In the early 1970’s and not yet a teenager, my parents drove me to Lee’s Taxidermy in Prescott, Wisconsin, to sell my small trapping catch to Fur Buyer, Lee Schommer.  Always an adventure for me in those days, I was far more interested in the many animals and pelts present in the basement of Lee’s shop, than I was in what he’d pay me for my furs.

Looking over some stretched skins in a bundle lying on his shop floor was a dozen pelts I didn’t recognize.  Stretched somewhat like a muskrat, but much larger and with gray & white fur, I asked Lee, “what are they?”  “Possum,” Lee replied.  Lee said they were from a trapper’s catch in southern Wisconsin, or Iowa, he couldn’t remember which.  Lee was quick to say that “Possum” weren’t found locally.

Throughout the 1970’s I had never seen or caught an Opossum in my home area of East Central Minnesota.  I had never even seen a road killed one in the Metro area.  Having run a number of traplines for fox and coon by the late 70’s, I wondered if I’d ever catch an Opossum.  Never especially valuable, there’s just something about catching the “first” of any species that’s intrigued me and pushed me to learn all I could about that particular furbearer, to help catch it.

Opossum, Virginia Opossum, Possum, Grinner, Opie, whatever you call them, Opossum’s have a face not even a mother could love!  White facial fur, a pink nose, black beady eyes, naked ears, and a wide, menacing toothy grin give them a distinctive and almost cartoonish look.  Slow moving and not especially alert, Opossum appear to be dim witted and not very intelligent.  Like Comedian Rodney Dangerfield, they don’t get any respect.  Yet Opossum are survivors and are increasing their range in the US, and in Minnesota.  And they do have a few tricks up their sleeve!     

Omnivores, Opossum eat a wide variety of food, which has helped them expand their range northward.  Fruits, grains, insects, worms, birds, eggs and young, mice and carrion, snakes and fish, all make up an Opossum’s diet when available.  Not true hibernators, they will den up in extreme cold, or when deep snow buries available food sources.

Opossum can vary greatly in size and weight.  Most will be about the size of a house cat, but some are much larger.  Adults will weigh between 4 – 15#, and are close to 3 feet in length, including the furless, prehensile tail.  Pelt color can range from almost all white to almost all black.  Most will have lighter underfur with either gray or black guard hairs.  Fur extending down to the feet is usually dark or black.  Belly fur is usually not as long and thick and often lacks many guard hairs.

Opossum have five toes on each foot.  Back feet have an opposable thumb, which aids in climbing and makes Opossum back foot tracks resemble a human hand print, although much smaller.  Claws are strong and very sharp, but not very long.  Track impressions will be 1 – 2” in diameter and have a “star shaped” appearance in soft dirt or snow.  Back foot impressions are often placed directly over the front foot impression, enlarging or changing the track shape.  Opossum movements give the appearance that the animal is waddling as it moves and foot impressions will be spaced 8 – 12 inches apart.  Sometimes in snow, a tail drag mark is observed.  

In farming areas, Opossum will occupy old buildings and hay lofts, just as raccoons do.  Large stacks of round hay bales make great den locations and provide mice and birds for them to eat.  In suburban settings, Opossum have learned that homeowners leave cat and dog food dishes in back yards for their pets.  It makes for easy pickings, along with the bird seed from bird feeders that get refilled every day.  In urban areas, Opossum are regular visitors to trash cans, fast food dumpsters, and anyone’s open garage with poorly stored food sources.     

For Canine trappers, it often seems that all they have to do is make the perfect coyote set.  An Opossum will surely find it before the coyote does!  There’s a reason for that too.  Opossums have a very good sense of smell, and use that sense to locate carrion/road kill.  While hunting the edges of crop fields, or traveling from a denning location to a hunting location along a farm field road, Opossum will smell the loud lure odors and bait from the coyote set and head straight for it.  Part of the reason so many Opossums are hit by cars on county roads – they smell the odor of an animal previously killed, and get hit by a car while crossing the highway to find it.

