Possum getting away

Freds · Sep 10, 2010

I'd be sitting out there starting 3:30 AM.

HiddenHollow · Sep 10, 2010

Get something to cover your smell (skunk urine) or that yot won't come in at all. They can smell you yards away and if they suspect anything they won't come near you. At least make sure the wind is in your face.

tallyho8 · Sep 10, 2010

I called the animal shelter today to borrow a trap but they have to put me on a list and don't know how long it will be. I hate to go buy a trap right now as things are a little tight at this time.

I thought about perching on top of my barn early in the morning and waiting for him but it is pitch dark out there and I couldn't see him unless a light was on. I wonder if he would even come in if a light was on. Reckon I need me some of those infrared binoculars.

I haven't seen the possum the last couple of nights. Wonder it the fox/coyote/coydog/foxote got him.

jbooth · Sep 10, 2010

Do you have friends with varmit calls? This critter should respond to a chicken in distress call. The record I had years ago sounded just like the chickens I used to catch with the foot hook for mom. I would guess it could be called in when there is enough light to shoot early in the morning or late in the evening. Also a redlight did not seem to frighten the coyotes I called at night back when it was still legal to call at night. The critters will also look at a red light and you can generally "shine eyes". Before using the shineing eye method pen up all the domestic animals. Another thing that might work is a 12 guage with buckshot. The shotgun and buckshot will take the good light and pinpoint accuracy out of the equation. I don't mean to sound cold or cruel but I would not tolerate anything eating my chickens, but me. This coyote may have pups it's feeding and they are going to like chickens too. There are a lot of free MP3 call sounds that can be downloaded from the internet, if you have a player for them.

schmism · Sep 11, 2010

new trap

mine (like the one pictured) has a floor mounted thing the animal steps on to close the rear door.

caught 2 coons in mine at the same time couple months ago. Trapped out a whole family that was eating my meet birds.

dad was so big he couldnt turn around in the trap. had to have weighted 40lbs. :shocked:

And yes ive had to mend my trap a couple of times after some coons tore the poo out of it while trapped inside overnight.

tallyho8 · Sep 14, 2010

He's baaack! I hadn't seen him in a couple of days but he's back about 4 in the morning again. I'm still waiting for the coyote trap from the humane society.

dcyrilc · Sep 14, 2010

tallyho8 said:
He's baaack! I hadn't seen him in a couple of days but he's back about 4 in the morning again. I'm still waiting for the coyote trap from the humane society.

I'm thinking this would be a good excuse for a night scope and some early morning coffee.

6sunset6 · Sep 14, 2010

Well this is embarrassing but it will get some of you spraying that early morning coffee up your nose. We are at wood chuck one, me zero. We have a small garden ,flowers and some vegetables. right outside the kitchen. Woodchuck makes short work of it and we have seen him climbing the fence. My wife was going nuts. We have a live trap and catch one a year ,they always seem to come back. So I said the next time we get one I will drown him in a garbage can of water. SO we got one. I got the big barrel out and as I started thinking about the hose I felt like drowning was a really hard way to go. So I decided to gas him. Put the cage in a garbage bag and start the car.Hang the whole thing over the exhaust pipe. I started the car in the garage and then decided running the car inside the garage was not a good idea so I backed it out. But I forgot to close the car door. So the door ran into the garage door rail. Wow. Garage door rail bent to heck and gone and car door window half down and ripped out of the tracks. So closed the car door and finished backing out. Took a sledge hammer to the garage door track and got it working. Then back to drowning. While the 50 gal drum was filling I took the car door apart. Good news the door closed and locked . Bad news the window regulator and tracks looked like pretzels. Now the 50 gal drum was full. Now remember the BP thing , It's 5000 feet down and we have never done this before. So I pick up the trap and throw it vertically in the 50 gal drum. The gravity latches flop open as the woodchuck climbs up the cage out the top over the drum and into the woods. I stand there looking at an empty trap, A wrecked car door and a really bent garage door rail.
I got away cheap the door repair was $400. The had to do some creative work on the inside of the door but at least they saved it and no paint. Glass was ok as well. Maybe I will try antifreeze down his hole if I can find it.

MossRoad · Sep 15, 2010

6sunset6 said:
Well this is embarrassing but it will get some of you spraying that early morning coffee up your nose. We are at wood chuck one, me zero. We have a small garden ,flowers and some vegetables. right outside the kitchen. Woodchuck makes short work of it and we have seen him climbing the fence. My wife was going nuts. We have a live trap and catch one a year ,they always seem to come back. So I said the next time we get one I will drown him in a garbage can of water. SO we got one. I got the big barrel out and as I started thinking about the hose I felt like drowning was a really hard way to go. So I decided to gas him. Put the cage in a garbage bag and start the car.Hang the whole thing over the exhaust pipe. I started the car in the garage and then decided running the car inside the garage was not a good idea so I backed it out. But I forgot to close the car door. So the door ran into the garage door rail. Wow. Garage door rail bent to heck and gone and car door window half down and ripped out of the tracks. So closed the car door and finished backing out. Took a sledge hammer to the garage door track and got it working. Then back to drowning. While the 50 gal drum was filling I took the car door apart. Good news the door closed and locked . Bad news the window regulator and tracks looked like pretzels. Now the 50 gal drum was full. Now remember the BP thing , It's 5000 feet down and we have never done this before. So I pick up the trap and throw it vertically in the 50 gal drum. The gravity latches flop open as the woodchuck climbs up the cage out the top over the drum and into the woods. I stand there looking at an empty trap, A wrecked car door and a really bent garage door rail.
I got away cheap the door repair was $400. The had to do some creative work on the inside of the door but at least they saved it and no paint. Glass was ok as well. Maybe I will try antifreeze down his hole if I can find it.

Some folks aren't man enough to share stuff like that! Best of luck to you. :laughing: :thumbsup:

Freds · Sep 15, 2010

That same thing happened to my BIL, Bob. Well... not the garage door thing, but the trap opening up when he went to drown a coon. Next time he trapped the coon he decided to shoot it with his shotgun. While it was still in the trap he rented at the hardware store...
And that's how I came into the possession of one slightly shot up havahart trap :^D

Sorry bout your doors. It sounds like your mind was focused stritcly on that groundhog.