Badger, Taxidea taxus

Badgers eat primarily rodents such as mice, prairie dogs, pocket gophers, and ground squirrels. They will also prey on rabbits, especially the young. Badgers destroy nests of ground-nesting birds and occasionally kill small lambs and poultry, parts of which they sometimes bury in holes resembling their dens. Dens in crop fields may slow harvesting or cause damage to machinery, and the digging can damage earthen dams or dikes (Lindzey 1994). Badgers usually eat all of a prairie dog except the head and fur along the back. This characteristic probably holds true for most of the larger rodents they eat; however, signs of digging near prey remains are the best evidence of badgers. Badger tracks often appear similar to coyote tracks but on close examination they are distinctively “pigeon-toed” with impressions from the long toenails apparent in most situations.

Damage Prevention and Control Methods

Exclusion

Generally not practical.

Habitat Modification

Controlling rodent populations may make habitats less suitable for badgers.

Frightening

Bright lights.

Repellents

None are registered.

Toxicants

None are registered.

Fumigants

None are registered.

Trapping

Steel leg hold traps. Live traps.

Shooting

Where permitted, shooting with a rifle, handgun, or shotgun is effective.