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What's the best, least obvious, way to kill a possum residing between two fences?

Peetz Pool Boy

Peetz Pool Boy

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Jun 11, 2014
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Background
My new Highland Park neighbor just finished fabricating a McMansion of epic proportions (he has zero back yard, but I digress) and apparently he didn't like that the slats on my fence didn't face his yard, so he instructs his landscapers to erect a new fence on his property a mere 2' away from my fence.

So a possum decides that an area 2' x 75' would be a great place to "call home". The little nocturnal SOB is now attempting to chew up my roof vents and is deficating all over my backyard.

Question
How do I best "exterminate" this POS (not my neighbor) without anyone knowing?
 
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6 months ago I would have suggested you call in "Possum McCabe", but he died back in June. RIP.
13_Possum_06-910x1300.jpg
 
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BudatPSU said:
Use a live trap and release it out in the country... Or your neighbor' yard, garage, or car.
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I've thought of the live trap, but I have no place to release it. If I caught it, could I stick possum and trap into a garbage can full of water and "other things" and drown it? Is that illegal?

I'm looking for a "less messy, lower effort, legal" method where the little SOB just kinda "goes away"
 
Peetz Pool Boy said:
I've thought of the live trap, but I have no place to release it. If I caught it, could I stick possum and trap into a garbage can full of water and "other things" and drown it? Is that illegal?

I'm looking for a "less messy, lower effort, legal" method where the little SOB just kinda "goes away"
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I would still live trap it. Possums stink, literally. If you live trap it you have to put the trap in something you can wash out later. A possum can stink up a car. Really bad. Trust me on this.
If you shoot it, you have to bury it. Same if you poison it, but then it might crawl into some inaccessible place and stink everything up until it decomposes.
You are probably going to need a live trap anyway for all the visitors you are going to get after this one is gone.
Or, you could call a pest control guy to trap it for you.
 
JoeLion said:
.22
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I thought of that, but that would cause me bigger problems. Firing a shotgun in these premises would cause the police to show up in minutes.

I need a "quiet, but effective" killer. As of now, I'm leaning towards psuro's "rat poison" idea. The thing can decompose on its own.
 
Peetz Pool Boy said:
I thought of that, but that would cause me bigger problems. Firing a shotgun in these premises would cause the police to show up in minutes.

I need a "quiet, but quick" killer.
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Conibear, look it up. Usually at Dicks, Cabelas. Quiet and deadly. Warning, it will kill any domestic animal if they unfortunately get caught
 
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Live trap and then .22 at close range.
I had some live traps for groundhogs eating my garden, got a skunk, was not pretty
 
Live trap and drowning. Know many people that use this method. Personally I've eradicated a lot of pests but I could never finish them by drowning...prefer the .22 at night when no one is outside.
 
Grab a high power air rifle and make sure you shoot it in the head. Opossums are surprisingly harsh to kill.

The problem is it is going to stink after a couple of days if you you kill it between the fences.

I would use a cable snare and run it over your fence so you could retrieve the carcass and hide it near the neighbors HVAC unit. good luck
 
Peetz Pool Boy said:
I've thought of the live trap, but I have no place to release it. If I caught it, could I stick possum and trap into a garbage can full of water and "other things" and drown it? Is that illegal?

I'm looking for a "less messy, lower effort, legal" method where the little SOB just kinda "goes away"
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Leave it In The trap in garage and it will be dead in a couple days
 
I have exterminator service. When an Armadillo decided to burrow under my foundation I called them. They setup a trap free of charge. To make a long story short the Armadillo was too smart to take the bait. It did trap three possums though. I only had to dial 811 to have the critters taken away. The Armadillo eventually left on its own. I guess he found my place inhospitable. Call pest control. Call 811 when trapped.Fill in the burrow. Thanks.
 
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Cosmos said:
I have exterminator service. When an Armadillo decided to burrow under my foundation I called them. They setup a trap free of charge. To make a long story short the Armadillo was too smart to take the bait. It did trap three possums though. I only had to dial 811 to have the critters taken away. The Armadillo eventually left on its own. I guess he found my place inhospitable. Call pest control. Call 811 when trapped.Fill in the burrow. Thanks.
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The exterminators wanted $400 just to come out and set a trap. While I can afford that, it seems expensive, especially since I now view this as a battle...between me and the possum..one of us is going to lose.....quietly.
 
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Drowning, poisoning and conibear on land are illegal

They are easy to catch in any trap, make sure you use a solid anchor.. Hit it on the head with a baseball bat, they have a hard head.
 
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hereforthebeer said:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tomcat-rat-and-mouse-place-pacs-22-piece-pail-3-oz-each

If that doesn't work, add a dollop of peanut butter to the place pack(s). If expiration occurs on your property, grasp by the tail and toss over fence or utilize a shovel to place more delicately upon neighbor's property. Problem(s) solved.
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I'm encouraged by your idea. There's a TSC out of east of town . I think I'll pay in cash, come back and toss some between the fences, encrusted with PB as an enticement.

