The Incidental Opossum

Your hound trees hard and you shine the light up into an oak. Two eyes shine back — but the silhouette is wrong. Too low, too pointed in the face, too slow. That’s not a coon. That’s a possum. Is it legal? What do you do with it? And how do you tell them apart when both are in the same woods on the same night?

Quick recall

Quick recall — what is the legal category for both raccoon and opossum in South Carolina?

Quick recall — what is the legal category for both raccoon and opossum in South Carolina?

Furbearers — both species fall under furbearer regulations Game animals — managed the same as deer or turkey Different categories — opossum is a nuisance animal, raccoon is a furbearer

Check answer

Why opossum shows up in this track

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is North America’s only marsupial and a very common resident of Piedmont creek bottoms, hardwood edges, and agricultural margins — precisely the same habitat raccoon uses. A night with hounds in good coon country will frequently produce an incidental opossum at the tree or in a foothold set. Knowing what you have and what to do with it is basic fieldcraft.

Legal status in SC: opossum is a listed furbearer, sharing the raccoon season structure. It may be taken and sold commercially with the same license framework as raccoon. Verify current season dates and limits at SCDNR — these change yearly.

Telling them apart: physical traits

In hand or at close range, raccoon and opossum are easy to separate:

Raccoon: masked face (black band across the eyes), grizzled grey-brown fur, ringed black-and-cream tail, rounded ears, compact body with a low-slung walk. Weight typically 10–20 lb in the SC Piedmont.

Opossum: white or pale grey face with a bare, pointed pink snout, all-white head, grey body, naked prehensile tail (no rings), large naked pink ears, slow ambling gait. Weight typically 4–14 lb. When frightened, may go limp (“playing possum”) — this is an involuntary response, not a trick to fool you.

Raccoon: black mask Raccoon: ringed tail Opossum: bare pink snout, white face Opossum: naked, unringed tail

Telling them apart: tracks

Both species have five toes on each foot, but the track shapes are distinct enough to separate at a mud-bank crossing:

Raccoon track: front foot looks like a small human hand — five elongated toes all pointing forward, with small claws. Hind foot is longer, with a heel pad and the same five-forward toe pattern. Print is 2–3 inches across. A raccoon walking in soft mud leaves a distinctive pattern where the long hind foot lands beside the opposite front foot.

Opossum track: the most distinctive feature is the hind foot, which has an opposable thumb (the hallux) that splays widely — almost 90 degrees — and lacks a claw. This gives the hind print a starfish or spread-hand look. The four other toes are smaller than a raccoon’s. Print is roughly 2 inches across. The clawless thumb print is the field-ID key.

Image check

Identify which track belongs to the opossum. Tap your choice.

Track A Track B

• Track A
• Track B

Handling an incidental opossum

Whether you encounter an opossum at the tree or in a foothold set, the handling considerations are:

At the tree: confirm species before the gun comes up — this is the same rule as for any treed animal. An opossum in the tree is a legal furbearer during the season. If you choose to take it, the same shot-placement approach applies (aim for the head or spine for a .22; shot for shotgun). Its fur has modest value — far less than raccoon — and a case skin is the same method, though the hide is thinner and easier to damage.

In a foothold trap: an opossum in a standard foothold set is an incidental catch. It is legal to take or to release. If released, it typically recovers quickly — opossums are durable. Handle with thick gloves if handling directly; the bite is not dangerous but the stress to the animal warrants quick release. If you take it, it counts against your harvest and must be reported on your annual SCDNR fur harvest report.

Deep dive Opossum pelt basics: is it worth processing?

Opossum fur is coarser and less uniform than raccoon, and the market for opossum pelts is weak — prices typically run $1–$3 for a finished pelt in most recent years. The skinning method is the same case-skin approach as raccoon, though the hide is thinner and punctures more easily. Whether to process an incidental opossum is a judgment call based on your time and market. Many coon hunters simply release incidental opossums and move on.

Knowledge check

You shine a tree and see a white face, a bare pink snout, large naked ears, and a slow, deliberate animal about 8 pounds. What have you treed?

You shine a tree and see a white face, a bare pink snout, large naked ears, and a slow, deliberate animal about 8 pounds. What have you treed?

Virginia opossum Raccoon — the white could be a pale coon Domestic cat — the behavior is similar

Check answer

Knowledge check

You find a muddy creek crossing with a hind print showing a widely-splayed clawless thumb at roughly 90 degrees. Which animal made it?

You find a muddy creek crossing with a hind print showing a widely-splayed clawless thumb at roughly 90 degrees. Which animal made it?

Opossum — the clawless opposable thumb on the hind foot is the diagnostic feature Raccoon — it also has five toes on the hind foot Squirrel — small feet with spread toes

Check answer

Take it to the woods

Opossum ID checklist — at the tree or the trap

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Reset

• ⚠ Safety Before any gun comes up: confirm species. White face and bare snout = opossum; black mask = raccoon.
• Confirm opossum is in season and legal to take before harvesting — verify current SCDNR regs.
• If releasing from a foothold, approach calmly, use catch-pole or thick gloves, and stand clear of the head.
• If you take an opossum, record it in your harvest log — it goes on the April 15 SCDNR harvest report.
• Next time you find a track at a muddy crossing, check the hind foot: clawless splayed thumb = opossum; forward-facing elongated toes = raccoon.

Sources

• SCDNR — Opossum Species Information: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/publications/nuisance/opossums.pdf
• Mississippi State University Extension — How to Identify Raccoon and Opossum Tracks: https://extension.msstate.edu/blogs/extension-for-real-life/how-identify-raccoon-and-opossum-tracks
• SC eRegulations — Trapping and Commercial Fur Harvesting (opossum listed as reportable species): https://www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/hunting/trapping-commercial-fur-harvesting
• SCDNR — Rules and Regulations (verify current opossum season): https://www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html
• Critter Control — Opossum Tracks and Footprints: https://www.crittercontrol.com/wildlife/opossums/opossum-tracks/