# I have a dead possum in my barn **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869 "2007-02-12T17:08:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/1 "2007-02-12T17:08:37Z")
That’s pretty much it. Dead possum. I saw him yesterday looking dead, but thought, “hmmm…possum…better wait and see”. He was just as dead today. He chose to kick off right next to my horses’ mineral block. I’ll move the corpse tonight, since I didn’t have time this morning. StG ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/2 "2007-02-12T17:10:05Z")
Them’s good eatin’. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/3 "2007-02-12T17:32:51Z")
How do you _know_ he’s dead? He could just be really, _really_ good at, well, playin’ possum. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/4 "2007-02-12T18:17:41Z")
Everytime I hear the words “dead possum”, I get the image of my BIL attempting to remove a possum that had managed to die while in the process of climbing their fence. It was a secluded area of fence, so by the time he found it, the possum had bloated, then dried up and the flesh was kind of merged with the fence, (it was chain link). BIL, wearing rubber gloves and holding a trashbag, reached for the possum and wiggled it a bit to dislodge it from the fence. But not all of it was dried up, and he heard a wet tearing sound, before the liquified entrails gushed out all over his arm. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/5 "2007-02-12T18:20:06Z")
Them’s good eatin’. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/6 "2007-02-12T18:28:32Z")
Eeeew. My husband’s dog killed one and stashed it in the corner of the yard, out of sight. After it got good and mushy from the summer heat, he rolled in it and then came bounding into the house. Eeeew. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/7 "2007-02-12T18:58:48Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Eeeew. My husband’s dog killed one and stashed it in the corner of the yard, out of sight. After it got good and mushy from the summer heat, he rolled in it and then came bounding into the house. Eeeew. [/QUOTE] :: BARF :: ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/8 "2007-02-12T19:00:24Z")
[QUOTE=Batsinma Belfry] Everytime I hear the words “dead possum”, I get the image of my BIL attempting to remove a possum that had managed to die while in the process of climbing their fence. It was a secluded area of fence, so by the time he found it, the possum had bloated, then dried up and the flesh was kind of merged with the fence, (it was chain link). BIL, wearing rubber gloves and holding a trashbag, reached for the possum and wiggled it a bit to dislodge it from the fence. But not all of it was dried up, and he heard a wet tearing sound, before the liquified entrails gushed out all over his arm. [/QUOTE] Most guys just leave it hanging there. Especially if it’s secluded. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/9 "2007-02-12T20:01:02Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Most guys just leave it hanging there. [/QUOTE] Yep, I’m with you. Keeps the neighbors away. And for those hard to deter neighbors, a “Keep Out” sign in possum blood usually does the trick. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/10 "2007-02-12T20:09:22Z")
When I lived in Seattle we had a fair amount of possum in the neighbourhood. One day I noticed a dead possum face sticking out from under the corner of the house. It seems Mr Possum got under the house and tried to squeeze his way under the corner, didn’t fit, was too stupid to back up (or perhaps got stuck), and stayed there until he died. Poor Mr Possum. Poor Seven for having to crawl under the house to the far corner to try and get this bastard. For several months when we’d see a possum we’d say “House 1, possum 0” ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/11 "2007-02-12T20:29:50Z")
Don’t throw it out! _The Joy of Cooking_ recommends serving with turnip greens. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/12 "2007-02-12T20:42:18Z")
I read the title of the OP as “I have a dead possum in my bra”, and I was worried for a minute. One should only keep LIVE possums in one’s undergarments, as a general rule. ---
**Author:** ![Barrels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@Barrels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrels)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/13 "2007-02-12T20:59:29Z")
Being a smart horse person like I know you are I am sure you already know about all the yucky diseases possums carry that can effect horses. You may want to call your vet just to make sure that the horses are up to date on all possum transmitted stuff. On that note. PETA PEOPLE STOP READING HERE… One night there was a possum out in my horse pasture, I would have left him be but he was acting strange. I don’t like possums around the house in the first place and one that isn’t acting right has no place in my horse pasture. I decided it was best for him to meet the possum maker but for the life of me couldn’t find any bullets for the .22. I did however know where my bow case was. Knowing that possums are very hardy I made sure to hit all the vital spots and in the end the thing looked more like a porcupine than a possum. Tossed him over the fence and called it a night. The next day I was out working on the fence and looked over to where the possum had been tossed the night before. He was gone, there where no drag marks in the snow, so nothing carried him off, however there were little possum tracks wandering away from the spot. To this day I am certain that there is no way he could have survived all of those wounds. Just one should have been fatal. So ever since I have decided that he was actually a little possum Terminator and he just regenerated parts and moved on. Barrels ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/14 "2007-02-12T21:14:33Z")
The first time I scanned past this thread I thought it said “I have a dead possum in my bra.” I decided to wait until I was totally awake before reading any further. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/15 "2007-02-12T21:49:03Z")
A couple of years ago, I was doing a building inspection. On the floor of what should have been unoccupied, as it was an abandoned building, was a backpack. My dog was fairly interested in this backpack. I might be a sucker for punishment. I looked inside. It contained one dead and mummified possum, on top of a bag of beef jerky. Was the possum after the jerky? Did it get stuck? It certainly looked like it could have backed out, but maybe it lost a lot of weight in the whole mummification process. Was someone saving the possum for later? It was odd and creepy. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/16 "2007-02-12T22:30:20Z")
Since you really didn’t know what to do with a perfectly good possum, you are forgiven this time. Next time you come across a perfectly good dead possum, here’s a recipe for [possum and sweet taters](http://www.recipezaar.com/196198). ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/17 "2007-02-12T22:31:49Z")
**swampbear** - You want me to mail it to you? I’m sure aged possum i slike aged beef - extra special. StG ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/18 "2007-02-13T02:51:32Z")
Misread as: **I have a dead possum in my _brain_.** :eek: The actual header is almost mundane by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/19 "2007-02-13T03:02:11Z")
[QUOTE=Batsinma Belfry] Everytime I hear the words “dead possum”, I get the image of my BIL attempting to remove a possum that had managed to die while in the process of climbing their fence. It was a secluded area of fence, so by the time he found it, the possum had bloated, then dried up and the flesh was kind of merged with the fence, (it was chain link). BIL, wearing rubber gloves and holding a trashbag, reached for the possum and wiggled it a bit to dislodge it from the fence. But not all of it was dried up, and he heard a wet tearing sound, before the liquified entrails gushed out all over his arm. [/QUOTE] And that’s why there are so few possums who are method actors. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869/20 "2007-02-13T10:31:16Z")
I’m glad the OP isn’t asking us how to handle the situation. According to everything I’ve been taught, a person who owns a barn is the most likely one to know what to do about a dead possum. **Kalhoun** , **Mr. Moto** is correct. I don’t know if people do this now, but 100 years ago there was a [ragtime tune](http://www.perfessorbill.com/midi/posstatr.mid) dedicated to the culinary delight of “possum and taters”. (Warning: Link will play music). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-dead-possum-in-my-barn/391869.md?page=2)