A Texas man tried to shoot an armadillo in the wee hours of the morning only to have the bullet ricochet off the critter’s shell and strike him in the jaw. Story here.
The story mentions an attempt earlier this year by another man who tried this in Georgia, only to have the bullet ricochet and hit his mother-in-law. At least, that’s his story, and he’s sticking to it, heh.
I have shot at, hit, killed a few or three dillos in the last 15 years and solid nose .22’s do indeed bounce or more likely ricochet than bounce straight back. But they are well armored critters and especially using a .22 pistol from distance can do that. 9mm, not so much. .45 long colt works really well in a Thompson Contender.
If you like rat a tat tat, .22 Remington Nylon 66 is the budget fun gun…
After reading about this, I’d just play it safe and use a bazooka.
It would be even weirder if he got leprosy as a result.
I’d seen the story before, but kudos for the thread title 
I’m not from Texas, so fight my ignorance:
Why do people shoot these things on sight?
Are they dangerous?
Will they kill you if you don’t?
You make it seem like Texas is only populated by small pockets of the rag tag remnants of society… and that that are trying to survive in a World of Walking 'Dillo:
“Daryl! They’re coming fast!!! Get everyone in the buses & RVs and gas them up Quick!”
“Rick! You can’t hold them off with the .50… you only have 3 ammo boxes left.”
“It’ll buy you time. Now gas up them trucks! MOVE…!”
I only ever saw them as roadkill on the highways. Never saw a real live one. But I understand they’re considered pests by a lot of farmers.
“Some things just need killin’…”
Especially varmints.
[QUOTE=Wikipedia]
The diets of different armadillo species vary, but consist mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, feed almost entirely on ants and termites.
[/QUOTE]
They seem kinda useful varmints, though, considering their diet.
I guess. That, and as long as it’s kept West of Louisiana, East of New Mexico, and South of Oklahoma, y’all go have fun.
It’s not like you’ll come running to me bleeding from a bounce-back anyway.
They dig, fast, deep, prefer soft ground like where you just planted crops or flowers. The whole garden destroyed in 15 minutes or less. Hard to trap, they are like bulldozers, have to be herded with heavy timbers and big rocks to force them in a trap.
Actually pretty fast when they want to be.
Can actually jump pretty good too, a very powerful animal for it’s size.
Not much in the brains or fear department and can hurt your curious cats because they do not run from them.
Some are kinda hairy in a sparse sort of way and the wife has a big ‘ick’ factor about them. She will surprise me because the first I know one is around is the rifle going rat a tat tat…
Pre-historic animals should stay pre-historic. We try to help with that.
They stopped production of that rifle in 1989. They are now very collectable and worth as much used as a Weatherby new.
I had no idea armadillos made such dangerous targets. They are considered invasive here. They also carry leprosy.
I have dispatched countless numbers with a Mark II competition target. Next time I will wear a helmet. :smack:
There was a podiatrist that killed a revered armadillo named Cecil. Well some neighbor kid had called him that. Nobody really cared.
Ok, they’re pests & people shoot them.
Culture shock, ignorance fought.
Some times I just find it odd to find killing an armadillo on sight so socially acceptable while people a few threads over want Long Federal Prison sentences handed down for downing a Peeping Tom drone.
Crazy world, go figure.
Armadillos are one animal that is increasing their range-they are now seen all around the SE USA. why are they so successful? I imagine that being armored helps them-can a dog kill one?
Where in Texas (or elsewhere in the south) can the commonly be seen in the wild? On my recent summer road trip, I spent about a dozen days in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas (Dallas and Houston, I-45 between those two and I-10 from Houston east), Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, and was very disappointed to not have seen any, alive or dead. (with the possible exception of three unidentified small animals that scurried off the road in Arkansas)
I know they’re nocturnal, but we were up and about plenty late at night. Are they ever out during daytime? Dusk?
Primarily nocturnal, so that’s the best time to see them. But they’re apparently also – well, call it idiosyncratic, I guess. Most days no living specimens are to be seen along some stretches of interstate highway I frequent. On occasional days though I’ll see one or two live ones every few hundred yards, totaling perhaps half a dozen per mile, all busily bulldozing up the sod. I can offer no explanation.
And of course, their corpses are frequent roadside items. I’m astounded that anyone could drive very far in the SE USA without seeing at least their remains.
Funny thing, the poor dead 'dillos seem to be found on their backs with legs sticking up into the air, at least 75% of the time. This surprises me, since their hard, armored bodies are pretty much convex on their dorsal aspect, which seems to mitigate against ending up in that position. I’d expect them to fall belly-down, that being their ‘flat’ side. But no! It astounds me enough that I’ve actually taken tally on road trips, and my counts support the observation above. Anybody else notice which way dead 'dillos land?
I live in the Fort Worth suburban area and see them only occasionally around here. I travel often through rural areas in central and south Texas and see them fairly often–both live and dead.
They seem to be pretty active around dusk/early evening, and on into the night.
As noted above, they can be very destructive in gardens and flower beds, and as such are often seen as pests. I have killed one myself (with a .243–no ricochet, thank goodness).
Yes but it takes a substantial dog, that is determined to do so.
Most dogs have an innate hatred for armadillos. I had a dog that, otherwise well behaved and trained…you could not call him off an armadillo. He was a lab/rottweiler cross and very substantial.
Pit bulls will kill them but then again…pit bulls…they kill everything.
Armadillos will eat eggs, so ground nesting birds, such as quail turkey and even sea turtles, are extremely vulnerable.
I saw one this weekend while camping in Fort Worth. He was just minding his business, snuffling along in the dirt and leaves, oblivious to the twenty or so campers snapping pictures of him, about 20 feet away.
I have heard that they have a bad habit of jumping straight in the air when startled. It can make a bad mess on the undercarriage of your car, if you happen to straddle one.
And of course, the classic dillo joke:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To prove to the armadillo that it COULD be done.