Badgers are tough!

Rustydust

Rustydust

Active member
I was out on my ATV yesterday enjoying the warmer weather and spotted a badger at about 100 yards away. I had my little CZ 527 in .223 with me at the time and I nailed him center body with a 40 grain Vmax loaded to around 3500 fps. Less than a minute later I got to where I shot him and he had somehow managed to make it to his hole. Rats. Blood everywhere too. I wonder if next time I go I should try a heavier bullet or maybe my .220 Swift instead. Any of you had trouble getting a Badger to go lights out after a solid body hit?
 
i have shot several badgers that have not been DRT with solid hits, they are tough buggers for sure. If a 223 is not bad enogh medicine for them we are in trouble
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Instead of 'body' shots, try putting it thru the shoulders. They rarely make it home.....

or headshots..... even a .22 is enuff.

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55g'ers work better.

I always have a coil of barb wire to run down the hole to "fish" them out of a hole, about 15' is all you need.
 
Last one I took was with a .204. DRT. About 70 yds. Head on and I hit him to the left of his head and neck. No blood. 32 grn Vmax.
 
I've shot a few with my .218 Bee, 40 gr. v-max. I always try for a behind the shoulder shot and it always puts them down. Shot one head on right under the chin and he made it about halfway into the hole.
 
Well, I have killed them with .22 rimfires, my 220 Swift and even a little .32 Kel-Tec. I just figured a solid body hit with with that Vmax bullet would do it. It didnt. I be looking for something with more punch next time. I got a .458 Win mag in my safe gathering dust. Might just be time to take that big momma out. I spek that a 500 grain soft point should stop his evil ways just fine.
 
I shot two this season.I killed both of them with a 17HMR.The first one I shot was runnin straight away from me and I shot it in the back end and it just started spinnin and tryin to kill whatever was "Biting" it.The second shot hit it in the neck and it was down for the count.It was one of the biggest badgers I've ever killed.
The second one I shot ran away too but once it got to it's hole curiosity got the best of it and it turned around to see if I was gone.A .17gr V-Max to the chest area dropped it.

I've shot most of the badgers I've killed with a .22lr but all of those were head shots.I shot a biggun a few years ago with a .223 using a 55gr hollowpoint.I hit that one right square in the chest.Most of the time if I can't get a good shot on one I'll let it make it to it's hole.More times than not they'll stop and look at you once they get there.Or they'll poke their head back up to make sure you're gone.

I would have thought those 40gr. V-Maxes you're shootin now would do the job just fine too.All I can figure is that you just happened to be shootin at a really tough badger.If you tryed the same shot on a different badger it might just suprise you and knock it flat.....it's hard tellin.
 
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Several years back I emptied my anschutz 22lr into a badger. I started off with a neck shot, then another, and then emptied my mag trying to whack his head (he kept spinning around in his hole he was digging). After I finally scored a head shot I skinned him out, and when I pulled his hide I think every bullet I put into his neck/shoulder area fell to the floor. Left nasty bruises on his flesh, but didn't penetrate more than the hide.
 
This was half way out of his hole. Bumped his head on a passing 130 gr. 7mm BTSP. I had to fished him out of the hole with my shooting sticks. That was enough gun and didn't need a follow up shot.

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Originally Posted By: RustydustWell, I have killed them with .22 rimfires, my 220 Swift and even a little .32 Kel-Tec. I just figured a solid body hit with with that Vmax bullet would do it. It didnt. I be looking for something with more punch next time. I got a .458 Win mag in my safe gathering dust. Might just be time to take that big momma out. I spek that a 500 grain soft point should stop his evil ways just fine. I think that might workout for you just fine
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