Armadillos are moving north in Illinois

[Melensdad]

Source is the Wall Street Journal. Headline caught my eye. But the interesting part, to me, is that Armadillos are now as far north as the Chicago south suburbs. That puts them in the two counties that are adjacent to my home. Will County, just south of Chicago's Cook County, and Kankakee County, the county south of Will. My property is pretty much at the Indiana state line where Will & Kankakee Counties meet the state line. I've not heard of them here, not heard of a farmer encountering them either.

Still it is odd they would move up this far north. Must be adaptable little critters.

FULL STORY AT THE LINK:

The Texans Who Are Moving to Illinois: Armadillos

Possum-sized creatures are creeping north—and leaving their mark on the Land of Lincoln; “I’m not sure I would give them the ‘cute’ label.”

www.wsj.com

The Texans Who Are Moving to Illinois: Armadillos​

Possum-sized creatures are creeping north—and leaving their mark on the Land of Lincoln; “I’m not sure I would give them the ‘cute’ label.”​

By Joe Barrett​

Sept. 27, 2022 10:21 am ET

​

CARBONDALE, Ill.—Judy Carver and her husband had been noticing little holes in the grass and mulched areas of their yard since early spring this year, unsure whether it might be deer or chipmunks digging up the wooded lot on a small lake outside this college town.​

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The 67-year-old immediately knew it was an armadillo.​

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“Believe me. When you see one you know what it is,” she said. To Ms. Carver, the creature seemed as afraid of them as they were curious about it. It froze—its head hidden in the bushes—as her husband shined a light on it. “I think he thought we couldn’t see him, but we could see the whole body,” she said.​

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The possum-size critters—nearly blind and resembling a cross between an anteater and a giant potato bug–have been creeping north from Texas for decades and in recent years have made a home in the Land of Lincoln, tearing up yards, drawing puzzled looks and littering highways with their carcasses. ​

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In Illinois’s southern reaches, they are plentiful. ​

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“How many you want?” asked Jeff Holshouser, 57, an avid hunter who works in the heating and air-conditioning business in the small city of Anna, in the state’s southwest corner. Mr. Holshouser said he has seen as many as 10 armadillos in a night using thermal-imaging equipment as he hunts for coyotes on farmers’ fields. He said he’s shot five in his own yard in recent months. “I see them everywhere.” ​

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They have also been spotted recently as far north as Will County, five hours north and on the outskirts of Chicago, where winters are typically much harsher, a testament scientists say, to their adaptability and a warming climate. . . STORY CONTINUES​

 

[power1]

I was born and raised in Oklahoma. We lived on a small 120 acre farm. My dad worked in New Mexico so it was up to me to take care of all of the animals. Every morning I had to carry a sack of corn to the back of the pasture and feed the hogs. My dogs always went with me. On the way back the dogs started chasing something. I was right behind them when they caught it. They killed it but I didn't have any idea what the animal was. I brought it home but still couldn't find out what it was. We finally took the animal to the local store and post office. No one there knew what it was. We set the animal up on the front porch of the store and everyone who came in could see it. It was there for several days when a traveling salesman from south Texas came through. He told us it was an armadillo. It was the first one that had been seen in south eastern Oklahoma.

 

[Melensdad]

I've only seen them dead, along the roadway, and in Texas and New Mexico. I'm pretty shocked that they are in Illinois and this is the first I've heard of their northern migration. I would have figured that I'd have heard of them in Arkansas or Missouri or ???

 

[power1]

I've only seen them dead, along the roadway, and in Texas and New Mexico. I'm pretty shocked that they are in Illinois and this is the first I've heard of their northern migration. I would have figured that I'd have heard of them in Arkansas or Missouri or ???

They have been in Arkansas for probably 50 years.

 

[Melensdad]

They have been in Arkansas for probably 50 years.

Interesting. I'd have thought that the homesteading, hunting or varmint magazines I've read would have covered them? Maybe I just never noticed. Or maybe just like "breathing air" we don't see articles about things that are normal?

