Urban Possum Varmit...Freeper needs advice on how to get rid of possum living under porch.

8/9/03 | self

[Imagine]

I've got a possum living under my porch diggin up stuff during the night. Any suggestions on capturing or killing the critter???

[F.J. Mitchell]

I wish I could avoid reading them but I seem to be addicted to assinity.

[Squantos]

Wellllllll I have different options for urban or rural critters of course. Grass Grizzlies aka Sod Poodles can be lured outta their holes with kites and music ( 2 live crew annoys them just as well as my human neighbors). The kites have some weird effect on the little critters also. They seem to show half of their torso and look up. They forget all about me shooting at them.

Then for pistol shooters there is Prairie Dog Fishing....... now this is dangerous when the plague is about. Ya take yer favorite salt water grade casting rig and place a loop around the critters hole. Set back with yer spotting scope, and a cold glass of anything and wait for the grass grizzly to pop up. Set the line and the fight is on !

The battle is keeping the varmint from all the additional holes in his hood while trying to reel him in. Now here is where the danger becomes clearly present. When you have reeled the critter in to within a few yards of you it will "attack" ! It will charge you like a wounded lion (ya have to squint yer eyes to get this visual of course) . When it charges in such a manner....you must drop the fishing rod, draw your 1911A1 and defend yourself against a very nasty bite if you miss !

That's dangerous game hunting in the Panhandle of Texas !

As to this big rat under the porch problem a squirt gun full of 30 weight quaker state has been my solution in the past. They will leave because of the smell and taste when they groom themselves. And it keeps the weeds down under the porch (EPA disclaimer) too.............:o)

Stay Safe Wardaddy !

[Crawdad]

Where I grew up in South Alabama, we used to drive through peanut fields in the winter at night and catch possums. All you have to do is put a broom handle on their neck and pick them up by the tail. Sometimes they would "sull-up", or "play possum/dead." When they did that you could just walk right up to them and pick them up by the tail. They can't bite you when they're being held like that. Then we would place the possum in a croker sack, more commonly known as a burlap bag,tie the bag closed, and take the possum and sell it. The possum must be alive when sold, so the buyer can feed it corn for a couple of weeks to clean out its system prior to eating it. Some nights we would catch half a dozen. We would take the money we made from the possum sale and go buy some beer.
That's what we did. Then I went to Law Scool.

[F.J. Mitchell]

That lable clearly warned: Do not try this at home.

[The Brush]

I used a Haveahart trap for a squirrel I had in my house.I set up a video camera and got a great video out of it, later I edited the capture and used the "Nutcracker Suite" as background music.

[yianni]

5 mg crushed coumadin mixed into a tbsp of PB. Put out daily for 4-5 days. Keep out of reach of children and pets.

BTW, anyone have suggestions re purchase of a home pressure washer? Gas vs electric?

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

Ever notice the difference between Northern Zoos and Southern Zoos?

Down South, next to the list of the animal and it's habitat,etc, they have recipes....

[Overtaxed]

Actually, it's a song only I can't find a recording of it on the web. It's called Five Pounds of Possum.

[gnarledmaw]

I have a lot of possum and skunk problems despite dogs, etc. Ive never had a digging possum so Im suspicious that you may have more than one visitor.

I generally wind up having to use a spring trap with giblets. Necks and gizzards tie on the plate best as they dont tear off without tripping the trap.

[Texas Mom]

Throw some mothballs in there and he will leave. My son had possums in his attic and he would catch them in a live trap and take them to the city dump. ( Lots of food and water there) but then someone told him about the mothballs and he threw a a box full around in the attic and replaces them every couple months and no more critters in the attic.

[Fraulein]

In this day and age there are a zillion traps -- which are not legtraps -- that you could have used for those coons that wouldn't have involved one chewing off his leg. Get some humane traps.

[Overtaxed]

Kewl!

[F.J. Mitchell]

The RNADFAL (redneck anti de fame ation league)will get you for that.

[Willie Green]

If your local neighborhood swat team isn't overly ambitious, you can try getting a pet alligator.
(For a possum, you don't need a big one, a three-footer would probably be enough.)

Wilkinsburg police grab a 4-foot alligator (Pet kidnapped from owner's backyard)

[goose1]

be berry berry quite and sneak up on them.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Buy a "haveaheart" trap, catch the critter (and family) and let them go in some secluded spot --

Then shoot them in the trap and discard their bodies in an open area. The crows will take care of them.If you let them go live, they will be right back, or will move in at your neighbors' -- not a neighborly thing to do. Or give them to a wildlife refuge, if they're stupid enough to take them.

The same advice goes for racoons, woodchucks, and skunks. Skunks have to be handled at long distance. Throuw a tarp over the trap so the skunk can't see out, then hook a long chain to the trap and drag it to a pond. Immerse the trap and skunk in the pond and drown it. Otherwise you'll get sprayed and you'll be sorry. The drown easily because they're afraid of water. Some old timers around here swear that the skunk will die of a hear attack if you just spray it witha hose while it is in the trap.

If you catch your neighbor's cat by accident, forget all the above instructions. Just open the door and let him out.

[oceanperch]

Could be a whole family. We have a big possum population here on the Oregon coast.

Can you get under there to set traps.

Some local humane societies will loan you the traps or at a rent them at a reasonalble rate.

[goose1]

be berry berry quite and sneak up on them.

[wardaddy]

I knew you'd know.

I may actually go today to buy a pellet rifle/pistol for some coons that have been turning over my garbage. They have mastered bungee cord tie downs.

I figure if one of them has to walk around with a 22 pellet in his ass that they may choose another home with a less secure perimeter. They aren't scared of me in the least. When I approach them outside, they all stand up and hiss. My cat won't fool with a pack of them led by a big boar.

I don't want to alert my neighbors with a handcannon...in my hollow it would sound like AAA.

I hope it doesn't degenerate into a replay of my now famous hand to hand death struggle with the Bowie knife on the big boar coon on my houseboat up on Dale Hollow lake a few years back. I still have the scars on my hand and that brave coon is now feasting on the big houseboat in the sky.

I guess my reputation has not yet reached his urban kinfolks down here. They don't show me proper respect.

[oceanperch]

There you go. Actually any left enviro grp will do.