Yeah, during the depression it happened some. Those folks were hungry. In this part of the country the deer were killed off pretty seriously. It has taken about eighty years to bring them back in abundance. During the depression I believe there were many times that a possum or an Armadillo would have been appetizing. Hunger will do that.

On my place whenever I run across a possum or armadillo, I make it an all out effort to see that they are dead. Now we have wild hogs that are an unbelievable scourge. They multiply much faster than rabbits and have incredible negative effects. They are hunted with no limits and no holds barred. In the roof gun rack of my side by side is a coyote rifle, a .22 and a shotgun. They get used.

Opossums
 

Any fool who thinks Opossums should be treated well, is encoraged to go try and pet one .

I'd think the genetic diversity caused by mixing out of area would be a very good thing.....

Yes, people eat and enjoy eating them, not me because I've seen inside them, they're BIG, GREASY RATS .

Bon Apatite ! .

Yes, they are in the same family as rats. It’s what they are. NASTY!

I remember in the 80s the animal control guy would catch armadillos or whatever in a trap and then dunk the whole trap in a drum full of water. He would reset and leave.

No they aren't! They are marsupials and rats are rodents. There is a big one that I saw today in the neighborhood. It looked to be nearly a foot in diameter and 3' long. The local crazy ladies put out food for the feral cats and this fellow gets his share.

Thanks for the correction. From a practical standpoint though, it’s nothing but a big nasty rat and if I see one it will still be just as did if at all possible.

I’ve seen some pretty good size possums, but three feet is really stretching out there. I may have seen a few that got close to that if measured nose to tail. I would guess the biggest I’ve killed was probably something over two feet nose to tail tip, but I never cared to measure one of the nasty things.

Okay. In the Canadian Maritimes we have huge coyotes. But small rats. Actually the coyotes are some form of hybrid. Scary big and have killed people.

Well it came out from under my deck at a full run, heading for my crazy neighbor lady's house. I did not have a chance to measure it but I will guarantee it is longer than two feet, especially including the tail.;)

There was one that used to come around that smelled worse than a skunk. All I can figure is that he attacked and ate skunks.

Well, I shouldered my axe and I tooted my horn,
Went to find 'possum in the new-grown corn.
Old Blue treed and I went to see,
Blue had 'possum up a tall oak tree.
Boy, roast 'possum, nice and brown,
Sweet potatoes, n' all a-round
Had to say "Here old Blue (here-boy)
You can have some too"

I am still working on ending my involuntary practice of communism. Living in the communist state makes disconnecting extremely tough and rough going. Wish me luck as I attempt to extricate myself from the involuntary practice of the ten planks of the communist manifesto.


Marx and Engels go on to state the 10 goals of the Communist Party (my comments in parenthesis):

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. (think: property tax)
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax (needs no explanation).
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance (lawyers have been successful in bleeding your estate dry).
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels (anyone the state doesn't like).
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State. (NSA currently listens and records all telephone conversations)
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. (fruits of your labor belong to the state)
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.

https://www.thoughtco.com/communist-manifesto-4038797

Not all whims of communists were irrational. Thinking you could force people to do the generous, the smart thing was not a good idea. And administering that force by state power was bound to lead to massive corruption. More power is in fewer hands than in a capitalist system.

Back to the OP, a big part of my bucket list is visiting the ruins of primitive dwellings. Mesa Verde and Machu Pichu for starters. I drove through Mancos, CO in '92, not realizing I was maybe 10 or so miles from one of the cliff dwelling monuments. DOH!

My wife’s theory is that all low-lying undesirable animules are rodents. Even some birds; dirty, disgusting boids, are rodents. Flying rodents, maybe, but rodents.. Are skunks rodents? Maybe not to some animalologist, but to my wife? Rodents.

I do not argue with her about something this important.

Goes back to the Old Testament. There are clean and unclean animals.

Mesa Verde is pretty great. There are cliff dwelling ruins scattered all over the southwest. Some right on the edge of a largish town....the name escapes me now....in NM or AZ. Some near Apache Junction AZ where my sis lives. Also near Superstition Mountain. I also recommend visiting the Meteor crater. Like the great french Gothic cathedrals the crater is visible from a long way away....maybe 20 miles.