Dispatching Possum

[4fur]

I can't tell you within 30 coon how many I have caught this year, but I know this was number 53 on the possum line this year...








Everyone of them is in possum heaven. Please don't turn loose possum you catch. They are egg suckers of nesting and song birds and, other than eating dead distemper coon, I don't see any environmental value.

Because their brain is about the size of your little finger nail,they are nearly impossible to kill with a .22 and blunt force trauma isn't close to 100%.

I like the Leggette's trapper's helper to remove feisty ones from the trap...








Place the possum chin down with a stick across it's neck, grab a hind leg and the tail and pull straight up until you hear and feel the spine separate...










Works 100% of the time, no blood, no muss , no fuss. Just the cork screw tail and a few kicks...








Is this the method everyone uses? Anyone else use a Trapper's Helper?

[trapping24]

I shoot mine with the .22LR, idk how many i have caught so far but its a bunch and now that the coon have slowed down my dad and i started putting up a few possum!

[grinnergetter]

22lr here also. If they try swimming

[4fur]

I remember shooting a big one with my brother as kids 8 times in the head. It was gone the next day.

[grinnergetter]

bad shots

[Griz]

Dec 2, 2012 21:27:09 GMT -6 4fur said:

I remember shooting a big one with my brother as kids 8 times in the head. It was gone the next day.

I used to shoot like that too!! ;D ;D

[Griz]

I hope you are saving all of those possum. I heard that they were going to start marketing them as "silver sable". Also, I heard that the small ones would be about $10 and the large ones would be up around $30 to $40. Of course you can hear a lot of things.

[bowhunter031371]

I prefer to hit them a couple times to get them out of your coyote set and throw them on the 4 wheeler so you can hit a few bumps and flop him up on the seat with you. I didn't see a problem but he was not happy. I won though he is on the stretcher.

[hvtrapper]

That's the possum dispatch method I use, Wayne. While there is a trapper's helper in the truck year round a rebar stake is most often used.
Anybody else catching "hair ball" possums? The last two were both very large(urban) possums but had fuzzy black hair instead of the nice silver fur.
With worthless fur I was glad they came from Nuisance work so they still had some value.

[jim blakley aka Gadget]

I have only got ....2.......this year , what am I doing wrong ? ;D

[Deleted]

I use 22lr but I put the barrel right on the head. makeing it tuff to miss.

[4fur]

Dec 2, 2012 21:32:33 GMT -6 grinnergetter said:

bad shots

Shells were a lot cheaper back then! lol

Had a pm with a problem. It is very important to get the possum's chin flat on the ground. Won't work if he is laying on a cheek.

[sidslifer]

11skunks and 9 possum here.

[TRapper]

one solid hit with j c connor mink trowel handle and lights out, also took out a big tom cat yesterday,

[generallee01]

I think 22 kills them just fine!!!

[tristank4]

if your that bad of a shot use a 12 gauge