Best way to kill raccoons and opossums?

[JimmyJames]

That's pretty shocking that a cat and a possum tangled. The only fights I've ever seen between the two was just pushing each other out of the way at the outside food dish. And even then, they just got over it and ate head to head...

Some cats are A-holes?

 

[Gator 45/70]

My possums look different around here?

 

[N4sir]

I hate possums! Caused my old beagle to hurt her back chasing them in the yard. That was a hefty vet bill. After that I started trapping them in the yard and relocating them. Well, most of them. I caught over 50 of those damn things in Metairie. they would also try to get to my chickens at 2-3 in the morning. That made a lot of noise! Haven't trapped them in a couple of years but my son says he saw one in the yard recently and the lab went to barking like crazy again like 1:30 in the morning.

 

[DBMJR1]

The problem with possum is that they'll eventually get into your gardens.
Other than that, I give them a pass.
Racoons will kill and eat a cat. There used to be a large population where I live. Not so much anymore, . . .
Armadillos meet their maker.

Hav a heart trap. Garbage can of water. A brick. Swimming lessons.

 

[Fordfella]

Lafayette parish animal control will loan you a trap and come pick it up when you catch something in it. Your mileage may vary. Any mammal can carry rabies!

 

[krotsman]

cats are A-holes

Fixed it for ya

 

[Gator 45/70]

City boy heathens, BBQ racoon is pretty tasty.

 

[JimmyJames]

I hate possums!

I don't hate them in general, but I did have a running feud with a particular one at a WMA that broke into my gear and tried to eat my creamer. Getting between a man and his morning coffee is a bad idea. I tried very hard to murder it the next couple nights, but it seemed to know to beeline in the direction of other campers. Similar to hogs sticking to sloughs adjacent to the road - they somehow know they're safer there.

City boy heathens, BBQ racoon is pretty tasty.

I don't know where the scent glands are on them. Some day I'll need to have someone show me how to skin animals I haven't hunted yet.

 

[Manimal]

New Study Says Possums Don't Like Eating Ticks

Many think that opossums eat thousands of ticks. According to a 2021 peer-reviewed study, opossums may not eat ticks at all.

www.fieldandstream.com

The refutation is using speculation to "prove" the original was wrong, and is using a limited test to refute it.

Low body temp would make opossoms a less than idea target for a tick, so in the wild or during certain seasons they may not be a prime target for a tick. They bathe so frequently that a tick may not often get an opportunity to latch on. Opossums are bathing/grooming machines and they'd probably eat anything that wasn't a dead leaf or mud. They have very dexterous and strong little hands too. I had a blind and deaf Opossum for 3 years, lived a very pampered life, but I've also worked hands-on and closely with wildlife for 10 years. Just from experience I'm a strong believer in them eating ticks on them, though the 5000 number is total BS just like 95% of other statistics *drum roll*.

Manimal gives the whole opossoms-ticks and studies a "eeehhh", one grade above a "meh".

They are useful fodder for the ecosystem, they balance things in a good way & give owls, hawks, and cars things to eat.

 

[Manimal]

City boy heathens, BBQ racoon is pretty tasty.

I used to kill them, granny would clean them & take out the scent glands & roast them in the magnalite dutch oven. They were delicious. I'd also BBQ them at my house & they were great.

RIP Mawmaw!

Those were the days!

 

[Abby Normal]

They are useful fodder for the ecosystem, they balance things in a good way & give owls, hawks, and cars things to eat.

Don’t forget the buzzards.

 

[Gerberman]

Have a raccoon and an opossum that terrorize the neighborhood (kids playing and neighbors have outdoor cats). Found the raccoon out in the open today and shot it with my crossbow, but only have mechanical heads and field points. Wanted to avoid shooting it with a firearm as I'm literally on the other side of the street from the edge of city limits, but as I suspected it was too small for the shock collar to break - broadhead didn't expand properly and now I have a fence slat to replace on top of losing an expensive bolt. Ended up having to shoot it anyway. Field points wouldn't be ethical even on a lung shot since it wasn't sufficient with the mechanical broadhead, so I'm wondering what I should do about the opossum. Would a fixed broadhead work, or is it still too much overkill with a crossbow? Should I just bite the bullet and invest in an airgun or something?

I had both for a long time. I trapped the raccoons and moved them to the woods a few miles away. I leave the opossums alone now. At most I spray them with the water hose. They don’t hurt anything and provide some good for insects/ticks etc..

 

[Trailboss]

I have not had good luck using .22 CB to kill raccoons, even at 3 feet in a live trap. Had to resort to .22LR as I had no .22 S or L to try.

 

[GunRelated]

If one of y'all catches a baby possum, I'll come pick it up and give you $10. My daughter been saying she wants a kitty.

Not joking, hit me up.

 

[Fordfella]

 

[charlie12]

My girlfriend like possums so we have possums here that come out at night to eat. I do not like damn coons they come too and I send them to coon heaven

 

[JR1572]

The raccoons make so much noise in my yard at night fighting each other they wake me up.

One night they were fighting and when they toppled over my cement bird bath a little raccoon got trapped under the wash basin when it landed upside down. I didn’t know it was under there until I went in the yard and flipped it back over several hours later. That poor little raccoon was all kinds of discombobulated. It staggered to the fence and slowly climbed over and out of the yard. They haven’t been in the yard for a while since I stopped using my ground feeder for the birds.

 

[Manimal]

If one of y'all catches a baby possum, I'll come pick it up and give you $10. My daughter been saying she wants a kitty.

Not joking, hit me up.

Check roadkill opossums, baby opossums are often in pouch or clinging on to mom. They always die too unless someone checks & saves them.

 

[T-boy]

Hav a heart trap. Garbage can of water. A brick. Swimming lessons.

I had an uncle who live inside the city limits. Would trap squirrels and do the same. No BB's in his squirrel gravy.

 

[pandabear]

I saw that, I gotta get me some to try out. Only thing is on head shots, their eye balls shoots out on head shots.