Live Traps

[richhodg66]

A couple of months ago, a big, friendly Tom cat showed up and adopted us, I'm sure he was dumped by someone, we live out in the sticks and he is way too well sosialized to have been feral. Anyway, I made him a well insulated plywood box to stay warm and safe from predators on the front deck.

A possum showed up once or twice to eat the cat food, I kicked him off the porch a while back, but it hasn't been a problem until a few days ago it showed up a couple of nights when I wasn't home and the wife got worried when it did.

Went to the farm store today and bought a live trap. The cat is locked up so he won't get caught, and I set it up on the poch with his bowl of cat food behind the trigger pedal and sprinkled a little on the floor to kind of lure him in. I have no experience with traps, are possums smart enough to figure out something is different? I've only ever shot a few of them, and they've always seemed real easy to walk up on, so I assume they aren't real bright. It's getting dark now, so I guess we'll know in the next several hours if my plan is good or not.

Sure hope I don't go out there and find a skunk in it. I haven't seen any on this place since we bought it, but there are almost certainly some around.

[crowbuster]

Sounds like you did fine. I like to box the trap in so they cant set it off from the sides digging at it. But thats mostly coons. Possum wont care.

[country gent]

Should work for possum, coons, cats and maybbe even squirels. A couple things to keep in mind it the rod latches get raised the door is free to raise. a wood dowel 3/8-1/2" slide thru the wire mesh just above the door makes a quick back up lock if the trap needs to be moved or handled. If by chance you do catch a skunk gently throw a old blanket over the whole trap covering it, dosnt stop the skunk from spraying but does contain it inside the blanket. We added 3/4- 1 lb lead strips along edge of traps door to speed things up and get a surer closing also.

[bedbugbilly]

I usually have three live traps set out during the summer . . mainly to try and get woodchucks . . notice I said TRY. LOL I end up getting coons and possums quite often. I have always thought possums to be kind of stupid as well but they can be a little crafty at times.

When I have wanted to live trap coons, I found that a can of stinky tuna fish set beyond the foot trigger worked pretty well . . . until they figured how to get it without tripping the trap. I'd find the can outside of the trap in the morning and the trap still set! Go figure . . . so then I took to tying the can to the end of the trap behind the foot trigger and that worked pretty good.

When I've caught possums . . . I know they are after whatever I've bated the trap with but I still think they are kind of dumb animals. They certainly aren't as smart as the woodchucks I have. I used to set the live trap with a fresh jelly roll from the bakery and had good luck with those for the woodchucks. Then their taste must have changed as I haven't caught one in two years!

I've caught rabbits as well . . . fortunately no skunks but I can't imagine why as we have a bunch of them. This last summer, I had a live trap set back by a woodchuck hole at the base of a brush pile by a swamp. I was surprised one morning to find a large snapping turtle in the trap. Clothed in a coat and leather gloves . . . it took me the better part of twenty minutes to get the snapper out of the trap. I carefully raised the door but the darn turtle didn't want to let go of the trap with his long claws.

Now . . . shame faced . . I have to admit that when I do live trap a critter . . . I can no longer shoot it. i just don't have the heart to do that . . . I've seen enough blood shed in my life to last me until I'm in the here after . . . so when I do catch something . . . I place them in the "witness relocation program". I take them to a nice nature place on private land about five miles away where I let them loose to live a nice life in an area where they won[t do damage to fields or buildings . . I hope.

It may take you some time to get that pesky possum but if it has come for the cat food before, it will do it again and I'd stick with that for bait. The nice thing about a live trap is that if you do get the cat in it or a rabbit, etc. - you can just let them go. For coons, I've also used melon rinds but I've had to tie them in as well. A human handling the trap doesn't seem to make any difference to coons, woodchucks, possums, etc. because they are so used to human odor around buildings, etc. that they haunt that they are used to it. But boy, can all of those critters make a big mess with a lot of damage if allowed to take up residence in an outbuild or barn. I've seen field stone walls on old barns dismantled by woodchucks . . . and I'm talking some pretty big field stones. I don't know how they manage it but they sure do.

Glad to adopted the cat and gave it a good home. We have some dropped off every so often like that . . a shame as we can't keep the but we do try and find good homes for them. Good luck!

