Thread: Angry Possums.... in a cage

Can you get a big enough plastic container with a lid that the whole cage can fit into? Then flood the container with CO2 from a bike tyre inflator https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/...RoCiU8QAvD_BwE
You may need more than one per possum.

The shake /walk into a sack method is the way FRI ( Forest research institute ) did it with their box traps. I ran 20 cage and box traps for clearing possums around private homes and gardens when I was 15

He seems OK now- Parkinsons and a few other things had got on top of him

Taser?

That's Jesus telling you you need a gruntier pistol

put the cage in the back of the car, drive a few Ks up the road and make them someone else's problem. Or make a nice short .22 like my mate had in the 70s, a little single shot bolt action cut down unit, that fitted nicely down his builders crack. Was a great for dispatches. Wonder what happened to it, he'd be well dead now.

hang cage from a string,tied on balance point centre of top...spin it around for a minute of two,possum will be dizzy and disorientated...open door and grab tail and dispatch in normal manner with hammer.... or just use air rifle like everyone else.

Once again the forum comes through with a wealth of knowledge and somewhat disturbingly creative ideas. Tried the coon in a sack trick this morning and was relatively smooth (less so for the possum). Might have to try the spinning swing therapy just to see if you can get a possum dizzy!

When I was kid we used to make these …things I’m not sure they have a name but they are pretty powerful hurt like hell getting hit . would easily stun but likely kill a caged possum, get your self a foot or so of black 15 or 20mm Pvc pipe , we used to use fingers of the gloves you know the yellow dishwashing gloves , just cut a finger off at the base & slide a portion over the pipe and tape it onto it tight , we used stones but I’m sure some lead ball sinkers or bearings would be pretty lethal, I’m sure you could upgrade the glove to , point is you could place the pipe through the cage rite on the possums head & wack ….just an idea & pretty cheap

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

When I was kid we used to make these …things I’m not sure they have a name but they are pretty powerful hurt like hell getting hit . would easily stun but likely kill a caged possum, get your self a foot or so of black 15 or 20mm Pvc pipe , we used to use fingers of the gloves you know the yellow dishwashing gloves , just cut a finger off at the base & slide a portion over the pipe and tape it onto it tight , we used stones but I’m sure some lead ball sinkers or bearings would be pretty lethal, I’m sure you could upgrade the glove to , point is you could place the pipe through the cage rite on the possums head & wack ….just an idea & pretty cheap

That's probably the best idea yet I reckon.
Ive been pondering a little about it as I never needed to live trap possums ( usually just shot onsite).
A bit of a hassle to get him out and ded without getting bit yourself.
So a ball bearing from the Shanghai device to stun, then get him out and belt on head with stick for insurance.

Don't you lot have captive bolt guns?

Decent Air pistol should do it I'da thought

I ran into this problem with my cage traps, with the possum hanging on and refusing to come out. A good while ago now I had a .22 bullet ricochet off a rock in the soil under the trap, that was enough to convince me there had to be a better way.

So I took an angle grinder with a thin cutting disc and cut a narrow slot in the wire mesh so that a good sized diving knife can be slotted through the top of the cage. About 3mm of steel removed from three squares, just enough that the knife moves freely up and down, but doesn’t flop about. One slot 3 squares back from each end of the trip and one in the middle one row of squares back from the cage handle. The knife can now be pressed home freely and with force. It has a razor sharp point and blade, which is long enough to almost reach the bottom of the cage before the guard hits the top of the cage and stops the thrust.

I kneel next to the trap with the knife in position and wait for the animal to settle down and position itself with its neck under one of the slots. I will gently encourage it to move into position with a length of bamboo stake. A swift execution follows with a sharp downward thrust. Every possum, rat and cat caught in those cages since this mod have been dispatched very cleanly with a swift stab straight through the spine. This is not a particularly pleasant way to do things but it sure as hell works. Most possums come out of the trap with the head dangling from the rest of the body on a flap of skin.

On the odd occasion I have been known to open the trap and leave it on the lawn whilst sitting back a good distance with two Staffordshire Bull Terriers held by the collar. Possum or rat’s dash for freedom can be measured in fractions of seconds. Nuff said.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

I ran into this problem with my cage traps, with the possum hanging on and refusing to come out. A good while ago now I had a .22 bullet ricochet off a rock in the soil under the trap, that was enough to convince me there had to be a better way.

So I took an angle grinder with a thin cutting disc and cut a narrow slot in the wire mesh so that a good sized diving knife can be slotted through the top of the cage. About 3mm of steel removed from three squares, just enough that the knife moves freely up and down, but doesn’t flop about. One slot 3 squares back from each end of the trip and one in the middle one row of squares back from the cage handle. The knife can now be pressed home freely and with force. It has a razor sharp point and blade, which is long enough to almost reach the bottom of the cage before the guard hits the top of the cage and stops the thrust.

I kneel next to the trap with the knife in position and wait for the animal to settle down and position itself with its neck under one of the slots. I will gently encourage it to move into position with a length of bamboo stake. A swift execution follows with a sharp downward thrust. Every possum, rat and cat caught in those cages since this mod have been dispatched very cleanly with a swift stab straight through the spine. This is not a particularly pleasant way to do things but it sure as hell works. Most possums come out of the trap with the head dangling from the rest of the body on a flap of skin.

On the odd occasion I have been known to open the trap and leave it on the lawn whilst sitting back a good distance with two Staffordshire Bull Terriers held by the collar. Possum or rat’s dash for freedom can be measured in fractions of seconds. Nuff said.

Would a bayonet from a old russian rifle would work?....(SKS/Mosin)Probably only a similar shape to rebar though

There is only one easy way and that is an air rifle or .22. If you can't use that then use one of the many excellent kill traps on the market. Sentinel or trapinator traps are MUCH better kill traps than a timms. While there are some interesting solutions to killing a possum mentioned above, most of them will be hard to justify in a public situation.

As an aside, I can concur with Micky Duck on the how hard a possum can bite!