I messed up twice..

Actually 3 screwups in a row. First I ran over my live trap pretty much destroying it then I bought a Havahart from the local farm supply to replace it. Caught an Armadillo last night that was digging up the yard. When I tried to get him out of the trap I discovered the Havahart without a back door was not worth buying. No way to hold the door open with an Armadillo sitting on the release plate, how do you get the durn thing out. Went to the shop and made an S hook to hold the door open while I coaxed the critter out. I'm either going to add a back door or throw it away and get one from Harbor Freight that has the door.

3rd screw up was after I got the Armadillo out of the trap. I didn't want to shoot him in the trap so waited till he was clear. .22 pistol, missed his head and only wounded him, the jerk ran back into the trap, door closes and my S hook flies off not to be found. Finally got him out of the trap the second time, another shot another head miss, he starts running, a 3rd shot on the run makes him spin around but doesn't stop him. He runs under a building I have my office in. So now he will die under the office and stink.

Lessons learned. Get better trap and use a bigger gun.

Why no shoot it in the trap? I dispatched my third raccoon of the season this morning. 22 to the head. Works every time.

Those are some nasty animals. Hope you did not get any of his blood on you that can be a big problem due to them carrying Leprosy. Heard of more then one person who got it by having an open cut and getting there blood on them.

I have one of those traps and I always kill the animal in the trap that way no way your going to miss plus easy to wash the blood off after. I keep it baited in the horse barn 24/7 and get a lot of raccoons that way

At times I save my ammo and just open the trap up with my dog there. The 2 of them make short work out of a raccoon. One it train in such a way I can point to him and then the door and he know there is a opossum or raccoon on the porch and he get them around 75% of the time

Since Leprosy is a old world disease and Armadillos are native to the new world one could say Armadillos got Leprosy from humans.

Do not know but I do know it can be a problem with them so when I shoot one and it runs off I know I do not have to worry about the blood getting on me. What does seem odd is every one I have ever shot jumps all over the place after I shoot it and then runs off

OK, here's what you do [i:c62e83c21a]next[/i:c62e83c21a] time...

1) Capture armadillo in Havahart trap
2) Run over the armadillo [i:c62e83c21a][b:c62e83c21a]and[/b:c62e83c21a][/i:c62e83c21a] the Havahart trap
3) THEN go buy a new trap from HF

reminds me of the time my uncle picked up his chainsaw from the shop, put it in the trunk of the car and we drove home, he then gets the saw from the trunk and sits in on the ground and starts it up, shuts it off and gets in the car and backs over it.

Drown them in a pond or rain barrel, dump trap, no blood in your trap.

I like the idea of running over both the trap and the critter, solves both problems in one shot.

Problem solved, discovered he didn't get very far under the office building and was able to pull him out and dispose of him where he won't bother anybody. Used disposable gloves and he was done fighting or running.

Bob ...... they turn 'em loose first because those guys are better shots than you are ..... ha!

Had a beautiful old Mac Culloch I-30 bruiser of a saw. Me and dad are down it the wooks. I had the saw, gas can, tools, chain etc. In the tractor bucket. He is a horrible operator. Guess what, he dumps the bucket and runs right over my beauty of a saw. Crushed the crap out of it. No stop, just crused it. I am ready to start screaming and he is telling me I should have taken the saw with me. Is any of this making any scene?

You are absolutely correct, humans infected armadillos with leprosy between 4-500 years ago. Now the creepy part to ponder is there has to be an exchange of bodily fluids to pass leprosy on...

Lesson #2 take shooting lessons.

has to be an exchange of bodily fluids to pass leprosy on

That is easy as a Armadillo eating on a dead or dying human body.
Armadillos get leprosy easy due to their lower body temperature.

I plug everything while it's in the trap. I have a little .22 automatic pistol that works good, but I have used a .30-.30.

Haven't damaged the trap yet.

they're just like catching skunks, throw a towel over the trap to keep them calm, and pull the whole trap into the pond, no muss, no fuss!

I probably wouldn't let an armadillo go, but when I trap stuff that needs to be released I simply put trap on its side or upside down, that way the door stays open.