# Hunting > Firearm Safety >  Shooting Possums in trees

## rs200nz

What are the rules on shooting possums in trees?.  I know you need to check your back stop etc but seriously how does one check their back stop if you are shooting a possum in a tree.  If you were to miss the tree that bullet depending on caliber could travel for miles...   I was hoping to do some possum shooting with my .223 but worried I would miss some shots and my bullet could go anywhere.   Any help here?   Is tree shooting only restricted to .22?

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## Kiwi Sapper

My tuppence worth is that you are already fully aware of the dangers and the only "rules" being those you must comply with to keep Constable Plod happy.

I share your concern which I why I generally shoot them with a 12 gauge as any stray lead has a far shorter range which is reduced even further by foliage etc. Bloody noisy but safer in areas where there are others. My only other point is to know the lay of the land by day over which you are shooting at night, so to be confident that there is nothing beyond the possum which could suffer from  that line of fire.

I am sure others will have worthy points to add

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## Spook

> What are the rules on shooting possums in trees?.  I know you need to check your back stop etc but seriously how does one check their back stop if you are shooting a possum in a tree.  If you were to miss the tree that bullet depending on caliber could travel for miles...   I was hoping to do some possum shooting with my .223 but worried I would miss some shots and my bullet could go anywhere.   Any help here?   Is tree shooting only restricted to .22?


I see you are located in Auckland...if you could do all your possum shooting in a northerly direction I would be most grateful.

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## rs200nz

hehe will be in Whangarei. Even though its on a farm with farm surroundings there are still houses around and it worries me.  .22 LR wouldn't be as bad I guess but that little bullet will still travel a long way.

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## Vapour

use a shotgun - problem solved.   But yes 223 bounce, ricochet and fly a lot more than a .22 - need to be much more careful using them for all varmint shooting in trees or not.

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## gimp

You shouldn't fire any rifle at a possum in a tree unless you're confident of using the trunk or landscape as a backstop. Low probability of a falling bullet hitting anything but pretty bad consequences if it does.

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## ishoot10s

The basic safety rules always apply. Pretty cut and dried really. If you can't meet the safety criteria, don't take the shot.

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## Happy

> I see you are located in Auckland...if you could do all your possum shooting in a northerly direction I would be most grateful.


Seeing a few spotlights bouncing round your way at night at the moment @Spook.. Keepin your head down I hope !!!   :Grin:

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## Kscott

Agreed. Basic safety - where will YOUR bullet go if you miss. It's not about keeping Mr Plod happy - it's about being a responsible shooter. 

Just grab a cheap .22, have shot oodles of the buggers up trees without a problem. And that was the upgrade after the air rifle (which is still fun in itself and v cheap to shoot).

+1 for the shotgun use, but the downside is the noise factor. So a suppressed .22 shooting subs, or an air rifle will do the job nice and quiet and safe.

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## Spook

> Seeing a few spotlights bouncing round your way at night at the moment @Spook.. Keepin your head down I hope !!!


They don't all ask either...can be a bit scary when you have the beam bouncing all over the yard and windows. I have been up putting reflective tape on the other side of the gully to try and get some direction to their shooting...spent half a day setting one up and they spent most of the night trying to recover their "kill"

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## Hunt4life

.22 with silencer and sub sonics are my answer. First you need to ask yourself honestly if you're an accurate shot. If yes, consistently, then a subsonic projectile hitting a possum between the eyes at 10-20 metres isn't going to cause harm much beyond the possum. If you're a bit shaky, then please DO NOT use your .223 on possums EVER, as I have friends who live around Whangarei. As mentioned by ishoot10s... Apply the safety rules of any shooting and the risks are well mitigated. Apologies just won't cut it afterward

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## Savage1

.223 is a massive overkill on possums, and never a good idea to be firing at elevated targets with no backstop.

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## rs200nz

was going to use my .303 for possums but though that might cause issues.  Jokes!!  all good guys.  Just sold my 22 LR but will just borrow a mates and take that  :Have A Nice Day:    Thanks for the comments

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## nicklm

> The basic safety rules always apply. Pretty cut and dried really. If you can't meet the safety criteria, don't take the shot.