As hogs spread and move and cause crop damage we see all sorts of reports about them. Armadillos apparently are less of a nuisance, or less of an economic issue?

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

When I lived in Florida my Lab/Weimaraner would catch them and bring them to me. He loved playing catch with footballs - I think he thought they were just footballs that moved.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I don't think they do much damage. They do kind of root around a bit but nothing like hogs. Also, they aren't really a danger to anything.

 

[power1]

Interesting. I'd have thought that the homesteading, hunting or varmint magazines I've read would have covered them? Maybe I just never noticed. Or maybe just like "breathing air" we don't see articles about things that are normal?

As hogs spread and move and cause crop damage we see all sorts of reports about them. Armadillos apparently are less of a nuisance, or less of an economic issue?

Just not much interested in armadillos. Years ago they used to have armadillos barbeques but they didn't really catch on. Then they tried armadillo rodeos. Even tried armadillo throwing contests. They are not as plentiful as they were years ago, or they have gotten a little smarter. They are veery easy to catch but hard to hold on to.

 

[power1]

I don't think they do much damage. They do kind of root around a bit but nothing like hogs. Also, they aren't really a danger to anything.

They do damage to the manicured lawns.

 

[Melensdad]

They do damage to the manicured lawns.

Ah, so they would likely drive my neighbor nuts but leave mine alone

 

[EastTexFrank]

They do damage to the manicured lawns.

I've shot 7 of them this year and I missed the 8th tonight, but it's not over yet. They do tear up the yard a bit but they can really tear up a flower bed either hunting for food or digging a hole or tunnel to hide in during the day. They are more of a pest than anything else. The damage is more unsightly than serious unless you step into or drive over one of the holes that they've dug.

They can actually be pretty quick and it's something to behold to see them jump straight up in the air about three feet high when they are startled. When they come down they take off in whatever direction they happen to be facing at a full gallop.

Now that you guys up north have got our armadillos, can we send you some of our hogs? We have a ton of those to spare.

 

[bczoom]

Did they actually migrate in that direction or did they come in on trains or trucks?

Do they taste like chicken? Can you make the equivalent of steel toed boots out of them?

 

[power1]

Did they actually migrate in that direction or did they come in on trains or trucks?

Do they taste like chicken? Can you make the equivalent of steel toed boots out of them?

Never seen them in trucks, don't really think they even drive. The shells are not that hard. When they are babies they are sort of pink and have a little hair on them. Make great pets. They do taste a lot like chicken but the pieces are bigger and meatier. Reminds me of a soft shell turtle. I don't think they migrate. They are just wandering around looking for something to eat and do not know or care which way they are going. Sort of like me.

 

[EastTexFrank]

In my life I worked with a bunch of Cajuns and as we all know Cajuns will eat just about anything. They told me that armadillo tastes a lot like fine grained pork. Once you clean them, you throw then on an open fire shell down, kinda like pork on the half shell. Now all of that is hearsay. I've never eaten one and have no intentions of doing so.

 

[m1west]

In my life I worked with a bunch of Cajuns and as we all know Cajuns will eat just about anything. They told me that armadillo tastes a lot like fine grained pork. Once you clean them, you throw then on an open fire shell down, kinda like pork on the half shell. Now all of that is hearsay. I've never eaten one and have no intentions of doing so.

Never ate a Armadillo, but I ate muskrat, not too bad, a little greasy.

 

[Melensdad]

Never ate a Armadillo, but I ate muskrat, not too bad, a little greasy.

Raccoons are greasy too.

 

[power1]

In my life I worked with a bunch of Cajuns and as we all know Cajuns will eat just about anything. They told me that armadillo tastes a lot like fine grained pork. Once you clean them, you throw then on an open fire shell down, kinda like pork on the half shell. Now all of that is hearsay. I've never eaten one and have no intentions of doing so.

When a real cajun cooks something it isn't as simple as throwing on the fire. They throw a lot of other stuff in there with the meat. You know you are eating some kind of meat but it tastes good and you really don't want to know where it came from or what it was.
I lived with a cajun for many years. Spent quite a bit of time past where the road ends.