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I notice this hole in my yard while mowing and it had just happened but not slowly.    This hole is about 1 foot in diameter and just as deep and inside the hole there is a hole/chamber that runs up into and under the yard but nothing is visible other than what is shown in the photos.

Does anyone have any ideas what animal might have caused this? 

 

 Raccoon?  Fox?  Opossum?  Beaver?  This isn't some small/little hole but it's a very large hole, to have just come up.

 

 

Be as the Bereans ( Acts 17:11 )

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Last edited by gbrk
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1. Reminds me of an Armadillo, a big one (12" opening). I have same occurrence happening on a small ravine on my property. Armadillo will burrow on the side-wall of ravine and burrow tunnels and coming out on the upper side, adjacent to ravine. I assume your bottom photo could be the initial digging entrance and the top photo my be an exit burrow hole. (due to no extra loose dirt around hole) Wish I had a good way to keep them off my property or near the house. My old lab's Teeth aren't what they used to be..He was an Armadillo Killing Machine..

2. Ground Hog, perhaps, not too familiar enough with their digging habits..

3. One last thought, was there ever a tree cut down, and root system rotted away and left the hole?

gbrk posted:

I notice this hole in my yard while mowing and it had just happened but not slowly.    This hole is about 1 foot in diameter and just as deep and inside the hole there is a hole/chamber that runs up into and under the yard but nothing is visible other than what is shown in the photos.

Does anyone have any ideas what animal might have caused this? 

 

 Raccoon?  Fox?  Opossum?  Beaver?  This isn't some small/little hole but it's a very large hole, to have just come up.

 

 

 

Well I'm going to get a live trap from the animal shelter and try and capture it.  I'm sure, along with my Sheltie I've been feeding this fellow also.  Every now and again the Sheltie will corner something under the deck so likely it's what's been coming out of the hole.  

I also have a NATO 5.56/.223 that would make quick work of what ever it is but I'd just as soon relocate it if possible.

Will be my luck though if I end up getting a live skunk in the trap and having to deal with that.  

gbrk posted:

Well I'm going to get a live trap from the animal shelter and try and capture it.  I'm sure, along with my Sheltie I've been feeding this fellow also.  Every now and again the Sheltie will corner something under the deck so likely it's what's been coming out of the hole.  

I also have a NATO 5.56/.223 that would make quick work of what ever it is but I'd just as soon relocate it if possible.

Will be my luck though if I end up getting a live skunk in the trap and having to deal with that.  

If you trap a skunk, toss an old blanket over three sides of the trap, the ones away from you, then pick it up. I'd watch the Sheltie, if it's a skunk that could be a bad ending. I still think it's an armadilla.

Last edited by giftedamateur
giftedamateur posted:
gbrk posted:

Well I'm going to get a live trap from the animal shelter and try and capture it.  I'm sure, along with my Sheltie I've been feeding this fellow also.  Every now and again the Sheltie will corner something under the deck so likely it's what's been coming out of the hole.  

I also have a NATO 5.56/.223 that would make quick work of what ever it is but I'd just as soon relocate it if possible.

Will be my luck though if I end up getting a live skunk in the trap and having to deal with that.  

If you trap a skunk, toss an old blanket over three sides of the trap, the ones away from you, then pick it up. I'd watch the Sheltie, if it's a skunk that could be a bad ending. I still think it's an armadilla.

For clarification, I'd like to see a schematic of that blanket toss.  Covering the ends away from me seems to leave me wide open like looking down the muzzle of a loaded gun.  Plus, when picking up the trap, don't forget the bottom side.

See why I need a schematic?

I'd more in favor of dispatching a trapped and caged skunk with a handgun or rifle loaded with a .22 long rifle or a shotgun loaded with a rabbit load [#6 shot.]  Skunks and the like are carriers of rabies.

My objective would be to relocate the offensive critter to another hole.

 

I'm blessed to have both groundhogs and armadillos on the farm.  Groundhogs are prone to dig under shelter such as slabs of concrete or logs.  Armadillos will dig in the wide open but will also dig under bush hogs, base of power poles, etc.

Critter hunting, day or night, has become a source of amusement for me.  A light mounted Ruger 10/22 has been given the name "Critter Gitter" and the Ruger SR22 is known as the "Armadillo Assassin."  Of course, no one pays attention to late night gun shots out here.

This hole here

 

Has me befuddled.  It's not an entry hole.  it would be excavated on all sides like an oblong funnel.  This pic has no funnel sides, but with lips around for hanging vegetation, yet unlike a sink hole, has a shelf just below for the critter to pause and observe before exiting.  I don't know that armadillos do exit holes but groundhogs do.

