Ok...I am needing to buy a few armadillo traps...home owner used a basic harbor freight lct and it bent the door in a matter of minutes and got away. Now they are calling on me to get him. Need suggestions. Got to order quickly. Thanks

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If you want traps you can use for more than armadillos, get an advanced from Kirk. If you are specifically using for armadillos www.thearmadillotrap.com

In the past, cage traps with pan triggers, as long as 42 inches were prescribed for armadillos. Sure they worked, but took up a ton of space in a vehicle and were understandably more difficult to place and handle. Having first experimented with powered door cage traps with wire triggers at my mother-in-laws, we found that 30 inch traps would do the same as a longer counterpart. Realizing space is at a premium in an ADC truck from our own experience, we looked to shorter. We then tried 24's. Though we got push back from some trappers, catching armadillos was no problem. The short 24 inch traps worked great. After seeing some photos of armadillos caught in 18 inch long double door traps, we believed they were just lucky catches, but that seems not to be the case. As time goes by, evidence mounting that even the very short 18's work fine too. Still, I would err on the side of caution and probably stick with 24's. The length of a trap determines what is required to make constant catches for different species, while its up to the trapper to make the choice in what he wants. The trapper can make the decision to use a short trap designed for one or two species like armadillos if they do a lot of work with those animals or don't have the space in the vehicle for larger trap. Likewise, they can purchase a longer trap that can be used for small and larger animals. At least now there are more choices available, which were nonexistent a short time ago in traps from 18 to 36 inches long, leaving it up to the trapper to make up his own mind what works best.

when i lived in sw mo i used to catch 50-100 armadillos a year on clients properties

I favored the koonce cage because of its ability to withstand the abuse

If you decide to go with a wire cage, put a board on the bottom to hold scent.

I agree but there are more factors.

The length of the trap, width of the trap, height of the trap, the type of door design, whether powered or not, and the trigger determines
how efficient the trap is to make constant catches for different species.

Example: A powered 30" lock bar powered door trap like I use and others may use is good for coon, armadillo, skunks, ground hogs, possum and other similar sized animals - even musk rats. A 30" 12 x 12 powered guillotine doored trap with rail making 32" overall, is good for additional animals such as beaver and otter in water, under water, and on land. By changing height to 17" and adding some width, changes the additional ability of the trap by almost twice.

Example: By using a 24" lock bar design powered door trap by allowing more factors the trap can be used regularly as a one door down baited trap for coon. By adding 6 more inches to the 18" it is not just a walk through or trail set double doored trap. It increases options available at the site.

Example: Changing type of door to a guillotine, outside swing down, or byfold and not using a pan trigger, but using a wire trigger also allows for more surface area inside a trap for a board to absorb the scent of previous caught armadillo or just scenting the trap for the next catch.

Bigger traps= bigger range of animals that can be caught with them. Less refusals. Other than price and cost of shipping. There's not much reason to choose a smaller trap. My .02

I will throw in this. With the wooden box traps I caught 212 armadillos in 3 months with 1 nontarget catch. With no funnels or fencing. They are on the heavy side but if you are strictly after armadillos, they're a great tool.

this is actually a williams cage trap...worked well...2 dillos caught...ended up catchin 15 at this guys place in a couple weeks.

Like most, I began with pans, bait and single door traps that really were oversized, not by industry standards, but by what was actually required. The traps did little more than take up space in a vehicle and were more difficult to set up in tight surrounds, just didn't fit all locations, more work to place, bulky. The smallest trap available that will do the job, smallest opening, shortest length is the goal. What has been the biggest surprise over the years is finding out how many trappers have pushed the envelope farther than I would have dared in smaller traps yet, with great success, even for raccoons.

Before I ever even thought of attempting to make a trap I listened closely to those who were retailers about the feedback they were getting from trappers all over the country. I also listened to a long time trapper using many dozens of pan traps over decades with baited cages to hear his experiences. He had used 11x12 opening traps for years, 30 long, then had custom made 9x10's to replace them all. He sold me his old traps when I first started adding a few skunks and chucks to beaver trapping almost 25 years ago. Multiply the area of he opening by the length of the trap to get volume in cubic inches for a ratio to compare. The trapper with the custom traps was able to get 25 per cent more traps into his truck without sacrifice to catching. He has been doing is ever since, two more decades, with the smaller traps and never said he wished he hadn't. Made him more $ being able to do more work in the same space.

A wire cage trap with some porous fabric to hold the scent of an armadillo can be taken from site to site and kept from one year to the next.

Lots of ways to catch, just like doing in the way that yields the most reward for the least amount of effort, efficiency.

Is that mostly positive sets? Because you can definitely get away with smaller cages when the animal has no other option.

I believe the short traps have been used for armadillos in trails and dens, perhaps with some drift fencing, 9x11x18 catch box, but for me that is pushing it. A 24 inch trap would add confidence. For den setting, like squirrels, even coon in chimneys, small tight traps give animals, as you say, no option but to get caught. Some guys use small 4x4 for squirrels in positive sets and down to 3.5 x 8.5 in chimney traps for coon. Amazing how small an animal can get in to and when the trap fires there is no way for them to react to beat a door or escape because they are so confined. Its over before it begins. Have heard very good things about the wooden armadillo traps since they hold odor and can be set anywhere without extra work to fence etc. Guess they are just a bit bulkier. I actually made wooden nose cones for woodchucks in the beginning before I knew that wire nose cones existed. Again, they worked, but mine were very bulky. I know some trappers also place fabric in wire cages for armadillos to pick up the scent so that the traps work like the wooden traps.

Air port trappers posts on facebook about trapping armadillo was some of the best I have ever seen.

Thanks Kirk. I can't recall how long I had updated it. I think I quit posting videos around 70 something.





Just went back and looked, seems most of the post were deleted. Last one was day 13 with armadillos #23-25

Still looking for a good amount of armadillo skulls, I'll pay $2.50 a piece if any one is keeping any

Thanks for the comments. I ordered two traps from Jim and are waiting for them to get here

I do, but don't know the legality on it.

It's legal in California to import them dressed. Just check with your state by calling the department of fish and wildlife before you sell to me. I don't want any of you good folks to get stiffed with a fine.

I don't know what the 'best' is per se snd probably not one but I've had success using any cage I've tried. It's where and how I set based on sign that makes the difference for me.