Armadillos

[The Kill Dozer]

Ok so my friend and I love shooting. Absolutely love it. And I have a pretty serious armadillo infestation on my property, and with cattle around they could break their legs by falling in their holes.. I am wanting to buy a .223. Is this too much overkill? He shoots a .17 and it does just fine, but I want something large enough I could shoot deer with also. I have a .22, but would like to get something a little larger.

[Superdave70_02]

Not overkill IMHO. Actually a vmax bullet would do a very good job on armadillos and you could stretch out a few shots to get ready for deer.

[The Kill Dozer]

The .22 does the trick most of the time, but they don't always drop. I'm a deer hunter, but also love plinking. Thought the .223 would be perfect

[Cheapshooter]

I have a .22, but would like to get something a little larger.

As good of an excuse to buy a new rifle as any. Now you're on the cheapshooter mind train!

[Buzzcook]

.223 45gr bullets are good for small game and varmints.

You don't really care if you blow those little dinosaurs up do you? Not like you're going to throw them into the stew pot.

[troopcom]

I'd shoot them with my SKS, but that's just me. I want to see them explode. They do dig a lot of holes!

[Art Eatman]

Be careful! The armadillo is the world's most vicious animal! You can often see them lying on their backs on a highway, waiting to grab a car!

[PawPaw]

When I was in the cattle business, I shot every armadillo that came across my path. I hated dragging the darn things off, so I learned that if I put a lung shot through them with a .22LR, they'd jump straight up in the air, then head for their hole at a dead run. Self-burying varmints. It don't get better than that.

[aarondhgraham]

Like Cheapshooter said,,,
You won't come up with a better "new rifle" excuse.

Besides,,,
Even though they're varmints,,,
It's much more humane to kill them cleanly.

Myself,,,
When I was eradicating them,,,
I used an H&R Handi-Rifle in .357 Magnum.

Aarond

[kraigwy]

I have a question about armadillos.

I've never seen one (except for a road kill or two). So this is based on ZERO knowledgee of armadillos.

Last month we went to OK to visist wife's mother. She has a small farm in eastern OK and said she had hogs tearing up everything and wanted me to thin them out.

Turned out there were no fresh sign of hogs but anyway.

I always carry my 642 in my pocket, and when walking around MIL place looking for hog sign, my wife and MIL throw a fit, saying a 38 wont do in an Armadillo, because of the heavy shell. They insisted I take my Model 29, (which I planed on using for hogs).

Come on now, those suckers can't be that tuff. Am I right in thinking that a 38 will keep you from getting eatin by armadillo's?

I didn't see any armadillos though lots of sign.

Did thin out the turtles on her two ponds, that was fun. Those little heads are hard to see, plus the suckers are fast.

[aarondhgraham]

Armadillos are the Okie equivalent of a carnivorous Rhinoceros,,,
They will drag your leg into their hole and feast on you for a week.

But seriously, their shell isn't that thick,,,
Although they can deflect a .22 if it's an extreme angle glancing shot.

Your .38 will do the trick very nicely,,,
The model 29 will explode them.

Aarond

P.S. Next time you're in OkieLand let me know,,,
If you aren't to far away we could meet up.

It would be pleasant to share a face to face with you.

.

[Hog Buster]

We’re loaded with the little varmints here. They tear up my garden every year, this year was especially bad. They ain’t hard to kill, anything from a .17HMR up will do the job. They are pretty tough however. Like Paw Paw if you hit them with a .22 they flip and flop for a few seconds and generally run off to die somewhere else.

Last year I grabbed my .375 Winchester to do one in. Hit dead center with a cast bullet and watched him start flipping. Put the rifle down and was amazed to see him stop flipping and run off into the woods with a hole as big as a golf ball thru his shell. Like I said they’re tough little varmints.

Any expanding bullet for any deer caliber rifle or pistol will generally disembowel them, which can leave a mess to clean up, if shot around the house.

When caught live they can pinch or cut your hand with the sections of their shell or tail. They can also scratch you with their long sharp claws. There's been some study done that they may be carriers of leprosy. Might be a good reason not to handle them at all.

[GeauxTide]

In my younger days, I stepped in an Armadillo hole and cracked my privates. I found that mutha and proceeded to place 5 shots from my SBH, from 10 feet, using 225 Speer HPs @ 1500fps. He stopped jumping after the 5th shot. Tough SOBs.