Yeah this one, if your not comfortable with what your doing or with the way you want to do it, don't do it at all... Better that now than to learn the hard way later...

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## Rushy

@Dundee might hire his kids out for the night. They are both possum killers and they will clean up by taking the fur away as well.  Seriously though do not use your .223 for shooting Possums up trees.

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## Spook

About 3 years ago a group of tree huggers [five of them] asked if they could camp up in a tree on my property for the night. They all climbed a puriri tree and strapped themselves to it. By all accounts they had a wonderful night but one has to wonder how many other dip shits there are out there hugging trees at all hours of the night.

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## thomas

> About 3 years ago a group of tree huggers [five of them] asked if they could camp up in a tree on my property for the night. They all climbed a puriri tree and strapped themselves to it. By all accounts they had a wonderful night but one has to wonder how many other dip shits there are out there hugging trees at all hours of the night.


Yeap that's just odd! Can't see the point in doing that to be honest?!  Definitely must have a few screws loose

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## Spook

> Yeap that's just odd! Can't see the point in doing that to be honest?!  Definitely must have a few screws loose


Tree huggers have no loose screws...they have all fallen out.
Years ago at the Kakaho camping ground on the edge of Pureora Forest had a convention of them...there is a walkway [cant remember the name] and there were huggers hanging onto trees all over the place. We went for a wander on the track and couldn't believe what we saw and this was all in the dark...

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## Maca49

I'd hug a tree with the right lady! I believe if you shoot vertical the spent projectile won't kill you? I've spent many a happy hour lying on my back on a clear blue day in the middle of no where trying to shoot hawks flying in thermals, never had a hit or swallow a spent projectile! Now low flying sea girls, that's a diff story, never swallow a projectile doing that either, I'm not lucky as I haven't won lotto                 Yet

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## rs200nz

That tree hugging sounds pretty messed up?  lol.  So they asked if they could spend the night in your tree by strapping themselves to it.  What the hell is wrong with these people lol.   This I must see haha

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## Spook

> I'd hug a tree with the right lady! I believe if you shoot vertical the spent projectile won't kill you? I've spent many a happy hour lying on my back on a clear blue day in the middle of no where trying to shoot hawks flying in thermals, never had a hit or swallow a spent projectile! Now low flying sea girls, that's a diff story, never swallow a projectile doing that either, I'm not lucky as I haven't won lotto                 Yet


I do know that a .22 fired vertically comes back down close by...I used my .22 and a level to centre a hole through the ceiling and the roof for a log burner [when I lived in town]...lined it up with the level, popped a round off and then wandered outside to see if there was any reaction from the neighbours and to show nothing untoward was happening at my place...it seemed like forever before the projectile landed back on the roof.

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## Maca49

That would be a very accurate placement of the rifle to achieve that, I've fired hundreds of round vertically and never heard one come back done, in fact as a young guy I doubted if they did come back down :Zomg: ,now I know why I missed those hawks, every now and then you'd take some feathers from a wing :Cool:

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## ishoot10s

It'd be way cool to get a non self propelled projectile into space. Gerald Bull was working on it in earnest when he got topped by the Mossad... He was getting shells to an altitude of a couple hundred K's at one stage.  :Cool:

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## Spook

> That would be a very accurate placement of the rifle to achieve that, I've fired hundreds of round vertically and never heard one come back done, in fact as a young guy I doubted if they did come back down,now I know why I missed those hawks, every now and then you'd take some feathers from a wing


Two things, the first...the hawks were not vertical to you...and secondly...you are a rotten shooter

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## Rushy

Well you just got told Maca.

