Got At Least One Armadillo Tonight

[Ezana4CE]

The Huben K1 caught some rec tonight. Here’s the setup: Huben K1 .22 w/Donny FL Tanto moderator, Wicked Lights ScanPro headlamp, Burris BTH50 Thermal hand scanner, Primary Arms 4x16x FFP IR ARC-2 MOA riflescope and a cheap Amazon hog light with a figure 8 clamp and a pressure switch. Shot FX 18.1 grain diabolo pellets.


I shot on three different occasions. I did some moderate stalking and had to wait these things out. I think I shot at least two different dillos. One jumped and ran into the treeline after taking a broadside shot. I’ll look for it tomorrow. The second shot opportunity sent one scrambling through the brush beneath this old broken down ramp. I know it was hit because I heard it whining. I tried kicking the ramp and shining lights under there but I couldn’t flush it out. I shot it one more time while it was beneath the ramp and that didn’t flush it out. I’m not sure if there’s a safety hole or burrow under there.


The third opportunity came after I left and returned. I picked this bugger up in my thermal scanner hanging around the underbelly of a trailer. We played ring-around-the-rosies until it presented a good shoot. I saw it heading to the other side of the trailer, so I swung around to meet it there then I kneeled in the grass. When it cleared the tires I left him have it.
Wham I heard it’s armor get pierced and it felt it as it turned slowly to go the other way, but it was hit so I shot again. Pop it fell to its side, but began scooting a bit. I shot again and it stopped moving and began whining. I then kept shooting until it was quiet. Thie whining is not audibly loud. It sounds like muffled squeaking. I think heavier pellets would be best, but these got the job done. Part of the issue was that I had no way to really gauge the range on my shots with one exception. When I shot beneath the ramp, I set my parallax knob to 10 yards and backed away from the ramp until the image was clear before shooting (that was the last shot when it holed up beneath the ramp). All other shots the parallax knob was set to 25 yards and I held according to what I thought the range was.

Here’s the dead dillo next to the red bowl. Note the red streak of blood running down the amor.


Hopefully tomorrow I’ll find at least two carcasses if nothing comes to carry them off and eat them tonight. I did see a possum in the vicinity not long before I shot the armadillo pictured above.

 

[MountainSportAirguns]

I envy you having even encountered one let alone actually taking one. Lol Terry and I spent an entire 4 days looking for them and the only ones we saw were dead on the road. When we drove out I had imagined them being like ground squirrels, running all over the place. They are very interesting creatures and can be super difficult to find and get a shot on, congratulations

 

[Ezana4CE]

I envy you having even encountered one let alone actually taking one. Lol Terry and I spent an entire 4 days looking for them and the only ones we saw were dead on the road. When we drove out I had imagined them being like ground squirrels, running all over the place. They are very interesting creatures and can be super difficult to find and get a shot on, congratulations

@MountainSportAirguns I mostly happen upon them at night. I usually spot them alone unless it's a mother with her young. I have learned more about the habits of armadillos around me in order to increase the probability of encountering them after seeing destructive patterns in proximity to structures and residences. I don't know a whole lot about them, but I feel like I've learned enough observing them over the years to stake some out to kill when they're being destructive or posing potential risk to damage structures and property. I wouldn't even chance it after some of the things I've seen that they can do. If I see them around my home more than once they have to go. What prompted me to get after them was that I was raking leaves and saw where they'd been digging in my yard beneath the fallen leaves. I think some live on an adjacent property because my pups and I have heard them over there on several nights rummaging through the brush. I don't want they burrowing around my home. Over the years Ive found a couple of burrows around the yard. They are difficult to fill in completely because it's hard to know how deep they are. I think tossing a bag of Quick-Crete in one can close it up and prevent them from digging it back out from that opening once it gets wet and hardens.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Recovered one carcass from beneath the trailer.


This is not exemplary of great shot placement, but I took the shots that were available. Once I shoot an animal i try to keep shooting until it falls. This is particularly true of nuisance animals. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered by hearing these animals whimper.

Doesn’t appear to have been any pass throughs, maybe one.


Here’s the area beneath the ramp. There appears to be a burrow so the one I shot under there may have crawled back down into it. The freshly turned over soil piled up is evidence of a burrow.


I didn’t see anything else besides a lot of holes that they dug to feed.

 

[MountainSportAirguns]

What's the size of them typically? What would be a big one? This one you took looks a bit smaller than a cat?

 

[Ezana4CE]

What's the size of them typically? What would be a big one? This one you took looks a bit smaller than a cat?

@MountainSportAirguns Hard to say. I’ve seen them different sizes. I’d say that theirs sizes range similar to that of a possum plus the bulk of the armor. They’re pretty heavy to me. The one pictured felt like maybe 25lbs in the shovel. That’s a conservative guess. That wasn’t what I’d call a big one. I’ve ran up on larger ones.

