What caused this damage

lordy

Well-Known Member
These are photos from the neighbouring land I stalk. The owner asked me to have a look and see if I could determine what was causing the damage. The turf appears to be folded over and in some cases rolled up. Some is fresh some old by looking at how dead the grass is that has been folded over and the texture of the soil exposed. There are no machines on the ground. First thought is badgers but is covering an area of 1/2 acre. Never seen Boar in the area and very few signs of tracks or claws apart from the odd slot on the soft ground.
Any ideas :confused: :confused:
 

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Boar would be my guess, unless domestics have got loose. Not seen grassland turned like this, but similar damage to verges and forest floors. I seem to think Malc has ground nearby, he might know of any boar sightings.
 
Worm hunters. I cannot see boar doing that without deep slots plainly visible. Pulled over with a mattock. Lot of money in worms. Jim
 
this can also be done by badgers,

I have seen this and some on my local shoot, no boar here but there are a fare few badgers.

i think this is when they are grubbing for the crane-fly larvae./ leather jackets or what ever they are called.

bob.
 
this can also be done by badgers,

I have seen this and some on my local shoot, no boar here but there are a fare few badgers.

i think this is when they are grubbing for the crane-fly larvae./ leather jackets or what ever they are called.

bob.


This is my thoughts but suprised not to find any evidence of claws, plus the area of land damaged is considerable. There are a fair few badgers around???
 
looks like pigs to me ,the way the turf is rolled up and stripped back in patches like that wouldnt take boar much time to turn that over. Brock seem to be more specific digging for individual worms or crane fly larvae, they can still make a fair mess but is often more targeted . Pigs scent something and then roll up the turf around it even and forward.
 
It's identical damage to what we see in the Forest of Dean and surrounding areas and we know that the cause is boar.
 
badgers, i work on a golf course and have seen it before, not many other animals dig with the nose like that, most make others rip the turf up not fold it.if it was a pig im sure the hoof prints would give it away?
 
This is my thoughts but surprised not to find any evidence of claws, plus the area of land damaged is considerable. There are a fair few badgers around???

lordy

you will not see claw marks bud, the badgers if it is them are turning the turf over with their nose (like a pig or boar) the difference with pig and boar is that they will dig down as well as roll the turf over,

badgers will turn the turf but not dig down as the larvae is just below the surface, the green keeper on my local golf course has footage of this being done on the course and it was used to help them have the local badgers moved away in a humane way buy trapping them,

you would be surprised just how quick this is done, they cover a large area very very quick,

bob.
 
badgers, i work on a golf course and have seen it before, not many other animals dig with the nose like that, most make others rip the turf up not fold it.if it was a pig im sure the hoof prints would give it away?


wish i had read your reply first :)

bob.
 
Well .270 is minimum I think so maybe additional quarry required on FAC. Never seen boar in the area and i'm on the ground twice a week. Also have the trail cams out all over the place and never caught anything on them. Owner works the land and his wife rides and neither they or the neighbours have seen them.

Never say never though!
 
Under the turf that is pulled up the exposed ground is so soft and almost perfectly tilled I thought id see the odd track though as it looks like they have raked it over as they have left.
 
Pigs mate without a doubt,looks just like my land when I kept free range pigs,andone or twowithout rings got out.
 
Seen the same on a run of grass nearby , and that's not Pigs or Boar, it's Badgers, I have seen them early hours of the day, more than a few. They turn up a strip 40m x 2m , it's gets repaired and put back and they do it again a few days later.
 
Bad case of leather jackets, no root structure to grass, if no slot marks from pigs, badgers other wise it's the all blacks making there way to twickers.
 
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