Opossum
 

I caught an Opossum. I let it free, and he refused to leave the trap. He just hung out there. Showed me his teeth for a while. Then he went back to munching on the bait.

What do you guys do with Opossum's?

I wasn't going to kill it for no reason. I didn't want the pelt.
Too ugly to mount.

What do you do with them?

If trapping season is open, sell it to a fur buyer, after you kill it of course. Opossums have the largest number of teeth of all mammals and they aren't afraid to show them. Of course, some people eat them, I would not be one of those people.

I tried eating Possum once, never again if I have a choice.

If there are a lot around I usually euthanize them. If they are rare. relocate and release.

We had a plague of Hedge Hogs, I relocated and released 19 of them. The dogs killed another half dozen. Harmless animals, but they are a Flea and Tick hotel and spread the blood suckers all over the place.

I was cutting the lawn at a 90 year old lady's house. Some other old coot came over to yell at me for making too much noise. I usually do my releases in the woods behind his house. :)

Nothing. I just leave possums alone to do whatever it is that possums have been doing for millions of years. There are fossilized specimens that are nearly identical to what we have now. Other than sharks and crocodiles I can't think of another animal that shares that trait. Never had any desire to fool with one and I see them nearly every day driving to and from work here in TX.

Hey Flags, why did the chicken cross the road??
To show the opossums that it can indeed be done.:D

Chucker, when the pygmy hedge hogs were all the rage as pocket pets they were illegal to import into PA so we ran down pet stores removed them and got rig of them, I had a veterinarian tell me that hedgehogs carry a lot of diseases that are transmittable to humans and he would advise anyone from buying one, especially if they had kids.

In the fall they seem drawn to my Walnut tree, another animal that eats Acorns etc, guess they want to fatten up before hibernation. They are usually covered in Fleas and Ticks. The Fleas get on the dogs, the dogs climb in my bed. Takes awhile before the Flea and Tick collars on the dogs work. The really bad part is the Hedgehogs seem to shed Fleas all over the yard. I think of them as Rats with spins, but they are kind of cute, from a distance.

As a bee keeper they are bad. they scratch on the hives at night and eat the guard bees that come out. That makes the bees cranky not being able to get their sleep at night. They also try to chew thru the hives and get at the honey.


I live trap them and have gotten 5 since December 20th. four were trying to get in the garage.
But they didn't go to waste they have became a frozen treat for the area coyotes. Just added another one to the pile this morning.


Also it is against the law (Michigan) to transport a wild animal to release it some where else, a $200.00 fine which I wish they would raise to $500.00 so those dam tree huggers would be to afraid to transport their problem to some one else's home.
Yes there is public land but people also live around that public land.


Kill it or let is loose in your yard.


Yes I also will eat a few every year.


:D Al

I just leave them be.

Spoken like someone who never had a problem with them or does not trap.

8 hours later, this possum was still in the trap. He had all day to simply walk out. Door was wide open. Instead he went to the back of the trap, where I had leaves piled up, and he bedded down.

So I had to pick up the trap, and shake him out. Which wasn't easy, as his claws were wrapped around the wire mesh.

They don't move fast on the ground. He finally walked off into the brush, looking all annoyed.

You had a real lazy one they are pretty quick when they want to be. I turned on the flood lites Tuesday night and there was a possum trying to get in the garage.
I walk about 15 feet to where the 22lr is leaning against a corner walk back to the door and that possum is now where that the flood lites could shine nor my mag lite and I went around 3 sides of the house looking for it.




:D Al

When I trap with legholds I try not to use any bait in my sets, just lure/urine. It keeps me from having to remove a bunch of grinners (possum) and stinkers (skunks). Still catch one here and there, just not in quantity.

They don't all play possum either. I was driving one rainy night with a friend and there was a huge possum in the middle of the road eating the night crawlers that came out on the road because the ground was saturated, favorite possum food. Lots of them get run over doing that. Anyway my friend had never seen a possum play possum so I pulled over to show him. I walked right up to the possum and stomped my foot a few inches from his head. With that he showed his teeth started hissing and ran at me and tried to climb up my leg. Needless to say I had to tell my friend to stop laughing.:D

To funny LOL.


