# Possum Thief!



## NZKiwi (Nov 11, 2014)

A while back I went on a course with the reserves and we were just going through our drill for a couple of nights just firing blanks at each other. So the armory tent is in the middle of patch where we slept. And during the night we heard the armorer screaming his ass off and we discovered that someone or thing has went through the equipment during the night since everything was knocked over and such. Nothing was taken (especially the styers) but one magazine was missing... Worried us a bit since 30 round mags are very hard for civilians to own here in NZ. So we went on a tiny search. Later we discovered a possum with the mag stuck in its jaw. It eventually fell out after we chase it for hours. Possums get cheek during the night :shock:


----------



## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

A Dingo stole your Possum?


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

I love possums, we have them living all over the place








Mum and bub on the cab roof of my truck, how cute is that?

Sometimes when I'm standing outside at night and I feel two cold "hands" on the back of my leg, I look down and see a possum staring back at me, looking for a feed.


----------



## Mule13 (Dec 30, 2012)

that isnt what we call a possum here 
about 2 weeks ago i came home and my dogs ran out to the chciken coop and were going crazy.
i open the door and there stood an opossum, i shot him with a 22 LR the chickens didnt even jump or anything when i fired the shot


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

The biggest problem I have ever had with possums is getting them out of my trap line. After a week or two I would accomplish that.


----------



## NZKiwi (Nov 11, 2014)

Moonshinedave said:


> A Dingo stole your Possum?


But what stole the dingo?


----------



## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

The only thing I miss about new Zealand... We can shoot those mofos!!


----------



## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

I have one name for possums- Target.


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

We obviously have vastly different experiences with them, our don't do any harm and only make the occasional racket on the roof


----------



## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

Maybe they're a lot better behaved down under. Ours will steal every bit of pet food left out. Only enjoyment is that they are a lot easier to deal with than raccoons. One of them played dead on our back deck, then had the nerve to hiss at my granddaughter when she tried to push it off with her foot.


----------



## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

graynomad said:


> I love possums, we have them living all over the place
> 
> View attachment 8270
> 
> ...


I love possums and that's a very cute pic :lol:


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

I think they are the same here, it's just that in our case we have nothing we mind them stealing


----------



## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

I have no grievance against possums, or most any other creature for that matter. Wife sets out food for them in the winter. Just another one of God's creatures, just trying to live out their life like the rest of us.
I've gotten very soft hearted in my old age. (some people claim headed too)

North American Opossum
View attachment 8272


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

Here's one for you then TorontoGaL


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

Nice pic Moonshinedave, yep different critters to ours eh?


----------



## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

graynomad said:


> Here's one for you then TorontoGaL
> 
> View attachment 8271


Thank you!  Yes, yours look different than ours but still ridiculously cute. They never do any harm here and once, we found a mom with 2 babies on our porch, she was passed out with babies still nursing. This little family was welcomed into our back shed for a couple of months with lots of food and water, they were very clean and left the shed in good condition.


----------



## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

Biggest issue I have with them, is that they decimate the pheasant population. They destroy all the nests. And they are a major carrier of Rabies in this area.

AJ


----------



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

The cute tree possums of the South Pacific are a lot different from the nasty ones in the US.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/...oofzrLxAX9HW9Ksbc_bi9H-TFAo3paJ2_LjGlHaJoBI9-

Horse owners hate them. They transmit EPM (equine protozoal myeloencephalitis) through feed that is contaminated by opossum feces. And then there is rabies.


----------



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

They aren't very cute when they get trapped in a garbage can. Think loony toons: Tasmanian Devil.


----------



## NZKiwi (Nov 11, 2014)

thepeartree said:


> Maybe they're a lot better behaved down under. Ours will steal every bit of pet food left out. Only enjoyment is that they are a lot easier to deal with than raccoons. One of them played dead on our back deck, then had the nerve to hiss at my granddaughter when she tried to push it off with her foot.


Woah... :shock:


----------



## Rob Roy (Nov 6, 2013)

graynomad said:


> Nice pic Moonshinedave, yep different critters to ours eh?


Yea. Moonshine chose a nice, cute little possum pic.

These are what I typically see in the yard at night


----------



## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

graynomad said:


> We obviously have vastly different experiences with them, our don't do any harm and only make the occasional racket on the roof


Your possums look cute. Ours? Not so much...


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

Yes I'm starting to get the picture


----------



## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

Naaah, North American possums are cute too


----------



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Possums from Australia, NZ and Papua New Guinea live in the trees and have the softest fur imaginable - much like chinchilla. In PNG "cuscus" fur is highly desirable for decoration and for making string bags - especially soft ones for carrying newborn babies. Unfortunately the possum population has been decimated in many places from over hunting. They are very different from the coarse haired little beasts here in the U.S. They are certainly not my favorite animal, but live and let live - as long as they are not around a horse barn.

As a side note, I was driving through a subdivision of Tucson, AZ one morning and low-and-behold, there dead in the street was a big grey opossum! I stopped to be certain and make sure it wasn't a mom who had babies. It was a big male. I called Fish and Game to ask how in the world did an opossum make it to Arizona? Turns out they hitch hike in moving vans and take trips all over the country like that. So you never know where one might turn up. Yikes.


----------



## Mule13 (Dec 30, 2012)

yea the one i killed was smaller, looked like the one moonshine dave posted a pic of. it had been eating my eggs for about 3 days.in related news:daughter is taking a vet tech cousre in local college, working at the local animal shelter as part of that. she found a great pyrenes pup there so we went and got him, he should take care of the possum problem


----------



## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

I would say so. I guess I'd better tie Tank by the deck for a few nights. She will definitely reduce the problem.


----------



## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

Rob Roy said:


> Yea. Moonshine chose a nice, cute little possum pic.
> 
> These are what I typically see in the yard at night


I've killed my share of possums when I was younger, not proud of the fact, but it is what it is. So, I've been around my share, most of the times a possum will try to run away, if not they play dead (playing possum). I've seen them also like the pics you posted, generally when all else fails, trying to defend themselves and save their lives. Can anyone blame any animal for wanting to live? I'll be the first to admit they are not the prettiest critter around, but then again, neither am I, and I sure like living. I guess possums look just like God wanted them to look, and who am I to argue with God?


----------

