Badgers

[HillBill]

Was just about to go to bed. Dog needed to go out. Opened the door, off the dog goes, literally 2 seconds later, there's a kafuffle, . I was on my way out with him. Theres 2 badgers, literally 10ft from my door, They didnt take kindly to my or my dogs presence. To the point of charging at my dog, rearing up (ish) and having a go, Dog comes running back to the house, followed by one of the badgers. Door gets closed. Heard knocks against the door.... cats come down, bristling, want to go out, didnt let them.

I know there are badgers around here, Often see the latrines they dig during blackberry season, but never actually seen one ln person (here). I know they can be buggers, Wont go into what the keepers thought or did in N. Yorkshire when i worked with them.

Anyone got Badgers close to home? How brazen are they generally? No issues with giving them grub, but never seen one be so aggressive around here. Literally chased my springer off lol, (not that he's rough and tough)

I know where their sett is, its not too far off, maybe 300 yards. Bought a trail cam recently to see if i could film them, not used it yet though, but damn. Didn't expect that. Took me completely by surprise. Gotta be them digging up the ground behind the shed, where i do the compost, lots of worms and stuff there, thought it was the cats using it as a loo, but now im not so sure. Trail cam time i think.

Had a Roe deer out there too a couple of months back, seen them before. We're not exactly rural either.

 

[Toddy]

They'll happily forage under my bird feeder in front of the living room window, while the window is open and we're chattering away inside.

Post in thread 'Harvest moons, foxes and badgers'

Sep 21, 2014

Badger TV has kept me patiently amused every evening for weeks now
Highlight was three badgers and a fox all at once right in front of the living room window .......and the windows were open and I was chattering away to them. Only the fox scarpered off behind the honeysuckle; the badgers looked up, grunted a bit, and then heads down back into the wire worms, sunflower seeds and cut up peanut butter sandwiches.

Tonight there are two badgers and the biggest tomcat I've seen in ages, all kind of eyeing each other up and bustling or slinking around.

The badgers are really getting...

• Toddy

 

[Kepis]

We have them under one of the hedges in the back field here, but they rarely come into the gardens.

 

[TLM]

Ours are more less hibernating for the winter. (Apparently not really hibernation as they can wake up and sniff the outside if not too cold.) Raccoon dogs and foxes are known to utilize badgers dens in winter time.

 

[JonathanD]

One of them may have been pregnant, which could account for the aggression. It’s around this time that females get preggers.

 

[British Red]

Plenty of them here

Badger 037 by British Red, on Flickr

We use electric fences to keep them off the livestock. They generally aren't aggressive, I suspect your dogs just surprised them

 

[HillBill]

They'll happily forage under my bird feeder in front of the living room window, while the window is open and we're chattering away inside.

Post in thread 'Harvest moons, foxes and badgers'

Sep 21, 2014

Badger TV has kept me patiently amused every evening for weeks now
Highlight was three badgers and a fox all at once right in front of the living room window .......and the windows were open and I was chattering away to them. Only the fox scarpered off behind the honeysuckle; the badgers looked up, grunted a bit, and then heads down back into the wire worms, sunflower seeds and cut up peanut butter sandwiches.

Tonight there are two badgers and the biggest tomcat I've seen in ages, all kind of eyeing each other up and bustling or slinking around.

The badgers are really getting...

• Toddy

Thats an old thread lol. But yeah, i have experience with them, just not seen them here, though i know they're about. Been keeping an eye out for them tonight but no joy.

 

[HillBill]

One of them may have been pregnant, which could account for the aggression. It’s around this time that females get preggers.

Possibly, the dog didnt know they were there, just ran out, around the car and there they were. Hence the kafuffle. Think the dog came off worst (not that there was any fighting), dog bricked it more than anything.

 

[HillBill]

Plenty of them here

Badger 037 by British Red, on Flickr

We use electric fences to keep them off the livestock. They generally aren't aggressive, I suspect your dogs just surprised them

Think so mate. I don't think Pep saw them before he'd more or less run into them

 

[forrestdweller]

while i was working on Japan's largest camping ground we had some animals dig their way into our garbage storage area, no matter how much we fortified it... .the culprits proved to be a family of japanese badgers who had dug their domicile inside an old shed about 10m from our worker's accommodation. as their numbers are in decline and our box trap only caught local (feral) cats, i solved the issue with a handful of dog hair thrown down their entrance to avoid the local hunter eliminating them... (it worked as they decided to move on)

 

[haptalaon]

That's so exciting. I'd love to see a badger