Well, it is a varmint

[sacre]

Walked to my shop and dog took off in a hurry. Went to see what got his attention.... he was nose to nose with a possum. Quick trip back into the shop and got my ancient 22ss. Looked around for ammo, 3 laying there. Went back out took a couple shots at, it acted hit but I wasn't sure so I walked down the steep bank and put one beside his ear.

The "varmint rifle" is of unknown heritage, a lot of people would scratch their head trying to get it to fire. After closing the bolt, you have to hand cock it (pull the striker back). Didn't have my phone with me for trophy photos!

 

[nettle]

Nothing worse than a savage possum.

 

[D Coots]

Model 67?

 

[jghoghunter]

Model 67?

Have 2 or 3 model 67's

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I used to have two Dachshund’s that were a possum’s nightmare.

 

[Doug Casner]

We had a old Dachshund we used to take coon hunting under old houses when coons were high. Got its tail whipped pretty good a few times by coons. From then on it was a possum dog. Doug

 

[Rick in Oregon]

sacre, that old .22 SS sounds much like the old Cooey's we used in Canada as kids. Most were made by Winchester; single shot bolt action, cocked by pulling back a thumb-striker for firing. Reliable, not much to go wrong, and reasonably accurate for what they were.

Many old fond memories with mine that I gave to my son when he was six many years ago when we lived in a logging camp on Vancouver Island.

 

[Lefty2506]

My wife let the dogs out before bed one night last month. We were having a warm spell, so there were more small critters moving than normal for a December night. The next thing I know, I hear her yelling my name and cursing first my bird dog (GSP), and then the little rug rats, then my dog again, then me, .... I get to the door and see that my GSP had found a opossum in the yard and brought it up to the front porch for us. The little ankle bitters were in a tizzy over it, not sure if they should attack it or run away. Mean while, my dog sat there on the porch looking at me like "what did I do wrong dad?" I let everyone back in the house, but I left the front door open (screen door was shut). It wasn't bloody anywhere, so I was assuming she hadn't given it a good crunch when she picked it up. I stood by the door and watched it for a bit. After a few minutes it slowly raised it head to look around. Upon seeing me in the door way, it reversed its motion and "went back to sleep". I couldn't help but chuckle. I went back in the house and gave it 15 min to move on, but it remained put. I grabbed the snow shovel off the back porch and rolled it down onto the sidewalk, and then went back in and went to bed.

Coons and groundhogs get shot on site at my place. I used to eliminate the opossums too until I found out they eat a boat load of ticks. After that, I started letting them go. The neighbor has enough old groundhog dens under his barn and mini barn that the opossums don't end up doing any additional damage so there's no reason for me to dispatch them.

 

[Mark W]

Nothing worse than a savage possum.

Personally I’ve never had cause to shoot one. They are welcome around my place.

 

[nettle]

We know how to coon proof, possum proof, and skunk proof without killing them on our 20 acre farm. We have a 5 acre yard around the house. Wandering around the yard in the dark without a flashlight is a good way to stub a toe on a skunk. Our dogs would occasionally get sprayed. Nature has an endless supply of possums, coons, and skunks.

 

[Mark W]

We know how to coon proof, possum proof, and skunk proof without killing them on our 20 acre farm. We have a 5 acre yard around the house. Wandering around the yard in the dark without a flashlight is a good way to stub a toe on a skunk. Our dogs would occasionally get sprayed. Nature has an endless supply of possums, coons, and skunks.

We had a Rat Terrier back in the 90s that always had a knack for finding and getting sprayed by skunks. It was the only times in his life that he slept outside tied up on the front porch.

 

[nettle]

Forget all the remedies for bathing a dog to remove skunk smell. The only think that removes skunk smell is time. That goes for pig poop smell also.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

We know how to coon proof, possum proof, and skunk proof without killing them on our 20 acre farm. We have a 5 acre yard around the house. Wandering around the yard in the dark without a flashlight is a good way to stub a toe on a skunk. Our dogs would occasionally get sprayed. Nature has an endless supply of possums, coons, and skunks.

