Possum problem

[Shootemup]

Shoot 'em with a shotgun! They won't hurt long.

 

[safearm]

Opossums and armadillos both carry EPM, a neurological disease that affect horses. Both are targets around my stable.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

My trusty rusty ol' 10-22 aimed right between those beady little eyes has always solved any and all possum problems that arise, regardless of size.

 

[35Rem]

I released my LAST possum a few years ago. He went straight under my house! Never again, I swore.
Destructive little critters...

And Dick, I too have swerved to take them out while driving.

 

[therevjay]

B'rer possum

Opossum is about the only animal that escapes my live trap alive. They may be ugly but they're absolutely harmless and do a great job of cleaning up the other dead stuff that finds its way here. My trash goes into a metal dumpster so that's not an issue. I'm not breeding them and not encouraging them to hang around but wouldn't go out of my way to kill one either. About their only crime is being ugly and I'm as guilty of that as they are. I did have one show up late last winter. Most every day, just before dark, he would wander up the drive from the field behind the house and make his way to the bird feeders in the front yard. He cleaned up the feed the birds had spilled on the ground during the day and headed back for the field. Crazy thing was fun to watch.

I agree. I've always wondered why everybody hates poor ol' Mr. Possum, who really does little or no harm. But go on and on about how much they enjoy watching those nasty, vicious, destructive racoons. "Oh Gawd, arn't they just sooo cuuute?" B'rer possum just needs a Disney movie. Or maybe a new ad agency.

 

[G.T. Smith]

I know this might sound terrible, but if you are going to kill them anyway make their death stand for something purposeful. A friend of mine wound up with a couple of kittens dumped on his place one time. He doesn't likes cats to start with so he was going to kill them. They were very small. Some really annoying people moved in not to far from him and kept coming over to help him with his beer inventory and were hard to get rid of once they showed up. One evening they were there drinking beer and not wanting to leave so my friend started acting like he was going kinda nuts, grabbed the kittens and killed them in a faked frenzy. The people never came back, but spread the word that he was absolutely crazy and one should not go there because he might go ballistic at any time. We told them that he has also went off on people who hang out too long and to be very cautious when visiting him.
Hey it don't sound any worse than some of the other disposal techniques I just read.
My self I'm thinkin' deep fried with a couple eggs and toast for breakfast.
Peace,
gordXX

 

[Marshwheeling]

1. Have you tried reasoning with them? It costs you nothing, and if it doesn't work, you are no worse off than when you started.

2. You don't have to kill 'em all. Identify a ringleader and make an example of him.

3. Long after human habitation is a faint memory on the face of this Earth, there will still be possums.

 

[JoseyWales2]

From trapping experience, whacking them on the head once with a shovel works pretty good. If you don't have the stomach for that, then a 22 to the head does the job, but it has to be a head shot. Otherwise you might end up shooting them half a dozen times in the body before they go.

For smaller animals like these baby possums, a quick drowning in a 5 gallon bucket will be the quickest and most humane way. This works well for nuisance varmints (like squirrels in attics) caught in live traps too. I don't do "re-locating".

 

[ohiobuckeye]

1. Have you tried reasoning with them? It costs you nothing, and if it doesn't work, you are no worse off than when you started.

2. You don't have to kill 'em all. Identify a ringleader and make an example of him.

3. Long after human habitation is a faint memory on the face of this Earth, there will still be possums.

Please video any attempts at #1 and #2...I want to watch this...

 

[CajunBass]

A Louiville Slugger or similar club. One good "wack". No more problem.

 

[pilgrim6a]

My friend says a 7 iron is the only way. While Pat prefers shagging them over the fence with a Louisville Slugger. I prefer projectile weapons.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Many years ago, I attended college in a small town in East Texas. There was a day care center behind the rent house I lived in and possums used to love to get into their dumpster to eat out of the diapers. They also liked to crawl up into the walls of my house. I had a good relationship with the local PD and told them I was planning on trapping the possums, then dispatching them with a firearm - my plan was to use .22 caliber shorts in a bolt action rifle. The PD asked that I call them first before shooting so they would be aware as I lived about a 1/4 mile from the station, and warned me that I'd have to use something larger to be effective. Well, one late night I caught a big possum in the trap and he wasn't happy at all. I loaded the rifle, and phoned the PD. I then waited for the possum to settle down and at almost contact distance, I fired the .22 into his head just behind the ear. The possum immediately vomited some nasty looking green colored drool and started hissing at me! Playing possum my **s! I went back inside the house and phoned the PD to report my results. The desk sergeant then asked what I was planning on doing. I replied: ".38 Special wadcutter to the head"; and the desk sergeant replied: "good idea, now shoot him so we can all get some sleep" and hung-up. The .38 Special wadcutter is an excellent remedy for possum headaches. I threw his carcass into the day care's dumpster, and it did not have a deterrent effect on his/her fellow possums. I eventually took to dunking the entire live trap into a trash can full of water and just drowning the suckers.

Best regards,

Dave

 

[cussedemgun]

Projectiles, why didn't I think of that?

My friend says a 7 iron is the only way. While Pat prefers shagging them over the fence with a Louisville Slugger. I prefer projectile weapons.

Good think'en Pilgrim, - - - - you know anyone that has a black powder cannon with a 3" bore? Prolly have to be about that big to be able to load 'em. BTW, a muzzle loader will work best.

Jim