Edit: @MountainSportAirguns Here’s what TPWD has to say about the 9-banded armadillo. Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)

I guess I’ve been seeing big ones. Because their description makes them seem small. Either that or I’ve been overestimating their size.

 

[JimT66]

@MountainSportAirguns I mostly happen upon them at night. I usually spot them alone unless it's a mother with her young. I have learned more about the habits of armadillos around me in order to increase the probability of encountering them after seeing destructive patterns in proximity to structures and residences. I don't know a whole lot about them, but I feel like I've learned enough observing them over the years to stake some out to kill when they're being destructive or posing potential risk to damage structures and property. I wouldn't even chance it after some of the things I've seen that they can do. If I see them around my home more than once they have to go. What prompted me to get after them was that I was raking leaves and saw where they'd been digging in my yard beneath the fallen leaves. I think some live on an adjacent property because my pups and I have heard them over there on several nights rummaging through the brush. I don't want they burrowing around my home. Over the years Ive found a couple of burrows around the yard. They are difficult to fill in completely because it's hard to know how deep they are. I think tossing a bag of Quick-Crete in one can close it up and prevent them from digging it back out from that opening once it gets wet and hardens.

Hahahaha! I used the quick-crete several times filling in they burrows in and around our property as well. Only fix I know of to stop them from digging spots out again as well. We are over run by them here now, and no matter how many of them I kill off, it don't seem to slow them down.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Hahahaha! I used the quick-crete several times filling in they burrows in and around our property as well. Only fix I know of to stop them from digging spots out again as well. We are over run by them here now, and no matter how many of them I kill off, it don't seem to slow them down.

@JimT66 Are you in a rural wooded area as well? Do you know the soil type of the region that you live in?

 

[JimT66]

@JimT66 Are you in a rural wooded area as well? Do you know the soil type of the region that you live in?

We live at the foot of a mountain out in the county...definitely heavy woods, overrun by 'dillos, possums, deer, coyote, the occasional bear believe it or not, and big cats. Soil type is red clay and loamy dark rich dirt mix. Perfect for the grubs and worms the dillos eat.
@MountainSportAirguns I mostly happen upon them at night. I usually spot them alone unless it's a mother with her young. I have learned more about the habits of armadillos around me in order to increase the probability of encountering them after seeing destructive patterns in proximity to structures and residences. I don't know a whole lot about them, but I feel like I've learned enough observing them over the years to stake some out to kill when they're being destructive or posing potential risk to damage structures and property. I wouldn't even chance it after some of the things I've seen that they can do. If I see them around my home more than once they have to go. What prompted me to get after them was that I was raking leaves and saw where they'd been digging in my yard beneath the fallen leaves. I think some live on an adjacent property because my pups and I have heard them over there on several nights rummaging through the brush. I don't want they burrowing around my home. Over the years Ive found a couple of burrows around the yard. They are difficult to fill in completely because it's hard to know how deep they are. I think tossing a bag of Quick-Crete in one can close it up and prevent them from digging it back out from that opening once it gets wet and hardens.

Hahahaha! I used the quick-crete several times filling in they burrows in and around our property as well. Only fix I know of to stop them from digging spots out again as well. We are over run by them here now, and no matter how many of them I kill off,

 

[Ezana4CE]

@JimT66 Yea, they're not scratching through concrete. I just looked up your town and soil type. The town appears to have agricultural parcels, wooded areas, residential neighborhoods, and hills. It actually looks a lot more developed than where I live. Your area appears to have similar soil composition from what I found in a quick search. We also have sandy loam soil in my area. I think the topsoil and the type of activity and life that it facilitates are attractive to armadillos. Additionally wooded areas provide shelter in addition to burrows they dig around structures in proximity to the woods. I don't know how they make out in other regions like west Texas but I have read others talk about how they are often seen dead on the side of the road. Not here. I hardly ever see armadillos dead on the side of the road here. It's not like the carcass can be eaten swiftly without a trace. Nothing that I know of eats the armor. So this tells me that they aren't all over our roadways. They're in the woods. I've seen them in the woods, coming out of the woods, and going into the woods. When I read the comments of people in different regions with different soil compositions, drier climates, and in other states reading what I post like, "what is he talking about?" As if they can only behave like they do in the region they live in. Sometimes I just shake my head. Animals adapt to different regions differently. From many posts I've read from folks in Alabama, it appears that y'all have some similar topography to what's found in Deep East Texas.

