hard to kill a possum in the coop

alwayswantedchicks

In the Brooder
10 Years
Jun 25, 2009
35
0
22
SW VA
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.
 
Also when the husband wakes up he can replace one side of the coop.
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I've had no problem killing them with my .22. Pistol or rifle. But then Morgan jumps um as soon as the hit the ground. Lotsa crunching going on there.
 
Possums are very good at playing possum--my dogs have wounded possums in my back yard many times. When I have gone to get the shovel to dipose of them and the dogs aren't around, they have a tendency to disappear. You probably should remove it when it is wounded, if you can do so safely.
 
I never use guns for possums I use compression they will defecate when they are dead it normally takes from 20 seconds to a minute or so if shooting them a head shot is much better then the lung heart area shot

a conibear trap is another quiet option just toss the trap over their head and no mess no noise
 
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Well I beat one to death with a club that I caught in the coop. He played possum at first but a well placed strike and it was for real. So very satisfying. Yeah, normally I'm not so bloodthirsty. And I know he was really dead because... uh well it was graphic but he was good and dead. Wasn't too hard because he didn't seem afraid of me at all. It was that first hit that spooked me. I was all like, "If I miss the first time he's gonna eat my lunch!" I didn't miss. I'm just glad I had that sturdy old bit of tree limb out there. It was just after dark.
 
We caught one in a live trap a few years back and I think my husband emptied his gun into it.
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I finally told him to just leave it there and let it bleed to death. There was no point wasting more shells. After that he talked to my father about it and now he goes for the head shot.

We decided to put out traps and see what is running around our yard at night. We have a small farm and know there are coyotes, red fox, and coons, but were wondering what would be roaming around the coops. The fox is the only thing my husband would give a free pass to. He thinks they are just too rare to kill. I may feel different if one killed a chicken, but so far they stay on the other side of the railroad tracks.

First day: Nothing

Second day: The hughest smelliest skunk - quickly dispatched and tossed into the far woods.
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Third day: Small opossum - yeah! My husband learnt his lesson well - quickly dispatched and tossed into the woods. He's hoping to draw in some coyotes!
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Fourth day: Chicken - Silly girl got let out. None of the other chickens have even tried to go into the traps. It was funny the rooster came screaming around the shed and just sat and squacked and carried on. I went to see what the problem was. Finally she was trapped, but he couldn't get to her. He couldn't quit mount her through the cage. He was a very frustrated roo. I let her out and off she ran with him in hot pursuit. I wonder if he ever caught her, or if he gave up and went for another girl?

Nothing since, but I think the cheese balls my son used as bait are all gone. Our chickens and turkeys are all free range on our farm. I worry when I see a hawk fly over, but so far the only predator lose we have had is from a cat. I haven't seen it since last year but I poison the rats, mice, and gophers that make homes in the hay, so maybe I have already dispatched the cat. My son is terribly allergic to cats so if one was around I would know about it from all the sneezing. I did, whowever, find a wet meaty chunk along with a partial tail of a rat in the hay last week, so I think the trap needs to be moved.
 
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Hope he's dead......they are really hard to kill especially if you are using a shovel....LOL
True story!!!! Roommate killed 3 with a shovel before I got my varmint Hunter BB gun.
it got to the point where it made me sick to my stomach. The thing wouldn’t die fast enough. Didn’t want to prolong the suffering just killed on my dog ran out of the coop. 3 shots and it finally fell off the fence
Buzzard breakfast
 
I have had issues with possums too in the past. I used some dog food or cat food and live trapped. I have also used leg traps in the past. I had a successful kill but it had killed some of my birds.I hope you got it ok.
 

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