EcoZapp.Makes.Crisp.Air said:
- Get a ~$30 live animal trap from Tractor Supply. (Fun Fact: My first biz was making live traps back in grade school)
- Get about 12 fencing planks from homedepot and some stakes to hold them.
- Built a large V with the live trap open at the point. Position the point at where you see the digging and make a very wide opening with the fence planks. ( Think about where this guy is coming from & where he is going..)
- Armadillos have a strong sense of smell but are almost legally blind and semi-dumb, Said armadillo will walk into this trap and then be trapped.
- If this doesn't work, wait till armadillo is tearing up your flower bed and kick the ********* out of him.
- Replace older Fence Planks with these newer slightly used fence planks for bonus points.
- also killing the grub worms their digging up for would be good - but that takes time, building an elaborate trap to outsmart an armadillo is a great Saturday project.
When I first encountered armadillo issues, I consulted with my FIL who told me to bait a trap with cut up apples. I caught a raccoon and a possum in that manner but no dillos.
So then I researched online and found out about "guiding" them to the trap like you describe above. I did something similar but used staked silt fencing to build my V. It worked OK but was kind of a pain getting around the silt fence for mowing, etc. And I didn't really care to haul armadillos around for relocation.
Got frustrated with that approach and got suggestions to go the firearms route. Someone pointed me to Aquila sub-sonic sniper rounds (.22 with 60 grain bullet). I loaded up my bolt action rifle with said ammo and in times when armadillos start coming around and making a mess, I go outside in the wee hours of the night with the gun and a flashlight. I've taken out at least a couple dozen of them in the last 16 years. The traffic really slowed down after I built a fence around the backyard 10 years ago. Get some activity in the front flower beds on rare occasions. I am in an acreage community so not quite the same as shooting them in the burbs.