[richhodg66]

I've given some thought to what I'll do when I catch him. Strangely, the wife said I should just shoot it, but it seems the older I get, the less inclined I am to kill anything without a real good reason (eating something is a good reason). I kind of have a hard time shooting something for doing what comes natural to it, I may just throw the trap in the truck and drive it out further and release it unless I do decide to try eating a possum again.

I've grown fond of that cat real fast, our other ones are exclusively indoors, so it's nice to have a guy who follows around while I'm doing stuff outside and in the barn, almost like a dog. Something scratched him up a little a week or so back, drew a little blood on his noce and both ears, might have been this possum. He's had his shots, but I want to take care of this before something worse may happen.

[country gent]

Dont know why but Dad has good result with coons possums and woodchuck baiting the traps with peanut butter. Ive also heard marshmellows work well

[wills]

Consider taking the cat food in the house at night. The possum may loose interest without the bait.

[rockrat]

I wired one end of my Havahart trap shut and put wire mesh on the sides, to the midway point. Critters can't reach in to grab the food, they have to go in the one open end. I try and keep the sides kind of blocked so the critter has to go in the open end and can't reach in and accidentally trip the trap

[Blackwater]

Just do like a buddy does. He lives in a locale where the possums habitually take up under one of his outside buildings, and eat the food they leave out for their cats. He just waits 'till he hears the metal pan rattling around (possums are noisy eaters), and walks out, cracks the door, and dispatches them with his .22 pistol. The last one he shot, he got on the wing as it jumped off the porch. Good, challenging way to get rid of them, and very sporting if you let them take that leap off the porch. FWIW?

[762 shooter]

Lock the trap open and feed them for a few days with food on the trigger. Set the trap after 3 days and you will catch whatever has been coming to the buffet. Works every time.

762

[GabbyM]

I really enjoy setting the trap in back of truck. Then go for a drive to a persons home that I don't like much. Like ones that stiffed me on bills for service. They can always use more opossums in there gardens.

As wills wrote. You need to take the food in at night. Otherwise something will always be coming in on it. Your cat may end up getting killed over it.

[Down South]

I made myself a rule a number of years back. I don't kill anything that I don't plan to eat unless it has become a problem. The last two possums that I caught in my live trap, I let go. Just haul em down to a nice wooded area away from civilization and let em go their merry way.

[phonejack]

I live in the 'burbs. Coons I trap get taken to the country. They are docile. Possums on the other hand will bloody themselves up (stink too) trying to get out. Those I baptize in a barrel for about 20 min. Then dispose

[Half Dog]

Turtle man pops into my head.

[lightman]

My wife feeds the birds, so pretty often I'll have a pesky coon or possum show up. I've found cheap sardines work well. The cats or coons that I catch go nuts until they are exhausted. The possum just eats his fill and goes to sleep. I usually relocate these guys.

[Wolfer]

This summer something kept getting the eggs in the barn. My chickens are free range as I don't have a coop and they tend to hide eggs.
Any way I started setting a homemade box trap. Caught 9 coons and 9 possums. My daughter is a real softy so she will relocate them for me.
Mostly I bait with dog food. Marshmallows are great as is a slice of bread with jelly on it. I used strawberry and grape.

My store bought trap was the kind that has to close all the way in order to latch. If a critters tail is in the door when it shuts they can just back out and push the door open.

[Plate plinker]

Do your neighbors a favor and off the varmints.

[Alstep]

WARNING! A few years ago a neighbor caught a coon in a trap. Went to pick it up the trap and stuck his fingers through the mesh and got bitten. The coon got away on him, and as a precaution, he had to get rabies shots. Be careful!

[CLAYPOOL]

SKUNKS AND POSSIE'S are bad disease carriers. Don't handle them. Use caution. We've trapped 75 skunks since 07. Shoot all in trap. Dump out at sewage lagoon. Use shovel to insert into center of lagoon. Snapping turtles will dispose of them. No stink because of bacteria in lagoon. Gone in 3 days or so. No health issues for neighbors. Be safe , Possies are a tremendous disease's packer.

