Badgers

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Inspired by Rolfe's effort in showing a typically bedding strewn badger sett entrance ~ and that incurring the usual " Ye can't tell if a fox is in there! " stuff - Like; Who f*cking cares if there's a fox in there too??? If it's badger ye stay the f*ck away from it. It's really That simple.

 

Anyway, with that point in mind and, recognising that not all the youngsters coming here will have seen badger activity enough to know it when they encounter it, I thought I'd try to set up a sort of definative Post for such. I have some shots on file and shall now make a point of gathering further ones, as I go along, and posting then onto here. I'll break this down into a few seperate Posts, otherwise it'll become photo heavy and be a bitch for others on a slow Connection to open

 

Ye can believe me; What ever I post here as badger Is badger We have f*ck all much else on my ground! Besides, I know where they live and take my shots having tracked them to the evidence I'm looking for. If You find anything matching the below on Your ground? Beware.

 

 

 

Badger Tracks

 

 

Now, the above is a truly classic shot. Ye won't often come across a photo oppertunity like this one. So don't expect yours to always be this clear and well defined. I took that shot on perfect mud. Rear foot print shoing to the left. Front foot print to the right.

 

 

 

More Typical Front Print

 

 

 

 

More Typical Back Print

 

 

 

So that's more like what to actually expect to see. And only then in suitable conditions. Now, in the next Post, I'll show ye some genuine, occupied and active badger Setts. " Leitrim Rabbit Burys " as I call them!

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Badger Setts:

 

 

Excavation Spoil

 

 

I took the above shot a month or two back. They'd been digging further, probably arranging a birthing chamber. Anyway, they do this every year and block a drainage ditch below the sett. Every year my beleagured neighbour has to hire a JCB to clear the damn ditch again

 

 

 

Clean Entrance

 

 

See? Not every sett ye come across will have anything much outside it. DON'T assume that, if there's no bedding and no spoil it's not a badger sett! Look at the size and shape of the hole. Look for foot prints. Sniff for the rank stink of a fox.

 

 

 

Bedding Drawn Out

 

 

Typical of what to expect around now, at an active badger sett. This is the hay they drag out whilst changing their beds.

 

 

Now, in the third and, probably, final Post, I'll show ye some pointers, besides setts, of badger presence.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Shits, bits and bobs:

 

 

Badger Crap

 

 

That's what it looks like. I find, on my ground, it's just about always dark like that. Size / ammount varies. Don't rely on the old one about them " Digging Latrines " outside their setts. They're like us. Thet crap as and when the urge catches up with them. Often as not just to one side of their regular trails.

 

Another thing they do pretty well anywhere is scratch up cow pats or pasture where they smell a grub or some other morsal. This is what that looks like:

 

 

 

Badger Scrape

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, as I type, I'll get some more shots. I want to show ye typical badger runs across pasture and also where they emerge from ditches. Things like that. I'll start the Post now and add photo's presently.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Subtle Signs:

 

 

Hair on Barbed Wire

[Matt 160]

Badger hair is triangular in section. If you roll it between your fingers it doesn't run 'smooth' if you follow me....

 

Another good sign.

 

Their shit varies in consistency depending on what they are eating at the time. The classic badger turd is like a 'Mr Whippy'.

 

Badgers travel close to the ground, so it looks like they have almost 'skidded' across the ground.

[ferreteressex 1]

Subtle Signs:

 

 

Hair on Barbed Wire

GREAT POST,

it was me who asked last week because i found a possible sett

 

v informative,

things like this is why i got on this forum

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Very interesting Ditch, looking forward to more.

[donky7 9]

fantastic thread once again,

 

not that the city donk will ever require these skills but all the same - a great read.

 

cheers guys.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Couple more shots. First I'm showing ye a typical pop hole. Badgers tend to like running around in ditches where and when ever they can. I don't know why. They just do. Folk Lore has it that their legs are shorter on one side than the other. There for they like to run against the side of a ditch to compensate. What ever .....

 

But here's what it looks like when and where badgers regularly come up out of a ditch. Creatures of habit, they'll use such routes for much of the year, year in, year out. Apparrently for generations.

 

 

Ditch Side Pop Hole

 

 

 

 

 

Think; " Light Bulb ". See? Badgers are best thought of as having Big bodies on Little feet. That's why their passage ways tend to be narrow at the bottom, where their feet go. But they ballon out a few inches above that. That's where the bulky body has to fit through. A bit like a MonoRail. Oh, and that's a Zippo lighter, in the bottom shot. Gives ye an idea of size scale.

 

Of course, as they trundle across pastures there's nothing for their body mass to leave an impression on. So ye just get the trail their feet have left. Fiendishly difficult to get a meaningful shot of, but I did my best.

 

 

 

Pasture Path

 

 

 

Ye should note that they don't always travel parralell or even close to a hedge. Some times they just cut straight across an open pasture. In the same way, they don't Always emerge from a ditch through cover. I'll get some shots of open ditch runs when I'm next down in the fields where these occur.

 

Overall, I'm hoping to show how distinctive and therefore easily discernable badger runs are. Get ye eye in on them and ye'll be able to spot them from quite a distance. If in any doubt? Follow one. It won't be long before ye find any of the other signs I've presented above. Find those and ye Know ye have badgers in the vicinity. Control ye Dogs and place ye snares and traps accordingly.

[Guest little_lloyd]

Good write up Ditch,, Its Article stuff i reckon.

 

You put alot in to that

[Holdaway 2]

Excellent posting Ditch. Very informative for the newbies and city folk.

 

I once stopped to pull a dead badger off the road and another car pulled up behind me. "City folk", I said. "Driving too fast, wouldn't know one end of a cow from the other!"

 

Bloke behind asks. 'Is that a cow? I thought they were bigger'...

 

 

Nuff said

 

 

H

 

 

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

F*ckin blinder from Holders there!

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Fantasic Ditch, great read.

 

Next thing I'll be out scouring the land for badger shit and lightbulb shaped pop holes!

[Guest little_lloyd]

Personly im fed up of the buggers,, Taking over our rabbit warrens, etc, There a threat to ground nesting birds and other wildlife,, theres fecking loads of them and just beacuse the look nice or whatever they are protected,, Why,?? Could someone tell me why they are so speacial?

 

 

They need controlling and controlling before they get out of hand

[beaver76 1]

great post ds look forward to more