Friendly Badger - unless you're a mouse

[fishing4sanity]

My son was out checking irrigation water and called and told me he was watching a badger hunt. I grabbed my camera and headed out there, expecting that it would have wandered off before I got there. The badger was still sniffing around for mice and didn't seem to mind our presence. So we kept getting a little closer. He got into a hot spot and a few mice escaped, my son grabbed one of the mice and said he was going to feed it to the badger. He held it over the hole and when the badger started coming out he decided he didn't want to donate any fingers, so he dropped it on the badger and watched the badger eat the mouse.

 

[SaskHunter]

Awesome!

I had a badger sneak up on me at work a couple weeks ago. It came from up wind and I was somewhat still so it hadn't seen me. I happened to turn around and it was 10 feet or so away, coming towards me. I don't know who shat their pants first, me or the badger, but he was out of there pretty quick!

 

[huronmtns]

I have heard from a reliable resource that if a badger gets under your vehicle, and you are outside of it, it is very difficult to get back in it. They will defend their space under the vehicle like it is their den.

 

[dcopas78]

Like idiots, and not thinking in the heat of the moment, dad and I cornered the first one we ever saw out west to snap a few pics up close. If he would have decided to come after us, we'd have been screwed. Afterwards, and after we thought about what we had just done, we never felt more like we were in a Yellowstone bison/stupid tourist scenario. Not one of our smartest moments out in the woods.

 

[MO Betta]

After watching this video a couple years ago I'm not too inclined to mess with badgers or wolverines:

 

[fishing4sanity]

I've always been impressed with the tough attitude of badgers. I had one run across a dirt road and into a hole, I stopped and growled just to see if he'd do anything, he popped right back out snarling and ready to fight the pickup. I also came across a female with kits one summer, with no hole to get to nearby, she stood her ground while the kits ran off, I gave her plenty of space and just enjoyed one of the best snarling-growling fits I've ever heard. The badger today seemed very calm, it did puff up and start blowing when I got too close, but for the most part it just concentrated on the mice. Pretty neat encounter.

 

[thomas89]

Cool encounter.

 

[dcopas78]

I've always been impressed with the tough attitude of badgers. I had one run across a dirt road and into a hole, I stopped and growled just to see if he'd do anything, he popped right back out snarling and ready to fight the pickup. I also came across a female with kits one summer, with no hole to get to nearby, she stood her ground while the kits ran off, I gave her plenty of space and just enjoyed one of the best snarling-growling fits I've ever heard. The badger today seemed very calm, it did puff up and start blowing when I got too close, but for the most part it just concentrated on the mice. Pretty neat encounter.

My oldest boy loves the pics you all got BTW. They are one of my favorite things to watch. We don't have many here, although there was one ran over by a car not too far from me. I did get to watch a mink doing much the same as that badger one evening while deer hunting. He was tough on the mouse population

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Like idiots, and not thinking in the heat of the moment, dad and I cornered the first one we ever saw out west to snap a few pics up close. If he would have decided to come after us, we'd have been screwed. Afterwards, and after we thought about what we had just done, we never felt more like we were in a Yellowstone bison/stupid tourist scenario. Not one of our smartest moments out in the woods.

I have pulled he same stupid stunt with way too many Rattlesnakes.

 

[dwatling]

I had an encounter last year. I walked up on a hole with dirt flinging out of it and not knowing what was inside. So I stood at 5yds watching until a badger popped out. We both stared at each other for 10secs and luckily he ducked back in the hole. I scurried away while knocking an arrow lol

 

[Hunting Wife]

I have heard from a reliable resource that if a badger gets under your vehicle, and you are outside of it, it is very difficult to get back in it. They will defend their space under the vehicle like it is their den.

Can’t wait for @neffa3 ’s thread on this

 

[noharleyyet]

Can’t wait for @neffa3 ’s thread on this

Exactly what I was thinking....