When the young of the first litter are able to live alone, sometime in May, the female mates again. The young of the second litter are sufficiently grown to leave the mother in September. The opossum is the most common wild mammal in the southern forests of the United States whose fur is used commercially. Although choice skins may be made into coats, the fur is used chiefly to trim inexpensive cloth coats. The trapping take varies annually due to changes in the demand for long-haired furs and the fluctuating value of the pelts.
Opossums provide sport for night hunters and their hounds.
Many people consider the flesh to be good, and baked opossum is a traditional dish in some localities. Although opossums occasionally raid poultry yards, they do little harm otherwise. Since this species is abundant in Missouri, there is no immediate need for management other than to regulate the harvest. This series is abstracted from the revised edition of The Wild Mammals of Missouri by Charles and Elizabeth Schwartz. For more detailed information about this species and other mammals in Missouri, refer to this book.