Hey, so I know most people don't eat the coons, but I wanted to make sure that the red blood looking spots on the lungs were from the dispatching and not Tuberculosis or something. Other than the liver having bumps on it (which may be normal?) all other organs seemed very healthy but I have little experience with this. The possum I tried was pretty good, but probably won't trap those intentionally.
Little background, I understand that there are diseases that I should be wary of but I hate wasting anything that I kill. I am trapping for pelts for personal projects and such, and would hate for good meat to go to waste.

Also since I'm here, any suggestions for Fleming/Duke DP traps being way too strong? It snapped the possums leg in half which is why I had to dispatch and process it. I would assume just leave them set in a box for awhile and the springs should wear in a bit... but the raccoon was caught in a live trap since my dp's are problematic.

I will post pictures but my internet is quite slow atm.

So it may have had roundworms, probably need to go dig up the organs to make sure.

Probably can't eat this one, unsure of roundworms and the liver may be diseased. It seemed super healthy otherwise, but I really don't want rabbit fever. Any info is greatly appreciated.

If you feel you just must eat the fur bearing animals that you trap then my advice would be to discard ALL internals....and consume only the flesh/muscle meat resource.

Presumably you are not in a live or die survival situation. The internals will not go to waste. Scavengers will make certain of that.

I don't think he is asking about eating the organs. He is asking about the possibility of the animal having tulemaria or some other disease indicated by the condition of the organs. Like not eating rabbits with spotted livers. Raccoons can have any of a long list of diseases, viruses, bacterial infections, and parasites. If in doubt or anything looks off. Or if you have to ask. Don't eat it. Risk to benefit. Not worth it.

I dont know much, but I wouldn't eat anything with a liver that looked like that! That is just not right!

I trapped and sold a few hundred possums when I was a kid. My buyers ate them. I would keep them in a trash can with a bed of leaves and feed them table scraps to kind of purge them before my buyers came by to purchase them from me. One did bring me some possum stew to try and though it was so long ago and I was so young that I don't remember what it tasted like. But I don't remember it tasting bad. I do remember they told me the meat had a lot of fat in it or very greasy. They would boil the meat and poor off the fat before using it. So there's a tip for you if you insist on eating them. I have trapped enough of them to know how nasty of an animal they are. So I wouldn't.

have never or wont eat possums, know people that did many years ago, like S J said its very greasy and I do mean greasy.

Don't remember ever eating any possum, but I'm not going to say
that I never will. I just haven't been hungry enough yet. I've had
barbecued coon, and it was ok

As far as letting varmints go, I never do.
I prefer to have game birds and game animals proliferate and to
keep any of mine or my neighbor's livestock unmolested.

I have had barbecued coon. Many years ago I went to a Bronte deer lease to hunt for two weeks. My truck broke down early in the first week and I was there alone. It was going to be the weekend before someone else would be there and I was about out of food with no way to run to town. This was before the world of smart phones so I could not call anyone either. Every afternoon I went out and shot the first thing I saw to eat for dinner. Usually rabbits or a Turkey. One day I came up on a family of raccoons and purposely shot one of the smaller ones thinking it would taste better. Dressed and barbecued that sucker and it was pretty darn good. Could have been because it was corn fed or just because I was hungry.

Down to my last can..........

DP traps don't break their legs, they do it to themselves trying to get out of the trap, it just happens with possums. I put the dispatch pole on them, shoot a spot of paint on their back fur with some surveyors spray paint and cut them loose, broke leg or not. If they are dumb enough to get into it again, they get dispatched.

I was given advice to have good swivel points on my traps because of how the smallest animal
will fight a trap. I add at least one Minnesota crunch proof swivel to every trap I have.
The animal can't twist the chain up to get leverage to twist loose or injure itself.
JMHO- I haven't saved any trapped varmints for anything in a long time and I can't notice
any lack of them lately. I sure wouldn't have any feelings of guilt for not eating any of
the varmints I've popped and discarded. My activities don't have any negative effects
on the environment other than allowing edible game animals and game birds to flourish
and make for better numbers for the people that pay the toll for the state's wildlife

Good Luck

Yes, no need. Folks need to dispense with the idea that any Non-Game animal not consumed (by humans) is somehow wasted.

If we were to take ourselves out of the scheme of things (nature) the carcass of any animal would generally be quickly consumed by scavengers and other opportunistic feeders. It ISN'T going to waste. In fact....the 'normal' sequence of events is taking place.

I don't disagree with the concept/practice of a person making the best use of any animal taken. But 'best use' is to be determined by the individual and circumstance.

And should that individual decide not to try and use the entire animal....then worry not, nature will.

Won't be on my list of things to try. Last spring I was at Guadalupe River State Park. I found a young coon at the base of a tree and it would't move. I got one of the park rangers and brought him over. The coon was not dead. The ranger told me that they had found several in the past 2 weeks. It was determined that they had died of
feline distemper. Not sure if that could affect humans or not.

Been busy, I appreciate the feedback. I believe that was a kidney not the liver but still tossed the meat. Thinking about it I 100% agree that it's not waste if other animals eat it, I just want to try to be as resourceful as I can with the stuff I hunt/trap. Here's my 4th hide and 1st coon it's still got some Cleaning up but it turned out pretty good. Plan on tubing the next one

You can have my share.

Just FYI, there are about 50 times as many possums now than there ever have been, ever. They don’t have many predators. And they don’t hunt ticks, they only groom them off one another. But they will eat every egg they come across- turkey, quail, etc. A turkey will eat many times the amount of ticks a possum will consume. They consume carrion so there is that. So do many other critters.

If you dispatched every possum you seen it would be beneficial to the rest of the ecosystem. We are overloaded with possums, raccoons, etc. Not enough predators, no fur market.

Good gawd I'm damn glad to see someone else that
understands this ! !
That makes 2 of us I guess

If possums actively foraged for ticks, there wouldn't
be any ticks to speak of, and it wouldn't have nearly
killed the cattle industry years ago.

There's possums without numbers roaming around,
and barring some kind of epidemic disease, we won't
see any kind of decline in their numbers for generations.
I've been trapping them for years right here in the
back yard, and there's no decline in numbers that I
can tell. My best is still 13 in 13 nights.
Just got another last night a couple of hours after
a reset

Strong work. Possum eats every egg he finds, so kill every possum that you see.

Did you eat it?

I’m resourceful w game animals only lol

Good God man, just read above after my last post

Thought you ate it

Trap em, shoot em and roll em in the ditch.
Lot better things to eat unless you have to.

I try to do my part

Nice work