I just panicked and kicked a possum in the face.

[Impress]

My husband took the dogs out for a bathroom break and they startled a possum into running under a bush in the front yard. Hubby yelled for me and handed me a flashlight and told me to watch it while he got his gun to kill it.

It slunk out from the bush and started heading towards the road, where we can't safely shoot it, and I panicked and ran out in my nightgown to try to herd it back into our yard. I cut it off and it froze and I realized it was HUGE! Then my dog of course startled it and it charged right towards me and freedom trying to escape my dog, and in a panic I just kicked it in the face as hard as I could.

Think it will be back after that kind of a traumatizing experience, or should I fetch out the trap and put some cat food in it?

And I am curious if anyone else has had a face to face encounter with a chicken predator like this and reacted the way I did. I don't know if I should be proud or really embarrassed for kicking a possum in the face.

 

[Mahonri]

I stepped on a huge Iguana once by surprise and about had to clean my pants.

 

[animallover505]

It might be back...

 

[Impress]

I stepped on a huge Iguana once by surprise and about had to clean my pants.

Yeah that would scare me too!

I hope it doesn't come back, I know if I got a chore boot in the face I wouldn't return to where it happened. I will probably dig the old trap out tomorrow and see if I can catch it. I don't know if it can even fit in my possum trap, it was the size of a flipping beagle!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

You must have machismo possums in Tennessee. Anytime someone here kicks a possum in the face as hard as they can we expect the possum to sull up like he was dead, we call it "playing possum."

The last interaction of the unexpected kind that I had with a possum or that a possum had with me, I hit it on the back with a rolled up news paper and the possum fainted dead away for at least 5 minutes. I used the interlude to fetch an empty feed sack to imprison the Pogo impersonator in it until I could take him to a friend of mine who enjoys baked possum on a bed of sweet potatoes. If your possum comes back let me know if you need the recipe.

 

[centrarchid]

The oppossum will return. I have tried to be nice by "schooling" multiple oppossums over years instead of outright killing them. "Schooling" could involve kicking as need to get them off porch, catching them in a live-trap or simply picking them up by tail and packing them back to woods. The oppossums so treated could be distinguished based on combination of size, color and scarring. I was unable to convice oppossums that my place was bad place to be and they kept coming back. Dispatch is now my rule with these not so brainy stinkers and I take out a good number each year. My dogs kill most but I will use .22 rifle when handy which it usually is not. My other method is stomping which is very effective for me. Care is taken to dispose of body so it does not attract other oppossums interested in scavenging.

 

[Impress]

Oh I wanted to stomp it, but I am fairly sure it wouldn't have worked with this sucker, it was so big! I will put the trap out tonight and make sure it gets a bullet to the head instead of a boot.

 

[animallover505]

WE have massive possoms over her. My labs work together to kill them before we even know they were there.

 

[cinch920]

Oh I wanted to stomp it, but I am fairly sure it wouldn't have worked with this sucker, it was so big! I will put the trap out tonight and make sure it gets a bullet to the head instead of a boot.

good idea! I hope you get him and get him gone!! =]

 

[hrhta812]

OMG, I can't believe you did that!

Those things are creepy, scary, nasty! You are very brave!!!!

Definitely put out a trap, and keep putting it out. We've caught possums as often as 3 nights in a row sometimes at our place. I hate them with a passion. They're like big disgusting rats, IMO. Blech! One night I heard my husband's shop dog barking, and it just sounded like a bark that meant something was wrong, so we went out there, and a possum was in the dog pen, blocking the dog door that goes into the shop, so the dog couldn't get in. It was baring its teeth at the dog, hissing - yuk!! Hubby took care of that possum speedy quick. Between what he kills, and what I see dead on the road, we have lots of them here. I always say "It don't pay to be a possum on this road." LOL