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Blasted Armadillos

4K views 36 replies 21 participants last post by  arleigh 
#1 ·
To say we have an armadillo problem is an understatement!

They have totally destroyed the garden, about 80% of the new sprouts have all been turned over in the 1/2 acre garden.

This year has been the absolute worst for dillos for a few reasons. The biggest is I used to live at the house on this property and would be able to dispatch them. A guy at my age, you wake up about 3-4 times a night to go to the break room as I call it. So there was no need to set an alarm clock at night to go hunt them. (For you Yankees reading this, they only come out at night)

The next reason is it has been especially dry out so we have been irrigating and they only go to where you water, the turf grass and of course the garden.

There are 3 methods of getting rid of them that I know of.
  1. Hunting them, can only do between 11pm and 4am. This has been the most successful resolution... When I decide to spend the night in the old creepy house.
  2. Perimeter Control, we do have 2"x4" fencing but the property is 9 acres and there always seems to be a dig here and there.
  3. Trapping, We have tried putting live box traps on the inside of the fence digs with poor success. We have also used 2x6 boards propped on end, in the shape of a V, to funnel them into a trap. This has had limited success as well.

    Unlike a **** or opossum, there is no bait they are attracted to.

    Has anyone out there had any sort of success getting rid of their dillos?
 
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#2 ·
While they are present in my neighborhood, they are not seen on my property. Something about three farm dogs that keeps them away.
I live in northwest florida. Armadillos search and dig for small critters to eat and do a lot of damage to gardens while pursuing food by digging. They are mostly nocturnal and that is the best time to encounter them.
 
#4 ·
The only way we ever got rid of ours was to just shoot them and then put the carcasses in the outlying area where we thought their paths were. Took a couple of months but they seemed to stop. Have to do it every year though.

My dad after shooting 2 to 3 of them in 1 night would then make a stew out of them from a great grandmothers recipe that has been passed down. Takes about 3 to 4 to make enough for several people. Tastes just like beef stew to me. MMMmm good.
 
#6 ·
The only success I've had was the trusty shotgun. The last one I shot was out and about around 8pm, kind of early but dark. Fortunately it was nicely lit up by the security light on the corner of the house. Easy shot.

Just make sure you're downwind. They're about blind and deaf but have an extra sharp sense of smell and if they catch wind of you, they'll boogie up in a heartbeat. The first time I ever saw one run I was shocked at how fast they are!
 
#9 ·
I live in an urban area, so my property is not nearly so large as yours. Had some armadillos once. My neighbor and I both spread coyote urine (in a powder form) around the areas they frequent. That apparently did the trick.

Clearly not practical for 9 acres. But maybe for spots like your garden, etc. where they are a particular problem.

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#10 ·
Perimeter Control, we do have 2"x4" fencing but the property is 9 acres and there always seems to be a dig here and there.
Can dillos climb a fence?

Some posts and chicken wire just for the primary garden area might keep them out. Lay some on the ground so they cannot dig.

A diversion area might work. In Minnesota, we always had squirrels and deer raiding the bird feeders until we set up separate feeders away from the bird feeders. Those feeders were filled with corn, which the squirrels and deer preferred. Is there a food the dillos prefer that could be set up in an unfenced patch away from the main garden?

Other than that, it might be fun to invest in a night vision scope.
 
#12 ·
Box-style cage traps set at the corners of buildings and fences. I've noticed that armadillos like to travel close to things like that. They just plod along, right into the trap. Caught lots and lots of them that way.
 
#14 ·
There are only two ways to deal with pest armadillos...

1. Lay ambush and kill them. A pitchfork is all you need. I used to pitchfork dozens per night.

2. Purchase some good gauge fencing, paint the lower 12" with vinyl paint and fence around the garden. The vinyl coated fencing will not deteriorate under the ground and will last for years. Utilize the fence b planting your beans and other vines around the perimeter.

*NOTE* - If you have chickens, they will pick every bean through the fence. If you have them, put chicken wire on the outside of the fence to prevent them from stealing your beans.


From my experience, urine doesn't work or works for only a short period of time. If they are hungry, they will take a chance in getting it being extra wary. This goes for any animal.
 
#16 ·
I have shot at my estimates over the last 12 years, maybe 300. About 30 per year. It does appear that this is the best way. I have paid employees to sit out all night and watch for them. Some have done it just for the fun of it.

This year, I only have 1 employee and he did it for a bit but was not to hip on staying up all night. The homestead 2 years ago was turned into a business and the bed room doesn't have a bed in it any more.

I think I am going to have to invest in a daybed and just sped some time here again.

I think getting out there and checking every inch of fencing so they stop coming in and then get rid of what's inside the fence with Mr. Remmington is the only way.
 
#18 ·
KS, I did use my sr556 once vs the rem870 and it blew the inside out. Basically it was like taking a hotdog out of a hotdog bun,,, and just leaving the bun.

These things smell horrendous, some earlier said the eat them... Dude,,, it would have to be way way past an end of the world event for me ever to want to eat one of these things.

