I started in the animal damage control business in 2001. I started my own business in 2009 and recently sold that business in 2014. I relocated from Tennessee to Texas this past year. In all the time I had worked for other ADC companies I never serviced a single armadillo job. Once I was in business for myself in Tennessee I only had two armadillo services in the five years I owned the business. The two jobs were extremely easy because I was able to locate each den site on both jobs. Now that I am in Texas I receive three to four calls a week for armadillo services and the game plan has completely changed. We do have armadillos in Tennessee however the jobs are far in between but here in Texas the demand for armadillo services are much greater.

Have actually been turning the jobs down because of my lack of experience on this particular matter. The last two armadillo services that I provided I didn't catch the nuisance armadillos causing the problem, the activity did stop before I ended both the services but it really does bite my "rump" that I was unable to catch them before they left the area. Bottom line I need help and advice when it comes to armadillos. I hoping maybe I can have a telephone conversation with any of you that would be willing to share, tips, information and knowledge. Any helpful tips and information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

This picture has all the elements of good diller trapping.

• Find your bottlenecks and pinch points along the diller's travel route
• Use drift fencing
• Maximize your opportunity by gang setting and double door traps
• Use the best and strongest cages you can afford
• NO BAIT

Other key points set "upstream" from the feeding area, catch them while moving in a straight line. Once a catch is made DO NOT REMOVE TRAP. Always try to use a "seasoned" cage that has recently held an armadillo. Armadillo funk is the best lure. Transfer catches as needed to season cages or use plywood "floors" that can be seasoned then moved cage to cage for lure.

Interesting that your avatar/logo has a diller yet you turn down diller work.

Also be sure to charge for your labor not your catches. Dillers are funny and can disappear on you. Usually one or two and done but I have snagged eight out of one yard or like the one in the photo set up and all damage ceased. That one tried to reverse the charges on the card (I collect in full up front) but my photos and service tickets for the trap checks stopped that nonsense.

animaloutlaws-Check PM's.

I also use drift fences like the ones shown in Warrior's pic. The only difference is I started using white plastic electric fence post instead of the wooden stakes after a few sets got mowed down. (Yeah, really) So, they're a little uglier but I've had no problems since. They're also easier to just step on to push in as opposed to bending over and hammering in. I leave the netting attached and just roll up or unroll as needed. I remove the dillo in the trap and put another one in the exact spot as there is plenty of "scent" left on the ground to draw another one. I average 2-5 per set and most of the calls are in July, August and September. I don't know about the rest of you guys but dillo numbers seem to be way up this year in my area.

You could take a page from the late great Robb Russell and use a board with your company name/logo and number as part of your drift fence.

I have gotten a treasure trove of information and I really appreciate all the effort and helpful advice. The photo that warrior provided and other information each of you have given will at least help point me in the right direction. Great photo and processional set up by the way warrior.

I like to figure out where they are coming from. I usually walk the perimeter of the house and also the perimeter of the property. If dens are located, I will positive set 2 traps over the dens. If there are no dens on the property, you may find holes under the fence if there is one. Otherwise you may find Armadillo trails....you will learn to recognize them. As Warrior said..set "upstream"...if you know where the trail is this is easy to do. You can set small funnels on the trail with double door traps. I also use the same drift fence method as Warrior. One example is that if you have say a chain link fence 15 yards from the end of the house....set a double door trap half way between the house and fence. Set it parallel to the end of the house . Then use drift fence to make an X from rear corner of house to trap, then front corner of house to trap...then mirror these from trap to fence. You can put the traps 2 or 3 wide if you think you have lots of dillers. I had a job once where there was known to be four immatures and set it up 4 traps wide...and ended up catching 3 in one trap! Also if you inspect the property early in the morning you can learn a lot from trails in the dew.

Funny you should mention fences. Had one once where all the damage was confined to a backyard. The backyard was fully enclosed by a dog eared wood fence. A real head scratcher until I found the one and only gap under the fence. Had my diller that very night and the client thought I walked on water.
Diller trapping is as much learning to read the lay of the land as it is anything else. Dillers are about as dumb as they come and if given the opportunity will always take the path of least resistance. Sometimes it may be nothing more than a slight dip in the yard that the diller is traveling.

Sometimes you have to level the playing field. If you notice in the picture some of that fencing is rather long. I keep several rolls fifty foot long available for those large yards that I can't cover with traps. Large yards are the bane of diller trapping where they can approach from all points of the compass. I'll pick the most promising areas to set and completely fence off areas I can't cover.

My diller trapping is limited to drift fencing at my mother-in-laws home in Louisiana, but in reading Bare Hunter and Warrior what I notice most is the striking similarities to skunk and chuck trapping in the north. The same principles from diller trapping can be applied to skunks and chucks, 'possum and 'coon too, setting trails, dig unders, setting along structure, walls, fences etc., dens of course, in baitless trapping that only relies on an animal returning. Though it may appear to be more work to set up fencing or spend time looking for sign, on the other end it takes the uncertainty out of catching animals that return intermittently and may or may not be interested in a baited trap. When they do return, you own them.

Yep...5 acres of mowed grass, level yard, no fences, no retainer walls etc. Here you gotta earn your dillers. I make very long "W" formation setups and lots of traps.