Do carcasses attrack even worse critters? I need to think this through.
 
One word of caution on the rat poison, you will attract neighborhood cats and dogs. I recommend that you hire a professional who will live trap it.
 
Are you sure the opossum is what is getting on your roof and not a racoon? Opossums rarely do much damage on their own. Sure you dont have a raccoon on your roof?I hate raccoons as they will tear things up anywhere I have no problem getting rid of them any way you can .Opossums are slow and lazy and rarely destroy anything, live trap it and take it to the country and let it be on with its life . They are ugly but pretty harmless . Not saying I would stick my hand in its mouth but I have picked up young ones by the tail and herded them off my porch
 
cment said:
Grab a high power air rifle and make sure you shoot it in the head. Opossums are surprisingly harsh to kill.

The problem is it is going to stink after a couple of days if you you kill it between the fences.

I would use a cable snare and run it over your fence so you could retrieve the carcass and hide it near the neighbors HVAC unit. good luck
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You are one diabolical dude.
 
crayfish67 said:
Are you sure the opossum is what is getting on your roof and not a racoon? Opossums rarely do much damage on their own. Sure you dont have a raccoon on your roof?I hate raccoons as they will tear things up anywhere I have no problem getting rid of them any way you can .Opossums are slow and lazy and rarely destroy anything, live trap it and take it to the country and let it be on with its life . They are ugly but pretty harmless . Not saying I would stick my hand in its mouth but I have picked up young ones by the tail and herded them off my porch
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As I type this, I hear it scurrying back and forth between the fences, clearly upset that dog and I are outside. The only reason I think it's a possum is that I saw it the other morning on its way home after an "all nighter".

If it's a raccoon scurrying between the fences...well that's beyond my pay grade.:)
 
If you hear it scurrying its a Raccoon you may have both the opoosum is your smaller problem they rarely ever move fast and if it is between a fence it would curl up and play dead
 
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crayfish67 said:
If you hear it scurrying its a Raccoon you may have both the opoosum is your smaller problem they rarely ever move fast and if it is between a fence it would curl up and play dead
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raccoons love marshmallows use a jumbo one in a live trap. I always used a needle and thread and tied it to the bait pad A raccoon will pick it up to eat and set the trap off As far as disposal A raccoon will travel miles and come back I would take care of him A opossum wont travel much and no need to kill it
 
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Thankfully there are not downvotes on this site.

A "professional?" You city/suburban folk are cracking me up. I can just picture you paying $800 to eliminate an animal with an IQ of 20 and thinking you won. Tick control for the greater good of mankind? LOL.

What you have here is a problem requiring a redneck solution. You must abandon your Barron civility and embrace savagery. This intrusion shan't stand. This is war. You are rage.

If you apply the product that I recommended in an adequate quantity, whether it's a raccoon, possum, grizzly, T-rex, or whatever, it will die. What's more, that product makes them thirsty. They will be seeking out water when they die, which tends to make them wander. If it meanders off and you never see it again, that's a win. It died. Problem solved.

In the highly unlikely event that a neighbor's purebred puggle or yorkie ventures over and offs itself out of stupidity, that's not your fault; this is natural selection. Frankly, I'd make sure to keep an eye on things. If I found a pet corpse on my property, I'd either bag it and pitch it in the trash (after considering the relevant environmental factors and potential associated aroma) or deposit it gently aside the highway at 72.5 mph (giving it back to nature/dust to dust, whatever, the ditch mower will take care of it, I promise). Proceed to never discuss the matter again.

That is the passive solution. A more creative and climactic solution would involve a rifle, some bait, a spotlight, and some tannerite. You are really only limited by the limits of your own ethics. The important thing is that you accomplish your mission. Do not be deterred. Be a hero. Think of the children.

I kid, kind of.
 
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One more idea, throw some chlorine tablets between the fences, it may cause it to find a new home.
 
Peetz Pool Boy said:
Great idea, but I don't have room (2') for it. Very impressive.

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Yo Peetz, that 330 is extremely powerful and hard to handle. Put it in your vice and pry one setting arm open and remove it. With one arm removed you can set it vertical and it's much smaller. Trap is still powerful enough and much easier to set. Careful, it'll still break your fingers.
 
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Peetz Pool Boy said:
Background
My new Highland Park neighbor just finished fabricating a McMansion of epic proportions (he has zero back yard, but I digress) and apparently he didn't like that the slats on my fence didn't face his yard, so he instructs his landscapers to erect a new fence on his property a mere 2' away from my fence.

So a possum decides that an area 2' x 75' would be a great place to "call home". The little nocturnal SOB is now attempting to chew up my roof vents and is deficating all over my backyard.

Question
How do I best "exterminate" this POS (not my neighbor) without anyone knowing?
Click to expand...
Rat Poison
 
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