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Before Watching
It is essential to plan well ahead when watching at a badger sett. Firstly, if you have a choice, watch at a sett that has fewer entrances. The number of entrances is no reflection of the numbers of badgers present. The ideal is three entrances all visible from your chosen vantage point. A sett which you can approach quietly and see from a distance, will minimize disturbance when approaching and leaving the sett.. Setts in drier surroundings, means your scent is less likely to linger and the local wind conditions will affect how easy it is to watch. For instance setts at the bottom of large slopes suffer a complete reversal in wind direction during dusk when the badgers are about to emerge. Try to choose a sett that is not swamped by undergrowth but has bushes or trees five to ten meters from the sett to give you cover.
Before going to watch a sett view it during the day but ideally not on the day you are going to watch. Choose two to three vantage points that allow you to watch the sett in varying wind directions. A vantage point off the ground in a tree means your scent is less likely to be detected. Whether above or on the ground, try to ensure your silhouette is hidden by a bush or tree trunk. Also make sure you can see the entrances that are well used, as these will be the ones the badgers will emerge from. You will need to be as comfortable as possible to minimize the need to move about, and to aid this wear warm clothing that is drab in color, rustle free and odorless.
Badgers are largely nocturnal, although in the summer they will emerge as early as 8.00 pm in good early evening light. The amount of disturbance near to the sett greatly affects emergence time. Badgers in setts close to footpaths for instance will emerge later and will often rush off to a secluded area to play and groom. In the summer months emergence time is often 1/2 an hour either side of a sett time. In the winter it is very unpredictable and may not occur at all.
To aid watching in dim light it is useful to use binoculars with wide apertures, such as 7 by 50, and a torch with a red filter on. Badgers take less notice of torch light coming from above ground and on some occasions a torch without a filter can be used.
Watching
When approaching your chosen sett do so with the wind in your face and pause some 50 meters from the sett. Listen to see if you can hear if there are any badgers about. If you can either wait for them to go underground or make a clicking noise with your tongue. This is usually enough to send them underground without unduly alarming them. When happy that there are no badgers about move to your vantage point. Before settling down do a final check on wind direction. This can be done by seeing which way the smoke travels from an extinguished match. It is useful to check the wind direction every half an hour. If it does change and your scent is blowing towards the sett, move position. The badgers will have picked up your scent but they will hear you move and since your scent has now disappeared they will assume you have left.
The most critical time for the watcher is during and just after emergence. You must remain still and quiet at this time. Generally the quieter you are the more successful you will be. Badgers before they emerge will wait in the sett entrance to sample the air. If they do not pick up any unusual scents they will emerge and view their surroundings. If no unusual silhouettes are seen they will soon settle down and relax. If a strange silhouette is seen they will go back underground, re-test the air and if all seems safe re-emerge. If no unusual scents are detected they will eventually settle down.
On leaving a sett try to do so when all the badgers have left. Remember once you have scared a badger they will associate this with your scent. As a result subsequent watches will be made more difficult. Try to leave quickly and quietly.
From the above it might be judged that watching badgers successfully is a most unlikely event. This is not so. On some occasions you seem to be able to get away with anything. The wind is wrong and you keep moving about but you still see lots of action. However this is not the norm and the more precautions you take the more successful you will be. The reward is a memorable experience of partaking in the enchanting life of these amazing animals.
Regular undisturbed watching at a sett leads to the badgers tolerating your presence. They will eventually behave naturally even though they know you are there. It is your scent that they become familiar with and this can be enhanced by regularly leaving a handful of peanuts at the sett entrance. Peanuts are a favorite food and they will come to associate your scent with this favorite treat of theirs. This is especially true of the cubs who may eventually feed out of your hand. This however requires a lot of time and patience but is very rewarding.
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