Do they do this? I found a spot today at an old abandoned beaver house where there is lots of rat sign in the grass as well as terds. Then as I came up around the side, I found what I believe is an otter toilet. I could still smell the fish in some of them. Weird.

Also, can you hold an otter in a #3 coil?? I found a SUPER awesome place for a blind set.

They only live in harmony until the otter runs low on fish...then it's curtains for ol' muskrat because otters will kill and eat them!

Yikes!! They wont steal a dead one from, say, a 110 will they haha?

How about the #3, will it do the job? I have a few 330's but already had locations for them. I have snares for the beaver too.

Otters will also kill and eat mink and even feed on beaver in traps...something to consider!

I have held otter in 1.75 double coils, Stock, in coon pocket sets. So I would think a #3 would be more than adequate. You haven't lived until it's time to release an otter...LOL

You really havent lived till your looking for a trap in the dark and have one come up from nowhere and latch onto your brand new waders

Wow, maybe I don't want to catch one now!

Just kidding. Maybe I will drown him. I will try to get a pic of the spot, it is going to be real tricky trying to figure out a way to peg him down.

Always heard the otter/muskrat thing but never ever have I seen any evidence of it here. Very good fish population though.

Be easy to tell if you got him in the foothold....just look for a nuke strike zone and the otter will be slinging water about 20' in the air....

That's about the time I would have set a new standing high jump record,crapped my pants, and wet myself before setting another record in the 50 yard dash.
I have seen an otter on the edge of the ice side-by side with a couple of muskrats which were perched there eating some weeds while the otter fished right next to them. None of the critters seemed concerned about the other's presence. The scenerio probably would have played out differently if the otter had no fish, though.

otter are the worst thing ever to get out of a trap when still kicking it took me and my buddy an hour to get the one he caught out of his trap by the time we got the otter out i had to get new waders i wish i would had video of that would have made a great bloopers real

This is interesting I had some rats eaten out of 110's last year after snow flew hard and freeze up. Thought it might have been yotes or mink nothing for sign but lots of fresh otter slides. Makes me go HMMMM. Never new otters ate rats. Another thing found interesting after I stopped catching rats there otters were gone. Never give it a clue until read this. Was same set that rats was eaten out of twice. I put a game cam on it but didn't make anymore catches there and just pics of beaver.

Never had a problem with otter taking rats,and never a beaver fed on by one.Seems like most of the otter/rat ,otter /beaver.Come from newly repopulated areas>MO.,OH,
How about you Iowa boys--are the raisng havoc in your country?
Maybe they have learned to live in peaceful co-existance--here in the north country.
Tom

I've heard of Beaver and Muskrats co-existance!

A otter alive is like a chain saw on four legs meanest thing i have ever seen. If you catch him in a foot hold better drown him quick 330 works great on them. If it was me i would put the 330 where the otter sign and snare in other places.

I had two otters play tug-of-war with a dead muskrat in a 110 once.Didn't eat any of it, just a lot of teeth marks and, shall we say, a lot of space between each vertebrae.

I have had a trapped mink completely destroyed by an otter.

shot a widgeon one time duck hunting, broken wing, etc, before i cold get around the pond to get the bird, an otter had him. it was first light and for awhile I couldn't figure out what was after the bird. I think otter love fish, but will take anything less than a wolverine if they are hungry.

Went and looked at a supposably "Great Muskrat Place" today, Not one house, feed pile, tracks, anything from the muskrats, but low and behold there were 4 otter swimming around barking at my buddy and me. He said before the otter, there were muskrats everywhere, and the only fish in the system were minnows..... I am pretty sure I know what happened to the muskrats....LOL

early this spring I seen an otter carrying a nice big rat in his mouth. I'm sure he wasn't giving it a lift through the cattails. lol