THE BADGER.
Badgers are burrowing, carnivorous animals. They are found in North
America and various parts of the Old World; one species being found
in Europe, one in India and another in Japan. There are several
varieties of the American species and they are found at present only
west of the Mississippi River, although formerly they ranged as far
east as Ohio. They are perhaps most numerous on the High, dry plains
just east of the Rocky Mountains, and range from Mexico to well up
into Canada. They were at one time quite numerous in Wisconsin and
Minnesota, as well as others of the Northern and Central States, but
today are found but rarely in those sections. Wisconsin is sometimes
called the "Badger State" because of the numbers of these animals
found there by the early settlers.
The badger is an animal of peculiar build, having a heavy, broad
body, at times appearing almost flat, as when it crouches close to
the ground, and the legs are short and stout. The feet are furnished
with long, strong claws, adapted for digging. The tail is short, the
ears short and round, the eyes small and black. A full grown specimen
will measure about two feet or more from the end of the nose to the
base of the tail.
The color is a grizzly, yellowish grey, being darker on the back. A
white line traverses the face, head and neck, bordered with black,
which latter marking extends around the eyes. The sides of the face
and the throat are white, and there is a black patch in front of each
ear. The legs and feet are black. The back and sides of the body are
mottled somewhat by narrow streaks of darker fur.
The fur, or more properly speaking, the hair, is long and appears to
be parted on the back as it hangs off to either side from a line down
the center of the back. Each separate hair shows a number of colors
and it is this which gives the animal the peculiar grizzled
appearance. Although the animal is, as before stated, of a heavy
build, the casual observer would scarcely credit the animal with the
great strength which it really possesses, because of the apparently
soft and flabby body, however, the strength of the animal is
surprising. They are slow moving creatures and were it not for their
strength and powers of digging, they would have difficulty in
procuring a sufficient amount of food.
They feed on the small burrowing animals mainly, such as the prairie
dog, the gopher and the pouched rat, and they are enabled to capture
many of these animals by digging them out of the dens. They also eat
mice and reptiles and the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds.
Being such an expert digger, the badger makes a deep den. The
entrance to the den is wide and surrounded by a mound of earth. In
addition to the main den the animal has a number of others nearby, so
that one would scarcely know which of them is the main burrow. They
are hibernating animals and remain in the dens during the cold
portion of the winter.
The animal is of a rather timid nature, and when alarmed seeks safety
in the den if possible, but when surprised far from the den, will
hide wherever possible and failing to find cover will flatten down
close to the ground and by remaining very quiet, will try to escape
notice. However when pursued, and finding escape impossible, they
will fight desperately.
The young are born in early spring, there being as a rule three or
four in a litter.
The fur of the badger is used for making brushes of various kinds,
its peculiar texture making it especially desirable for this purpose.
It is not used for wearing apparel.
The No. 3 trap is the proper size to use for this animal, and only
the stronger ones should be used. They are caught and held
occasionally in smaller and weaker traps, yet such cases are
exceptional.
As the animal is not a valuable one and is not found in large numbers
in any one locality, they are not much sought by the trappers and the
most of the Skins which reach the market are from the animals caught
in traps set for other game. The wolf and coyote trappers catch them
occasionally, as they may be captured by any of the methods used for
those animals.
Perhaps the best way in which to capture the badger is to set the
trap at the entrance to the main burrow, that is, the one showing the
most use. The trap should be set just outside of the entrance and
should be securely staked, using a long stake driven out of sight in
the ground. The jaws of the trap should be parallel with the passage,
so that the badger will step between the jaws, and not over them. It
should be bedded down so that the covering will be flush with the
surroundings.
Traps may also be set with bait. On the plains, material for
enclosures can not be found but the traps may be set between clumps
of sage brush or cactus, placing the bait behind the trap, the
setting being so arranged that the badger will be obliged to walk
over the trap in order to reach the bait. The trap should be securely
staked in all cases. For bait, rabbit, sage hen, prairie dog or
almost any kind of fresh meat may be used.
[Illustration: The Opossum.]