The .32 S&W Long as a possum stopper

[shooting on a shoestring]

Earlier today my elderly neighbor who is recovering from surgery banged on my door. He had a problem possum in his yard and he wasn't up to the challenge. He asked if I'd shoot it for him.

I grabbed my faithful Model 30 (6 shot J frame, round butt, 4 inch barrel, fixed sight 32 S&W Long) and headed for battle.

Behind his green house I found the problem possum headed away from me along a concrete footing of a brick wall. The shallow angle looked like a possible ricochet but it would be into a plowed quarter section, neighbor behind me, perfect! Pistol up, sights on front shoulder, press trigger, BAP! At the shot the front of the possum stopped and the back jumped over it! A couple kicks to the air, a wiggle and twist and it was done...except for the puddle. Goodnight it looked like I shot a water balloon filled with transmission fluid! I didn't know possums held that kind of volume!
I grabbed a Number 2 Ames Pony (shovel for you city folks) scooped up the leaking carcass and put it a foot under the plowed ground out about ten yards.

The boolit was RCBS 98 grain wadcutter cast 1 part WW to 3 parts pure, air cooled, Felix Lube driven by 3.6 grains of Longshot to right at 1000 fps. One shot stop.

[c1skout]

Way to go, nice when you can help a neighbor!

[9.3X62AL]

This is a story about the 32 S&W Long being placed in its element--and excelling.

[tejano]

You could say that zorro pelón is Long gone. :)

[w5pv]

Good story but your 32 will do that kind of job on bigger animals that I will not name,but rest assured that it will.

[contender1]

Now, that 32 is quite capable of handling a possum. Neat story.

But the professional in me has to ask. What damage was the possum causing? What kind of problem was it? I ask, because I'm a state certified Animal Damage Control agent, and possums are one of my easy critters. I can relocate them, and never have to kill them. They are not known as rabies carriers. (Except very remotely.)
Yes, they can cause damage in homes by tearing out insulation, or living in odd places. But a simple trapping & removal is usually the best.

I'm NOT criticizing, just curious!

[lbaize3]

It is a good thing you are such a good shot. You know if you just wound them rascals they'll charge! Then you'll wish ya had a double barrel recoilless rifle!

[shooting on a shoestring]

Contender1, thanks for not criticizing. So to answer your curiosity, the problem with possums for my neighbor is really three fold.

First they eat and mess up his rather extensive gardens. He has two gardens. One is veggies the other is flowers. I'm talking magazine cover quality.

The second is one turns into several.

The third is they nest in his hose reel covers and in his out buildings. His eyesight is almost as bad as the possums and that makes for unexpected encounters for both parties. Most of the time they either retreat or play possum. Step on one and they can chew up an old man pretty bad. And then there's the related spook factor. An unexpected encounter can make a teenager jump and look silly. It can make an eighty year old fall over.

Out here in central Texas I'm not aware of any wildlife relocators. There might be some in Austin but not out here in the country. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if there are wildlife relocators taking critters out of Austin and depositing them in our county.

Possums might be worth relocating in your neck of the woods. Out here we just remove them.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Ibaize3, YES!
They can hiss like a cat and move faster than a screen door in the wind! Those little jaws open big as alligators and they have teeth like sewing machine needles! They can be mean all out of proportion to their size and typical demeanor.

[bouncer50]

Went i was in the south years back people cook and eat them. Me no thanks looks like a big rat to me. But i do like eating groundhog. Most people used 22lr to shoot them. Yes a 32 head shot will do it to.

[contender1]

Thanks for the reply.
I used to be stationed at Ft. Hood, and used to bum around all over that area.
Now, just for a little education for future reference.
Actually, in almost every larger city, there are animal damage control agents in some form or another. They charge $$ for their services, and when you have city folks & critters, the city folks don't know what to do.
Possums are scavengers for the most part, but they do eat veggies & their feces can carry stuff dangerous to horses.
They do multiply, but if removed, the offspring will be raised elsewhere.
The wild critter sudden encounter. I hear about those a lot. But, if you live in the country, you should expect such things. Yes, it can cause issues, but I always caution everyone to use caution all the time, especially around their homes. I won't go into detail about the 4 copperheads I caught in a SMALL (2'x6') raised (3' off the ground) garden bed.
I just hope folks can do as I was taught to do.
You don't have to kill every wild animal you encounter. Often, simple things can fix a problem.

Trust me when I say I understand fully the desire to permanently remove the critter!!!!!!!!

[DuckHunterJon]

Great story. I'm always amazed at what wadcutters do to small game.

[plesant3]

And, they stink! And steal eggs from my wife's banty chickens... good to get rid of them. But as others have implied, they're just being possums, and have the right to do their thing - just NOT in my barn! They're super-easy to catch (read, "stupid") in a live trap, and I just take them a few miles down the road into open farm country, across a major river, and turn 'em loose. Probably have relocated over a dozen that way in the past couple years. But maybe I should be putting ear tags on them before letting them go - to be sure the same one isn't just coming back. (Can possums swim?)

[contender1]

plesant3, yes, they are easy to catch. In barns with horses, a definite issue. (Health related to feces & horses.) Egg eaters, absolutely.

But, may I caution you as well as offer advice to everyone about relocating ANY wild animal?

