Badgers are TOUGH

[DocD5150]

We have a ton of badgers in my area. I always wanted to get one. It wasnt until one year that I was in my usual coyote spot. Of all the varmints/predators I've ever hunted, nothing gets me going more than badger. Up until this point, I had only seen a handful of them and they were gone in the blink of eye. Well I started noticing more holes along the roadside embankments everywhere. The landowner of the private property I have permission to hunt on told me about them becoming a nuisance and how they were tearing up his crops. He said get rid of them. I had actually proposed to relocate them, but after talking to local F&G, they said the live transport of a furbearer animal anywhere wasnt allowed. So I went with my only option. If anyone ever tells you that a badger cant run fast, WRONG. These things have had me on a dead run. I ran track for some time and have always been pretty athletic, but these things can gas you out. Yeah, I could have sniped them down with a rifle, but I enjoy the challenge of taking them with a bow or handgun. Anyways, one of my primary go to handguns is the big ol S&W 460 Mag. I even prefer it over the 500 S&W mag for its versatility to shoot, 460, 454 Casull, 45 Colt, and if you can find the ammo, the 45 Schofield. Badger meat isnt all that bad either. Its a unique taste and hard to describe. Everything I have ever taken with the 460 has been out cold on the spot. A badger is the only thing I've ever hit it with and it ran almost 100 yards before gassing out. I've had them run under the truck before going about 45 down a dirt road and they without any exaggeration, will jerk the steering wheel out of your hand and get up and run away. Badgers, in my opinion, other than wolverines, are pound for pound one of the toughest creatures out there.

 

[rklein]

I grew up on a farm and ranch in southeast NM. We used to run into badgers fairly frequently, as mentioned they are hell on farm fields. They are tough and aggressive if you get close to them. While a .460 mag will certainly kill a badger, I've killed more with a .22 than anything. One day while coyote hunting my dad and I heard a god awful racket while we were walking between stands. It was two badgers fighting. We did the 1-2-3 countdown and fired simultaneously. I killed mine and his required a quick follow up shot.

 

[DocD5150]

I grew up on a farm and ranch in southeast NM. We used to run into badgers fairly frequently, as mentioned they are hell on farm fields. They are tough and aggressive if you get close to them. While a .460 mag will certainly kill a badger, I've killed more with a .22 than anything. One day while coyote hunting my dad and I heard a god awful racket while we were walking between stands. It was two badgers fighting. We did the 1-2-3 countdown and fired simultaneously. I killed mine and his required a quick follow up shot.

I don’t doubt you one bit! It’s just that when I’m hunting, my primary hand gun is the 460, 10mm or 357 mag. I only carry my .22 hunting if I’m after grouse, squirrels or rabbits usually. My friends give me crap for the 460 and say I’m compensating for something, lol. But yeah, I hear others say .22 effectively take badgers. I don’t doubt it one bit. It’s fascinating how .22 penetrates and just ricochets inside. 22 is all I use to dispatch when trapping.

 

[Blacktail_Packer]

I’ve always found those critters fascinating.
The shapes Mother Nature creates to fill nitches are the reason I will never stop wondering.

 

[Beendare]

Yep ....pound for pound toughest I've seen.

We used to run dogs for hogs and one day the dogs came across a mama badger and 3 babies crossing a 2 track right in front of us- big mistake? Ugh no. That mama fought off 5 battle tested hog dogs [one a pit bull] for 5 minutes. That mama Badger was like a Tasmaniam devil, I've never seen an animal so fast in a short distance.

She had one dog ham strung and whining like crazy then would go after another. When the pit bull went after her baby she intercepted him and somehow lightning fast grabbed him by the upper gums as he was trying to chomp one of the cubs.

It took us awhile to leash up the dogs....for their own good!

One of the craziest things I've seen in the woods...

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