Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints How do you hunt badgers? And what are whistle pigs?

I have a chance to hunt them this coming year and have no experience.

whistle pig (deceased)



ground hog, wood chuck, rock chuck, etc...

For either, any 22 centerfire would be fine

be vewwy, vewwy careful. They are mean.....

Aren't whistle pigs from San Francisco?

If you've never hunted badgers before, it's easy. Just look for their mounds of dirt and find their tunnel. Then it is just a matter of going in after 'em...... They like to be called 'Charley'.....

In Idaho and eastern Oregon, whistle pigs are a small ground squirrel. I think rock chucks used to be called whistle pigs back in the day, but for whatever reason the phrase now refers to a particular type of ground squirrel.

As far as badgers, I have never heard of anyone actually hunting them. I've seen folks try to trap a particular problem badger, but generally they're targets of opportunity.

This is the correct answer for southern Idaho and eastern Oregon, they used also used to be referred to as picketpins and gophers in southern Idaho, not so much any more, I now hear many folks who refer to them as ground squirrels which technically is correct. It seems to me that the ones in the desert southwest of Idaho are smaller than the average sized ground squirrel also.

If you know what a picketpin is then it is easy to see how they acquired that name. I have used all three names for them but now I mostly refer to them as gophers which confuses folks who are not familiar with them being called that, but I have called them either picketpins or gophers for so many years that I am not going to change now.

Funny thing is that I have never heard anyone who was raised in southern Idaho call them whistlepigs, that seems to be an imported term with the influx of non-natives to the area.

drover

One thing I know for certain, don't be hittin' a badger with green cotton bowls. Especially after the dogs have got him all stirred up.

I actually look for and hunt badgers. Drive the areas where they live, spot and stalk. Sometimes they can be called, not always. Most places a whistle pig is a 'chuck, here in So. West Idaho they are ground squirrels.

In Tenn. a wistle pig is a groundhog aka. woodchuck.

I asked this question a year or two ago. Got many responses.....and Yes....that wonky Boise area or corner to include some of SE Oregon...they have a different lingo for the Rock Chuck and the various Ground Squirrels. It's exactly the opposite nomenclature about 100 miles outside that area. From what I have read and discovered

NA Cali and SE OR I've heard the 'Picket Pins" refered to as "squeaks" and "squeakers". The ones there are Belding's ground squirrels, some folks also refer to them as "gophers". Having lived in NW PA a whistle pig was a groundhog there. Southern CA we had ground squirrels, usually referred to as such. I think the same type or a similar exists in N CA, OR and perhaps S central WA which are referred to as "gray diggers".

Common names are so much fun. It's why a bluegill is called a bream or brim in some places.

Don't even get me going on crawdads. I hear some folks call them "crayfish"

OP, when in doubt ask a local................then find another and be told the first was wrong!

Geno

PS, I have called a badger to within 8' of me for fun while turkey hunting, so I know they can be called......... at least that one could be

And don't take your Beagle with you on a Badger hunt unless you want hit the Vet on the way home.

One might bring a Dachshund or three though

Geno

Is "Honey Badger" just another term for a blue haired cougar?

kingston - "...another term for a blue haired cougar?" In South Florida, especially Miami Beach and the Aventura area, we've two (2)varieties of "Honey Badgers" . Having a heavy wallet helps a lot in bagging one... Homesteader

Crawdads or crawfish here. I guess the Momma's are crawfish. miles

sage rats is what I've called them...

but with all the different names, we here in S. Oregon still know you are talking about...

What are the two varieties and how do you tell them apart?

Throw road flares down badger holes.




Dave

And stand by with a paper sack to catch them when they come out?

Geno

Get yourself two sticks about 3/4" diameter and 10" long, real smooth ones, but don't go to the lumber store and buy dowels, they don't work. Closet rod material is way too big. Carve them out of some kind of hardwood. I like dried, aged walnut.

