Killing a possum with a pellet gun?

[bob barker]

I live in The Woodlands (the city north of Houston). I have a possum that gets into my back yard and into my patio area, digging up my flower beds and also eating my Yucca plants. I only have "real guns" and recently bought a Co2 powered pistol to dispatch of the bastard. Will a .177 pellet at 500 fps kill it? I don't mind putting more than one pellet in it as it has an eight shot magazine. Anyone killed one with a pellet gun?

Also to add the shot would be at about 20ft, it hides in a corner that I can get a clean shot at.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, a pellet gun will kill one, eventually.

All you need to know is, their brain is about the size of the period on the end of this sentence.
And their central nervous system failed to develop like most other warm blooded mammals we are familiar with.

If you don't hit the tiny brain dead center?
The possum will get up and walk off about 15 minutes after you go back in the house.

A possum isn't really dead until you got him in the frying pan, so to speak!

That's where the old "Playing Possum" thing came from.

rc

 

[bob barker]

Yes, a pellet gun will kill one, eventually.

All you need to know is, their brain is about the size of the period on the end of this sentence.
And their central nervous system failed to develop like most other warm blooded mammals we are familiar with.

If you don't hit the tiny brain dead center?
The possum will get up and walk off about 15 minutes after you go back in the house.

A possum isn't really dead until you got him in the frying pan, so to speak!

That's where the old "Playing Possum" thing came from.

rc

Thanks for the reply, they are nasty looking creatures..

 

[NOLAEMT]

I agree, you probably need a high velocity air rifle, along the lines of 1,000 to 1,400 fps.

 

[Robert]

Heck just get you a good flat shovel and swing away. They ain't that scary. Cat food will lure them in like crazy. Then you just scoop him up and wash off the shovel. When I was groing up N of Houston, between Houston and Tomball, we had a huge one that lived in our garage and ate the cat food we put out for the cats. They are dumb, but man will they hiss and make all manner of noise. But the sharp crack of a shovel by my mom no less ended his days of hissing and raiding the cat food.

 

[MCgunner]

Yes, a pellet gun will kill one, eventually.

That's been my experience, finished him off with a shovel. In the city, what to do? Next time, I'm thinkin' compound bow. Damned things ate most of my watermelons last year and took off with all the low hanging oranges. I'm hatin' on possums.

 

[rcmodel]

I'm thinkin' compound bow.

Be sure to get the arrow before he wakes up and waddles off with it.

Next thing you know, you not only lost a $5 buck arrow.

But the cops and the irate crazy SPCA lady are banging on your door at 3:00 AM!

rc

 

[solvability]

I hate Possums - they take a lot of 22 hits and do not seem to notice for a good while - loathsome creatures.

 

[Liberty1776]

c'mon. trap him. feed him up a couple of weeks on sweet potatoes and other vegs - apples too. then eat him. don't eat him without the feeding process to clean him up some...

 

[NOLAEMT]

supressed .300 blackout ?



perhaps a little pricy, but those possums sure are a pain!

 

[MCgunner]

Be sure to get the arrow before he wakes up and waddles off with it.

Next thing you know, you not only lost a $5 buck arrow.

But the cops and the irate crazy SPCA lady are banging on your door at 3:00 AM!

rc

60 lb Hoyt. I figure it'll shoot through OR pin him to a tree or something.

 

[Flintknapper]

rcmodel wrote:

A possum isn't really dead until you got him in the frying pan, so to speak!

I don't even trust them then! Better to wait 30 minutes.

 

[JVaughn]

what about a steel trap followed by the shovel idea?

 

[memphisjim]

well if you are married and your wife loves the flower beds this is your opportunity to convince your wife you need a suppressor !!!!!!!

 

[W.E.G.]

I shot one on the porch once.

Last time I'll ever do that.

That's when I discovered that a possum has a ratio of blood to body mass in similar proportion to the Hollywood ratio of rounds-fired to actual-magazine-capacity.

That sucker left more blood than I would have thought any ten possums could have left.
Porch, stairs all the way down, and lower landing looked like a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

You kill one in occupied territory, and you'll need the Sopranos to clean up the crime scene you create.

 

[bob barker]

well if you are married and your wife loves the flower beds this is your opportunity to convince your wife you need a suppressor !!!!!!!

I am married, and it's a toss up if she likes the flowers better than me! I share a fence with a neighbor, so I am a little worried about shooting a firearm in the yard. Pellet guns are legal inside city limits.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I shot one in my pajamas once...never mind the Groucho jokes. I used to have a .22 cal Benjamin when I was a kid, killed many a critter with it, a possum will play "possum" when he does, whack him with whatever you got and finish him off...end of problem.

 

[jbkebert]

Where can I buy some of those $5 arrows. Mine seem to run around $25 each after putting on the broadhead.

Golf clubs and shovels or just a plain ole stick do a number on opossum.

 

[offroaddiver]

steel trap. trap and then either put it in a trash can and spray a can of starting fluid (ether) then finish off or fill trash can with water.

 

[leadaddict]

I've killed several with 400-500 fps bb's. I've had it take anywhere from 1 to 20. The only time it took one shot was a lucky neck shot. Must have seperated something in the spine because the dropped like a sack of flour off a countertop. Most of the time it was more than 10. Not a recommended method if other options are available. (but as an early teen it's all I had at the time). The faster the better for sure!

 

[JRH6856]

I shot one possum with 5 .38 spcls (158gr) and 1 .410 slug. Came back 5 minutes later and all that was left was a blood trail...

...never did find the possum.

I did kill one with an axe, though.

Shoot it once or twice with the pellet gun and it may fall over and "play possum". Then you can chop it up into little pieces. I'd separate the pieces though. Possums are the closest thing to zombies I know of.

 

[wyohome]

Shovel handle or baseball bat, toss into neighbors lot.

 

[towboat_er]

C4

 

[Derry 1946]

Pellet gun -- even pellet rifle -- not that effective. Trap 'em. My two cents.

 

[303tom]

Did you know that the Opossum is 8 X less apt to have rabies than any other critter in the woods..........