Since I generally don’t target Opossum during fur season, many of my catches have come while K-9 or coon trapping.  Dog proof traps have proven to be excellent at catching and holding Opossum.  They easily dig out the bait from the tube type traps, get caught, and are sleeping when I check the set.  Sets along raccoon trails entering crop fields, and baited with any of the various dog proof coon baits will produce. Opossum caught will be waiting for you.  I’ve never had an Opossum pull out a rebar stake or various types of earth anchors, yet all traps need to be secured well for the largest animal you could possibly catch at your set location.

When removing Opossum in an urban or suburban setting, remember that an Opossum set is also likely to take a skunk, if present.  For this reason, chose your traps wisely.  “No Spray” skunk traps work well on Opossum, and I have taken many with them.  However, I’ve caught many Opossums in other types of traps that would have never fit in the “No Spray” trap.  They were just too big!  Live traps of various sizes and types easily take Opossum and allow for easy removal. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences of an unexpected skunk when doing nuisance work.

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Opossum do not seem to be bothered by Skunks or Skunk spray.  I’ve seen Opossum eating dead skunks and I’ve even seen an Opossum walk up to an animal carcass where a Skunk was actively feeding.  The Skunk raised his tail, stamped his feet, even sprayed, and it didn’t matter.  The Opossum just kept walking up to the carcass and eventually moved the skunk off it, having the carcass to itself.  Skunk scent, or long-distance call lures will also aid in attracting Opossum to a set location.

Opossum prey heavily on ground nesting game birds, waterfowl, and song birds.  They eat the adults, if possible, but also any young or eggs in the nest.  Abundant Opossum greatly impact nesting birds.

Most Opossum don’t live very long.  Two years or so in the wild.  In captivity, four to five years is normal.  Fox, coyotes, bobcats, eagles, hawks and owls will prey on Opossum.  Many are hit/killed by cars on roads.  

I have caught many Opossums showing injury from frostbite/freezing.  Ears that were extremely small, feet that were missing toes from frostbite, damaged tails.  Northern Minnesota’s cold temps will be the major roadblock to Opossum colonizing that area.  I have noted that Opossum numbers go way down following a severe winter.  After a couple years, they seem to rebound and I start seeing many of them again.  

The phrase, “Playing Possum” comes from a physical reaction Opossums get when startled or frightened.  They fall over as though dead.  Breathing slows, eyes will close.  I saw this close up many times hunting with Coon Hounds.  A female hound of mine hated Opossum.  She would not go out of her way to trail them, but if one was close to where she was hunting, she attacked it aggressively, picking it up in her mouth, shaking it.  I’d leash her, pull her away from the Opossum, and continue hunting.  I’d look back and see the Opossum slowly lift its head, look around, then race off in the other direction.  I wonder how it works with fox and coyotes?

Although they can carry many parasites, most Opossum are relatively healthy.  Thought to be slightly resistant to rabies, Opossum are resistant to venoms and poisons from Animal, Plant and Bacterial Toxins.  Opossum are being studied as they produce a protein identified as LTNF (Lethal Toxin Neutralizing Factor) which protects them from venom from poisonous snakes, scorpions, spiders, tick bites, bees and wasps and even jellyfish!  Opossum have been tested and found to be immune from venom from snakes not even found on the North American Continent.  When bitten by a poisonous snake, Doctors need to determine what species of snake/type of venom the victim was bitten by.  LTNF, obtained from Opossum serum has proven to neutralize the venom from all the various snake families!

Opossum are the primary carries of an organism which causes Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalits (EPM) which is a neurologic disease affecting horses caused by the protozoan SN (Sarcocystis Neurona).  Horses ingest the organism in infected feed and water.  Opossum feces spread the disease, which can be fatal to horses and is hard to diagnose.  Learn more about this disease and be informed about it.  It may aid in securing trapping permission on properties and farms that breed or board horses.  Horse people definitely know about it!         

While you won’t receive the $10 to $15 for a prime Opossum pelt that we once received, a quality tanned Opossum pelt will still sell easily, and looks great for display or the craft trade.  Consider taking some prime Opossum next winter to sell, or to donate to the Tanned Fur Project.    

       By Andy Shoemaker