Stupid award for the week 'possum trapping

[sandspoultry]

We have an ongoing 'possum issue and here is a little background. We live back in the woods and have various pens set even further back into the woods and there is a drainage ditch that runs thru our property and that seems to be a 'possum super highway. We close the chicken houses at night so that pretty much solves the problem but every now and then a guinea will stay out or a chicken and gets eaten.

So I found one "den" in the side of the drainage ditch and put a leg hold trap just inside and bait it with eggs, or parts of when we process, works great and has caught quite a few 'possums. On one of our pens I noticed that something was going under the pen and into the Marans pen. That one had to go! So I put another trap on the outside of the pen to catch it going in. Yesterday when I was feeding a saw a guinea standing right where I put the trap, sure enough caught in the trap. The trap had the rubber jaw pads not just the solid steel. I took it out and the leg didn't seem to be broken. Well not flopping around broken or moving in the wrong direction but possible cracked? I will check and see today.

The stupid part, is all I had to do was put a cover over the trap so a bird couldn't step in the trap.

Steve in NC

 

[horsejody]

Live and learn!!

 

[D&D Mc Chicken]

Ouch!!! You forgot to let the chickens and the guinea's in on the Plan!!!

Hope you get rid of the Varmints

 

[sandspoultry]

D&D Mc Chicken :

Ouch!!! You forgot to let the chickens and the guinea's in on the Plan!!!

Hope you get rid of the Varmints

They seem to keep coming, I wonder how many there are in any one area? I'm sure they are using the drainage ditch to travel thru and it flows into small stream. hmmmmm how many 'possums per square mile. lol

Steve​

 

[D&D Mc Chicken]

Man I have no idea how many can live in an area.... But I do know this... It is too bad they are not good eating!!! Think of all the possum Burgers and possum soup you could have.

Bah but what a pain then you would have to cage them in and keep your chickens away, Oh well what ya gonna do!?

Try an electric fence and I plan on making my run completely enclosed with wire... Bottom and Top.

Good Luck

 

[Attack Chicken]

Fried possum nuggets aren't that bad lol

 

[AmazonDragon]

Fried possum nuggets?...sounds interesting, how would you go about preparing those?

 

[Poohbear]

Use live catch traps baited with sardines and eggs. You won't have to worry about catching your fowl. If you do, just turn them loose.

 

[Attack Chicken]

Quote:
Simple First get ya a dead possum make sure its fresh lol. Then cut the meat into nuggets and wash them off in cold water. Third (some people do this but some don't) After washing the nuggets off put them in a bowl of cold water with salt and leave for over night. Next day wash them off and drain them. Then theres 2 ways to cook them: First roll the nuggets in the same stuff you fry chicken in or in cornmeal that you use to fry fish fillets in. Fry up until golden brown and ready to serve

 

[AmazonDragon]

Cool, next time I have a dead possum I will try it.