Anyone with experience with badgers?

[gottsegnet]

I don't know why it would feel threatened when I was over 100 yards from it on my porch and it was in a soybean field.

 

[gottsegnet]

Ok, on bears. I can't really imagine it BUT that is what it sounded like. And I know black bears will bluff charge. We saw three sets of eyes in the field, but only one messed with us.

But looking around, I found this very interesting.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=231x11129

That guy is only a few miles south of us. It wouldn't be entirely out of the question for him to have gotten back into it and have an uannounced escape or even a release.

EEEEEEEEEEE

Why are you making me think about this!!!!!

 

[Ang]

Have you contacted you local game warden? I would. They should be able to help you identify what it is you are dealing with. If you saw 3 sets of eyes, it would stand to reason it was a mama something protecting its young. Also, you should be able to find badger and bear sounds online. That might help, too.

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Likely because, I've spent more than a few times at this time of the year visiting old apple trees in old not always kept fields or orchards in search of the ruffed grouse, and on occasion have happened upon Mr. Bruin trying to fatten up for winter.

These chance encounters are ones I'd just as soon not have.

It is rather bad when you have to load your shotgun (in shooting order) bird, bird, buckshot, buckshot, slug.

 

[gottsegnet]

We've listened to a ton of them.

There were three distinct sounds. A squawk, a clicking and a huffing noise.

I heard the squawk and clicking, thinking it was a territorial fox and later a gekkering fox. The sounds weren't quite right, but working off the internet it is hard to say.

But these also sound like what I heard. Especially the clicking.

http://www.bear.org/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=1

Scroll down to the "Apprehension" and "High Emotion."

We can't find anything that sounds quite like the breathy huffing it made while charging online, but from what I've read, they frequently make loud blowing/huffing noise before charging.

 

[gottsegnet]

Geesh. And now I find an article about a hibernating bear killed by a combine. About an hour and half from here, but a WHOLE lot closer than Colorado.

Or would it be

or

 

[theFox]

Quote:
I downloaded and read a wildlife study that says that Black Bears are using the woodlands that are growing up along the rivers as a pathway into several states and yours was one of them. Also that Bears are moving further south than they used to. Oh, while on the wildlife subject according to the same study and quoting a currently unpublished paper you folks now have a resident mountain lion population.


Museum, University of Nebraska State
Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska
State Museum
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Year 2009
Recent occurrence of an American black
bear in Nebraska
Justin D. Hoffman∗
Sam Wilson†
Hugh H. Genoways‡

 

[gottsegnet]

They've been telling us for years that there are no mountain lions in this area. But it is hard to keep down the murmuring amongst the people when it isn't just farmers seeing them in the early morning. They're getting hit on I-80. Dead bodies with lots of pictures and the confirmation of journalists, wildlife biologists, etc., make it difficult to really make anyone believe they aren't really there. Or that they're "just passing through." Because I'm sorry. If they're getting hit on I-80 just outside Omaha, they HAVE to be living well out here where they have ideal habitat.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

My only experience with a badger has been with NellaBean, BYC member. She was having a bad day this week.

 

[Ang]

We have the cougar issue here, too. Just had a neighbor who had a 1300 lb cow gutted by something. Most likely not coyotes! And in the northern part of our county a farmer had sheep killed in a manner that isn't consistent with the normal predators found here. That was according to the DNR officer. Been cougar sightings all over here.