If you own a .22 rifle, look for CB Long rounds; effective and no louder than a staple gun. Also note that relocating animals is technically against the law, not to mention you're handing over your problem to the next guy. Winter is a great time to cull the herd, because it's actually open season, and you're not going to leave behind a nest of helpless young to starve to death. I'm a rabbits in the yard hater, and a rabbits on the dinner table lover, but I do not want to leave a nest full of babies to die a long, miserable death by taking its mother away. Joe

Oh, yes, they are clever. I installed 4 feet tall fence without posts - in wiggles when you touch it and feels unsafe to climb on. It worked so far on my bean bed. But i also have this fence between my and my neighbor land - right on the path he come here before. On my side there is a barrel with lettuce planted on top, about 6 inches from the fence. So he figured out if he climbs near the barrel, the fence lean to the barrel and become stable. So it got my lettuce for dinner. It is only question of time when he eats my beans.... About the smell - I touch all the fences and my dogs pee around them... It doesn't maker any difference. I think he is just too smart. My last attempt - I planted beans right in the trap... will see how he will be getting to those. I almost feel like to pull all the plants he likes to eat from the garden, bring them to the trash station and forget about it. The problem is, when no cookies available, hunger brings you to the plain bread... so he will lean to eat the rest of my garden. I feel trapped myself...

I don't have any answer for you, but I wish you luck in solving your problem.

I consider your original comment as impertinent for the simple reason that it did not indicate in any way that you even read my original post with a minimum of attention. Nor does this your present post,which seems to indicate that your real knowledge of interaction with wild creatures is based a lot on what you've read on Internet,and your own situation has absolutely no pertinence with mine .( Your condescending attitude towards myself is, btw, very offensive) I am not dealing with an "ancient badger sett". I am dealing with a strange new situation to the environment in which I have been working for 20 years . I have faced and dealt with feral humans, aggressive hunters ( literally, bullets flying over my head as I called the police to come to my aid),and animal pests a-go-go In am a middle-aged woman trhatr does every frigging thing almost totally by herself, and I walk PROUD..Badgers have quite suddenly appeared in this area. I am not sure why. The feral shepards and their flocks seem to be gone, whilst the problems with the wild boars continue to augment all over Italy ( these creeps are not native ; they were introduced by the hunters themselves, and by now it's become a serious problem) I was here before this badger. Our area has changed greatly since the feral shepards and their herds (hopefully) disappeared. This is not a sustainable situation. I hope to Heaven that my trap works. I do not want to be obliged to poison this critter, but a person with your condescending attitude does tend to orient the stressed-out individual to seriously consider this as a possible alternative. "Impertinent" means "not pertinent to the original comment" Your comment had no pertinence to my original post. It was just a lecture on your feelings about badgers,plus info that I already have read on Internet.