[country gent]

If you check game laws in most areas relocating wild animals is not legal for a private citezan to do. When relocating an animal you may be releasing a sick animal into a new area spreading the disease much fasster than naturally occurs. We trapped and released chipmunks for awhile taking them to a park 4-5 miles away we would release them and I think they beat us back home. Releasing wild animals sounds good and keeps alot of activists at bay, but could do more harm than good. Always remeber the 3 Ss shoot shovel shut up

[7br]

One of the things I do is to put a large, black plastic garbage bag over the trap. Helps when you get a skunk.

[MaryB]

Skunks get shot, I wear gloves and double garbage bag them and into the can to be picked up. Got 7 last summer because we had a bumper crop of them. Several probably had rabies the way they acted when I saw them in daylight. One charged me and I didn't think, I grabbed the PK380 from my pocket and shot it... with a hollow point... yeah never do that again!

[Greg S]

Mary B, hindsight is 15/15 (crystal clear).

My sister had a problem with a brewd of coons. Mama attacked and tore up a very friendly and overcurious great dane. Not the sight you want to see, 180lbs male pussey screaming and running away. Anyhow, she was trapping an awful lot of coons and releasing them in the park up the street to learn that they would just return home. As Country Gent said, SSS.

[richhodg66]

Nothing in the trap this morning. The past couple f nights have gotten way down in the low single digits, pretty cold for here even in January, hence teh reason the outside cat is locked up til it warms up a bit again. I wonder if that possum is just holed up and trying to stay warm too?

[Boaz]

Yep .

[skeettx]

Good luck and it you REALLY want to catch it use Tuna Fish
Mike

[Chihuahua Floyd]

A wildlife biologist I know will only release an animal he live traps if he can release it within a few feet of where it was trapped. the potential for disease and other bad things is to high to release away fro where an animal is caught.
I grew up in the country on the longest dirt road in the county. It was bad enough having to put down a few feral dogs and cats every year. Don't need extra possums and coons.
I live in town, I catch a possum it gets shot and dumped in the National Park for the yotes and hogs to fight over.

[quilbilly]

I've given some thought to what I'll do when I catch him. Strangely, the wife said I should just shoot it, but it seems the older I get, the less inclined I am to kill anything without a real good reason (eating something is a good reason). I kind of have a hard time shooting something for doing what comes natural to it, I may just throw the trap in the truck and drive it out further and release it unless I do decide to try eating a possum again.


I've grown fond of that cat real fast, our other ones are exclusively indoors, so it's nice to have a guy who follows around while I'm doing stuff outside and in the barn, almost like a dog. Something scratched him up a little a week or so back, drew a little blood on his noce and both ears, might have been this possum. He's had his shots, but I want to take care of this before something worse may happen.
I know what you mean. Anymore I hate to kill things I don't intend to eat but I do make an exception for coyotes.

[higgins]

Last year we had something eating our cats' food in our semi-rural barn. I asked around about what I could bait a live trap with that our cats wouldn't be attracted to, and a raw egg was suggested. That was news to me. The first egg caught our not-too-bright cat who got curious and caught himself. After he learned his lesson (the other cat never went into the trap), I reset the trap with another egg for bait and caught the 'possum within a couple of hours.

[richhodg66]

This cat seems to be pretty smart, he does his prowling during the day and hangs close to the outside lights during the dark hours most of the time. I think he understands how dangerous coyotes are (haven't seen any on the property, but I hear them and know they are close). This is the main reason cat food is out after dark. It might be worth a try to get something and try to bait it with that doesn't attract a cat.

This cat was pretty thin when he showed up, but has muscled up nicely since then. He's a big, strong cat who is still intact and has claws, I'd think he could fight off a possum, but he's such a big baby I don't think he has a shred of aggression or fight in him, he loves everybody and everything he meets so far. I'll keep trying to catch this one. May start keeping a .22 by the front door too.

[chutesnreloads]

Think the only thing a possum fights is MAYBE another possum over a female.They're NOT aggressive even though they will occasionally act so until their bluff is called.They're about as dumb as animals come.If your catching multiple possums check and see if you're not catching the same one or two over and over.If you just release them you're likely to catch the same one every night until you get rid of it.I've caught possums in a trap with no bait in it but had possum poop from the night before.They also tend to wander and if left alone after a while will move on someplace else.Don't leave anything out to attract them and the problem likely will solve itself.