Another time I hit one with 00 at close range. It was like shooting a 2 litter bottle of pop, it exploded parts everywhere. Tip: Don't shoot at close range.
 
#23 ·
Do you have a 22mag? That might be a good choice.
Great excuse to pick up a CMR30 or PMR30?
If no suppressor, KSA is making a cheap 22mag bolt gun, and both Savage and Ruger make good threaded options.
You know, any excuse to add to the gun safe... :thumb:

One of my deer hunting areas is at a buddies place near Fall River KS, has 180 acres of rolling hills and creeks, even cliffs.
BUT, anything close to flat gets 'dillos all through it. I've shot over a dozen out there, but I usually use what I brought for deer. I'm just killing them to get rid of them, and just let the coyotes clean up. A 308 will open one up like a can, though. Messy.
 
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#22 ·
The only way I know is hunting them with a .410 with a flashlight attached. And yes I've done it and hate the 11-4 am shift. One thing I did is set the sprinklers for a certain time and I could tell whether they came before or after watering and I narrowed the window down to about a two hours. There is no way to bait them..

I have a couple right now that I've been thinking about going after. They're making a mess of the beds next to the house.
 
#26 ·
Some I know put motion detectors in his wife's flower garden that would play dixie in the bed room and he would get up with a at first a gun that I lent him and later purchased a 12 ga shot gun that he also used on the SE diamond backs that were showing up in his Florida subdivision.
 
#27 ·
Drought here, so they are tearing up any irrigated yards and gardens...
If you don't water... It helps.

I've trapped 7 this year by placing trap next to fence where the game trail is... Also... A number of raccoons and possums.

Spreading the chicken wire over the ground and covering with soil... Didn't work for me... Spent a ton of time checking the fences for new holes and patching them... And still having trouble... Seemed like they were climbing the fence... Much easier to locate the place where they are coming through and place the trap there...

At my previous garden... I'd set the alarm... Get up and chase them with an axe... Worked on the dumb ones... When the dumb ones were gone... Life got hard.

They would run like a broken field runner... When I lit them up with flashlight and once out of light? They would freeze... Try laying the light on them then!

They blend in...

Some people have some luck with electric fencing...
 
#32 ·
Drought here, so they are tearing up any irrigated yards and gardens...
If you don't water... It helps.

I've trapped 7 this year by placing trap next to fence where the game trail is... Also... A number of raccoons and possums.

Spreading the chicken wire over the ground and covering with soil... Didn't work for me... Spent a ton of time checking the fences for new holes and patching them... And still having trouble... Seemed like they were climbing the fence... Much easier to locate the place where they are coming through and place the trap there...

At my previous garden... I'd set the alarm... Get up and chase them with an axe... Worked on the dumb ones... When the dumb ones were gone... Life got hard.

They would run like a broken field runner... When I lit them up with flashlight and once out of light? They would freeze... Try lBaying the light on them then!

They blend in...

Some people have some luck with electric fencing...
Armadillos can jump and jump high if they choose to. The very first one I ever shot jumped nearly six feet into the air (near eye level). Since I was only a few feet away from him it startled the crap out of me. So, if there's a fence in the way, they may just jump over it..
 
#28 ·
I get good kills with .22 LR

Have not found a USE for this: but 6" PVC vertical in the ground, if I do not put a cap on (it's for valve access) it will get one from time to time. If I put the bottom 1/4 of a Plastic drum over it, with one side propped up just a little bit... (don's ask), I had 2 stuck head down in there in one night...
 
#30 ·
Actually, it isn't a 6 inch pipe... It's a 8 inch pipe.
Cut to 2 ft or so... A cap on the end... Buried at an angle with just the mouth showing above the soil line.
Armadillo go in, but can't back out.
But they don't work after a while... Used long enough... Armadillo soon avoid them.
But.. Yeah... Buried in a garden bed where the armadillo are visiting... The pipe traps did for a few armadillo for me too.... But alas... No more.

Sux having to dig up the trap each time that I caught one....
 
#33 ·
armadillo pipe trap


We use an 8 inch pipe in these parts... purchased in a plumbing supply center... comes in 10 foot lengths... use a sawzall or chain saw to cut into appropriate lengths... one length of pipe wil produce 3 or 4 traps...

A 6 inch pipe doesn't seem large enough for the armadillo to fit inside.


Might need a cap... seems to help.
I drilled holes through the cap to prevent filling with water from the rain or the irrigation water. When there's water in the trap the armadillo drown... so ... the holes may be optional... if they are drowned, don't have to kill... but all that water makes the trap heavy to dig back up...


a trap that is in the ground... a few years since I installed it...
Like I said... the traps stopped working.
 

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#35 ·
This is a 3' long piece of 6" SDR PVC pipe that is access to an underground valve. I normally keep a 6" PVC cap on the top, but needed the cap some place else for a short term, and covered with an upside down bottom of a 55gal plastic barrel that is about 12" deep (use for water tank for sheep), but it did not lay flat, one edge was 3-4" off the ground.
 
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