WILLARD — A badger spotted earlier this month in the Willard Marsh Wildlife Area marks the second time such a creature has been discovered in north central Ohio in just less than a year.
The photo at the top of this story was taken by Donny Shepard in Huron County. It was submitted to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which posted the image to its Facebook page with the following note:
“Like their close relative, the striped skunk, badgers have a white stripe that extends back over the head from the nose. They have white fur around their eyes and black cheek patches, or ‘badges,’ for which they are named.
“The rest of the body is a shaggy mix of silvery gray, black, and buff colors and the feet are black. It is a stocky animal with a flattened body and short legs which keep it close to the ground. The badger’s toes are webbed and its claws may be up to two inches long; useful adaptations for a life of burrowing and digging.
“Adult males weigh 16-24 pounds on average, adult females weigh 14 pounds on average, and adult body length ranges from 22 to 30 inches. Badgers can live up to 14 years, but usually live 4-5 years in the wild.”
On Oct. 17, 2025 the Division of Wildlife posted a trail cam video capturing the image of a badger in Ashland County.
The American badger’s population in Ohio and the United States is largely unknown because of their nocturnal and solitary behaviors.
“Badger sightings are not common in Ohio – we generally receive fewer than 10 confirmed reports each year,” said Katie Dennison, a wildlife biologist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife told Ashland Source last year.
“Ohio is the eastern edge of badger range in the U.S., and they are primarily found in the western part of the state.”
Over the past 10 years, one to seven sightings have been confirmed each year in Ohio, according to the 2024 furbearer monitoring report. Most confirmed badger sightings are creatures that were hit by a vehicle or inadvertently trapped, with occasional trail camera reports.
Badgers moved into the state starting in the late 1800s as forests were cleared for farmland. They live mostly in western Ohio’s old prairie regions north of the glacial line, where the land is flat or gently rolling, and they prefer short-grass areas like fields and pastures.
Badgers favor grassland habitats, such as pastures or fields, where they are likely to find prey below or on the ground, including mice, squirrels, small birds and eggs.