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Otter thread. Lets talk about it #1784326
02/01/10 03:01 PM
02/01/10 03:01 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
J
Jeremy Watson Offline OP
trapper
Jeremy Watson  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
Ive done some looking in archives and havent found too much!
There are some questions I have and Probably some others also.

1.Whats the range for an Otter? Aprox is fine
2.How many otter to an area? Understand thats a loaded Q. Just an average. Dont want to trap them all out that way there are more seasons to come in an area.
3.Has anyone had success with fish/or? baited coni triggers?
4.Are they day or nite critters?
5.??

Well thats all I can think of for now. Thank you and have a good day.

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Jeremy Watson] #1784336
02/01/10 03:04 PM
02/01/10 03:04 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 440
N.C,Harnett.....17 y/ old
foxgeter Offline
trapper
foxgeter  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 440
N.C,Harnett.....17 y/ old
otters love fish and i know someone has caught many otters on fish


member of the NCTA




Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: foxgeter] #1784348
02/01/10 03:09 PM
02/01/10 03:09 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Bruce T Offline
trapper
Bruce T  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
I don't know anyone who has caught otter with baited sets.I would much rather have good blind sets in water channels,cross overs,trails,etc.


Nevada bound
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Bruce T] #1785008
02/01/10 07:37 PM
02/01/10 07:37 PM
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 174
Durham, NC
S
silver is money Offline
trapper
silver is money  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 174
Durham, NC
I and others I know have seen them in the daytime.


Silver is a leveraged derivative play on gold.
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: ] #1785119
02/01/10 08:15 PM
02/01/10 08:15 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
J
Jeremy Watson Offline OP
trapper
Jeremy Watson  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
yeah its all good info. Now I just need to get the territory of them covered and the Q about how many could be in an area

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Jeremy Watson] #1785127
02/01/10 08:18 PM
02/01/10 08:18 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Bruce T Offline
trapper
Bruce T  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Could be one or two.Could be a whole litter with the parents.Otter cover miles.Could stay in one area for a while or might not come back to an area for a couple weeks.


Nevada bound
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Bruce T] #1785221
02/01/10 08:41 PM
02/01/10 08:41 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 253
Higginsville,Missouri
T
TrappinCol Offline
trapper
TrappinCol  Offline
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T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 253
Higginsville,Missouri
A wise young man working a few years back with our conservation dept.on an otter program ran telemetry studies on otters that had been implanted and or radioed told me this."Our studies show if an otter wants to go 5 miles across open fields in one night,they'll do it."I never did ask him what they figured was an avg. home range in Missouri.Have just always remembered that little bit of Info.More nocturnal but will definitely be out on cloudy,stormy days.I've been in GREAT territory and it be a week or more setting heavy on the blind sets before connecting.


Member Missouri Trappers Assoc.-NTA.Official auctioneer of National Trappers Assoc.
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: TrappinCol] #1785268
02/01/10 08:54 PM
02/01/10 08:54 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85
Georgia
F
firedawg Offline
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firedawg  Offline
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F

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85
Georgia
Don't know the exact range, or how many will be in an area. I have seen them on our land during the daytime usually in pairs. I recently trapped one a few weeks ago. I was walking up the creek looking for a place to set a beaver trap, and one came up the creek--and he was wearin small bream out. So i started looking for otter sign--found a toilet, so i set 2 traps and caught one of them. I did have the set baited with a fish, don't know if it made a difference though.

Saw another one 2 days ago out near the head of the pond--same creek. It was wearin out the bream also. I caught a male. I havent seen any in pairs this year in that place though. if i knew there was a whole family there, i would trap another, but if the one i saw the other day is the female, i would prefer to let her stay there to have more little ones.

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: TrappinCol] #1785307
02/01/10 09:02 PM
02/01/10 09:02 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
J
Jeremy Watson Offline OP
trapper
Jeremy Watson  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
Col thats great info thanx

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: firedawg] #1785340
02/01/10 09:11 PM
02/01/10 09:11 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,860
Oregon
beaverpeeler Offline
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beaverpeeler  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,860
Oregon
On really good otter water if I catch one for every two or three river miles I have got about all that river will give up for that year.

I did read some studies that suggested that home range for males was about 20 to 30 river miles...lot's of depends though.

As far as all the lures and baits... I'd bet that these sets account for less than 5% of all otter caught in north america on a yearly basis. Crossovers and blindsets plus covering lot's of territory is where it's at.

Finally, if you really want to do some good reading about otter trapping buy a copy of "Otter Trapping" by the Washington State Trappers Assoc. It is a compilation of observations and methods by Washington's top otter producers. George Sovie at Cascade Trappers Supply can set you up.

PS I see otter during the daytime often and have checked traps going downstream (with nothing) and had otter in them an hour later as I made my way back up.