Carve 6 or 7 notches in each one about 1/2" wide and 1/8" deep, 5/8" apart, near one end of the sticks. Toward the middle of each stick on the opposite side as the carved notches, screw in a brass hook. You need to go to the hardware store for that! Now you can hold the sticks hooking your index finger in the brass hooks with the notches pointed inwards, towards each other. You can drill a hole in each one and tie them together with a string if you're afraid of losing them. Make the string 18-20" long.

Position yourself about 20' from a badger hole, but not upwind. Badgers have an excellent sense of smell. Slowly rub the sticks together, creating a soft clicking noise. Vary the speed up and down, creating excitement with the tempo as it goes up and down. The idea is to get the badger to think there's a prey species right outside his den. Repeat this for about 20 minutes. You need to stop and rest periodically, allowing the badgers natural curiosity to work on him. If he gets curious enough he will poke his head out to have a look around. When he does, let him have it.

After 20 minutes, if this hasn't worked, don't lose heart, you can still get the badger. At this point just throw the sticks on the ground, they never work anyway. I'd go with a road flare.

Geeze, I hate badgers, but I never shoot them.

They sure kill a lot of other animals that make holes.

Sometimes land owners get touchy about badgers, best to ask if they are okay with you shooting them.

I shot a Badger about 15 years ago and have not seen another since. Kind of regret that now. We just don't have them around anymore.

We hunt badger early in the spring. Hides are best then. Usually we catch them near dog towns.. we have quite a few.. Some ranchers in fact most want them shot year around!

Best way to snag a gopher (sage rat) is to use 10# test on a spinning rig. Put a loop around the hole and when it sticks his head up set the loop and enjoy the afternoon. Even more fun with prairie dogs.

W. Bill

Can use fresh baler twine too.

Badger, 278 yds, .204 Ruger :

Now you have. Always called them whistle pigs, but maybe Meridian is not what you consider "South".

Fugkin awesome!

One question, why are you giving him a bath?

That's the biggest badger I've ever seen! Beauty eh?

You need to find a fresh den and you can call them out. I just use a rabbit in distress call. You have to be close to the den to call them out because they might be 6 feet under the ground. They like to sun themselves also after hibernation. Catching them laying on the den is always a thrill.

Ever been chased by a Badger....?

Them's one mean SOB......they will rip U a new AH.....

Shot this one in self denfense........

Ruger 300 BLK...110 Nozlers......

Please, NO pics of the new AH.....

Or the old AH for that matter!

I think I've only ever seen one badger. We got him to come out by flipping dead picket pins down into the hole he was in.

Tom

I've shot a couple of badgers but only as targets of opportunity. I've trapped a couple dozen over the years but they are not all that common around here.

My mist recent experience with a badger was just before the black bear season. I went to check on one of my bait pits and noticed one had the lid tilted but not pulled off as a bear will. That usually indicated a group of raccoons worked over the corner and got inside. I pulled that part of the lid off and immediately noticed a set of badger fangs headed my way.

I jumped back and started running through the brush backwards. I was just able to stay ahead of the whirlwind of fury which kept me in one piece. It was close enough deal that if I would have turned around or tried to draw my pistol and shoot, that badger would have had me for sure. It was a young badger and he didn't carry the pursuit very far before he turned and took off into the brush. I was very cautious lifting the pit lids not only the rest of that season but for the next couple of seasons too.

I have always believed "whistle pigs" were a marmot or maybe a pika. Woodchucks are pretty much called that and ground squirrels are usually, but wrongly, called gophers.

1st Engineer Battalion tunnel rats?

I served under one of them, Jerry Sinn, who went from E-1 to O-9.

Craigster:

I'd never mess with anyone tough enough to bathe a badger. I understand they exclusively favor Dawn dish detergent.

Local rancher kid scored a tiny pup once when mom was hit by a rig as she crossed the road moving the youngster to a new den. Aside from tearing the hell out of the lawn, they said it was a wonderful house pet taking almost exclusively to one of their sons.

Lost it to a visiting gang of cow dogs during a branding session at about 9 months.

Shot a big old badger yesterday.. He was digging in my pal's hay field.. No pics.. Got a new computer and it won't transfer to homephoto bucket😝 Got him w/ my rebarreled .300 Sav. & a 110 gr Speer over 3031.

