Best varmint round for possum

Friday

Friday

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Let me preface by saying I hate shooting animals. I have lots of friends that hunt and I support them wholeheartedly, but it's just not for me. I'm too soft.
Now I've done it, but always in mercy situations. You just man-up and do what needs to be done in the name of compassion.

But I've got this possum that likes to raid the barn cats food. He's so gentle that I could probably tame him. Not rabid or aggressive by any means, and sometimes the cats will run him off. One of the cats has kittens and I can't have him hanging around anymore.

I gonna try and trap him first, but he's clever and may not fall for it. So in that case I'd hafta take him out.
Choices are-
.22lr
.22 magnum revolver
410/20/12 ga. shotguns
AR15
9/40/45 handguns

I can get fairly close to him before he trots off...20,25 feet. You can probably guess I want it to be quick and effective. I'm leaning towards the AR simply because of accuracy and quick lethality.
I know many of you are thinking..a possum? Seriously? There's millions of 'em, just blast him. But I freely confess that I'm a marshmallow around animals.
 
The 22 mag was actually my first thought. But it's a Heritage revolver..'ok' and all that but not the most accurate. I got it primarily to train kids and newbies. I'd hate to fudge the shot.
But I have several 22lr rifles that are tack drivers.
 
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Tame him, keep him around. They eat loads of ticks. And cat food. But are pretty beneficial. And possums almost never get rabies
 
The last one I had to dispatch, I used the back side of an axe. Any .22 lr will work.
 
I’d protect the kittens and move the cat food so as to deter him. That said, I shot one that was in a tussle with my little dog on the back porch Christmas Eve a few years back, 2 9mm 124 gr gold dots. The in laws haven’t been around as much since.
 
CCI .22lr Subsonic segmented hollow points. Made for this very thing. They’ll break apart into three pieces, expanding and not over penetrating if background is a concern
 
9mm CCI #4 shot works well around here. I carry it chambered first round only in my EDC when I am home. Although follow up shots have not been needed it cycles the next round just fine. Like most here I have enough other options but none of them are always on my hip.
 
Put you a can of sardines or some chicken scraps in a live trap and you will have him. They trap almost as easy as skunks. Lol I caught three skunks trying to get a problematic possum last year.
 
.22 long rifle. Head shot if it can be made.
If not behind front leg in the lungs.

Either shot will kill a possum quick and that is that.
 
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Infamous1 said:
Put you a can of sardines or some chicken scraps in a live trap and you will have him. They trap almost as easy as skunks. Lol I caught three skunks trying to get a problematic possum last year.
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And so....... AFTER you catch the skunks, WHAT do you do with them? o_O
 
If you don't wanna catch the cats in the trap bait it with a honey bun or peanut butter. Either will catch possums and coons like a champ and the cats won't mess with it.
 
Also..... Just to give you a heads up, if your furry friend is a female it's most likely gonna come with little ones this time of yr. They'll be in the pouch or hanging off her so you'll have that to deal with as well.
 
Lol there is a learning curve with skunks!! Figured out if you cover the trap with a towel and move slowly you can tote it wherever you need to. Used .22 mag on the first one, couldn't go out the back door of my house for 3 days. Called animal control on the second one and they recommended the towel and then drowning it while still in the trap, barrel wasn't deep enough so then I had a really angry stink cat on my hands. Went 3.5 magnum 00 buck on it with no spray. The third one I released at my old job.
 
Dispatched an opossum that wouldn’t get the message with 410 #4 bird shot; dropped instantly...no mess
Now, getting rid of a rabid raccoon was more challenging ;)
 
Possom? They play dead when you walk up on them... just grab them by the tail and put them in the trap. No worries!
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If you believe that..... I got a wall in China to sell you... They are marsupials from HELL! I would rather box a kangaroo.
 
You can make him look good.
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VA_GENTLEMAN said:
They are marsupials
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Last time I shot one I left it in the front yard overnight and it got cold. Woke up the next morning to a handful of babies that had crawled out of mommas pouch and froze to death. I started taking away the cat food so there was nothing to eat. I felt terrible about it
 
amnesia said:
Do you have horses? If so, possum poop carries EPM. Which is deadly to horses.
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Neighbors do. I'll let them know.
BBD280 said:
If you don't wanna catch the cats in the trap bait it with a honey bun or peanut butter. Either will catch possums and coons like a champ and the cats won't mess with it.
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Great tip. Them cats will eat just about anything.
beamernc said:
The last one I had to dispatch, I used the back side of an axe
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Sniff!
Burt Gummer said:
Last time I shot one I left it in the front yard overnight and it got cold. Woke up the next morning to a handful of babies that had crawled out of mommas pouch and froze to death. I started taking away the cat food so there was nothing to eat. I felt terrible about it
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Double-sniff!
 
Personally, with all the good suggestions I think you should be thankful it has 4 legs and let it be, it ain't hurting anyone...

[emoji6][emoji6]

/sarcasm off



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk
 
BBD280 said:
If you don't wanna catch the cats in the trap bait it with a honey bun or peanut butter. Either will catch possums and coons like a champ and the cats won't mess with it.
Click to expand...

I would throw half a honey bun in the trap. The other half I ate.

Caught mostly coons, but did get the occasional possum.
 
Friday said:
Let me preface by saying I hate shooting animals. I have lots of friends that hunt and I support them wholeheartedly, but it's just not for me. I'm too soft.
Now I've done it, but always in mercy situations. You just man-up and do what needs to be done in the name of compassion.

But I've got this possum that likes to raid the barn cats food. He's so gentle that I could probably tame him. Not rabid or aggressive by any means, and sometimes the cats will run him off. One of the cats has kittens and I can't have him hanging around anymore.

I gonna try and trap him first, but he's clever and may not fall for it. So in that case I'd hafta take him out.
Choices are-
.22lr
.22 magnum revolver
410/20/12 ga. shotguns
AR15
9/40/45 handguns

I can get fairly close to him before he trots off...20,25 feet. You can probably guess I want it to be quick and effective. I'm leaning towards the AR simply because of accuracy and quick lethality.
I know many of you are thinking..a possum? Seriously? There's millions of 'em, just blast him. But I freely confess that I'm a marshmallow around animals.
Click to expand...
Possums eat thousands of ticks a year. Like 90% that they see. Let it live.
 
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Catch it in a life trap with peanut butter for bait. Then relocate him if he is a problem. If not keep him as they also eat snakes even poison ones, they are said to be immune to copperhead venom.
 
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