Peach thief!

[Rich Z]

Once the peaches on this one tree started ripening, it didn't take long before some varmint found them and thought they were grown, watered, and cared for all for him to eat. I did get three of them, but there were a lot more of them that are now being converted to possum crap.

I'm trying a live trap with bait (bird feed block) that has worked pretty well in the past, but apparently this possum isn't interested in that bait. Perhaps this is one I have trapped before around the bird feeders and he found his way back "home" and now knows to avoid such things.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joG5_50O6s0

I really don't want to shoot this critter, but the varmint broke all of the new growth branches on this tree getting to the peaches, and I have another tree close to this one which should have the peaches ripening in another week or two. So I really can't allow this thing to be damaging both of the trees.

Although it will be a while for the citrus to be ripe, we have had problems in the past with possums getting into those trees as well. I lost all of the asian pears we were growing and most of the regular pears last year to them. They are getting to be a real nuisance, it seems.

Between the possums, raccoons, deer, and squirrels ravaging everything, I'm feeling like nature has turned against us here. "Loving nature" really only sounds good in theory and when you aren't living thick in the middle of it, I guess. Or I guess over time you soon learn that loving nature becomes very selective about which forms of benign nature that deserve loving. I sure as heck would hate to be a commercial farmer and have to deal with this sort of thing battling for my livelihood day in and day out.

 

[Twolunger]

Good luck ridding your yard of coons and possums. I know what some of the commercial growers do, and I'm sure people would object to their methods. They used fly bait, in cans containing blue malrin mixed with coke or pepsi, and placed around their orchards. It was so potent that now the fly bait sold contains the less potent golden malrin instead. You can imagine what happens if a pet consumes the mixture.

 

[Rich Z]

Well, the trap is still out there without attracting the possum. I think the next gun show that comes to town, I may be shopping for a night vision scope for one of my varmint rifles. Hate to do it, but the possum really should have chosen door number one. Obviously he is going to be a continual nuisance concerning all of our fruit trees this year unless I get rid of him.

 

[Shiari]

Rich, if he likes fruit so much could you purchase a really ripe peach from the store and bait the trap with that?

 

[Rich Z]

Rich, if he likes fruit so much could you purchase a really ripe peach from the store and bait the trap with that?

I took the four remaining small peaches still on the tree and put them into the trap. No dice. But next time I'm at the grocery store, I might just pick up a few peaches and allocate one for the trap. Problem is, I REALLY like peaches, so it will be hard for me to give up one that way.

 

[Shiari]

get an over ripe one maybe. Not rotten but really soft. The extra pheromones coming from the fruit may attract it then and you'll be less likely to want to eat it.

 

[Twolunger]

When I trapped possum and skunk I used canned cat food. They loved it, and I worked 40 miles away from my home, so didn't have to worry about them coming back. My sister-in law feeds all the neighborhood cats and what they don't eat the possums finish.

 

[Rich Z]

When I trapped possum and skunk I used canned cat food. They loved it, and I worked 40 miles away from my home, so didn't have to worry about them coming back. My sister-in law feeds all the neighborhood cats and what they don't eat the possums finish.

Actually catching a skunk in a live trap is a fearsome idea to me. I know I have smelled one or more skunks around here, but never actually seen one. But if you catch a skunk in a live trap, how do you get near it without getting sprayed?

 

[carol]

You don't have to live near nature to have possum issues. I see a lot of people use possum spikes but I don't know if they work. When we had a dog we had no possum issues besides finding one with a snapped neck in the yard one day. When our lovely girl passed we didn't have time for another dog and then the real possum problem began. Not only were the raccoons and possums taking our veggies, they were biting the base of the plant, killing it. We ended up putting our garden in a chain link dog run from Home Depot, the kind with chain link on the top as well. But with a large area, I suggest a dog. But caring for those is probably more than buying peaches from the store.

 

[Rich Z]

You don't have to live near nature to have possum issues. I see a lot of people use possum spikes but I don't know if they work. When we had a dog we had no possum issues besides finding one with a snapped neck in the yard one day. When our lovely girl passed we didn't have time for another dog and then the real possum problem began. Not only were the raccoons and possums taking our veggies, they were biting the base of the plant, killing it. We ended up putting our garden in a chain link dog run from Home Depot, the kind with chain link on the top as well. But with a large area, I suggest a dog. But caring for those is probably more than buying peaches from the store.

What is a "possum spike"? Never heard of that.

Yeah, having a dog would present it's own set of problems. For instance, we have a severe yellow fly infestation right now, and I think it would be downright cruel to have a dog outside with those flying monsters all about. It would have to be hell for a dog. Having an inside dog is just out of the question.

We once had a dog around here that someone dropped off and Connie sort of adopted him. Until we learned why he was probably dropped off by someone. Connie named him "Shredder" if that is any hint. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, was safe from that dog tearing it up.

 

[Rich Z]

Sigh.... And I had ONE (1) cherry finally develop on a cherry tree we planted several years ago. We planted two, but the other one didn't like it here, so it left. Supposed to be a sweet cherry, and I was looking forward to tasting it.

Not to be. Sometime during the rains we had over the past several days, something else claimed it. Probably a bird, I guess, since it was pretty much an eye catcher for anything flying over head.

Oh well, maybe next year....

 

[Twolunger]

Actually catching a skunk in a live trap is a fearsome idea to me. I know I have smelled one or more skunks around here, but never actually seen one. But if you catch a skunk in a live trap, how do you get near it without getting sprayed?

I used a large piece of burlap on a long stick to cover the live trap. Once it was covered you can slide it into a plastic garbage can, put the lid on and transport it on its side anywhere you want. The skunks were surprisingly calm, since they don't see you. Depending upon your live trap it may be a bit more difficult releasing the varmint. I used a long string to hold the end open, but the skunks usually just ambled off. The skunks in this area are black & while spotted and look more like a weasel.

 

[Rich Z]

Hmm, well if I do see a skunk around here I sure as heck hope I recognize what it is before it is too late and I get banished from the house for a while. I'll probably have to put in a bunk in the old reptile building.

I have the Havahart live traps, and it could be dicey trying to get the trap open, and have it stay open for a skunk to exit it without a mishap. Maybe I would try to call the local animal control to see if they would take care of it and then return my trap.

I once had a possum jam himself into a trap designed for a rat sized varmint and he had to back out of it when I jammed the door open for him with a long shaft screwdriver. I was surprised that he wasn't in a really bad mood after being cooped up like that for several hours.

 

[Twolunger]

Well, it's a real test of a wife's enduring love if she will allow you back into the house after being sprayed. It isn't difficult to release the skunks even with the Havahart type trap, you just need a notched piece of wood to lay on top of the trap to hold the door open. But confidence is the key. Every time I am apprehensive about something it invariably goes wrong.