Welcome to Stillwater: Eric Morris Kills Lawn-Wrecking Armadillo in the Middle of the Night

STILLWATER — Eric Morris’ Tuesday news conference showed another similarity between him and Mike Gundy.

Although Morris didn’t spend his weekend rattlesnake hunting, Oklahoma State’s new coach did have a run in with wildlife.

“I’ve had a couple of armadillos problems tearing up my lawn,” Morris said Tuesday. “Finally a couple days ago, I just popped up at 2:30 (a.m.) because I couldn’t sleep and was thinking about something, and I thought it was a great opportunity to go outside. Luckily I found him.

“This was my first experience with an armadillo. He was crushing my yard, my flower beds, was digging everything up. But I got him about 2:30. Had to send a text message to my neighbors. I apologized for the gun shot. I am in the country, so it was legal. But I did get rid of him.”

That’s about as smalltown as it gets.

Could you imagine waking up to a text from your Division-I head football coach neighbor apologizing for a gun shot because he was taking care of a armadillo problem?

It’s a strong start to wildlife stories, but Morris still has a ways to go to catch up to the two-decade tenure of Gundy. Going on 10 years ago (time is flying), Gundy went rattlesnake hunting with Wild Bill in Okeene. Gundy’s also shared a story or two a year of the ongoings of his various ranch animals.

Funnily enough, Oklahoma State University has some reading materials as to how to deal with armadillos.

“Armadillos may be active year around, but they are most active during the warmer months of the year. During the heat of the summer, homeowners begin irrigating their lawns. This makes lawns especially attractive to the armadillo. The lawns are usually mowed and thus there is little vegetation to impede foraging. Additionally, the irrigation results in the soil being loose and easy to dig. Finally, the irrigation often keeps larval insects close to the soil surface.

“Once armadillos find a suitable foraging spot, they normally will return repeatedly. Many times the damage is only superficial as the holes are seldom more than a few inches in depth. In the case of sod forming turf such as Bermuda, the damage is typically repaired by the turf rather quickly. In the case of cool season grasses such as fescue, the damage is more long-term.” — okstate.edu

That article goes on to say that there are no known repellants effective against armadillos and that they can be controlled yearound without a special permit.