O-possums! O-No!

Main points

1. Opossums cause property damage including damage to your vehicles

2. They den under structures, in attics, and can even use your car as a den

3. Opossums will fight for territory and to protect their young

4. In Michigan and other states, you can hunt and trap opossums year round in designated areas

5. Call your local pest control company if you are not in an area that allows hunting and trapping

6. Keep garbage cans and pet/livestock food sealed and stored away

Where opossums den

While opossums don't typically cause much damage to your yard, they are still considered a nuisance animal for a number of different reasons. Let's get into it...

Opossums will create dens underneath a structure such as a building, your home, your shed, and your decks or any debris in your yard like piles of wood. The reality is, opossums will den anywhere they can that seems safe, including your attic and walls. So, if you have an old boat in your yard, a car, anything that is sitting for a longer period of time, opossums will use that as a nesting place.

Opossums also likely to get into your working vehicles, especially during the winter months for warmth. They will find their way under your hood from the bottom of the car where it is warm from the engine running and nest there. There, they create dens, chew wires, and have their young.

When there are two adult opossums in the same area, they also fight one another for territory and to protect their young. They will also attempt to fight other animals, included your domesticated pets or livestock.

How to remove opossums

In the Great State of Michigan (and in many other states), opossums can be hunted year-round with a valid hunting license. This is limited to areas where hunting and trapping is allowed, such as private land or public hunting zones. Remember to look at your state gaming authority and local ordinances for more rules on where you're allowed to hunt.

Hunting opossums is typically done with a firearm, usually a rifle or shotgun of some sort. Trapping them can be done a number of ways, typically with a live trap and bait. Because opossum are most active at night, putting fresh bait out in your live trap before dusk is a good idea.

If you live in an area where hunting or trapping is not allowed, reaching out to your local pest control company is your best bet. They're licensed to trap these critters year round in any area and have the skills and the equipment to trap and relocate them far away from your property.

How to prevent opossum from denning near your home

Making sure that all food sources are out of sight and reach is a great first step. Opossums are denning on your property for 2 main reasons: (1) food source and (2) the environment is safe. Keeping garbage cans sealed or put away in a shed or garage is a good idea, along with sealing any other food items, like pet food or livestock feed in a sealed container.

Tightening up areas that opossums typically like to den with chicken wire or some sort of board that is secured to the home will do a pretty good job at keeping them out. If you have a home with a window well and an opossum has made its way down there and cannot get out, putting some kind of stick or log or board in there will give them the ability to climb up and out and into a trap set for them.