Needing suggestions on how to get rid of an armadillo that is tearing up my yard. I have tried using a live trap for two nights and have caught two raccoons but the critter has avoided my trap. Pictures shows how I have it set up as of now. I really don’t want to stay up all night with a shotgun but will if that is the only way to get rid of it.

When you figure it out, come over to my house and catch the one around here.

Same, I have dozens out at my place. Elusive little SOB. They tore up part of my pasture so bad a few months back I thought it was done by a hog but the camera told a different story.

That method works, but it works better if the trap is up against a building or fence. This allows for less paths of egress.
I used tuna for bait, but I don't think it matters.
If you can find their hole, you can block it so their only path out is to the trap.
They wont jump over an obstacle in my experience.

No luck ever trapping....I always catch them right at dawn. .22 to the head. 14 the last 2 years.

A 223 or 5.56 will make them jump straight up in the air about 4 feet plus. F-350 works well too.

A 20 gauge can do the same thing. Aerobatic little suckers!

Just run up behind him and grab him by the tail

I use night crawlers as bait and they fall for it every time in a live trap.

Is it a unique armadillo?

I think you need a Lone Star in that trap.

I use a .410 but in my experience they are hard to catch. They don't seem to follow patterns like most animals.

Shoot'em works 1000% better for me than trying to trap them


Cheap Motion sensors will let you sleep until something stirs in the yard.

I get ridiculed by my neighbor regularly about armadillo hunting. He opened the door and flipped on his floodlights one night and caught me in just sweatpants, with a NV helmet, carrying a suppressed AR with a thermal scope. Thank God he does not have cameras that look into my back yard.

This, they don't see well and get distracted pretty easily. Wait for him to find a spot he likes, sneak up behind him and grab him about two inches from the base of his tail. It will likely be too thick if you get closer to his body to grab, and further out gives him leverage when he goes to whipping his body. You have to pretty much grab and lift in one motion, then hang on! Also they have pretty good claws, so hold him out away from your body. Drop him in a towsack or 55 gallon drum and give him a 5 mile ride to freedom.

I caught one way back when I was young and athletic by chasing after it and kicking it like it was a soccer ball over and over until he curled up into a ball. Then i just palmed that ball like I would to pick up a basketball ( I grabbed the part that was his back). As soon as I picked him up he sprayed pee and poop so I was fortunate to have him aimed at my buddy instead of myself. Then I carried it over to the lake and tossed it in to see if it could swim. ( It could and did but slowly with the tip of his snout pointed up like a snorkel.)

You can buy a wooden armadillo trap, in either a scented or unscented option. The scented has armadillo smell. According to a good friend, it works great. The smell apparently draws other armadillos.

And the idea of using live night crawlers as bait for regular traps is really good.

Last one I caught was by the tail

The cheap motion sensor thing works great. I think it's about $19.00 at Harbor Freight. If you can't shoot where you live catch him with a long handle dip net and put him in a pet carrier until the next morning.

https://www.havahart.com/how-to-trap-armadillos

earthworms for bait

I’ve been successful catching a few in a Havahart Coon trap. I find their trail and setup the trap on the trail blocking their ability to go around the trap similar to what your picture shows. The trap is open on both ends so its the easiest path for them to follow. Never need bait.

This thing really works:

https://www.thearmadillotrap.com/


One of our research stations bought one and they have caught almost 200 armadillos in the trap in a few years.

Just my 2 cents
Big Hutch

I just grab them