BK9 Trapper's Companion Passes the Brushtail Possum Test

dang, I didn't realise they made good eating. I saw them once only, during a hike near Murchison town some 15 years ago. NZ seems like a nice place to live, if one can find a job to suuport the lifestyle, I guess.

nice pics.
 
:) BeeKay... The government department that looks after our public land has an official position on possums which is fairly scary if you are a possum. They would happily deport all possums back to Australia, ungrateful as it may seem. Personally I'm happy to share the bush with a few possums. But our Department of Conservation organises the carpet bombing of some areas with poison in an attempt to obliterate them (along with rats and stoats). One of their poisons of choice is called 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate). I am not happy about the use of bulk air-dropped poison. There are claims that the possum population is huge (someone was saying 70 million a few years back, but recently I heard it was around 30 million....I don't know how they arrive at these figures, but perhaps some genius in the statistics department posted possums some census forms, then quickly invented the figure when no forms were posted back). I've seen very few possums recently.

I understand that my grandfather helped to liberate possums in what is now a large national park in which there is quite a 'pest' control program. He was a hunter, and I guess folks felt that possums could be a source of income (which they proved to be with their popular fur). I probably shouldn't announce this too loudly, or some fundamentalist conservationist might want to prosecute me as an accomplice).

They can be really good to eat Spyken. In fact, the buck possum that started this post had surprisingly tender meat after I cooked it, despite it being very difficult to skin. I'd just assumed it would be tough, so it was destined for dog tucker and I wasn't too fussy about cleaning it up before I put it in the pot. I haven't spent much time around Murchison, but it is a great area with quite a few wild animals lurking in the bush.
 
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Frankly Coote, I absolutely agree with yours and your governments stance on your possum issue. I'd trap the buggers too if I was allowed. They sure as hell are in proportions here that you have there. Not even cars can kill the bloody things quickly enough. I do however rather them killed humanly and used as a commodity more than just them rotting on the side of the road. All in all though, I'm glad the good ol' American '9 is dispatching Aussie possums in New Zealand efficiently and in such quantities. You go brother, wish I was across the ditch with ya!

From your cuz, Springy..
 
Cuz... you'd be welcome here across the ditch. With your view on possums, you should fit right in to some local organisations.

While we're on the subject of troublesome critters, I am a little surprised that all snakes and crocodiles are protected in Aussie. Don't get me wrong, despite the things I post here I have a great respect for the natural world. I rescue worms caught out on the pavement in the sun, I release insects outside (except for flies) when they come into the house. I don't like causing any unnecessary damage to plants. However.... if I had a croc in my farm waterhole, or if dangerous snakes moved into my yard, I would certainly like to have the option to deal with them myself (and I guess a number of people do, despite the rules). I would not want to wipe out the snake or croc population, but I think human kids and pets should have first priority around settled areas.

Having said that though, when I lived in Western Australia for a year I saw very few snakes and not one wild crocodile. It is a very beautiful and interesting country you have. And maybe if I got to know reptiles a bit better, I wouldn't see them as the threat I think they are now.
 
Well, you learn something new everyday. That explains the butter stuffed pork loin. A man that loves food, history, knives and the outdoors is alright with me....
 
I took the new BK9 (Miss Tennessee) for an outing to check my traps this morning. I used her to ring-bark a wilding pine that was growing in a conservation area. Just as I finished doing this, I heard a noise indicating that there might be something in a trap further down the hill. I slid the knife into the sheath hastily and felt for the retainer strap so I could fasten it. The knife hadn't gone all the way home, so I got a nick on my index finger to remind me to be more careful. Oddly, it is the same finger that Miss New Hampshire nicked earlier. So I am now bonded with my new tools. We are all of the same blood. The Becker medicine lives in me.

It was a possum I'd heard in the trap.

I plucked the possum to keep the fur, then I skinned it to bring home the meat. To ensure that the fur dries out, I hang it in an onion bag.

