Possums

[Garf]

I have had trouble with Possums digging up my containers when trying to use leftover cat food for fertilizer. I just had one container dug up using only Tomato Tone. I got out the trap and immediately caught a small possum. After disposing of it, I reset the trap and 2 days later, I caught a large possum.

[kurt]

I go through it every year.Sounds like you got the mother.I take mine spray paint a orange stripe on it and make sure to take it across a water source (canal) caus they do have a good homing instinct.Found out if I did stripe it and not cross canal old stripey would show up in about two weeks.They constantly tear my mangos up during the season along with those rats with furry tails.Wife will not let me "dispatch"them.

[Garf]

This one got lucky. It got shipped out intact. It was released alive a few miles from my place. The first one was terminated, the second was shipped out intact. If it finds its way back, all bets are off.

[PaulF]

In most states it is illegal to translocate wild animals more than a quarter mile but not against the law to "dispatch" pests. Several tree rats are now deceased.

My dog dispatches them and then presents them to me at the front door. I sure wish he could climb trees and take care of the tree rats also.

[kurt]

We got lucky this year and some ospreys nested in the woods close to us.Wife told me the other day she saw a tree rat running down the top of fence and just disappear.She looked up and saw the osprey flying away in the distance with the tree rat in the clutches.Wonderful thing the "balance of nature".I am looking into "Falconry".Maybe a new hobby and pest control.

[Mischka]

If you must mark them with paint, please have the kindness to pick up a stick of marking paint designed for livestock - *not* orange enamel spray paint. While I realize they are scavenging gardens for food, It's cruel to use something that can slowly sicken and/or poison them.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/produce...k-of-3-1019792

[kurt]

http://www.rainbowtech.net/products/view.php?cn=3541 By law the only item our company uses.

I do relocate my tree rats but I don't mark them. I feel if they can manage to cross the body of water between my house and their relocation point, they are welcome to stay until they make the mistake of entering my trap again.

Ted

[rockhound]

I'm not sure it was stated strongly enough; It is illegal to transport wild animals. In Tennessee you get caught with one in your car, the wildlife people can take your car. Of course you get to keep the payments. Think about it harder before you move even a possum, it's not worth it.

[ScottinAtlanta]

In the Free State of Georgia, on this issue, our lawmakers are unusually wiser than our friends in Tennessee. Here, only wild or exotic animals considered dangerous are regulated. Possums are not considered dangerous, and you can drive them anywhere you want, even to Church's drive in window if you want to give it a good meal.

[kurt]

A landowner may lawfully live-trap nuisance opossums using sardines or cat food as effective bait. Live-captured nuisance opossums must be released or euthanized within 24 hours of capture or trap inspection. In addition, nuisance opossums may be transported and released at an off-site location that is within the county of capture and a minimum of 40 contiguous acres if the releaser has written permission from the owner of the release site; and the transportation of the wildlife does not violate any rabies alert or area quarantine issued by a county health department or county animal service. Relocating wildlife is seldom biologically sound, the animal often does not survive.
You can receive technical assistance for opossum problems by contacting the FWC regional office nearest you.

Additional Information:


Image Credit:

Garf this is our law in Florida.

[Redbaron]

or you can drive him out to the swamp to your FAVORITE GATOR HOLE AND COME HOME AND TELL THE MISSUS YOU SET HIM FREE.






PS This is not meant to be legal advise just in case some one tries to take me seriously. However illegal it may be, my guess is it breaks a dozen laws, that is certainly what us crackers used to do back in the day.

[Garf]

Originally Posted by kurt

A landowner may lawfully live-trap nuisance opossums using sardines or cat food as effective bait. Live-captured nuisance opossums must be released or euthanized within 24 hours of capture or trap inspection. In addition, nuisance opossums may be transported and released at an off-site location that is within the county of capture and a minimum of 40 contiguous acres if the releaser has written permission from the owner of the release site; and the transportation of the wildlife does not violate any rabies alert or area quarantine issued by a county health department or county animal service. Relocating wildlife is seldom biologically sound, the animal often does not survive.
You can receive technical assistance for opossum problems by contacting the FWC regional office nearest you.

Additional Information:


Image Credit:

Garf this is our law in Florida.

Sounds like they would rather have you kill the thing than relocate it. No problem, we have a large garbage can.

[kurt]

Beleive it or not some states have a bag limit during hunting seasons for opossums.