Badgers live in a network of tunnels called a sett; a family or social group of badgers is called a clan, and will have a territory with multiple setts surrounding it. The territory can be very large, and you may find signs of badger activity at a distance from tunnels and holes.
Badgers tend to make their setts in woodland, which provides more shelter and safety. In more urban settings, badgers will seek out parks and gardens to burrow underground and make their setts.
Where to find a badger sett and signs to look for:
- Badgers need to dig tunnels for their homes, which means very wet, boggy ground is not suitable
- You’ll often find setts in raised or sloping ground where they can tunnel forward into the earth, rather than directly down
- Badgers usually travel on the same paths and you can often see the pathways worn down over time leading to their setts in the woods, or through fields
- Outside their sett they tend to toilet in one nearby area – if you find greasy, black, sausage-shaped poo in the woods, a badger sett may be nearby. Badgers also tend to dig small holes, or latrines, for their poo
- Look out carefully! Consider the points above: where badgers are likely to be, and look for the signs. Look down and across the woodland flor for slopes and raised areas – chances are when you see one entrance tunnel, you’ll suddenly notice you are surrounded by them!
Creatures of the Wild Wood 