Last edited by beaverpeeler; 02/01/10 09:14 PM.

My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Jeremy Watson] #1785357
02/01/10 09:14 PM
02/01/10 09:14 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 434
Ky.
W
watershedman25 Offline
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watershedman25  Offline
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W

Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 434
Ky.
Been tryin' to catch one myself. A fella trapper on GBO said they would hit a bucket set for coon baited w/flakey fish. Caught a few coon but no otter.


Born once,die twice-Born twice,die once.
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: beaverpeeler] #1785367
02/01/10 09:17 PM
02/01/10 09:17 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
J
Jeremy Watson Offline OP
trapper
Jeremy Watson  Offline OP
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J

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
thank you carl

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: beaverpeeler] #1785381
02/01/10 09:22 PM
02/01/10 09:22 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 19
Michigan
Well taught Offline
trapper
Well taught  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 19
Michigan
I read in FFG one time that otters will travel about 20 miles in a 3-4 week span during the summer and will travel 40-60 miles during the winter within a 3-4 week time frame... depending on the accessibility of a reliable food source.
I have seen up to 3 otters together at a time but it wouldnt suprise me to see more.
I am not sure if they are nocturnal,I dont see why not they wouldnt travel at night but I have seen them in the day a number of times.
I have heard of using baited conibears but one of the problems with them is that the otters smarten up quick when they see that there friends are missing due to baited sets(similar to most other furbearers) I have always prefered blindsets because they are more natural and they dont as easily see it coming.

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Well taught] #1785422
02/01/10 09:33 PM
02/01/10 09:33 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,860
Oregon
beaverpeeler Offline
trapper
beaverpeeler  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,860
Oregon
I one time had an otter break a wire (on a lake) and so the next day I came back with a wet suit and snorkle. I kept bobbing up and down looking for it but after a bit I looked out on the arm of the lake I was on and I had 9 otters in the water stretching their heads up as high as the could to see waht the funny black otter was doing. LOL


My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Well taught] #1785429
02/01/10 09:35 PM
02/01/10 09:35 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
J
Jeremy Watson Offline OP
trapper
Jeremy Watson  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
well taught that was some more great info. Ive pulled two in this one area bolth males. I just dont want to wipe them out of that area.

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: beaverpeeler] #1785432
02/01/10 09:35 PM
02/01/10 09:35 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Bruce T Offline
trapper
Bruce T  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Otter do move both day or night.


Nevada bound
Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Jeremy Watson] #1785433
02/01/10 09:35 PM
02/01/10 09:35 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 120
Wisconsin, USA
S
Smalltown Offline
trapper
Smalltown  Offline
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S

Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 120
Wisconsin, USA
JDW, great questions. River otters are very nomadic and unpredictable. The NTA Trapping Handbook has a good description on home ranges. NTA states that a range of 20sq miles in the summer is to be expected and 60 sq.mi in the winter. You can type in "river otter" on a yahoo or google search engine and you'll find all kinds of helpful info. I have caught otter on a smelt minnow put horizontal on a 330 strigger, but most I caught were on blind sets. Culverts where they cross are excellent sets - check regs! They like to hang out in family packs too, usually occupying old beaver lodges. My son got his first this year on a old beaver bank den they were using.

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Jeremy Watson] #1785437
02/01/10 09:36 PM
02/01/10 09:36 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 30
North Carolina
O
Otterguy Offline
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Otterguy  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 30
North Carolina
Having done alot of research on otters.Hear is my two sense.

1.Range depends greatly on the size of the river. My reach suggests that otters prefer small backwater streams with a lot of structure, but they use large rivers to travel. The homerange analysis of my otters was a core home range of 5 to 7 miles of stream while they travel upwards to 20-30 miles regularly.
2.Otter are a communal critter living in family units, but do travel solitary as well. There will commonly be 3-6 otters traveling together. So gang setting is key. I have seen as many as 12 together.
3.Forget the baited triggers use blind sets and dive pole sets. Find they areas they use tiolets/latrines and set them heavy.
4.Otter travel at all hours of the day and night, but from my experience they travel alot at dusk and dawn.
Hope this helps

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Otterguy] #1785474
02/01/10 09:46 PM
02/01/10 09:46 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
J
Jeremy Watson Offline OP
trapper
Jeremy Watson  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,306
Madras Oregon
The info just keeps gettin better. I had no idea on how larg their territory could be. Thats realy big

Re: Otter thread. Lets talk about it [Re: Jeremy Watson] #1785491
02/01/10 09:52 PM
02/01/10 09:52 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 120
Wisconsin, USA
S
Smalltown Offline
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Smalltown  Offline
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S

Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 120
Wisconsin, USA
They do have a big area, but they move a lot too. Watch and set the sign.

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