If you catch a possum..........

[beachsands]

How many of you change the trap, boil it or move the the set to a new location? I was wondering if this is an old tale or has merit. On another forum a person mentioned that E. Kreps in his book, "The Science of Trapping" stated that possum was an acceptable bait for fox. Over that last 35 years I was aways under the assumption that if you caught a possum at any set for any animal you might as well deem that location a lost cause. Any observations on this?

Joel

[IlliniTrapper15]

I see no truth in that myth i have caught a HUGE amount of the grinners and reset in the same location only to catch coon in the set on a later day i think this is nothing but a myth

[Jacktheknife]

Yup, me too,  I just reset the same trap in the same place.  
Like a skunk spraying the set, possum don't make a set smell dangerous,
to a Coyote. It just means that something has been happening around there.            The possum,  tanned and offered for sale on ebay,  is worth a fortune, anyway.  Need a possum hat?                    J. Knife

[IntrepidWizard]

Let him go and reset.

[dunawayeric]

definatly dont let him go..and i always just make teh reset..

[cotton1]

a buddy of mine caught one of the bigest bobcat i have even saw the next night in a possum remake

[jim-NE]

remakes just get better and better.
not sure about using them for bait, though. I've never tried it. I do know that of anything that gets killed on the highway, a possum lays there the longest, it seems. Don't even see many crows picking at them...I just assumed that means they taste bad to other critters.
Doesn't seem to have any impact on remaking after a possum catch though. I get a lot of catches (even canines) at possum remakes.
Jim-NE

[beachsands]

One of the things I was thinking about was if I dispatch of a possum that is in one of my box traps using a .22, theres bound to be a lot of blood all over. Again I am from the old school where I was taught that a possum ruined the set and your better off throwing the trap in the dumpster, cuz its dern ruint!

It sounds like this idea is a myth..............

Joel

[IlliniTrapper15]

Real good solution to getting rid of possums in your boxtraps and not bloodying up yur set is simple just move the trap then dispatch the possum then move your trap back makes no mess to your set i hope you had figured this out by now buddy cause i feel bad if you havent

[TrapperZach]

for possoms in box traps i use a 220 so dispatch put it out front of it stablize and open the door. on the remakes ive always herd put in a new trap at the same set because a cath circle makes it look like somtin happend.

[Thumper]

Wives tale. I caught a nice possum, let him go and reset. That was last week and I've caught 2 nice red fox at that same set since then.

[jim-NE]

plus, I can't recall ever wasting good ammunition on a possum either. Thump them with your hammer or trowel instead.
As to the blood, your whole set stinks like possum anyway, just move it to a centralized location to focus the next critter's attention on...like in the bottom of a dirthole, or on the backing, etc. and remake that set. I gave up on the old myths about blood a long time ago and have enjoyed many a catch at remakes since. You don't want it on your trap though...again get their focus off the trap and onto some central point with your trap rebedded next to it appropriately. Blood generally means food to another animal...so same concept of not wanting bait or lure on your trap but out in front of it (make sense?).
Jim-NE