How to Hunt Possums During the Daytime
No Need to Shoot Possums at Night, Possum Hunting is Easy in Daytime
Jul 15, 2009
Nigel Faulkner, an occasional hunter, grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Gisborne, on the East Coast of the North Island. As a boy he was made aware of the destructive effects of possums on farming and the natural environment . Like most rural kids, he was encouraged to lend a hand with pest control by taking up possum shooting as a hobby.
It wasn't long before he discovered that it was possible to hunt possums during the daytime as it was by night.
A firm rap with a big stick on the side of a suitably cavernous-looking tree usually roused a sleeping possum or two, sometimes a whole family of them, Nigel says.
He is amazed at the number of people who don't believe that he goes hunting (and successfully) during the day. Even a professional possum hunter expressed surprise when told about it, Nigel says.
"People have this concept of possum hunting as very much a nighttime activity," Nigel says.
"I figured possums had to live somewhere so why wait til they're out and about at night to hunt them, why not just go find them in the daytime?"
Hunting by day is safer and generally more enjoyable, Nigel says.
"You even get to take in the scenery!"
Hunting in the Daytime is a Good Father and Son Activity
The family farm was eventually sold but, with the permission of the new owners, Nigel still enjoys returning for occasional hunting trips with his son Rory. Often they're accompanied by one of Rory's "townie" mates, keen to join in on the experience and test for himself whether it really is possible to shoot possums during the day.
"Most of Rory's mates are a bit disbelieving when we tell them we shoot possums by day. It's always fun to take them out and set the record straight.
A Good Dog Helps Daytime Possum Hunting
The duo pride themselves on being a bit of a formidable force and once shot 12 possums in just a couple of hours. That said, the are quick to acknowledge the help of their canine companion Roxy the Fox Terrier whose keen sense of smell is usually responsible for sniffing out at least half the targets on any given trip.
Roxy will indicate possums high up in the canopy by leaping at the base of trees and barking skyward. She is also adept at sniffing out possums from nests in embankments.
Small and swift, she is a champion of the ground pursuit, chasing possums through thick undergrowth and up trees where they are an easy target for Nigel and Rory.
But when corpses are being retrieved, Roxy is best left tied up – especially near creeks. Wet possum fur is wasted fur.
Removing Fur from Possums Shot During the Day
The fur is easily plucked from a warm corpse. Leave a dead possum to go cold and the job of removing the fur turns into the full-on task of skinning, Nigel says.
Nigel and Rory pluck each possum as they go, carrying the fur in a plastic bag. They leave the remains of the possum in the bush although they will sometimes remove the animals' legs to take home as a special treat for their other dogs.
Good Possum Fur Prices Make Occasional Daytime Hunting Trips Worthwhile
Prices for possum fur have fluctuated over the years. Some of the best prices for possum fur coincided with a big downturn in sheep farming during the 1980s. Many farming families boast stories of paying their children's school fees at that time, not with the proceeds of lamb sales but with funds from possum fur sales.
Nigel's family was no exception. His mother was apparently very proud that he was able to pay his own way through Lincoln Agricultural College with the proceeds he made from possum skins. At the time an average skin fetched $18 but some were much higher, Nigel says.
Possum fur is now worth about $105 per kilogram – that's the fur off about 16 good sized possums, Nigel says. Demand is being fuelled by the advent in recent years of the now iconic New Zealand merino wool and possum fur mix fibre.
Nigel and Rory are not going to make a fortune from their occasional weekend possum hunting trips but they are making enough to cover the cost of their ammunition and petrol, Nigel says.
"It's something we can do together, that doesn't cost anything, is good for the environment and helps out farmers so it's all good," Nigel says.
Possum Hunting is Important in New Zealand, Daytime or Night
Native to Australia, the brushtail Opossum is a protected species there. It was brought by settlers across "the ditch" of the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, about 150 years ago and quickly established itself with such success that it became a national pest.
It is now estimated that in New Zealand, possums (as they are commonly called) chomp their way through about 20,000 tonnes of vegetation every night.
Not only do they wreak havoc on the bush, but possums are a primary host for Bovine Tubercolosis — a serious bacterial illness which causes chronic disease and deaths in livestock and results in trade restrictions and severe economic losses.
The East Coast region of the North Island is still devoid of bovine TB. To control possums, especially those that might encroach from neighbouring TB-infected areas, farmers employ hunters to shoot, trap and poison them. The Government's environment protection agency, the Department of Conservation, makes (somewhat controversial) 1,080 poison drops in a buffer zone further designed to protect the region.
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