How to Trap a World Record Coyote
One year I was fox trapping and checking my traps in the dark before work. One morning I came up to a trap on a drag and notice the trap was gone. I started following the trail in end up in an old coyote den. Having to be on work on time I left. After work I return with a friend and a shovel. Thinking that I had caught a coyote and he got inside the den and then the den cave in behind him. We start digging up this monster coyote.
I came up the drag about two feet in hook to a root. The drag chain was over 6 feet long so we had a lot of digging to do. I un hook the drag from the root because it was in the way. I thought the coyote must be in a hiding chamber and soon I will break through and see him. I set the drag down and reach back to get the shovel and the drag move in about 3 inches. I grab the drag and yell to Craig ( the Craig from the bear story) get some wire for the drag. The coyote didn't like the yelling and started to pull me in the den as I tried to hold the drag from being pull out of sight. Hurry the coyote must be one of those 65 pounds because he was dragging me inside. Craig show up with the wire and we wired it off to a strong tree.
"Craig you dig for a while that was work" I said "That has to be the biggest coyote in Michigan maybe we have the new record size coyote" Craig point down in the dirt and there was my boot tracks in the dirt trying to dig in and being drag inside. Craig Said "we are going to be the most famous coyote trappers in Michigan after we get him." Start digging. It was around 4 p.m. when this little adventure began. At 6 we were at the trap chain and still digging. The trap chain was only 12 inches from the trap. The drag chain was 6 feet long. It would be dark soon.
I took my Ruger 10-22 and thinking the coyote was just inside the hiding den shot a few rounds were I thought his body should be. Nothing. The smell of burnt gunpowder was thick. I keep digging until I could see the trap in it was a foot and the animal had gray fur. I saw the gray fur and thought, what a coyote. I was looking at the fur and not the foot. I pick up the 10-22 and guess were the body should be and was about to fire when the meanest looking badger decide it was time to fight.
Now I'm no guy with nerves of steel, no sir. But I know that when you are 6 feet underground and Mr. attitude is having a bad day is not the time to run. If you have never had the pleasure of such encounter let me try to explain what it looks likes. Image the Tasmania devil on steroids. Badgers front feet have claws about 3 inches long. Of course the trap was on one of his back feet. Teeth that can scare a Grizzly bear off. The attitude is already there now give it a bad day and meet Charles Manson of the badger family.
Of course this is not only Mr. Attitude of the badger but it is the largest badger I have ever seen or heard of. He weight in at 23 Lbs. I believe my thought pattern went something like this, oh it is a badger that exp.....oh my god he is going to rip me to shreds, Those claws are 6 inches long, his teeth the way they are snapping are going to hurt, Please God make sure I ex leave the safety on. Where the heck is the trigger? MY MIND WAS THEN IN NEAR PANIC STAGE AS THE BADGER CLOSE THE SHORT DISTANCE BETWEEN US. Shoot, shoot, shoot, my mind was screaming at me at 1 foot in front of my face my hand found the trigger and ten shots were fired in less then 2 seconds. The gun was on my right side and the barrel was no more then 6 inches in front of my face. The hole was so full of dirt flying, smoke and dust I coulcouldn't what happen? Craig said I was screaming and he grabbed my feet and pull me out.
Big Badger, big badger den, big badger, Craig said I was mumbling. When the dust and smoke clear Craig climb in and pull out the largest Badger I have ever trapped. 23 lbs and 400 grains of lead to add to his weight. I didn't miss a single shot. But at 6 inches from the barrel it would have been hard to miss. The sound of the growl and the attack was blood chilling and I can testify that a badger has the strength to scare a bear off. I know I saw first hand.
The badger is short stout mean little critter. The badger spends his life digging through the ground like a possessed demon. Creating mazes of underground tunnels and exploring the world. There main diet is grubs and I think if you spend most of your life underground digging holes and eating grubs you too would have an attitude. When the badger comes up for air and to see the other world they have a defiant attitude about being left alone. For some reason they will attack anything in there path and because they are very nearsighted they fight like demons.
So here is my definition of the badger. Short, mean, bad temper, grub eating, hole maker, bad breath, nearsighted, needs to relax in the sun, ball of muscle teeth and claws. Gray in color powerful, prefers to fight, think he owns the world, and will make a 1000 pound Grizzly run for cover. Other then that he is just another cute cuddle woodland creature.
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