:D Al

If you'd have kicked it, it would have "played 'possum" - they basically go limp when you tussle them around. Walk up, they bare their teeth, kick it over onto its side, pick it up by the tail - it won't do squat until you put it down, then they'll run off. I like to mess with my neighbors kids some times, if I find a 'possum, I'll throw it in the bed of the truck, drive to their place, ask if they wanna see a dead opossum up close. Pull it out of the bucket by the tail, they hang like they're dead, talk to them a bit, tell them how opossums are related to kangaroos, then set it down on the ground by their feet and talk about something else... Takes a minute or two usually, then they'll roll over and start moving around, try to sneak away, scares the he11 out of the kids since they thought they were dead.

In general, we kill as many opossums as we can, keep them out of the way when hounding coons in the winter.

Can't get it out of your live trap? 22lr to the head. If you're too soft hearted, grab a welding glove and a Carhartt coat and just pull it out. They can't bite hard enough to ruin your day through a welding glove. You'll play he11 getting them pulled out of a wire cage, 'cuz they'll grab the wires and hang on like white on rice, but they'll come out.

I understand that they (can) eat a lot of eggs !


Chicken, Turkey, Pheasant, Quail, etc.


I say kill them when you can..................

I catch every possum I can, my four year old step son loves it. I've even been known to throw the truck in park, put the 4 ways on and go chasing one down the road before. (only if in a safe spot obviously) they're pretty nasty looking critters. But they put on a good show for the kids if you want them interested in wildlife. Plus they got some good looking teeth when they start grinning and drooling. If you spend much time using a box trap you'll run into the possum that doesn't want to leave. Thinks it's his home for the day and they'll clear out eventually. With the chickens I have I've gotten rid of most of the possums in the area, but there's always more showing up. If you find one in spring time it might have babies hanging all over it, that's pretty cool to see as well.
-Jake

Possums stink, worse than Dog Musk not quit so bad as Cat pee. I remembr one I hauled home to skin, had to wash my pants three times to get the smell out. Getting Possum stink on the kids is likely to make you unpopular with Mom. :)

Why do I now have this mental image in my head of a possum chasing OT down the road while he keeps stomping and alleyyooper running after both of them with a knife and fork in his hands and a big grin on his face? :D:D:D:D

:lolabove:

I started reading about them. They say they eat ticks !! They will groom themselves, and eat every tick they pick up. And they scavenge up all the other insects, and mice. So I'll let them live around my property. They don't bother me at all. In fact, I don't even see them except on the cams.

The one I caught was just fat & lazy. He got a free meal of Elk scraps, & was just lounging around.

I've also read that they eat a ton of bugs. If you don't have chickens or any other reason to get rid of them, they do no harm.


Other than looking ugly.


-Jake

I've heard they kill copper heads but I kill those myself so appreciate but don't need the oppussum help . I used to only kill what I ate but now believe as a good steward to the land and animals I've been blessed with I should and will take as many predators as I can shoot or trap in order to help quail and other birds and fawns and other desirable animal numbers to increase .not enough predators hunting predators and probably not as many trappers and even the number of farmers who shoot them have declined leaving coyotes , foxes and other predators to multiply. Happy hunting

Had another one come try get in the garage last night. Kare keeps her cats in there at night and feeds them there so the possums keep trying. Live trap it tonight.


:D Al

I've got three Terriers patrolling the property. They only weigh about 20 pounds each, 3x20=60 not much survives the encounter.

Mostly when I trap something and release it someplace else, I'm saving it's life.

I've got one Terrier that exemplifies the old saying, "it isn't the size of the Dog in the fight that counts, it is the size of the fight in the Dog". He has no conception of size, feels no pain and is absolutely ferocious when his prey instinct kinks in. He is eleven now, so obviously he is pretty good at what he does, he survived.

Well shot another one last night before I could get the trap set.


No way I am going to trap a problem animal and release it to be some one else's problem.

Or risk the fine for transporting a wild animal with out a permit, hard to get too.


If it is a stray dog I will call animal control to come get it but wild critters just flat die with a 22lr hollow point in the head.


:D Al