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## Maca49

Happys gongs say different, but your right, not vert to the hawks, one degree off probably is 100  s metres off at a mile high, and no I'm not in that club either, I'm a white knuckle flyer! :Sick:

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## faregame

a 223 aimed up depending on the angle will go a long way! - so will a 22 of course but a 223 will have more energy at the end of it (especially if still spinning (i.e. fired at 45 degrees or something (not tumbling down)

it may even go straight though the possum as well

Its about risk management - and that is a powerful round to be firing upish

Don't do it -

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## sAsLEX

I used to catch BBs fired from my air pistol straight up, had to be a rather still day

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## kotuku

>22 with suppresor&subs is my preferred method .12g is bloody effective(dad was a fan of it)but bloody messy.I nearly used .303 once when a big bugger who'd taken 5 shots in the head/chest area ,wouldnt come out of the tree-.303?yes in an emergency its a cracker chainsaw.in any case as we loaded her up he fell out minus his brainand other important bits. was also present when a possum was hit in the head at 18"range by both barrels of a 12g at once :Wtfsmilie: -said area of his body flew through mum&dads house roof and allegedly repainted  our neighbours roofs further up the road.this was 1963-64 so attitudes were a tad different then!

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## faregame

I use a 12g 2 3/4 with number 7 - trap load - works very well - doesn't make a mess (unless really close) cheap - they look a bit like they have chicken pox or something

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## Haggie

Once you have it lit up in the tree its not usually going anywhere so just move around the tree till its your backstop or your shooting in a direction you feel is safe, also if its not a huge farm stick to the 22 over a shotty unless you know the farmer well otherwise hell think your a dickhead for blasting away all night especially if they have to get up and milk.

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## Nibblet

These must be big fucking possums to need a 223.

Must be a relative to those dangerous drop bears

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## sako75

chop the tree down - problem solved

223 is an overkill unless you are shooting across a gulley etc into a hillside

I shot a possum on the ground with a 308 tracer once  :Wtfsmilie:

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## kotuku

lI have this bucketlist wish to line a big snarling horny jacko up with a 3"no 3steel in the 12G shottie and do a clint eastwood number on the aussie bastard!I kill em on sight -no bloody excuses.

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## ishoot10s

> lI have this bucketlist wish to line a big snarling horny jacko up with a 3"no 3steel in the 12G shottie and do a clint eastwood number on the aussie bastard!I kill em on sight -no bloody excuses.


Er, ah, um, yes Kotukahz, quite right, only natural.  :Thumbsup:

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## Maca49

Used to bomb possums on my 10 acres yrs ago with a Baikel OU in on hand and the spotlight in the other, big old daddy pines but in a single row, shotgun was the safest! :Thumbsup:

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## Dead is better

I shoot my flock of possums with my detuned target spring powered airgun. When the .177 pellet runs out of motor heading straight up - it reaches a very low return speed. Using a .22 pellet of say 21gn will bring out your neighbour when it hits His guttering!!! My mate found out the hard way

Besides - possums are assholes. They're only worth .5c to get rid of - and a well placed airgun slug can be more effective on a possum head than a through and through .22lr hit. 
Seen it hundreds of times over

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## Ground Control

If you had access to a property where you could shoot a possum safely with a 223 then it would be cool to see the results  :Have A Nice Day: 


Ken

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## Gunzrrr

In my opinion, shooting possums in a tree with a .223 is a BIG NO NO!!!!! Too much can go wrong very quickly. I shoot possums at night in trees with my 22lr subsonic and I know the farms well and I'm around 2-3 km's away from the road/house. I always angle the shot to have the trunk and other trees in the immediate background but there is still risk. Even .22lr subs make me nervous about the safety factor. Check out my posting on .22lr ricochets. As for .223? ... that's just downright dangerous. I haven't read it lately - but the law uses words like 'dangerous use of a firearm' which carry ~$3000 fine and/or 2-3 years in jail ... regardless of calibre ... you don't want to go there!  Get a subsonic .22lr .. and still think safe. I have to say that night shooting with .22lr subs has made me really aware of ballistics and I love the challenge. I'm getting head shots at 80 yards.
Keep the .223 for the bunnies in the next valley or the goats in the gorge. Keep safe in the hills !!! Cheers Gunzrrr

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## Driverman

22 thru the right eye instant kill, subsonic out to 80/90yards if sighted in at 15yards. 223 is massive overkill and downright dangerous.

