In Some States, This Backyard Pest Is Actually Legally Protected

Generally, you wouldn't want pests congregating in your yard and munching on your plants while attending their daily standup call. But you might be willing to make an exception for beneficial insects, like predatory beetles, centipedes, earwigs, and praying mantis, that help you manage garden pests. That being said, you'd draw the line at beings (think badgers) that gobble up the fruit and nuts from your trees, or dig into your garbage bins when they get hungry. However, before you set up an elaborate trap or load your shotgun, know this backyard pest is legally protected in a few U.S. states.

Shedding light on why that is, Charles van Rees, Ph.D., Conservation Scientist and Naturalist, and owner of the Gulo in Nature Newsletter, tells Hunker exclusively, "Most protections for badgers stem from their historical popularity as a fur bearing animal that was trapped for making things like shaving brushes." Listing the regions you'd want to deal with them carefully, he says, "In several states they are both considered of conservation concern and legal to hunt or trap, either during specific seasons or when they are causing damage to property. States like California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Washington list them as conservation priorities." So, it's best you leave them to their devices, unless their tunnel-burrowing skills pose a threat to your property or they start consuming your livestock. 

"A badger on any small to mid-sized property is at most a temporary visitor, maybe sticking around for the length of a winter," our expert adds. They have their benefits, too. "Badgers are startlingly efficient hunters that can dig much faster than burrowing rodents, and can quickly clean out extensive tunnels of ground squirrels or gophers," says van Rees.

Knowing that they're legally protected in your region, you might be willing to tolerate this backyard pest for a few months. But don't automatically assume that your half-chewed plants and rifled-through bins are the work of badgers alone. Charles van Rees reasons in his exclusive interview with Hunker, "Since badgers are nocturnal, the best sign will be any tunnels that they leave behind; sightings of the actual animal are uncommon." And while they're capable of digging a tunnel of their own, they generally stick with widening the ones already dug by other pests, like gophers and ground squirrels, reveals our expert. To determine which tunnels belong to badgers and which have been dug by other animals, he mentions, "The width (diameter) of a hole/tunnel is the best indicator — if it's over a foot, a badger might be implicated. Badger burrows (or more appropriately badger-renovated burrows) often have a large apron of soil or sand at the front."

You might even find some evidence here if you look around for tracks. "Badger tracks will show two very different sized pairs of feet (the front feet are much broader) and the marks of long claws with the larger (front) tracks," notes the naturalist. Another way you can confirm whether badgers are hiding out on your property is to find their scat, a.k.a. poop, in shallow holes. "One sign I've heard from other naturalists is that they may dig latrines (small depressions in the ground) by scraping a hole with their feet, and finding scat in such a latrine could be an indicator," informs our expert. However, he warns that it'll vary in appearance since badgers consume a variety of prey.

If your yard features a fence or has sentinel trees guarding its perimeter, it's unlikely badgers will hide on your property (they might pass through, though), especially if you live in the suburbs, Charles van Rees notes in an exclusive chat with Hunker. This is because they prefer open areas and sandy soil they can dig in to their heart's content. As such, they mostly trouble ranchers and agricultural landowners, explains our expert. However, what if they have taken a liking to your property and you need them gone? "It's worth consulting a wildlife professional, especially a state agricultural extension agent, for advice on local policies and the best methods for removing them," he recommends. The silver lining is that due to their nomadic lifestyle, they won't cause you headaches for long, he stresses. "A problem badger one week may be gone the next," he maintains.

But if you'd rather they don't pay your yard a visit at all, our expert suggests making a few changes. "Mesic (wet, moist) conditions and associated plants, like dense shrubs and groundcovers, as well as a thick or multi-layer tree canopy should deter badgers, as they prefer more open areas like prairies or meadows," says our expert. Consequently, get ready to plant trees if you wish to keep these unwanted guests out. He emphasizes that this is the best way to maintain a badger-free yard since you can't really change its soil profile. And using pesticides to eliminate rodents or other small mammals (basically, a badger's food sources) isn't worth it when you consider how damaging they can be to you, your pets, children, and local water supply, he concludes.