Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Coyote, Small Game, Varmints => Topic started by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:23:25 AM

Title: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:23:25 AM: i was out las week coyote hunting, i was walking through a small canyon, and noticed about 20 burrows on the side of the hills, they were about 10 inches in diameter, and they weren't overgrown with weeds, so i'm guessing threy were stil being used, i couldn't find any tracks around the burrows, they were about 20 - 50 feet apart. and these burrows were all over the steep hillsides. at first i thought maybe they belonged to coyotes, but i don't think they would have there burrows so close together, what do you guys think lives in these burrows? badgers? this is in the tri-cities area
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:25:52 AM: Birds.
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: sandythebowtotenmama on November 17, 2009, 10:27:15 AM: Prairie Dogs
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:27:35 AM: birds?? with such big burrows? what kind of bird we talking about here?
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:28:34 AM: not prarrie dogs either.. no prarrie dogs around here that i know of
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:42:20 AM: Quote from: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:27:35 AM
birds?? with such big burrows? what kind of bird we talking about here?
I am no avian specialist but possibly burrowing owls? The holes might actually be smaller the farther in they go and are just bigger from whatever going in and out alot??
Stick your hand in one as far as you can, that might solve the mystery? :chuckle:
I'll even hold your beer..
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: whacker1 on November 17, 2009, 10:47:05 AM: I always thought they were from Marmots
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:47:46 AM: lol... :) i thought that maybe it was owls too, but i've seen alot of burrowing owls, i mean ALOT. and the thing is i've never seen them havung burrows on a steep hill, i'm talking 45 degrees, maybe more, i had to litterally climb up that hill.
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:48:45 AM: it could be marmots, but don't they hang out in rocky places, this area had absolutley no rock anywhere,
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:49:48 AM: You did say no tracks, if you can set up a trail cam for a day or two and then we will all know..
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:52:19 AM: Quote from: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:49:48 AM
You did say no tracks, if you can set up a trail cam for a day or two and then we will all know..

ya, that would help, but i can't afford a trail cam. new kid is eating up all the money.

what about badgers? could it be badgers?
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: whacker1 on November 17, 2009, 10:55:23 AM: yes, I always thought marmots lived in the rocks too, but i have seen them on barren steep hillsides. just not very often.
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:59:49 AM: Quote from: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:52:19 AM
Quote from: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:49:48 AM
You did say no tracks, if you can set up a trail cam for a day or two and then we will all know..

ya, that would help, but i can't afford a trail cam. new kid is eating up all the money.

what about badgers? could it be badgers?
Badgers, we dont need no stinkin badgers :chuckle:, sorry couldn't help myself.
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on November 17, 2009, 11:05:46 AM: Quote from: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:59:49 AM
Quote from: BIGINNER on November 17, 2009, 10:52:19 AM
Quote from: Buckmark on November 17, 2009, 10:49:48 AM
You did say no tracks, if you can set up a trail cam for a day or two and then we will all know..

ya, that would help, but i can't afford a trail cam. new kid is eating up all the money.

what about badgers? could it be badgers?
Badgers, we dont need no stinkin badgers :chuckle:, sorry couldn't help myself.

Love it!

I think it is quite possible they are badger feeding digs, rather than occupied burrows. When badgers get into a good colony of ground squirrels or a concentration of other small rodents, they will systematically dig them out. And, badgers definitely like to dig into the side of steep banks, quite a bit easier than going down vertically.
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: jdb on November 17, 2009, 07:06:12 PM: [
Love it!

I think it is quite possible they are badger feeding digs, rather than occupied burrows. When badgers get into a good colony of ground squirrels or a concentration of other small rodents, they will systematically dig them out. And, badgers definitely like to dig into the side of steep banks, quite a bit easier than going down vertically.
[/quote]agreed
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: 509er on November 17, 2009, 07:11:40 PM: I Agree. It could be badgers or coyotes digging for rodents. :twocents:
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: BIGINNER on November 18, 2009, 08:14:16 AM: ok, thanks, how long would i have to sit around waiting till one of them come digging? :hunter:
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Oneshot1Kill on November 18, 2009, 09:20:23 PM: Found the same things out by my ground squirrel spot. Whatever it is, i got no more ground squirrels to shoot. Its depressing. hahaha
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Gringo31 on November 22, 2009, 10:34:06 PM: My guess is a badger.

The way to tell is look closely at the hole. A badger will have claw marks all the way around it, top, sides.......everything. Post a pic?
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: addicted on November 22, 2009, 11:42:36 PM: leprechauns..... duh.
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Elliott on November 23, 2009, 11:07:23 AM: my guess is mountain beaver, yeah thats right mountain beaver, its basically a large rat that digs burrows in the sides of hills, my first dog drug one home once, we didnt know what it was until our mountain man neighbor told us.

http://homepage.mac.com/dtsteele/Mountain_Beaver_Work/pages/34.html

after further reading of above article the mountain beaver is also known as a marmot, after even further reading, the two are often confused and are two separate species...
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: Dicko Bob on November 27, 2009, 08:05:33 PM: Mary Jane Farmer
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: whacker1 on November 30, 2009, 12:39:22 PM: Patty Murray
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: alanger on December 03, 2009, 03:45:14 PM: marmots or swallows???
Title: Re: what animal???
Post by: dontgetcrabs on December 03, 2009, 04:07:14 PM: Might be grey diggers.