 

[JimT66]

@JimT66 Yea, they're not scratching through concrete. I just looked up your town and soil type. The town appears to have agricultural parcels, wooded areas, residential neighborhoods, and hills. It actually looks a lot more developed than where I live. Your area appears to have similar soil composition from what I found in a quick search. We also have sandy loam soil in my area. I think the topsoil and the type of activity and life that it facilitates are attractive to armadillos. Additionally wooded areas provide shelter in addition to burrows they dig around structures in proximity to the woods. I don't know how they make out in other regions like west Texas but I have read others talk about how they are often seen dead on the side of the road. Not here. I hardly ever see armadillos dead on the side of the road here. It's not like the carcass can be eaten swiftly without a trace. Nothing that I know of eats the armor. So this tells me that they aren't all over our roadways. They're in the woods. I've seen them in the woods, coming out of the woods, and going into the woods. When I read the comments of people in different regions with different soil compositions, drier climates, and in other states reading what I post like, "what is he talking about?" As if they can only behave like they do in the region they live in. Sometimes I just shake my head. Animals adapt to different regions differently. From many posts I've read from folks in Alabama, it appears that y'all have some similar topography to what's found in Deep East Texas.

We have them all over the roadside here. I hit on a few weeks ago. Middle of the day. Wasn't but a few years ago they were a rarity to see. Not anymore!

 

[Centerfire]

The Huben K1 caught some rec tonight. Here’s the setup: Huben K1 .22 w/Donny FL Tanto moderator, Wicked Lights ScanPro headlamp, Burris BTH50 Thermal hand scanner, Primary Arms 4x16x FFP IR ARC-2 MOA riflescope and a cheap Amazon hog light with a figure 8 clamp and a pressure switch. Shot FX 18.1 grain diabolo pellets.
View attachment 9462

I shot on three different occasions. I did some moderate stalking and had to wait these things out. I think I shot at least two different dillos. One jumped and ran into the treeline after taking a broadside shot. I’ll look for it tomorrow. The second shot opportunity sent one scrambling through the brush beneath this old broken down ramp. I know it was hit because I heard it whining. I tried kicking the ramp and shining lights under there but I couldn’t flush it out. I shot it one more time while it was beneath the ramp and that didn’t flush it out. I’m not sure if there’s a safety hole or burrow under there.
View attachment 9463

The third opportunity came after I left and returned. I picked this bugger up in my thermal scanner hanging around the underbelly of a trailer. We played ring-around-the-rosies until it presented a good shoot. I saw it heading to the other side of the trailer, so I swung around to meet it there then I kneeled in the grass. When it cleared the tires I left him have it.
Wham I heard it’s armor get pierced and it felt it as it turned slowly to go the other way, but it was hit so I shot again. Pop it fell to its side, but began scooting a bit. I shot again and it stopped moving and began whining. I then kept shooting until it was quiet. Thie whining is not audibly loud. It sounds like muffled squeaking. I think heavier pellets would be best, but these got the job done. Part of the issue was that I had no way to really gauge the range on my shots with one exception. When I shot beneath the ramp, I set my parallax knob to 10 yards and backed away from the ramp until the image was clear before shooting (that was the last shot when it holed up beneath the ramp). All other shots the parallax knob was set to 25 yards and I held according to what I thought the range was.

Here’s the dead dillo next to the red bowl. Note the red streak of blood running down the amor.
View attachment 9464
View attachment 9465
Hopefully tomorrow I’ll find at least two carcasses if nothing comes to carry them off and eat them tonight. I did see a possum in the vicinity not long before I shot the armadillo pictured above.

Was fortunate to spot one a month ago. About 90 ft, .22 H&N 16.2 Hornet.
Stopped with one shot to body and adsorbed a couple more just in case.

 

[Old_School]

Growing up in S. Mississippi, we hunted them at night with .22LR rifles and handguns. I've seen them run off numerous times with multiple body hits with a rimfire. Only lung/heart shots would put them down on a regular basis. We found that warm summer nights after a rain were the most productive. They come out to dig for grubs and worms after a rain, as worms are near the surface of the soil in damp conditions and the soil is easier for the armadillos to dig.

Only shot one as a teen with an air rifle. Two of my buddies had Benjamin rifles, one in .177 and one had a .22. They both shot an armadillo we happened upon after pumping their rifles to maximum (10 pumps?). Neither the .177 or the .22 pellets would fully penetrate the armor from the side (pellet would flatten as soon as it entered the armor). I was using a Sheridan Blue Streak in .20 with the old cylindrical Sheridan pellets (essentially a slug). One shot through the head dispatched the 'dillo, but I resolved to never try that again with an air rifle. Maybe I would with a .30 caliber, but I'd consider it inhumane with anything less.

BTW, I did try shooting that 'dillo through the armor with that Sheridan after I had dispatched it. That cylindrical Sheridan "pellet" went right through the armor and made an outward bulge in the armor on the other side! I loved that old rifle!

 

[Ezana4CE]

Looks like I have e to get back on it. Woke up to this.


At first I thought it was a hog. When I looked closer at the damage I saw the typical cone-shaped armadillo holes. I’ve killed a few recently, but they just keep coming back