OK First Hunting post, first kill, M-rod .25 possum (graffic pics)

[Dick Tracey]

This is the first kill for me in about 40 years.  Used to to hunt squirrels and g-hogs when I was a young'in.

This is how it went.  Not to proud of way it was done but got the job done without to much suffering from the possum'.  My wife has 3 feral cats that we feed on our back deck.  About a year ago we started to get visits by a young possum eating the cat food.  The cats would just walk away and let the possum eat the food.  As he got older and bigger my wife decided that he had really mean looking teeth and the cats might decide to defend the food or territory and get hurt.  I was given the green light to dispense of the possum.  Great get out the .25 M-rod and tune it up and get shooting accurately with the scope.  I set up a target area about 60 feet from hopuse and I can stand in basement window which is chest high and under the Deck.  Outside the window is ground level.  Put LED motion sensor flood light on shed and set up to shine on food.  Got a driveway dinger and set it up to alert me when Mr. Possum showed up. 

Two weeks later and no shots taken I decided I would have to do real blind hunting and set up and wait at the ready for the Possum.  First time Psooum showed up it scared the pants off of me.  I thought he was coming down the lawn to the deck, which was his escape route when I chased him off.  Turns out I hear the leaves under the deck making sound of walking.  Now one of the feral cats is Gray in color and has that name.  I saw a Gray form passing under the barrel of the gun and I decided to scare Gray by touching it.  No, thought better, and picked up my small LED flash light and turned it on.  MAN,  jumped back because I had a Possum staring right at me.  The Possum was just a scared and ran to the steps of the deck.  I turned on the LED Spot light and wiggled the light at the Possum.  He kind of walked off his escape route to the shed.  I was going to get a shot off but I couldn't get the spot light right.  He ran behind the shed. 

After about a half an hour I noticed a Gray form headed for the Deck steps but this time a little farther out.  At the bottom of the first step it stropped.  Turned the spot on and layed it on the window sill pointed at the steps.  Got the rifle aimed in that direction.  At this point the Possum is about 10 feet from me parallel to me and looking back at me.  I going to do this,  two weeks of frustration was getting to me.  Of course the scope is really useless, to close no focus and bad light.  looked down the side of barrel and made sure was close to Possum, looked in scope and saw fuzzy dark Gray ball with the Light Gray face showing.  Squeezed trigger, heard the ping of M-rod but did not hear impact.  Possum just turned around and scurried down the edge of the deck to the other end of the house.  I picked up the rifle and the Spot light and went outside to the Deck stairs.  after a little searching with the spotr light I found a drop of blood.

I went to the end of the Deck where I have a Utility Trailer parked under the Deck.  A little searching and the Possum was under the trailer just standing there.  No movement at all but standing.  I put the spot light on the ground and positioned it on the Possum.  I then moved back about 20 ft. to a position where the scope worked and I was shooting into a Plastic storage shed if anything went wrong.  Lined up a good head shot and squeezed of another shot.  Heard the ping the possum jumped a little and then all heck broke loose.  Pellet hit the storage shed and bounced back into a plastic trash can.  Possum just stood there after jumping a little.  At this point I decided it is humane time and not sportsman time.  I got about 3 feet from Possum and pointed the M-rod at head.  Squeezed off a shot and the Possum started his death dance.

It was about 8:30PM by now so I got a heavy guage plastic bag and collect the Possum into the bag, wrapped it up and hung it on the back fence for funeral services Tomorrow.  Cleand up area and put equipment up.  Sat down to watch the TV with Wife and listened to her remorse. 
about that time the driveway binger went off, I thought I had turned it off.  Got to the back door and at the site where I had the food, which was removed,  There was this much bigger Possum standing on its hind feet sniffing the air.  The dead possum was about 15 feet behind this one in a sealed plastic bag.

I guess there is never just one possum.  I will prep better for this one, and try for a more humane kill.

I was shooting my M-rod .25 Cal pumped to 3,000 PSI with the new Hunter Extreme pellets.  The ones that look like a phillips screw head.  Below is the Pics of the Possum.  I think I hit it all three shots.  The second shot must have gone all the way through.  I may have had to much power for that close range.  The LED spot light is the best light to use, if there is time to set it up.  The second Possum is older and a lot more wiley, of course they don't live to get old by beeing dumb.

[bradyman1]

Possums are tough. If the shot is not perfect they will survive. You did a good job. You got the invaider. Good luck on the next one!

[HeadOfPoland]

That's one ugly son of gun! You did what you could to be humane and that's all you can do right? Good haul either way! Good luck on the big boy. Nice story btw!

[dk1677]

Glad you were able to get him. Those close shots can be harder than long ones.

[jettaglikop]

C-Rat down!!!

Nice shooting!

[ogre8472]

Nice work for sure.  The few that have ventured in our yard were also after our cats food.  Must be the salt or something.   

[1377x]

nice job!

[shadow]

Good shooting and pics and C-rat's can take a hit for sure. Ed