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## Banana

> If you had access to a property where you could shoot a possum safely with a 223 then it would be cool to see the results 
> 
> 
> Ken


FMJ does fuck all to them.  :ORLY:   Ballistic tip 50gr AE could create some fairly large holes.

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## MattyP

Not that it really matters as it isn't worth the risk, but how much damage would a projectile on its way "back down" do? I mean you're probably going to be shooting almost straight up, so wouldn't it more than likely only be traveling at terminal velocity when it came back down?

Again...would never do it if not confident of backstop, but am curious.

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## Rushy

From what I can remember from my high school physics lessons (which I did not pay all that much attention to) you are correct about a bullet shot vertically into the air falling at terminal velocity.

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## sAsLEX

> From what I can remember from my high school physics lessons (which I did not pay all that much attention to) you are correct about a bullet shot vertically into the air falling at terminal velocity.



Celebratory gunfire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia you're right and it seems to happen a bit

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## veitnamcam

Holy shit!

*study by the U.S.*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
*(CDC) found that 80% of celebratory gunfire-related injuries are to the head, feet, and shoulders.[4]
*InPuerto Rico
, about two people die and about 25 more are injured each year from celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve, the CDC says.[5]
*Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the*King/Drew Medical Center
*in*Los Angeles, California
, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.[6]
Kuwaitis
*celebrating in 1991 at the end of the*Gulf War
*by firing weapons into the air caused 20 deaths from falling bullets.[6]

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## 303Guy

Vertically fired rifle bullets come back down backwards and still spinning.  Angled bullets are likely to come down nose first unless very steeply angled.  Shotgun pellets are way safer.  I was hit in the neck by a shotgun pellet that was fired 'over the horizon' at a pigeon.  It went through the pigeon, struck a bone and took a chip of the bone out the pigeon with it still attached, and struck me on the neck.  The pellet and bone fragment stuck to my neck where it hit.  It did sting.  The bone fragment wasn't much bigger than the pellet (no. 7) but the pellet was lodged inside it.  Distance was well over 100m.

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## private Ryan

9mm works great, but ya can't go past a 410 shotty for possums  :Yarr:

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## rambo-6mmrem

I use a shotgun 99% of the time but if you do need to use something bigger it can be done but be fuckin careful I've used 223 and larger a few times but was bloody careful when where and how

22's are bloody dangerous as a lot of guys don't realize just how far they go 

shotgun is the safest bird shot will only go anywhere between 300m-600m  depending on the load used and falling birdshot although it is un comfortable it is not fatal to farm animals etc 22lr will go 3x that if fired on the right angle

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## 303Guy

I've had falling shotgun pellets all around me.  They're just falling pellets.  Not the same as being caught in the trajectory though!  My problem with a shotgun is how one caries 100 shotshells around?  Then there is the noise.  So one day I bought a single shot shotty with the idea of suppressing it.  That would mean loading subsonic rounds.  Reloading shotshells?  Well yes, I have a Lee shot shell loader already.  A suppressed shotgun is going to be a bit longer than a 22 but won't be too bad.  I'm figuring on fitting a scope to it just to actually see and identify the target.  Thinking of that, I once saw an owl where a possum might be expected to be but I new about owls and their eyes are slightly different to possums eyes but in the trees one could shoot an owl by mistake!

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## ScottEdvin12

You can use RWS 34 because you need power at distance and shot placement.  If you shot in heart or lung, you will definitely kill them. But before hunting you should do little practice.

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## SiB

I will confess years ago I put a .22 mag up the ring-gear of a treed possum only 4m above me. Fun part was the shot went clean through the animal, and cleanly cut through the power line to our farm and several other properties..... Shottie is good.

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## dogmatix

I've used a .223 on the tree bears many times, all long range (up to 170m) on the ground shots, during the times you catch them on the ground just on dusk or after dark.
Would have been out of range for the .22 or shottie.

