I may need a smaller hole dog

Bluecollar,Call of a morning before 7am,or after 7 at night.
Hard to catch me in the house as I keep long hours.
Saw two diggers(badgers) yesterday while doing feild work.
Caught a yote today with the dogs,and one yesterday.You will have a blast hunting diggers here.I look forward to your call.
 
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A Hole dog (IE. Patterdale,Fell,Russell,even Borders and Lakies etc...)is no match "1 on 1 -in a hole" for a medium or big "American" Badger. Even if the lil tugger gets ahold of the badgers snout right away, because of his small short size he would get ripped to shreds in seconds by those 2" claws, Badgers can literally turn around in their own skin. A Hole dogs mouth is too small and the Badgers skin to loose for anything but a face or leg hold. many years ago, I had my best prospect run down a coyote hole after a big one, it turned around and got her lower jaw and broke it in two, then got on top and literally crushed her sinuses and ripped her up pretty good to where she had to have her face completley reconstructed,lost her top cutters, all 4 salivary glands removed and could only breath thru her mouth and had join the early retirement club at 3 yrs old. Tazzy - Rip.
Giant comparatively docile European Badgers are a completely different critter than ours, like comparing a Pitbull to a Poodle...JMO.
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This dog has worked both species. This badger was 28 pounds so medium sized and did just fine. Not ever heard they use their claws at all except to push a dog away- certainly not as weapons. A good dog can work them just fine.....I wouldn't go for too small a terrier- that's often the problem imo.
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Every badger I tried the little SOB dug so fast, we never got to find out.

FR-I agree, a good dog can handle his own, but they are a tough customer as the pics showed.
 
Generally it's a race Rolly, no doubt. They are rough, but having dug both varieties, I wouldn't say the Euro is like a poodle! There is always a bit of luck involved but if the dog gets to it, you should dig it imo. I'm no expert by a long shot and we've lost all but a few but the right sorts of dogs seem successful.

Christian, it's not the size but the substance imo. The dog above is 16" and 23# but spannable with very high drive- an excellent dog, not good, excellent. If he's to quarry you will get it. It seems a dog on the hardish side with discretion that will hold game if it tries to dig away is the sort. I wouldn't even try with a Russell anymore, but a black dog in the 15+ pound range with the right attitude is your best bet.
 
FR. Thats very impressive ! a 15 lb dog and near 30 lb healthy Badger, and this little guy has worked the Twice as large Euro's also. Sure sounds like Im feeding the wrong stuff.. Did the dog Draw that Badger or Fight and hold the Badger above ground till you got it. Some on here might get the impression that the little guy dispatched the Badger all by himself with little apparent damage to either.
I know it has been done by you and several others, and I know ANY Fell Terrier I ever had would fight anything too.
But certain individual Dogs are the exception, and have just the right combo of Breeding, Hardness and brains to hunt Badger or Wild Hogs etc and pull it off repeatedly.
I believe those dogs come far and few between. JMO. Happy Hunting !
 
Most of the badgers that my dogs catch above ground,they kill.Sometimes I am close and will kill with a pistol to save hide on my dogs.I also have never seen a badger use its claws to fight.They just bite fast and hard.If a dog gets the throat,and holds on the badger is dead.My dogs are big though for the most part.My smallest dog is 50lbs.With a pair of my dogs,any thing caught is in big trouble.I can't wait to see some of these little dogs work.
 
I've been trying to find as many videos of these lil terriers workin as I can. I'm amazed at the grit and the fearless attitude these dogs have. Up until I started spending time on this site my only experiance with terriers was Yorkies and a few yappy Jack Russel house dogs. This stuff is interesting thanks for giving me a new outlook on terriers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
2 or more 50-60lb Catahoulas on a Badger is one thing,(no contest) and I do know of several Bulldogs, Airdales, Catahoulas and even Hounds that have killed Badgers all by themselves and have heard of others too, but these are BIG dogs w/ several advantages in both size, weight and Hardware....Ive heard by some of these dogmen they dont claw or grab like a cat, but when being throttled and on their back they sometimes dog paddle with their front paws, or use them for leverage while twisting etc.
Anyways what I was talking about here are "Little" Crazy 15+- lb Fell Terriers and 30+- lb Badgers. BIG DIFFERENCE here in regards to fighting and killing an adult Badger 1 on 1.. Ive been around these Patterdales for a couple decades now and Personally I dont think it can be done. Ive seen 1st hand what a Big Badger can do to a Patterdale...
Fighting = Most w/ few exceptions would probably jump right in there. but Killing! = show me one that has, thats still alive... JMO Here! Happy Hunting.
 
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FR. Thats very impressive ! a 15 lb dog and near 30 lb healthy Badger, and this little guy has worked the Twice as large Euro's also. Sure sounds like Im feeding the wrong stuff.. Did the dog Draw that Badger or Fight and hold the Badger above ground till you got it. Some on here might get the impression that the little guy dispatched the Badger all by himself with little apparent damage to either.
I know it has been done by you and several others, and I know ANY Fell Terrier I ever had would fight anything too.
But certain individual Dogs are the exception, and have just the right combo of Breeding, Hardness and brains to hunt Badger or Wild Hogs etc and pull it off repeatedly.
I believe those dogs come far and few between. JMO. Happy Hunting !



Upsetter, the dog didn't kill it, it took him 10-15 mins to dig up to it and then he held it until dug to. It was tailed and dispatched above ground. The dog that worked it is about 23 pounds, not 15. He wasn't undamaged as you can see in the photo. He had to be trimmed up and rested.

I do think the stars have to be aligned to get one below, but the right terrier stacks the deck.
 
Thanks guys,its good to get all the different opinions on the smaller dogs.Like I've said many times,I think they have a spot ,I just happen to own all big dogs.
 
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