Small Town Girl With A Gun

I am stalking opossums...big time. I shot two tonight. One ran off, although I don't think he'll make it and one is dead below my deck. I have my opossum gun at the ready and my opossum trap set. I know they're not all dead yet because after shooting the latest one, I heard one walking on the duct work under my house.

They are living under my house, up in the insulation around the duct work. I can hear them stomping on it. They MUST GO!!! The whole dang family of them!

Gotcha!

I finally got that stupid opossum last night. I had shot it last week, but it was just a flesh wound (and not the Monty Python type) and he ran under the house. I hadn't heard/seen him in almost a week and hoped that he had expired from his wounds, but no such luck.

(Not my picture - I got this off an animal control site)

I was sitting in my living room last last night when I heard one of my "cats" eating their cat food. Since the "cat" was an exceptionally noisy eater, I was suspicious and decided to check it out. It was the opossum. He ran outside, so I put some food on the porch, turned on the porch light and waited. Sure enough, he showed up. I got my gun (remember the super old 22 rifle?) and an extra bullet (just call me Barney Fife!) and slowly opened the door with my rifle cocked and ready. I shot it in the head from about 4 foot away, quickly reloaded and shot again. He still managed to stumble his way down the porch steps, but based on all the blood, it was a mortal wound. I wish one shot would have killed him instantly, but either I didn't get off a good enough shot, or the 22 just wasn't enough to do the job quickly. I hate to think he suffered, but I'm pretty sure he didn't suffer long.

I only hope that he was the only opossum and I haven't been dealing with an entire family and this was just one of them...


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Two Day Weeks Are Exhausting!

We only had school Thursday and Friday this week due to all the snow. The kids were surprisingly well behaved considering (except for my last class of the day, but they tend to be the exception to all the rules...) It was weird only have two days of class, but last year we had two weeks in a row with only one day: the Monday of one week, then the Friday of the next due to a huge ice/sleet storm.

Last night I finally went to the grocery store to re-stock the pantry and fridge. I was dangerously low (or out) of some of my favorite items. I guess that's what happens when you're stuck in your house for four days strait!

As I left my house to meet my Mom and SiL to go shopping, I saw the opossum that has decided it lives in my house. This time, it was walking around the front of my house. I slowly retreated back into the house to get my gun (which is the world's oldest 22). Of course, when I got back outside the stupid thing had taken cover. I swear it knew what I was planning. I stalked it around the house, but to no avail. I got tickled while doing so as a mental picture of myself formed in my mind: there I was, quietly stalking an opossum...in my work clothes; gun in hand. I still had on my good shoes and I was traipsing around in my very soggy yard (all that snow melting) trying not to get my shoes all muddy. I could only imagine what my students would have said if they could have seen me. After they stopped laughing that is.

So I have set a trap for the opossum. It is getting into the house through the cat door on my back door. Since it has to come up onto the deck to get to the back door, I am putting out food on the back deck in order to lure it to one spot (not in the house) so I can shoot it. I'm keeping the porch light on and occasionally looking out the window to see if it has taken the bait. So far no luck. The other day it had eaten some of the food, but I missed seeing it out there. I guess I should be more vigilant.

Wish me luck!