Very dead possum, not as much fur recoverable as with a .22.  :Grin:

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## Nick-D

> I shoot my flock of possums with my detuned target spring powered airgun. When the .177 pellet runs out of motor heading straight up - it reaches a very low return speed. Using a .22 pellet of say 21gn will bring out your neighbour when it hits His guttering!!! My mate found out the hard way
> 
> Besides - possums are assholes. They're only worth .5c to get rid of - and a well placed airgun slug can be more effective on a possum head than a through and through .22lr hit. 
> Seen it hundreds of times over


I've HS'ed a possum twice with a .177 1000+ fps pellet, and it was still floppin around. Ended up having to give it the old 1-2 with a rock to finish it off. Gimme a .22 anyday. Its not like you have to rush when taking the shot so just pick your angle right and you will be sweet

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## mikee

possum in trees = 12g, no woundies or second shots.

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## Beetroot

I've used a .22 air rifle on possums, mainly shot em between the eyes. Dead as a dodo.

Lately magpies have been teasing me when I have my 17hmr, in places where if I missed the bullet would go miles. I haven't risked it.
I like to take shots at animals in trees where there is the trunk or a crap tonne of branches behind them. That way of I do miss I can be certain the bullet wont go off in the distance.

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## heinnz

Hi,i do most of my shooting possie close t farm buildings,either 410 or 44mag with shotshells,the 44mag only tickles them and usually they fall on the dog when they let go then its the boot

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## misfire

Jeez, that sounds bloody awful. A possum is after all a living,feeling animal and as such it should be afforded a humane death, if you must kill it.

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## EeeBees

> What are the rules on shooting possums in trees?.  I know you need to check your back stop etc but seriously how does one check their back stop if you are shooting a possum in a tree.  If you were to miss the tree that bullet depending on caliber could travel for miles...   I was hoping to do some possum shooting with my .223 but worried I would miss some shots and my bullet could go anywhere.   Any help here?   Is tree shooting only restricted to .22?


.223 too big...22 cool...I have shot literally hundreds of them; if you miss a possum in a tree you should think about doing something else with the night... :Have A Nice Day:

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## steven

> What are the rules on shooting possums in trees?.  I know you need to check your back stop etc but seriously how does one check their back stop if you are shooting a possum in a tree.  If you were to miss the tree that bullet depending on caliber could travel for miles...   I was hoping to do some possum shooting with my .223 but worried I would miss some shots and my bullet could go anywhere.   Any help here?   Is tree shooting only restricted to .22?


My take would be not safe to do even a .22LR as it is above the skyline and you cannot make sure the fall zone is safe  and clear.....ergo, shotgun.

regards

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## kawhia

> possum in trees = 12g, no woundies or second shots.


+1

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## 303Guy

Vertically fired rifle bullets come back down backwards and still spinning.  Angled bullets are likely to come down nose first unless very steeply angled.  Shotgun pellets are way safer.  I was hit in the neck by a shotgun pellet that was fired 'over the horizon' at a pigeon.  It went through the pigeon, struck a bone and took a chip of the bone out the pigeon with it still attached, and struck me on the neck.  The pellet and bone fragment stuck to my neck where it hit.  It did sting.  The bone fragment wasn't much bigger than the pellet (no. 7) but the pellet was lodged inside it.  Distance was well over 100m.

