The best way to start: go with an expert
Many local badger groups and wildlife trusts run guided watches. They know setts where badgers are used to being watched, and they'll show you how to do it without disturbing them. Badger Trust can help you find your local group.
When is the best time to watch badgers?
In late spring and summer, cubs are above ground and evenings are long and light. Badger Trust advises arriving at least an hour before you expect badgers to emerge. Emergence time varies, especially in summer, and can be well before or after dusk.
Badger watching checklist
Before you go
- Get permission if the land is private, and stay on public paths where you can.
- Choose your spot earlier in the day. Pick somewhere downwind of the sett, so the breeze carries your scent away.
- Pick two or three spots in case the wind changes, and clear away crackly leaves and twigs from where you'll sit and walk.
What to wear and bring
- Dark, layered clothes. Avoid waterproofs, which rustle.
- No perfume, aftershave or scented products. Badgers have a superb sense of smell.
- Binoculars with low magnification and a wide lens, which work well in poor light.
- A dim torch covered with red cellophane, which disturbs badgers least.
At the sett
- Settle in at least an hour before the badgers are due.
- Keep still and silent. Move only when the badgers are looking away.
- Leave quietly if a badger seems alarmed.
- No flash photography.
What about trail cameras?
They're a great way to see badgers without being there. Fix them securely, for example to a fence post on your own land, and only with the landowner's permission. Keep them well back from sett entrances.