk along a wall or fence with their whiskers touch that wall/fence.
If using a trap set it along that wall/fence.
They are able to arch their back and break the wire welds on a have-a-heart trap, so get them out soon after trapping.
jmo,
.
Click to expand...
Kinda hard to kill the grubs/worms off of 30 acres.
 
br549arkie said:
Kinda hard to kill the grubs/worms off of 30 acres.
Click to expand...

I found free range chickens to do the trick. During the day they eat the food the armadillos are after at night.

However, everything likes to eat chickens so now you are going to have an entirely different set of problem animals to contend with. Pretty much everything that is not a herbivore.
 
jmorris said:
I found free range chickens to do the trick. During the day they eat the food the armadillos are after at night.

However, everything likes to eat chickens so now you are going to have an entirely different set of problem animals to contend with. Pretty much everything that is not a herbivore.
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Yep, had chickens years ago. Hawks and coyotes really liked them.
 
Yeah, and you can't do anything about the hawks. You don't need an exterminator to keep bugs out of the house though.

I don't kill every armadillo I come across though, just the ones that tear up the irrigated portion of the yard around the house.
 
We've got chickens that free range. Spend the night in a highly predator resistant pen. Had predators take a few a couple of times but they're worth the trouble.
About the armadillo problem. I haven't seen another one or any fresh damage since the last successful hunt. Surprised, but happy. Still keeping watch.
 
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jmorris said:
Yeah, and you can't do anything about the hawks. You don't need an exterminator to keep bugs out of the house though.

I don't kill every armadillo I come across though, just the ones that tear up the irrigated portion of the yard around the house.
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I actually had a hawk come down and nail one of my ducks when I was only about 25 feet away. Shot that hawk to.
 
Legally, lethal control of hawks can only be performed with a permit granted by the federal government and often state wildlife agencies.

That said, I've seen them too.

E8081450-711D-4561-9AC3-72B9CA239F5E.jpeg
 
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