Anyhow, GBRK, lay a conibear across the opening.  Maybe illegal as hell but no more so than blowing it away with a 5.56mmNATO round in the middle of the night in a suburban neighborhood.

Off the front porch, I pop at least on armadillo per week and a groundhog maybe twice a year.

Your photo is also another example of how badly we need rain.

 

Actually, thankfully, my only concern with the firearm method is the sanity and hearing of the neighbors and of course safety in making sure there is no mistaken path of a bullet as I live in the county and don't have to worry about the city regulations of shooting a firearm within city limits.   Out in the county I just have to worry about waking or scaring the neighbors but given it's a fairly condensed neighborhood and one that I do have to concern myself with potential ricochets I either will choose my shooting position/platform very wisely or just rely upon the live trap as I do have a secondary location in which to release the creature.

As for the directions or suggestion of what to do if a wayward skunk gets into the trap my luck and fortunes would surely dictate a smelly end to the endevour and one that I would not find too amusing.  I've seen some videos of skunks that have got their heads stuck in bottles and containers and watched them as they were freed from their  situation and in most cases they weren't to polite to the ones that freed them but rather was intent on leaving something for the person to remember them by.  Maybe I won't have to concern myself with a skunk and I do believe most are right about the armadillo so we'll see how lucky I am at capturing it next week.   I'll update with photos if things work out.

 

Thanks for the "skunk & blanket."  Didn't watch the video.  2 minutes into an 8 minute video is beyond my attention span.  Didn't Carl post on here?

Were I to use that method, I would put the blanket over the trap to begin with.  Works well with rabbits.  They think it's a hollow log.

But with skunks, out here it answers the questions nobody asks.

I say run a water hose down the hole and flush the critter out.

Then throw a blanket over what ever comes out.  What ever happens after that is on you.  I haven't completely thought that out.

If the hole doesn't fill up, it validates Dire's theory looks more and more plausible.

 

Last edited by budsfarm

armadillo is my vote.. Had an encounter with armadillo last night. My dogs alerted me with constant barking, Next to the house near my water line, coming into house. With flashligt in hand & sword in the other, there was the dirt flying out of the hole. I have digger at work about 12" - 15" deep and digging deeper. The Sword was of NO USE.. Could not penetrate outer shell, he just ignored & kept digging. Could not pull him out after grabing his tail. All I knew was I had to stop him from getting under the Footing of the house or damaging the water line, he was deep enough. Used 22 rifle, using the light to see armadillo, stick down hole, touching the shell & not water line & couple shots..

Finished filling the hole with soil & water to completely fill & seal the hole this morning.

Here's what I've tried on active holes:

I hate it, but I'm being run over with the nasty diggers.. I've tried smoke bombs taped to a rod & sealed up the holes... Filling holes with water and Nothing.. Must have been no body home.

Another could be very dangerous to yourself, if you don't know what you are dealing with(chemical reactions), but it does work to get them out of the hole. Funnel with 1"bottom spout, old 1.5" diameter pool hose, long enough to reach bottom of hole, 2 fruit jars for chemicals, old cat food bag stuffed with Paper to plug hole as tight as possible. . Pour 8oz Bleach first down into hole, Immediately followed by 8 oz of House Cleaning Ammonia.. Plug Hole Quickly!! Get away from Toxic Fumes escaping hole.. Do Not let yourself come in contact of Fumes, either Breathing or Eye contact (pay attention to wind direction) !!!.. Thats why you plug the hole. Wait ~ 1-3 minutes and Critter will be finding an Exit..Quickly.. If he's at home. Position yourself away from the exit hole or you will get run over. Preparation ahead of time is a must for this to work properly & keeps you safe. Get everything ready before trying this method. Toxic Fumes!!! and will attach to your moisture in your eyes & lungs..Like pneumonia, if concentration is sufficient enough. Don't drown in your own juices.. So, be sure to practice every step of this application before actually applying this method... Be Safe

 

River Runner posted:

armadillo is my vote.. Had an encounter with armadillo last night. My dogs alerted me with constant barking, Next to the house near my water line, coming into house. With flashligt in hand & sword in the other, there was the dirt flying out of the hole. I have digger at work about 12" - 15" deep and digging deeper. The Sword was of NO USE.. Could not penetrate outer shell, he just ignored & kept digging. Could not pull him out after grabing his tail. All I knew was I had to stop him from getting under the Footing of the house or damaging the water line, he was deep enough. Used 22 rifle, using the light to see armadillo, stick down hole, touching the shell & not water line & couple shots..