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Oddly enough Coote you rarely ever hear about snake bites in Australia so much so that when one does occur you'll see it on the news. Same with spiders. Croc attacks seem to be wayyyyy more prevalent as tourists get taken reasonably often. And despite their protected status they go and kill every croc they find in that area usually with good results. Finding body remains etc. Well, I mean as good as that can be for the family at least.

The guvs used 1080 quite widely here in QLD to control the bunny and fox population. It worked well with foxes but not so much with the wabbits. So they released a shit ton of fleas infected with mixamotosis which decimated them. You'll nary find a single floppy ear up here now. In NSW though they're everywhere. Great hunting and eating. Man I miss rabbit hunting. Wonderful fun.

I also do the same as you with small creatures I find around the house that seem to be in peril. Except Cane Toads. Want any of them? We've got heaps. I'll send some over. Great fun with a cricket bat or golf club and they're almost impossible to kill so you kinda don't feel bad clobbering them with blunt objects. I'll chuck a few in a box for you. They should arrive in reasonable condition. You know, impossible to kill and all.. ;)
 
I Googled cane toads. I don't think we want them. Their introduction to Australia, viewed with hindsight, was not particularly clever. I was heartened to read that evidently it is only part of them that is poisonous. So maybe someone can come up with a use for them. I suppose clever folks have already looked into the possible uses for cane toad meat. I wonder how hard it would be to turn the back legs into fish farm food, and the nasty bits into compost. We have a daughter living near Brisbane.... if we ever go to visit her I must take the time to check out what might be done with these critters.

I was amused to read how some folks are opposed to clubbing the toads, saying that it is more humane to kill them by putting them in a freezer. While I would always encourage people to be as humane as possible, surely killing quickly by any means is perfectly acceptable in this case. It is nice there are some caring folks about, but I hope that they don't lobby for golf club laws similar to your gun laws.

I've enjoyed rabbit hunting too. There used to be more in my area. Then someone smuggled in a disease called calicivirus and it really knocked them back. I see the odd rabbit around, but not like the old days. I think in some places there are still big populations.
 
Mr. Coote....

I always enjoy your posts..... I have hopes to visit both Aussie and your spectacularly beautiful islands..... If I make it there I would love to get together with you and break bread..... And, if I make it to Australia I want to share a brewskis with you, BeeKay....... Thanks to both of you..... Enlightenment with a smile.......

E
 
When the predators/vermin were introduced to a location where they did not exist prior to the introduction and as such are a detriment to the ORIGINAL ecosystem.

The rats debarked from the first sailing ships that pulled into New Zealand ports. They may not have even waited until piers were built, sneaking off ships in cargo lightered onto small boats and barges before piers were built.

The Australian possum was introduced in 1837 to provide for a fur trade (similar to the introduction of the now verminous nutria in Louisiana and east Texas).

Rabbits were released for "food and sport" in the 1830s

Stoats, ferrets and weasels were introduced to try to control the rampant rabbit population in the 1870s
 
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Ahh, yes oops. Didn't realize they are only referring to invasive species. Can I blame the misleading headline of the initiative? lol
 
I'd certainly enjoy spending some time with you Ethan. In fact if any forum contributor / Becker fan is headed this way I'd like to hear about it. I might not be able to offer much at this end depending on my commitments at the time, but things change and I'd be glad to socialise in some form.

That goal to be 'predator free' is interesting. One or two folks have suggested that this is a bit of feel-good publicity, and we've been warned that it might be an attempt to distract us from more pressing issues. Nevertheless, a lot of people have been trying to control our possums, stoats, ferrets and rats for a long time.

I doubt that I'll be able to deal with all the possums single-handed even if I do have a BK9, but I will do my bit. I will be 95 in 2050, and hopefully I will still be getting out to set a few snares then.

I have mixed feelings about this 'elimination' talk.

According to recorded history and the fossil evidence that I know of, there were no native land mammals in this country except for bats. The only predators were birds. We evidently once had an eagle here that had a wingspan of up to nine feet and might have weighed up to thirty pounds.

It is believed that the first humans, the Maori, arrived in the country about 1000 years ago (I suspect that there may have been people here earlier. Dunno). When they arrived we had some big flightless birds, the moa. Some of these may have weighted up to 500 pounds. The moa got wiped out fairly quickly (think big drumsticks). It is possible that the Maori brought a small rat with them. These were a source of food for the people.