The federal government as well as most states have severe restrictions on anybody putting wildlife on land they control or own. Getting caught doing so could easily get expensive & cause legal troubles. Even if the animal is native to the area, and there may not be any disease concerns, the laws are there.
Next is private property.
If you "just take them a few miles down the road into open farm country, across a major river, and turn 'em loose" you are likely trespassing. Many people may not care, but many DO care. In NC, any legally allowable relocation must be done with written permission. In today's environment, where just about everybody has a cell phone with a camera, it's much easier to get "caught" doing something you may not want shown on the local news.
I could relate a lot of funny, serious, and even dangerous stories about critters & well meaning people. But just look around at how often we see the news & "A passerby caught the xxxxxxxxxx on their cell phone." We've seen police shootings, people being attacked, thefts, & just about anything.
Any dealings with animals is a sensitive subject for a LOT of people. And the TV news folks just love a dramatic story about animals. ESPECIALLY if it will further their liberal agenda.

My points are;
Obey the law.
Get permission.
Act as if being videoed & it'll be broadcast on the 6 pm news.

I offer this info to help folks as I see way too much stuff in my work.

[Mk42gunner]

Excellent points there contender1.

To expand just a little on your obey the law: in some states, an opossum is classified as a furbearer, not a varmint. Get caught taking one out of season and it can become a court date real quick.

Raccoons are another furbearer that I see mentioned a lot that people seem to think need be killed at any opportunity.

Its kind of insulting to possums that they are one of the lowest priced hides, but they make some of the most beautiful (and expensive) fur coats.

Robert

[35remington]

If there are difficulties in "relocating" a problem animal due to trespass and "don't dump that vermin in my neighborhood" sentiments......seems like a good argument for making a pest critter a dead critter.

After pointing out the difficulties of relocation, the lethal option seems the better course of action. Yeah....maybe it's best to kill them after all. A possum? They'll make more, don't you worry.

[big bore 99]

I believe in the balance of nature, but don't care much for those weasly lookin big rats. I've caught them in my chicken coop sucking eggs. They like to hiss at you and I just get them between the eyes with a .22.

[Mgderf]

This post is interesting to me in a couple of respects.
My brother and sister-in-law live in the country and have horses. I was not aware of the problems opossum could cause equines.

I also just started loading .32S&W Longs about a week ago!
More for cheap plinking fun, and the novelty. I have a J-frame Taurus .327Fed/mag that I wanted to load for as well as an 1895 Nagant pistol.
I guess I have a thing for the .32 family.
I own 5 different .32acp pistols (Ortgies, Savage 1907, Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless, Kel-Tec, and a Bersa Thunder), along with the Taurus and Nagant.

[Ilwil]

We have them here, although they are not a native species. Supposedly, they migrated west, facilitated by the Interstate system. They wipe out a lot of bird life, and I think they are nasty. So, as interlopers, I shoot them if the situation allows it.

[Green Frog]

I believe in the balance of nature, but don't care much for those weasly lookin big rats. I've caught them in my chicken coop sucking eggs. They like to hiss at you and I just get them between the eyes with a .22.

+1 to the "weasly lookin big rats." I teach in my ecology class that they are the animal too dumb to become extinct, but I'll do my best to aid them in the process! :Fire:

froggie

[A pause for the COZ]

I have a few 32's in various configurations.
I use them 100% for target shooting. Any other collateral damage that may occur falls into the three S's.
Unless they fall into the Shoot, Clean and cook category.

[big bore 99]

Those possums commit mass suicide along the roads around here. Too dumb to cross the road.

[birddog]

Now, that 32 is quite capable of handling a possum. Neat story.

But the professional in me has to ask. What damage was the possum causing? What kind of problem was it? I ask, because I'm a state certified Animal Damage Control agent, and possums are one of my easy critters. I can relocate them, and never have to kill them. They are not known as rabies carriers. (Except very remotely.)
Yes, they can cause damage in homes by tearing out insulation, or living in odd places. But a simple trapping & removal is usually the best.

I'm NOT criticizing, just curious!
Hey Contender,
Ever here of EPM, well when your dog or worse your horse gets it, it sucks. Every possum on my place gets the working end of the pitch fork!
Charlie

[contender1]

birddog,,, yes, I am well aware of EPM. Look a bit further into my other posts. I have several horse owners who call me on occasion. I do remove them, but I have a place to relocate them to where they aren't close to horses or people.
In NC, our Wildlife Commission requires me to use all methods of non-lethal resolutions first.
My posts are TRYING to be informative, NOT critical.

[Edward]

Sounds like a target to me , another chicken killing garden thief bites the dust !

[shooting on a shoestring]

Contender1 you are the Op Ed. Your posts have been informative. I had no idea there were/are professional relocators for possums. I also appreciate you pointing out DYI relocations can end badly. Of course the same can be said for shooting pests. I also get your point that not all critters need to be shot on sight. Your tone has been gentlemanly.

Have you convinced me to reach for the phone next time my neighbor bangs on my door? No. I'll still grab my little 32 SWL. But I am a bit more educated now...and I'm convinced the small caliber is effective...and folks reading this can make up their own mind which option they like best.

[contender1]

Thanks for the kind words shoestring. It seems my thoughts did get across properly.

I was taught by my father that nothing beats a good education. I try & share my knowledge as much as I can. Plus, if I succeed, it may keep somebody out of trouble occasionally. (Heck, just this past week I kept a new fisherman from getting a ticket. He didn't know a trout stream was "closed waters due to Hatchery stocking" until the 1st Sat. in April. I showed him the State posted sign,,,,,,,,! He did say he was surprised nobody else was fishing.)

I digress.

My business is dealing with wildlife. I enjoy hunting. I own pets. Killing is part of my job, but it is NOT what my job is about. When I have a true problem critter, or one the state says can not be relocated, it gets killed. I do so humanely and according to the laws. Do I enjoy it? Heck NO!
But the best thing is when I can educate people & figure out ways they can coexist with wildlife without automatically killing them.