Say What

[Dutch]

We see armadillos and ground hogs we shoot them because of the damage that they do.  We normally leave them for the eagles, buzzards and yotes but if you guys want to eat them, I’ll pm you and let you know where you can come and pick them up.

[FishnDave]

4 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

At one point I tapped it on the head with my 9'ft flyrod (yes @BilletHead and @FishnDave I have fly fished). 

pictures or it didn't happen. 😄 

@Ham and I saw an armadillo rummaging around in the woods along a river on Tuesday.

[oneshot]

Ate Groudhog really like them.

This one is too old.

oneshot

 

[MOPanfisher]

Groundhog ain't bad, kind of like a big squirrel. 

[BilletHead]

7 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

I saw my first live one while in Baton Rouge back in the 90s. I chased it and grabbed it. It felt like a warm nerf football. Immediately as I grabbed it, this went through my mind. Two things that I know about armadillos  - they can carry leprosy and they escape by jumping straight up. With my face directly above the animal I let it go almost immediately after catching it 😅

I used to see them along the Current River mostly upstream of Bapist camp. On one rip I heard one in the brush and it was coming towards me. I was right next to the bank. I just stood there watching it. It kept getting closer. At one point I tapped it on the head with my 9'ft flyrod (yes @BilletHead and @FishnDave I have fly fished). That spurred it to get even closer. Soon it was digging under one of my wader boots. Then it got on top of my foot. I gently began to lift up my foot. It stayed on my boot until my foot was about 6 to 8 inches off the ground then it jumped off into the river. In the river it jumped swam back to the bank. Those animals are pretty much blind and they are not gifted in terms of intelligence.

                 Good story,

 BUT have you caught one by the tail? They can sure kick and it's hard to hang onto them.  Then Pat has taken one out with a metal cross arm brace and I doubled up with two as I went Samauri on them with a machete. Yes, they have very poor eyesight but if you sneak in slow and don't hit the ground hard with your foot or get in the front of their line of travel you can get on top of them.  

  I did notice something neat. When we had the peak years of Japanese beetles out armadillos were at a peak too. The extension office located at our courthouse told me after a couple years the beetles would taper off but never disappear. So, when the beetles settled down so did the armadillo. Makes sense I would move too when my food was gone. Way less now on roads too. No free pass here if they show up. 

[jdmidwest]

I have heard they squirt crap at you in self defense.

I do pop them at the farm whenever I see them.  They dig holes out in the field that livestock can fall into.

They pop real loud when hit with HV ammo and jump straight up.  Makes a good show.  Invasive species, get rid of them.

[Terrierman]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:37 AM, MOPanfisher said:

First one I grabbed I was surprised at how heavy it was, dropped it and away he ran.  I killed a young one last weekend, it was warm and he was out nosing around,bad choice for him.  Armadillos get no quarter from me.

Me neither.  They get the gun.

[Terrierman]

21 hours ago, MOPanfisher said:

Groundhog ain't bad, kind of like a big squirrel. 

They are a lot harder to skin than any squirrel I ever cleaned.  And they need pressure cooker treatment just like a big squirrel.  

[fishinwrench]

Having never sampled it, I'm pretty sure that groundhog is something to put on the list of "Things I can eat if I'm starving".   I'd probably choose it over a coyote or a cocker spaniel. 

Nobody is looking forward to it, but there may come a time when protein trumps everything else.....and whaddya know, there's a groundhog. 😐

[Ham]

I think most animals have more going on in their minds than we give them credit for, well except for armadillos. They are myopic and very dim.