When whalers and explorers visited the country, they released goats and pigs. Rats and mice probably arrived with these guys also.

Then European settlers introduced other animals.

There are folks here who want to get rid of all introduced wild animals. Some say that our forests never had browsing animals, so we shouldn't have them now. Many conveniently don't make reference to the moa... the biggest of which might have been 12 feet tall. These guys needed to eat a lot of vegetation... and furthermore they could reach higher into the trees than any deer can.

So... New Zealanders used to be able to eat moas. We also used to eat our native pigeons, but now they are protected.

When one door closes, another one opens. I see the introduction of deer, pigs, goats and even possums as a blessing. We are an omnivorous species, and hunting is part of our traditional culture (all over the world). So I see the presence of wild mammals down here as part of evolution.

It is true that rats, stoats and possums affect our native bird populations, and I think it is a good idea to control these animals especially where it can be done so with some certainty... like on our small offshore islands which have 'reserve' status.

But I am very uncomfortable about one of the current methods of control which is the bulk airdropping of baits poisoned with 1080. The powers that be say this is a good option and that 1080 (sodium fluoracetate) breaks down quickly in the environment. Perhaps it does. I just don't feel that it is a nice thing to do. Furthermore, there have been a number of chemicals used in the past that have later been found to be a disaster. Even the experts don't know everything. I think carpet bombing the wilderness with poison is a very disrespectful thing to do, even if the chemical is fairly 'safe'. I understand that death by 1080 can be a very slow, painful affair.... especially for dogs which might be poisoned by chewing on a poisoned possum.

There don't seem to be many possums around where I trap at the moment. I disabled all my snares this morning because we have a lot of cold wet weather on the forecast. All my snares were empty and there was no sign of any wild animal on the trail. I might have to scout around for a new location.

I wish I had a more interesting picture for this post. The photo below shows a thicker part of the trail that I go through. In the foreground you may be able to see some spiky gorse, one of the introduced plants that I attack with a BK9 to keep the pathway clear. I'm still of the opinion that the Becker BK9 in its standard factory sheath is one of the best production tools in existence for a guy like me.

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granitestateofmind said:
Opossums her don't have pelts worth a damn. And they are the only marsupials in North America, so far as I know. Funny critters....though not any kind of problem or nuisance animal. NZ/Aussie possums look to have really nice pelts. Glad to see you'reing the hell out of those 9's. I don't think I know of a single one stateside that receives that kind of use. You are really doing justice to that blade, IMO.
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what he said. our opossums are interesting, useful, if short lived critters. i don't harrass them. most will be dead long before i have to do any kind of major land chore...

now, aussie and NZ folx might consider their various climbing marsupials as murder possums, or worse, mentholated eucalyptus drop-bears... at least you can reliably eat the deciduous type :) that's a tucker i'd like to try ;D :D :D
 
coote said:
Yes, there is a bit of color variation. The two broad color classes that I see are brown and silver-grey.

Dunno if I'd use the word repulsive for your possums. The word that springs to mind for me is 'cool'. I'd love to watch them going about their business. Many animals amuse me, and your possums look really interesting.

Below are a couple of pictures of young brushtailed possums. I've posted these several times before on the 'net, so forgive me if you've already seen them. The smaller one would normally be in its mother's pouch. Some folks have kept possums as pets. I never have. The toilet etiquette of the pet possum I've seen left much to be desired. I prefer dogs as they generally don't climb up on your shoulder and pee all over your neck.

Joey1.jpg


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"murder squirrels" or in the case of flying pet squirrels "flying pee monsters"

in my area, we have native flying squirrels. cute, but not as cute as their asian counterparts that people pay good money for.

man, a quart of medical grade UV indicator and a UV lamp, a lot of those people might be minding their pets, and juvenile humans (and ahem any fertile mammal better) ;) luminol. right. better not to know.

bush meat. i'm all over it :D i got "the sauce"
 
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