re: shotgun shells for armadillo's

One time I middled one with a 6.5 Swede from out 50 yards. Instant death, but after about 3 seconds I saw an object floating down about 20 feet right of the dillo. It turned out to be a 5 inch section of backbone with ribs attached. Completely clean, no meat at all.

The only time I have ever shot them is coming out of the woods after not killing something else. Gun was loaded and I wanted to shoot something. I shot a couple with slugs and a couple with whatever I used to squirrel hunt with. All of them died. One of the "slug" kills was at point blank range. I had sat for hours waiting to see a buck when there was a commotion right behind me. I'm talking like two feet away. I jump up and turn around to see an armadillo had dug his way out of the bank behind me. I was tired and decided I was ready to go home. As he was still coming out of the ground, moving his head from side to side trying to figure out what I was, I pointed the 12 gauge down and blew a slug through him. That one didn't jump.

He was there the next week when I walked back through and I swear there was nothing left but shell & bone. Something just sucked all of his insides away. It looked like it had been there for a year instead of a week.

We killed tons of them shooting from the window of a pickup truck in cow pastures at night in the 80s. .410 and whatever cheap shells my father bought. That was all you need. This talk of ricochets from the shell is nonsense. Killed plenty with a bow with just field points too.

I use #4 12 gauge. Sometimes around midnight when I'm in an altered state of consciousness, I will grab my 12 gauge pump and jump on my 4 wheeler and go cruising foe them.

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.410 and whatever

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I would think a .410 slug would do just fine.

Any shot will do.

What a bump

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Also be sure to remove the carcass to an adequate distance if warm weather. The smell of 'dillo rotting in the sun should not be underestimated.

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Wear gloves if you move them. It’s possible to contract leprosy from armadillos.

When I lived in subdivision I killed them with CB caps.Quieter than an air rifle.

The reason I kill them is my wife has bunch of flower beds(too many,IMO),the dillos root up bulbs,generally just wreak havoc.
Then she’s pissed off.You know what they say,If Mama isn’t happy,ain’t nobody happy.

If they would stay out of flower beds and just stayed in the lawn I probably would just leave them alone.They aerate the soil and eat grubs which helps cut down on the moles which we have trouble with.

Eat them ,not me.I’ve known a few people that eat them,barbecued, they say it’s just like pork.I tried to clean one once for an aunt and it stunk so bad I threw it away.I’ve cleaned every kind of game there is including wild hogs but I couldn’t handle the armadillo.

A .22 is more than enough to make an armadillo jump higher than you ever thought possible.