Not a fan of the raccoon.

 

[nettle]

Raccoons get into everything here. We have to put bungee cords over the lids of the plastic garbage cans we keep our horse sweet feed in. I have given up trying to successfully hang a suet feeder for woodpeckers. Any garbage set out that's not in a closed container will be shredded all over the yard the next day.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Raccoons get into everything here. We have to put bungee cords over the lids of the plastic garbage cans we keep our horse sweet feed in. I have given up trying to successfully hang a suet feeder for woodpeckers. Any garbage set out that's not in a closed container will be shredded all over the yard the next day.

There he’ll on birdbaths too. When they ate my wife’s “pet” frog that lived in her flower pots, that was the last straw.

 

[nettle]

One morning while I was at work the wife called. Seems a couple of raccoons had pried the bungee corded lid up on our garbage can of sweet feed and the lid slammed shut trapping them inside. When she raised the lid and saw the coons she immediately closed the lid and put the bungee cords back on. She called and asked what she should do. We had a pitt bull and doberman that was always with her and I told her to take off the bungee cords and dump the can on the floor. The dogs took care of the rest.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Those frogs I mentioned above were entertaining, they buried up in the flower pots during the day and then in evening’s they would plop out and start their insect hunt for the night. The dogs already learned they tasted bad so they commingled fine.

 

[Lone Hunter]

sacre, that old .22 SS sounds much like the old Cooey's we used in Canada as kids. Most were made by Winchester; single shot bolt action, cocked by pulling back a thumb-striker for firing. Reliable, not much to go wrong, and reasonably accurate for what they were.

Many old fond memories with mine that I gave to my son when he was six many years ago when we lived in a logging camp on Vancouver Island.

Could be a J.C. Higgins or Steven’s. I had a J.C Higgins and it was very accurat. Killed a lot of things with it. Left it at my Grandparents and an uncle that didn’t even hunt found it and took it to S. Georgia never to be seen again. Great little rifles…

 

[Schippergreg]

My wife let the dogs out before bed one night last month. We were having a warm spell, so there were more small critters moving than normal for a December night. The next thing I know, I hear her yelling my name and cursing first my bird dog (GSP), and then the little rug rats, then my dog again, then me, .... I get to the door and see that my GSP had found a opossum in the yard and brought it up to the front porch for us. The little ankle bitters were in a tizzy over it, not sure if they should attack it or run away. Mean while, my dog sat there on the porch looking at me like "what did I do wrong dad?" I let everyone back in the house, but I left the front door open (screen door was shut). It wasn't bloody anywhere, so I was assuming she hadn't given it a good crunch when she picked it up. I stood by the door and watched it for a bit. After a few minutes it slowly raised it head to look around. Upon seeing me in the door way, it reversed its motion and "went back to sleep". I couldn't help but chuckle. I went back in the house and gave it 15 min to move on, but it remained put. I grabbed the snow shovel off the back porch and rolled it down onto the sidewalk, and then went back in and went to bed.

Coons and groundhogs get shot on site at my place. I used to eliminate the opossums too until I found out they eat a boat load of ticks. After that, I started letting them go. The neighbor has enough old groundhog dens under his barn and mini barn that the opossums don't end up doing any additional damage so there's no reason for me to dispatch them.

I’ve caught possums so covered in ticks it’s pitiful. My understanding of the supposed study about possums and ticks was a possum was kept in a cage and eventually it picked all of the ticks off of it and ate them so someone claimed they run around eating ticks. If they’re such proficient tick vacuums how do they get covered in them in the first place.

 

[nettle]

I have read that possum's eat ticks. How a mammal the size of a possum can live off eating ticks seems a bit far fetched to me. Also that possums can survive 80 rattlesnakes bites. After all, it's on the internet and has to be true.

For heaven's sake people. It's just a possum.