[Down South]

If your catching multiple possums check and see if you're not catching the same one or two over and over.If you just release them you're likely to catch the same one every night until you get rid of it.
LOL, Paint their tail Florescent Orange, hehe...

[Plate plinker]

If you keep horses possum piss can kill a horse.

They carry a bacteria. Friend lost a horse that way.

[bear67]

My wife has taught and now is director at an outdoor education center where 1800 fifth grade students each year spend 3 days and two nights learning science, history and time in the outdoors. They use live traps and peanut butter on bread to trap coons as a regular activity. They release the coons and it becomes a habit for some of these guys to get trapped, eat and get out in the early am to sleep.

Only one night a few years back, they went to check a trap and it contained both a racoon and an upset skunk. She said that was one really be--draggled skunk. I don't remember how they got them out, but when we live trap skunks as we did in the hay barn last week, we throw a sheet over the trap and drop in a farm pond or the lake with a rope on the trap. After an appropriate wait, open trap and use carcass to feed fish.

[ksfowler166]

You do realize what you are doing is illegal, I am assuming you do not have a 2016 furharvesters license or that you are in a city which would require you to have a ADC permit. I know a guy who got a visit from his states game wardens for shooting squirrels in his back yard with a license and mentioning it in a youtube video of his. Might want to rethink writing posts that incriminate you.

On the more helpful side possums are stupid I have had one walk close even in front of mean while I was coyote hunting that I probably could have hit it with my shotgun. It never gave any indication I was there. Also most trappers have the problem of catching possums even when they don't want to.

[richhodg66]

I do have a fur havesters permit, every new year's eve I go buy a hunt/fish combo and the fur harveters just so I have all bases covered.

Haven't had a visit from Mr. Possum for a while now. The weather has ben pretty bad, I wonder if that has something to do with it.

[Fishman]

Our outside cat was one who showed up and adopted us. He stayed for 11 years and did all the cool stuff you talk about and more. He got old eventually and died in his sleep on our porch. Since then I have realized how much work he actually did! Cleaning the garage last week and mouse poop everywhere! The only mice I ever saw before this were getting eaten by the cat!

BTW, my daughter named him Mrs. Norris after the cat in Harry Potter. Then she found out the cat was a he. So his name was changed to Chuck Norris, Norris for short. As a practical thing I tolerate cats because my wife likes the one in the house. But I'm not ashamed to admit I miss that old cat. Sweeping mouse poo is no fun! Lol.

[gwpercle]

Possum's would ride the short bus to school. Not hard to catch, be careful where you put your fingers, they got teeth. My favorite method of disposal is to have a friend who's wife knows how to properly preare and bake them with sweet tater's. Or take them for a long ride and let them go.
Somebody posted something about fur....I don't want to even think about how nappy a possum skin coat would look. Look honey I bought you a new Possum Fur coat for Christmas.....Oh Yeah ! that's going to be a great gift.

One thing I can say about them and cats is our 3 cats don't mess with them , the possums walk all around, where ever they want and the cats just look at them, the cats don't attack them or fight with them.
Gary

[Jeffrey]

My first dealing with a possum: A friend put a leghold trap off a trail at our hunting lease. Walking back from deer stand, I see a live possum by the trap (not in it) with a bleeding ear. Possum looks at me, walks off. Back at camp I mention live possum. Friend says "What do you mean "walked off". Me: Yeah, he had a bleeding ear, but it walked off. Friend: His ear was bleeding because I shot it in the head. Me: Must have missed its brain. True story. Recently I repaired some wiring on the electric fence around my chickens' coop. Following morning I found stunned possum standing by fence, nose still touching wire. Figuring its brain was pretty well fried, I finished the job with a .22. IMHO, possums not too smart.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I don't know about possums, but rats, which are probably a lot brighter, don't avoid traps because they know a trap. They avoid it because it is something new. So unless you can devise one that looks familiar (e.g. a box where you keep boxes), keep trying and he will probably lose his caution.

This is the mouse that ate through my stock of UHT milk cartons for all of a long, hot summer break in Saudi Arabia, and on top of a lot of paperwork in my desk, at that. I caught him in a live trap, but I didn't tell my merry little bunch of Bedouin that, and I heard them saying "W'allah, very fast for an old man!"



