I got bit by a possum.

[cashflyer]

A Møøse once bit my sister...
Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti.

[Jeff Higgins]

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To convince the possum it could be done.



What is the difference between a dead possum and a dead lawyer lying in the road?

There are skid marks leading up to the possum.

[imcarthur]

I had a squirrel attack my car one day. He must have misjudged his jump & thudded on my car roof. Then stunned, he slid down the windshield spread-eagled. Truly bizarre. The wipers cleaned him off.

Ian

[dhoward]

All possums are born dead on the side of the road.

[red-beard]

Wife screamed last night as we pulled onto our street and something was scurrying across the road. Thought it was a possum, turned out to be an Armidillo.

[masraum]

I see opossums in our neighborhood occasionally and dead on the side of the road all of the time. Armadillos too.

Milt, that's pretty scary. I suspect that if he'd have been grouchy, you'd have a nasty wound.

[scottmandue]

I have these strange little holes in my lawn... then one night I notice a skunk grubbing around in the yard, so I think that's not so bad. then one morning I'm stumbling down the stairs half asleep on my way out to work and as I hit the bottom of the stairs there is Mr. skunk browsing the lawn about four feet from me. I thought "nice skunky" and tip toed past it... the thing never even looked at me.

Back when I had my Honda XL500 thumper I was roaring down Paseo Del Mar along a row of parked cars and a BIG possum walks out from between two cars right in front of me. I had half a second to react so instinctively I stood up on the pegs and "whump whump". I felt bad for the critter so I turned around to check out the carnage... and he was gone. The next morning he was in the gutter dead... to this day I can't figure out how he survived long enough to crawl to the curb, direct hit, 300lb bike + 200lb rider doing 35-40 MPH.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Armadillos have been slowly migrating north over the years. Used to see them on travels south into Arkansas, now they are all over us in Missouri.

Dog barking one night at dusk. I investigate. Armadillo, head down, digging furiously at the concrete foundation of a storage building. Dirt flying out from under him like a trenching machine, seemingly oblivious to my barking dog just behind him and being covered in flying dirt!

I walk back into house, fetch .22 handgun., slap in mag., and return. Dirt still flying, dog still barking. Wife follows. I grab dog by collar to get him back, wife holds him then.

Background: Armadillo/SLOW MOVING/low center of gravity, VERY short legs (1 1/2" inches tops??) Ok.

I am almost on top of him, just to the side. Take aim at shoulder area, trigger squeeze...POP!!! On impact.... this short legged/slow moving bastard leaps STRAIGHT UP INTO THE AIR, head high. (About 5 1/2 ft!!) JESUS!!!!!

Scares the S**T out of me, visions of him attacking my face!! LOL. I fall backwards and crank off two more rounds in mid-fall (one missed, second one hit him in the hind quarters). Land on my aZZ!! As situation settles, my wife walks over ...hand over her mouth, not containing her laughter well at all. "Are you OK?" *Giggling*

If ANYONE had told me those short legged creatures could leap 5' to 5-1/2' straight up into the air I would have NEVER believed it. (I was shooting DOWN, it was not bullet impact.)

[Danny_Ocean]

Why would you shoot the Armadillo? Are they considered pests?

Note: I'm not a tree-hugger...just curious as I've never dealt with an Armadillo before.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Well, he was digging under the foundation of that building to find a new home, I assume?

They are pests, yes.

[Jim Bremner]

I live in Cerritos Ca,

My kids saw a coyote last night. there's no open space for that thing to live in 20 miles!

[Mo_Gearhead]

Quote" there's no open space for that thing to live in 20 miles!'
__________________

No doubt about that. As we humans expand our 'living areas' the 'wilderness' that wild animals live in is only going to be squeezed more. We already see it with bears, deer, wolves, foxes, coyotes and all these smaller animals. Inevitable.

[mattdavis11]

Dillos and skunks will tear the crap out of your yard looking for grubs, etc... We hunted them very aggressively when I worked at a golf course. We'd go flying down the fairways with shotguns blazing, man that was fun.

We had what seemed like several generations of possum living in our neighborhood when I lived in Austin. Our Chesapeake averaged 8-10 kills a year for several years.

[pwd72s]

Milt...be glad it wasn't a skunk!

[SCWDP911]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Milt...be glad it wasn't a skunk!

+100

[450knotOffice]

I have to ask why you didn't simply figure out a way to convince the armadillo to leave peacefully instead of shooting it.

As for the Possum, they're pretty scary looking animals when they've got their teeth bared but in reality seem to be pretty benign. I see them in my neighborhood all the time (skunks too). Years ago I was standing next to my car with a few friends of mine in a park parking lot at night. I sensed something like a cat near us and looked down to see big full grown possum literally tip toe right through our group and keep going, like we weren't even there. He could've cared less about us and we just stood there watching, amused.

[Mo_Gearhead]

QUOTE: "I have to ask why you didn't simply figure out a way to convince the armadillo to leave peacefully instead of shooting it."

Well...gee, as I walked inside to get the gun, I REALLY did contemplate having a real heart-to-heart with the little fellow. Do they understand English? Hummm. What if he was so cunning as to out negotiate me??? He may have moved into the main house with the wife!!???

F**K it ...I dispatched him MY WAY.

[Sonic dB]

saw a possum last night....took my cat out for a walk (yes my cat) and we were behind my
building when my cat goes crazy and I look up to see a possum over my shoulder on the fence
about 2 feet away from my head...I made a little noise and he runs away...possums generally
are scared creatures and dont want any part of conflict...my cat would have kicked his azz anyway.

skunks and racoons live behind the building too... last week a skunk let one go underneath my
balcony... man it stunk enough to make your eyes water...

[john70t]

Had a couple raccoons that would come onto the back porch and eat the kitty food. Came out with a broomstick and the bugger still thought he was going to run past me into the appartment.
Whacked him good on the back, but it was like hitting a tight bushel of hay.

[sammyg2]

I had a possum get into my garage last year, he was huddled under a shelf and wouldn't come out. After a few hours i made a snare and lasso'd hum and drug him out, hissing and baring teeth the whole time. Him, not me. I took him to the santa ana river trail and let him go.

Right up the road from Long Beach In Wilmington there is full on a racoon population explosion.
One of em already got into an electrical sub station and took out power to 3 refineries, estimated cost of at least $20 million.
Where I work we have one guy on temporary assignment who's full time job is to set traps and catch racoons. He catches at least 1 a day and then turns it over to animal control. No idea what they do with them.
The Valero refinery next door is trapping them too. Darned things are all over the place.