I was wondering the same thing.

Around here, a whistle pig is slang for a ground hog. I think they call them that because when hunting them, when you see them, they're real low to the ground and hard to hit. So if you whistle, the ground hog will stop and stand up to look.

I'm pretty sure he was washing the blood off the hair.

I'll wash a bloody hide too but I wait until it's off the carcass.

A Badger skull makes a good conversation piece.

I have never put a badger in my sink, that is f##ked up

you ain't lived.......until you sink a badger.

We talking Honey Badger?

now THAT is f##ked up.

At least it wasn't the bathtub ........ or washing machine. WTF

In Kentucky also.

Depends on where you live on what you call them. In Oregon & Washington what we call a Ground Squirrel they call Picket Pins, over in Montana they call them Gophers. Last Thursday me & 2 of my adult son's were hunting Ground Squirrels & we had about 65-66 & were heading back to town when this Boone & Crockett Badger came running down an old fence line. Just as I stopped he turned & faced us & opened his mouth, my son shot him just under the chin & he never even wiggled. This is one of the very hard to get "fur" Badgers, much harder to find than the more common "hair" Badgers.
I've probably taken at least 100 Badgers with different sixguns over the years & could fill several pages with stories of run in's with them. Some times I've chased them & sometimes they've chased me! I'll show one photo tonight & more tomorrow.



Dick

I do go hunting specifically for badgers. Went out Wednesday morning. Spotted one at 4 yds. so I figured it would be easy to kill with my .22 l r. Wound up shooting it 3 times with the .22 and once with my .380, all head shots, before I put it down for good. It was female, 10.2 lbs. Camera battery was dead so I didn't get a picture. One of the hardest badgers to kill I ever shot.

So much for saving THAT skull for the windowsill.....

Whistle pigs are woodchucks, hoary marmots or rock-chucks. Man, can they screech.

Badgers are pretty scarce even when "thick" as they are a predator of sorts.

But follow Jim Conrad's suggestion. If you're primarily after whistle pigs, or sage rats, sometimes, the rancher wants the badgers in certain places left alone. Sometimes, they'll want coyotes left alone, especially nearish the farmstead at certain times of year. I personally kind of like badgers but if the landowner wants one gone, I'll take it for the fur, or possibly a mount. They are bad@$$es, actually I had a classmate who had one as a pet, Spike was her name. Potty trained, spayed! Nearly a dog, but you played NICE. She lasted four years, ate lots of mice, got run over.

Me & a friend were driving home from the county fair when this Badger ran across the road in front of us, all I had with me was my model 60 carry gun. I jumped out of the car & the Badger ran into a grain field & I could see him mowing down the grain as he ran, then he turned & started back towards me, I think because he was a young one & really didn't know what to do.
As he got to about 20 feet he stopped & I gave him a double tap with the 120 gr. TC cast slugs I had in the little 5 shot snubbie. At least one of them hit him & he took off out through the grain field with me it hot pursuit in my rubber Croc's. After about 50 yds. he ran down into a little bit of an old crater (lava) & turned & faced me & I gave him another double tap right in the kisser. This is the only time I've ever heard one make a sound, it was some kind of a squeal/growl, not sure how to explain it but he rolled over & I had him with one round left.


I've been shooting Badgers with sixguns for over 50 years & only once have I ever had a chance at a double & this was it. I had spotted a very large Badger running along a little spring so I parked my truck & sneaked back down along an old fence, crawled through the barbed wire & he spotted me & when down his den hole. I sneaked down a little closer & sit down with my back against a fence post & brought my knee's up into the Keith reclining position & waited. After about 10 minutes he slowly came up for a peek & then to my surprise a second Badger came up right behind him, holy pajamas I was going to get two with one shot! I was shooting my wonderful Bisley 41 magnum that has taken a lot of game using the 230 gr. Keith slug & 17 grs. of 2400. The range was about 35 yds. I slowly lined up the sights as the Badgers slowly lined up for me & in my youthful inexperience I rushed the shot & shot over them! Down they went & now I waited & waited, finally one of them came back up but he wasn't happy, I waited to see if his side kick was coming up but no luck, one of them was smart. This time I broke a clean shot & he never moved, I had a dandy Badger. I always go on the forums & give them away, I have Badgers all over the country.