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## private Ryan

9mm works great, but ya can't go past a 410 shotty for possums  :Yarr:

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## rambo-6mmrem

I use a shotgun 99% of the time but if you do need to use something bigger it can be done but be fuckin careful I've used 223 and larger a few times but was bloody careful when where and how

22's are bloody dangerous as a lot of guys don't realize just how far they go 

shotgun is the safest bird shot will only go anywhere between 300m-600m  depending on the load used and falling birdshot although it is un comfortable it is not fatal to farm animals etc 22lr will go 3x that if fired on the right angle

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## 303Guy

I've had falling shotgun pellets all around me.  They're just falling pellets.  Not the same as being caught in the trajectory though!  My problem with a shotgun is how one caries 100 shotshells around?  Then there is the noise.  So one day I bought a single shot shotty with the idea of suppressing it.  That would mean loading subsonic rounds.  Reloading shotshells?  Well yes, I have a Lee shot shell loader already.  A suppressed shotgun is going to be a bit longer than a 22 but won't be too bad.  I'm figuring on fitting a scope to it just to actually see and identify the target.  Thinking of that, I once saw an owl where a possum might be expected to be but I new about owls and their eyes are slightly different to possums eyes but in the trees one could shoot an owl by mistake!

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## ScottEdvin12

You can use RWS 34 because you need power at distance and shot placement.  If you shot in heart or lung, you will definitely kill them. But before hunting you should do little practice.

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## SiB

I will confess years ago I put a .22 mag up the ring-gear of a treed possum only 4m above me. Fun part was the shot went clean through the animal, and cleanly cut through the power line to our farm and several other properties..... Shottie is good.

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## dogmatix

I've used a .223 on the tree bears many times, all long range (up to 170m) on the ground shots, during the times you catch them on the ground just on dusk or after dark.
Would have been out of range for the .22 or shottie.

Very dead possum, not as much fur recoverable as with a .22.  :Grin:

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## Nick-D

> I shoot my flock of possums with my detuned target spring powered airgun. When the .177 pellet runs out of motor heading straight up - it reaches a very low return speed. Using a .22 pellet of say 21gn will bring out your neighbour when it hits His guttering!!! My mate found out the hard way
> 
> Besides - possums are assholes. They're only worth .5c to get rid of - and a well placed airgun slug can be more effective on a possum head than a through and through .22lr hit. 
> Seen it hundreds of times over


I've HS'ed a possum twice with a .177 1000+ fps pellet, and it was still floppin around. Ended up having to give it the old 1-2 with a rock to finish it off. Gimme a .22 anyday. Its not like you have to rush when taking the shot so just pick your angle right and you will be sweet

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## mikee

possum in trees = 12g, no woundies or second shots.

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## Beetroot

I've used a .22 air rifle on possums, mainly shot em between the eyes. Dead as a dodo.

Lately magpies have been teasing me when I have my 17hmr, in places where if I missed the bullet would go miles. I haven't risked it.
I like to take shots at animals in trees where there is the trunk or a crap tonne of branches behind them. That way of I do miss I can be certain the bullet wont go off in the distance.

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## heinnz

Hi,i do most of my shooting possie close t farm buildings,either 410 or 44mag with shotshells,the 44mag only tickles them and usually they fall on the dog when they let go then its the boot

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## misfire

Jeez, that sounds bloody awful. A possum is after all a living,feeling animal and as such it should be afforded a humane death, if you must kill it.

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## EeeBees

> What are the rules on shooting possums in trees?.  I know you need to check your back stop etc but seriously how does one check their back stop if you are shooting a possum in a tree.  If you were to miss the tree that bullet depending on caliber could travel for miles...   I was hoping to do some possum shooting with my .223 but worried I would miss some shots and my bullet could go anywhere.   Any help here?   Is tree shooting only restricted to .22?


.223 too big...22 cool...I have shot literally hundreds of them; if you miss a possum in a tree you should think about doing something else with the night... :Have A Nice Day:

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## steven

> What are the rules on shooting possums in trees?.  I know you need to check your back stop etc but seriously how does one check their back stop if you are shooting a possum in a tree.  If you were to miss the tree that bullet depending on caliber could travel for miles...   I was hoping to do some possum shooting with my .223 but worried I would miss some shots and my bullet could go anywhere.   Any help here?   Is tree shooting only restricted to .22?


My take would be not safe to do even a .22LR as it is above the skyline and you cannot make sure the fall zone is safe  and clear.....ergo, shotgun.

regards

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## kawhia

> possum in trees = 12g, no woundies or second shots.


+1

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