Finished filling the hole with soil & water to completely fill & seal the hole this morning.

Here's what I've tried on active holes:

I hate it, but I'm being run over with the nasty diggers.. I've tried smoke bombs taped to a rod & sealed up the holes... Filling holes with water and Nothing.. Must have been no body home.

Another could be very dangerous to yourself, if you don't know what you are dealing with(chemical reactions), but it does work to get them out of the hole. Funnel with 1"bottom spout, old 1.5" diameter pool hose, long enough to reach bottom of hole, 2 fruit jars for chemicals, old cat food bag stuffed with Paper to plug hole as tight as possible. . Pour 8oz Bleach first down into hole, Immediately followed by 8 oz of House Cleaning Ammonia.. Plug Hole Quickly!! Get away from Toxic Fumes escaping hole.. Do Not let yourself come in contact of Fumes, either Breathing or Eye contact (pay attention to wind direction) !!!.. Thats why you plug the hole. Wait ~ 1-3 minutes and Critter will be finding an Exit..Quickly.. If he's at home. Position yourself away from the exit hole or you will get run over. Preparation ahead of time is a must for this to work properly & keeps you safe. Get everything ready before trying this method. Toxic Fumes!!! and will attach to your moisture in your eyes & lungs..Like pneumonia, if concentration is sufficient enough. Don't drown in your own juices.. So, be sure to practice every step of this application before actually applying this method... Be Safe

 

As I said, they are destructive buggers.

Well the (single) trap is out and baited so we'll see if we have any luck tonight.  I have the trap for three days/nights so hopefully it is an armadillo or anything other than a skunk and hopefully it goes in the cage.  While the water hose idea might be beneficial it is also possible the armadillo would consider it a jacuzzi and feel he's received an upgrade.   Guess a lot also depends on how the land perks cause its possible I'd just be putting a  lot of water down the hole and into the ground.

gbrk posted:

Well the (single) trap is out and baited so we'll see if we have any luck tonight.  I have the trap for three days/nights so hopefully it is an armadillo or anything other than a skunk and hopefully it goes in the cage.  While the water hose idea might be beneficial it is also possible the armadillo would consider it a jacuzzi and feel he's received an upgrade.   Guess a lot also depends on how the land perks cause its possible I'd just be putting a  lot of water down the hole and into the ground.

Good Luck... Are you seeing numerous small dig spots near the Large hole? Armadillo's tend to make a lot of exploratory holes in the yard in their quest for grubs. I've seen where they even dig into fire ant hills to eat the larva eggs.. You know, I bet Meal Worms might attract the Dillo into the cage. They do like grubs and such.. BTW, what type of bait did you put in cage.. I may want to try the cage trick if you have success. 

Forgive me but what with following College Football games and Political news I just forgot to update everyone on the Critter camp news.  Here is the most recent information regarding my attempt to tramp/remove the critter.

I got the trap from Florence Animal control with a refundable $50 deposit and put the trap out but the critter must have known that the trap was only on loan from the Animal control bureau until Thursday for Animal Control doesn't loan out traps on Thursday nor do the want their Traps to be used over the weekend.

In my case no critter was found in the trap for the three days that it remained out there by the hole.  Actually no sign that the Hole was even being used currently by whatever critter created it.  Every now and again our Shelties, in the back yard, will trap/corner something under our deck that is out there and I very much believed it to be Raccoon, Possum, or yes an Armadillo but it's most likely what was occupying my back yard motel/hotel hole.

For me I'm going to have to try the trap again if I want to prove one way or another that the critter is still there but that's another story for another day.  Thanks for asking about it and reminding me that I haven't quite fulfilled my promise to update everyone.   I think I'll just copy and paste this conversation so as to update all as to my lack of trapping whatever it is/was in the back yard hole.

I did though think of two additional things I could do that might help me rid my back yard of these unwanted critters.  I could drop a photo of Hillary Clinton down the hole or even better record one of her political speeches, if she will show and give another one, and then pay it back on a loop recorder toward the hole to see if it can stand up under 24/7 barrage of Hillary Clinton campaigning.  Then again that could be construed as being cruel and unusual punishment and animal cruelty so I sure don't want to be guilty of this and to be honest I don't want to listen to that myself in order to capture it.  The worst thing about a looming Hillary Clinton election would have having to listen to her shrill voice for four more years.  That alone is reason to vote for Trump but then what will be will be.  There are all kinds of undesirable, detestable, critters.  Some burrow into the back yard and others run for President.  Sadly neither fell into a trap over the last few weeks and are viable for another day.

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