I was coming back to town from a deer hunt & this monster Badger was crossing a grain field that had been harvested, I pulled over & grabbed my old model 357 magnum & ran back up the road & waited for him to close the gap. When he got about 25 yds away I think he smelled me because he stopped & raised his head just a bit & then started to turn but held his ground trying to figure out what to do. It was too late, I already had him in my sights using a 173 gr. Keith cast slug & 13.5 grs. of 2400, it punched his ticket pretty good, he made a little move away from me & it was lights out. Can't remember where this one went but somebody made a life size mount out of him, he was a real pig!


Every Badger is born with a bad attitude & it goes down hill from there. Most of them will try to get away when they see you but every once in a while you run into one that has a chip on his shoulder & he doesn't want you on his turf, those are the one's you have to be careful with!
This bad boy knew I was shooting HIS Ground Squirrels & he decided he didn't like me. I spotted him from a distance & he wasn't leaving, he was slowly coming over where I was walking through some Sagebrush whacking Squirrels. The next time I spotted him he was about 20 yds away laying flat to the ground & I could see he was mad! I had 2 sixguns with me & I pulled out my very special 7 1/2" 44 special Bisley stoked with 7.5 grs. of 2400 & the 250 gr. Keith & gave him a face full of lead poison just under the chin. That seemed to calm him down pretty fast & I had another Badger pelt to give away.



Dick

Wow Dick I am impressed. You actually hunt badgers! Well done.

Great!!

Sounds like a hell of a dare, or one of those "hold my beer and watch this" moments.

Shot this one with my old model 45 shorty using a 260 gr. Keith & 18.5 gr. of 2400. I was driving down a dirt road & he was running down the road towards me. When he spotted the truck he turned & ran back down the road & around a corner, I drove down a ways & jumped out & ran down the road 30 yds or so & walked up on the bank & sat down. I didn't think I would see him again but in a few minutes here he came again right back towards me. When he got within about 20 yds he spotted my truck & he laid down real flat like only a Badger can do. As I raised up the 45 he caught my movement & started to turn just as I shot, the big Keith slug hit him but not solid & he ran down through some Chokecherry bushes & out into some Sagebrush. I ran after him & after about 20-25 yds he slowed down & faced me, I could see he was hit but he still had some fight in him & I sent another one of Elmer's finest through him & that finished it.
I gathered him up & walked back up to my truck & I had lost my cellphone! I went back down & looked but couldn't find it, I went back up to my truck & here came another truck, it was a friend of mine who was a UPS truck driver, him & his girlfriend were out looking for elk. He tried dialing my number but no signal. The 3 of us went looking & one of us found it, don't remember who but I watch that pretty close now.



You notice the big grin on my face, that's because just a few minutes before I had the living daylights scared out of me by the Badger laying in front of me! I was hunting Ground Squirrels at the time & any time you're into good Squirrel hunting there's bound to be Badgers around, that's their favorite snack. Anyway I was walking through some scattered Sagebrush popping Squirrels when I spotted this Badger watching me from on top of his mound. I already had the 44 maggie in my hands & it was loaded with the Keith 250 gr. cast slug & 10 grs. of Unique. I slowly brought the gun up at about 30 yds & smacked him good & it flipped him down into his hole & I could hear him growling a bit. When I got over there it was dark down in the hole but I could see him & nothing was moving, he looked dead..... I've killed a lot of Badgers & been chased more than once so I watched for a couple of minutes to make sure he was dead & then I got down on my hands & knees & I could see most of his head but his body was covered with dirt. The only way I could reach him was with one arm so I used my Leatherman tool & got it onto his nose & started to drag him up out of the hole & just as I got him to the top he let out some kind of a death moan & I turned loose & flipped over as fast as I could, I thought he had me but he was dead, I think it was just gas or air, not sure but he scared the living hell out of me!



Dick