I paroled him in a rubbish dumpster a long way off, near the post office. There is food in the rubbish anywhere Saudis get together, but less cats than you would get outside a restaurant. I certainly didn't want him dead, for I had won, and once is enough. Of course he might have got crushed in the landfill, but when you are a varmint, you must take your chance.

[Edward]

Coon /skunk and possum all layup in cold (20"s ) that"s why coon dogs stay in and watch TV.

[MaryB]

In my house Tigger would have caught him. Played with him for an hour, then sat down next to me and started crunching head first. He leaves the tail for me to dispose of...


I don't know about possums, but rats, which are probably a lot brighter, don't avoid traps because they know a trap. They avoid it because it is something new. So unless you can devise one that looks familiar (e.g. a box where you keep boxes), keep trying and he will probably lose his caution.

This is the mouse that ate through my stock of UHT milk cartons for all of a long, hot summer break in Saudi Arabia, and on top of a lot of paperwork in my desk, at that. I caught him in a live trap, but I didn't tell my merry little bunch of Bedouin that, and I heard them saying "W'allah, very fast for an old man!"



I paroled him in a rubbish dumpster a long way off, near the post office. There is food in the rubbish anywhere Saudis get together, but less cats than you would get outside a restaurant. I certainly didn't want him dead, for I had won, and once is enough. Of course he might have got crushed in the landfill, but when you are a varmint, you must take your chance.

[wills]

Think the only thing a possum fights is MAYBE another possum over a female.They're NOT aggressive even though they will occasionally act so until their bluff is called.They're about as dumb as animals come.If your catching multiple possums check and see if you're not catching the same one or two over and over.If you just release them you're likely to catch the same one every night until you get rid of it.I've caught possums in a trap with no bait in it but had possum poop from the night before.They also tend to wander and if left alone after a while will move on someplace else.Don't leave anything out to attract them and the problem likely will solve itself.

I walked up to one eating out of the poultry feeder and whacked it with a stick, trying to make it go away. They do not seem very alert.

[Down South]

Possums = good target practice.

[trapper9260]

possum will eat anything that coon will and they are easy to trap and it is best to do them in before they cause more problems with wild game birds and like stated with horse. They just as bad on game birds as coon, skunks and others.I get them in my traps for other animals, that is set for and there is a market on there fur.it is mainly use for the trim trade.As for eating they are fatty.Some part of the country call them poor mans pork.If you are careful you can pick them up by the tail and just make sure the head dose not get you.Like stated if the temps are really low they will hold up till it warm up some.Also in some states you can trap on your own land with out a lic. as long they are in season, but do what you do on your own place and that is all.Also if some animals dose become a problem and doing damage just get your CO to see if they can give you a permit to take care of the problem yourself.Some state will let you do it that way if it is out of season.

[pressonregardless]

I use a live trap to catch mink getting after my chickens. Use a can of sardines, but just barely open the tin. Place the open
end of the trap 1 to 1 1/2" from the side wall of the coop to keep the cats out. This method works for me, caught 2
in January, word must have spread haven't seen another since then.

[Bad Water Bill]

A friend from a far distant state told me his results using a poison and A BIG SHOVEL.

He had a coon in his attic so mixed up some poison,waited till after dark and set the poison out.

Got up before dawn to remove the poison before cats,dogs or tree rats could get at the stuff.

Yes there was a big coon laying there and much to his surprise so were THREE possums.

He never saw or had heard of any his area.

Now the next question is will a coon share its hidee hole with possums?

[10-x]

Have a have a heart, coons are so smart that 2 go into the trap, one holds up the door with its back as the other chows down, then first on backs out, then the other also. Started putting a con a bear trap between door and trigger, they have figured that out too.
As for opossums and anything but coon, our new Grey kills anything that comes in His backyard, including possums, I always check what's out there before turning him out, no fight with coon. He even killed a real " Rusty" ( rabbit) one night, took him 3 passes across the yard before he caught and killed it. Wife asked me the next morning what that " horrible noise was last night", told her ," Your son caught Rusty", got mad at me for not stopping him. Yea, one can stop a 75 pound Grey at 40 mph.......

[Virginian]

Dont know why but Dad has good result with coons possums and woodchuck baiting the traps with peanut butter. Ive also heard marshmellows work well
I've had great luck with peanut butter as well.