Possum problem, need tips on hunting at night w/o night equipment

[AmosBurton]

Any tips on a possum that keeps coming in my yard at night.
Last night the possum came back for a visit and met my dog. It didn't go as planned for either.
Up until this point I didn't know what was driving Amos crazy at night, but last night we heard growling and barking coming from out front. I grabbed a light and ran outside. I see Amos barking/growling and circling something. My first thought was please don't be a skunk! It wasn't a skunk, just a possum.
Amos was rolling on instinct and grabbed it by the back and shook, just not enough and it got away under the porch. Once we got Amos inside, I went out with a small flashlight strapped to the muzzle and a laser sight mounted under the stock. Checked under the deck to no avail and went back in to release Amos in the hopes he'd get/find it again.
About 3 minutes later, he alert barks. It was just enough time to swap to my 2000 lumen bike light on the end of the gun. Armed with a daylight bright light that allows me to use the scope it's so bright, I went out and looked for eyes. Found it's beady little eyes staring back at me and before I got a shot off it disappeared into the woods. I tried to find it but no luck.
I realize Amos might still get it but I fear it won't venture inside the fence line now it knows what might happen.
I have no night equipment and have no budget for it yet.
Any tips for finding and putting this possum out of misery?
Let me know what you think.

 

[HubenK1Sniper92]

Before I got a atn scope I just used a cheap scope with illuminated crosshairs and a flashlight to shoot skunks in my back yard, the shots were all 40yds or less and worked everytime for me.

 

[Ezana4CE]

@AmosBurton Why not just let your dog do his thing? These animals are pretty easy to kill. What’s your issue with it anyhow?

 

[Emu]

I mount a flashlite over the scope with a weave ring upwards:

View attachment 314420

 

[Richieg]

Why would you want to kill the possum? Unlike raccoons, they don't carry rabies or distemper and don't generally tear stuff up.Eat lots of ticks and bugs and are beneficial. I would rather have possums around than raccoons and do. To each his own...

 

[Heavyopp]

I leave the opossums alone as well. They are vultures without wings.
That guy is probably never coming back anyway.

 

[dizzums]

theyre elusive .. a trap would probably be more effective, but the few times i have run into them on my property its been really late .. they just ignored me, so its a matter of being up in the dead of night and actually going out there with a flashlight and seeing them .. if you have a gun on you it would be easy to plug them .. its just a matter of being up when they are mostly ..

 

[Bander124]

I only had one possum that actively ate my chickens. It was a younger one and grab them while sleeping in coop. It would eat off the chickens heads. It had to go. Most of the time they don’t bother much and get a pass.

 

[Vetmx]

I have two opossums around my place. They will stroll through at some point almost every night. I don’t shoot them. But I don’t have a dog anymore. When I did have a dog, I kept the critters that could complicate her life cleaned off my property. Nothing worse than being ready for bed, letting your dog out for the final time and having drama. Don’t make a big project out of it. Mount a makeshift flashlight if you don’t have someone to hold it for you and just plug the thing in the noggin.

 

[Ranchibi]

I let possums have a pass but the issue is your pup waking you up! LOL! It may not return after meeting you and your pup.

 

[Filnez]

If it gets to be a recurring problem you can set out a plate of table scraps as bait somewhere lit up enough to see well enough to shoot. Possums usually don't come around much unless there's food.

 

[L.Leon]

After almost being killed by your dog. I don’t believe that particular possum is coming back, unless it’s holding a grudge for being attacked. A simple red torch attached to your scope would illuminated the critter without spooking it.

 

[MongooseV8]

Why would you want to kill the possum? Unlike raccoons, they don't carry rabies or distemper and don't generally tear stuff up.Eat lots of ticks and bugs and are beneficial. I would rather have possums around than raccoons and do. To each his own...

They can get aggressive and kill domesticated animals. I have experienced that first hand. And they can spread disease to humans, at least where I live.

Opossums can carry a number of infectious diseases including, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, spotted fever, toxoplasmosis, coccidiosis, and Chagas disease. -X County Vector Control-

 

[extradrygin2001]

Buy a live trap and put some wet cat food in it, then you can release it somewhere, or shoot it in the cage I guess. Possum does make a fine meal.

 

[AmosBurton]

Thanks guys for all the responses.
I have no issue with possums but this one is wounded.
Amos can get it if it comes back. I'm sure he wounded it before it escaped. I saw blood on it's back which is why I was trying to find it. I would have let him finish it off but it got under the porch where he can't get and must've escaped outside the fence line. I brought him in while I was grabbing my rifle because he was about to tear through the wood lattice to get under the porch. I also didn't want any chance of shooting my dog when I got back.
If I totally trusted Amos' recall (my fault he's not 100%) in all situations I would've let him out of the yard off leash once I realized it got away.
I'm not opposed to eating possum, not real keen on trying it but I would, my wife, not so much. Maybe I should open that old cookbook I have that lists all sorts of native meats and how to cook them. I'd also tan the hide for fur.

 

[Vetmx]

Don’t feel guilty. We don’t have to eat everything we shoot. If we did, I’d be having mouse pot pie once a week.

 

[thumper]

I always just go out with a pair of welding gloves and pick em up. Put em in a box, take them down the road and let them go in the woods.

If you run towards them they almost always just turn and hiss at you.

I never understood the need or fascination with shooting them when they are so easy to catch or trap.

 

[Vetmx]

Then I will just say it for everyone else who still has too much testosterone flowing. They are just scary looking things. They look like something a demon might have for a pet. That’s why most of us just don’t run outside and pick them up.

 

[MongooseV8]

"still has too much testosterone flowing"

Sorry no such thing. If anything we need more.

 

[dens228]

I don't shoot possums either. Great scavengers and they eat lawn grubs.