[briandg]

yes, they do carry leprosy. The particular variant in the bacteria that cause Hansen's Disease (leprosy) has been found in humans, so there is, in fact, transmission going on from the dillos to people who handle them.

In .223, I'd pass on the ultra frangible varmint rounds, like the barnes varmint grenade, as probably any of them will vaporize on the shell and may not get in a real killing wound unless you bang them in the vitals. dunno. I feel pretty certain that any round that doesn't disintegrate in .223 will blow their inards out like a shaken coke.

IMO, I'm not liking .223 for deer. Your choice, though, since this is going to be your only rifle.

[Hog Buster]

As a kid I never saw armadillos here in south Louisiana, but the older I got the more I saw. They started migrating in from the west many years ago, along with the coyotes. For years they never were seen east of the Mississippi river, but the numbers grew here on the west bank. Gradually they found their way across the river and started showing up east of the Mississippi. Now they are everywhere. It’s not uncommon to have an infestation in the New Orleans suburbs and are occasionally seen in town.

Same for the coyotes. The first we saw, we thought were dogs. Then more and more. Crossing the Mississippi river slowed them down for a while too. Now they’ve gotten across and invading the New Orleans suburbs also.

Both being destructive pests, they’re outlaws, and around here are shot on sight.

[Art Eatman]

Armadillos go totally nutzoidal over earthworms. So, make a box of window-screen wire, put some worms in it and hang it a couple of feet off the ground. Sit back and shoot.

[bamaranger]

I've shot plenty...and I keep score..........current tally...212!!!

Shot them with a wide variety of guns, even a couple with my bow and field points, not recommended, they run off w/ your arrow!

A .22 will normally sail right through one, and that's what I have used on most of them. They are destructive pests on lawns, golf courses, etc.

I read long ago about the leprosy business and typically don't handle them.
By morning, the coyotes drag most of them off.

I peppered one with a load of #8 shot from a .410 at 20 yds or so (my normal snake/pest gun) and it ran off, so I and switched to the .22.

My big golden retriever "Bama" used to kill them outright, but alas, the old dog is gone now.

Hey, any excuse for a new rifle. If the neighborhood can stand the noise why not a .223???!?

Shoot them with your bow and they might run off with your arrow!

[Shotgun693]

We used to shoot their heads off with .38s. We ate'm all the time then they picked up the leprosy bug. I haven't eaten one in about 30 years. I have fond memories of grilled Armadillo.

[briandg]

I believe that the first sighting I heard of here was in the area of 25 years ago. Get out on the roads during the season and the armadillos will outnumber every other kind of roadkill.

used to see a lot of skunks on the roads, not any more. Only occasionally see a raccoon. you could go through this area collecting dead possums at a penny a piece and buy microsoft next month. Armadillos, it's not uncommon to take a 5-10 mile trip and see a half dozen.

But, to be honest, they're a bit more durable than possums, so some of them may have been there for a month or two.

[Hog Buster]

The few that ate them here called them “Possum on the Half Shell”...... While us coonasses eat just about anything, I had to draw the line at armadillo.

[POKEYJOE04]

I shot one with a .35 Remington. Seemed to be adequate. Shot another with a 16 gauge and 1 oz of 6s. Not so adequate. He got away.

[The Kill Dozer]

Well I live in OK, and there are a bunch around. I have a 7mm-08 for deer, along with numerous .22's and shotguns.. Normal Redneck stuff But 7mm-08 rounds are wayyy too expensive!! And Like you said.. A new gun is a New gun..

[dc88]

My dad used to eat em growin up so if your plannin to do the same, dont use anythin thats gonna make em disappear.

If you do wanna eat em, catch em every now n then. If you catch em by the tail just keep on holdin on, the crackin feelin is normal, its not their tail commin off or anything.

[Bamashooter]

I was deer hunting many years ago with my SKS and it was near total darkness. I was about to head for the truch when an armadillo walked almost right up to where I was sitting. I couldnt resist and put a shot through the side of the armadillo and using a soft lead 7.62x39 bullet it was a sight to see. There was chunks of that poor little critter blown all over the place. I have shot them with just about every caliber I have ever owned. I have yet to take one out with one of my mosin nagants. That might be a mess for sure. Happy hunting.

[dalegribble]

i think an armadillo pelt hanging on a wall would be cool. how would you skin one, with a can opener?