I just came in from the coop. Found a possum in there just seconds from getting another hen about 8 last evening. My husband shot it three times in the body area with a 45 cal pistol at close range (with hollow point bullets). It's still on the shelf in the 'unsecured' area of the coop (the birds are in a secured area now) ALIVE! I need to get to bed and the birds would like to have the lights out. So I turned the lights off. There is a light right at the area where the possum is and we turned it so it shined right on him. I know the possum was shot as there is blood smeared on the coop wall behind it and a little blood dropped below from the shelf. Surely that thing will die soon. It killed a favorite hen last week and we've been trying to trap it since with no luck. I've read that they are extremely hard to kill and should have a head shot. Just couldn't get at an angle enough for a head shot because of where it was. First two shots I told my husband he was either a bad shot, his gun was no good, he had fake bullets... that's when he shot the third and left. He's sleeping soundly upstairs. That's where I'm going.