Badger Hunts (pics)

Originally Posted By: Duane@ssuThat's the great thing about hunting, we can all base our diff ideas on diff experience.Doesn't mean right or wrong,just diff ideas.
If you wanna take body shots that's your call,personally when clients(regardless of what they are shooting)
want a badger for a rug, or a mount, I recommend head or neck shots. I don't like to shovel.
As for center chest and exit thru the back,that to me is not a "poor shot", guts, butt,low chest,any leg, all poor shots.
I'm closing in on 500 badgers killed myself or by clients,I've seen plenty go down a hole due to poor shot placement.
My point is "a poor hit is a poor hit, caliber does not matter"

I agree- and my point is I don't have to be anywhere as precise with the .243wssm as with the .17. I don't think you'd disagree with that. I've hit plenty in the guts and had them lay there until I could finish them off. I watched Gary gut shoot one with a .22-250 Monday and it didn't budge. I do think we're each just going off our own experience. I haven't personally killed 500, but I'd be willing to bet somewhere north of 200 with a variety of rifles. I take people out all the time. It's just been my experience that the more powerful guns have a shock effect that makes them stay put to a degree not seen quite so much with .223 on down -with badgers anyways.
 
Duane- you are exactly right. A lot of hunters think if they get a big enough gun, it will make up for poor marksmanship. It don't.
 
Originally Posted By: YellowhammerDuane- you are exactly right. A lot of hunters think if they get a big enough gun, it will make up for poor marksmanship. It don't.

You think what you want. Don't make one wit of difference to me.
 
Brendan- that wasn't directed at you, I just think he made a good point generally speaking.

I think you are right, there is a big difference in getting hit with a 17 and something a lot bigger. That shouldn't be a substitute for putting it where you want it, though.

I'm sure you don't, but some do.
 
I don't "do" (can't afford) taxidermy, but I'd probably find the bucks to have that "blond" badger at least tanned. That's a good looking speciman, just going by the pic.
 
this is a little off subject but how deep are you guys digging to retrieve them? are there setts long and shallow? some here are roughly 3 1/2 deep to 5 ft, lots of digging in tight soil. if they were shallower than that it would be a blast to put a locator collar on the terriers and have at it.then a boot and a .22 pistol is plenty.
 
NM Leon,

Brendan does all his own tanning - with that said, that "blonde" will be hanging on his wall in a short time.

In fact, all that we shoot, wind up tanned and hung on a wall somewhere! No waste here!

Please allow me to say this about the bullets - 17 vs 224/243.
It's not about the caliber - it is about the weight, and construction of the bullet. Let's look at the 17 cal bullet. The 17 cal bullet is small and light, which relates into having a very light copper coat, with a much lighter lead core - the 25 gr bullet is made to kill small light muscled, light skinned animals, like, foxes, raccoon, PDogs, ground squirrels, rockchucks.

Where the 224/243 have a heavier copper coat, with heavier lead core. These bullets are made to perform better on heavier muscled animals (like badgers) with thicker coats and skins. Even though the lighter weight bullets are not the best on game the size of deer and antelope, they will work. The better performance is going to come with the heavier bullets.

Badger are very tough, thick armor skin, dense muscle animal. So, you are going to want to have a round that will hold together, so that all the energy will be displaced into the animal, not splash upon contact with the heavy coat, skin and muscle.

Badger are like coyotes, unless you anchor them with the first shot, they will take off or in this case get to a hole. They have a major constitution to live.

YES! Shot placement is important also. So, please use enough gun to do a clean humane kill, place your shot in the head, neck, chest, lung/heart shot.

With that said, when we see or call a badger, it is not always close enough to make a head or neck shot. Most of the time there is a dirt mound, or some sagebrush or tall grass that is obstructing the view of the badgers body.

Brendan shot one yesterday at 150 yards, and all we could see was it's head and neck, facing us, above the dirt mound, so Brendan placed the shot right in the neck/upper chest, I was watching through my scope, and it was DRT, not even a wiggle.

Unlike last week when I watched Brendan shoot a badger with the 17 Fireball at 40 yards. Brendan shot, the badger hunched up, roller over, and flopped over on it back and didn't move for a couple seconds, so I lowered my rifle, started to walk out to look at the kill, the badger, flipped over, and took off running, so I threw another round at it, Brendan said that I hit it, but we looked and couldn't find the badger, nor could we find a single drop of blood. They are very tough!

Gary
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleCKGuys, do you see a big difference in badger fur quality due to season?
Yep- a lot flatter coat. I never used to keep the ones from summer until a taxidermist friend of mine asked me to hang on to them (assuming they don't slip) regardless of when taken. I guess there's some kind of market for mounts and being prime isn't as much of a consideration as it is for other furbearers. He also made mention of fur quality being better overall with midwestern bdagers as opposed to our western variety. He call ours "hair badgers" and the others "fur badgers" regardless of when taken. While I do skin and tan an awful lot of my own stuff, a lot just goes in the freezer and on to my buddy.

Here's an example:

006.jpg
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: emeraldterriers1this is a little off subject but how deep are you guys digging to retrieve them? are there setts long and shallow? some here are roughly 3 1/2 deep to 5 ft, lots of digging in tight soil. if they were shallower than that it would be a blast to put a locator collar on the terriers and have at it.then a boot and a .22 pistol is plenty.

I have killed and recovered twenty or so badgers. Never called one in just ran into them out riding or hunging. I've tried to dig to five badgers, gave up on three of them. Two of them i wasn't even close at three feet. the other one dug under a huge rock. I've never owned a small enough dog to be able to fit into a badger hole without me digging it out some.
I think Duane has had some terrier guys hunt up at his place before?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Brendan43Originally Posted By: DoubleCKGuys, do you see a big difference in badger fur quality due to season?
Yep- a lot flatter coat. I never used to keep the ones from summer until a taxidermist friend of mine asked me to hang on to them (assuming they don't slip) regardless of when taken. I guess there's some kind of market for mounts and being prime isn't as much of a consideration as it is for other furbearers. He also made mention of fur quality being better overall with midwestern bdagers as opposed to our western variety. He call ours "hair badgers" and the others "fur badgers" regardless of when taken. While I do skin and tan an awful lot of my own stuff, a lot just goes in the freezer and on to my buddy.

Here's an example:

006.jpg


Note the lack of 6" bullet holes- no, they're not sewn. I don't dig up badgers. I'll leave that to the real pros.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Brendan43Originally Posted By: DoubleCKGuys, do you see a big difference in badger fur quality due to season?
Yep- a lot flatter coat. I never used to keep the ones from summer until a taxidermist friend of mine asked me to hang on to them (assuming they don't slip) regardless of when taken. I guess there's some kind of market for mounts and being prime isn't as much of a consideration as it is for other furbearers. He also made mention of fur quality being better overall with midwestern bdagers as opposed to our western variety. He call ours "hair badgers" and the others "fur badgers" regardless of when taken. While I do skin and tan an awful lot of my own stuff, a lot just goes in the freezer and on to my buddy.

Here's an example:

006.jpg


Terrific Pics. Is this an example of a:

Hair Badger vs. Fur Badger?

OR

Summer Badger vs. Winter Badger?
 
Back
Top