Re: Indiana Otters
[Re: cattails]
#6759843
02/05/20 11:51 PM
02/05/20 11:51 PM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,311 Indiana
kyron4
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,311
Indiana
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I wonder how much information the DNR biologist have taken from these 600 carcasses., the last 3 years . It seems like a lot of unnecessary nonsense to check them in. I know, my daughter would really like to keep an otter skull to finish off her collection of furbearer skull. Boy, that sounded weird.
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Re: Indiana Otters
[Re: Dave 1957]
#6759851
02/05/20 11:53 PM
02/05/20 11:53 PM
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 663 Lakes Region Indiana
loosanarrow
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 663
Lakes Region Indiana
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One thing I have noticed is that there are very few muskrats in the connected waterways, especially the past 8-10 years. I would say that this is some overall issue, but the other thing I’ve noticed is that isolated ponds and marshes have gone from just a few rats here and there to now being full of rats. I suspect this is a direct result of otters running the connected waterways and killing the muskrats, but not finding the isolated smaller potholes and marshes as often. The current limit is less than ten per county in open counties. It really is not even enough to make a significant impact on the population. Another important factor is that otters do not keep exclusive territories. Although family groups will quarrel, it is just by chance encounters, not because they are defending a home territory from other otters. This, along with almost complete lack of natural predators, has the effect of allowing otters to overpopulate easily. I am on the water controlling beavers every day, all year long, and there is no question in my mind that here in northeast Indiana we have hit overpopulation. Any of the counties in the lakes belt could easily sustain a much higher harvest, and in my opinion it would benefit the ecosystem to remove at least 3 times the current quota.
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Re: Indiana Otters
[Re: Dave 1957]
#6761058
02/06/20 09:43 PM
02/06/20 09:43 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 867 Indiana
cattails
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 867
Indiana
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My hats off to you lip 1 for all your doing for trappers, It takes a lot of patience to work with bureaucracy …… It will take them 2 years to find out what we already know
Last edited by cattails; 02/06/20 09:49 PM.
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Re: Indiana Otters
[Re: cattails]
#6761085
02/06/20 10:00 PM
02/06/20 10:00 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 717 Saskatchewan
Saskquatch
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 717
Saskatchewan
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I wonder how much information the DNR biologist have taken from these 600 carcasses., the last 3 years . It seems like a lot of unnecessary nonsense to check them in. My guess is most all get slam dunked into the dumpster once the DNR gets a hold of them. When they don't take the advice from the local trappers and/or locals who actually know the real numbers, it becomes more of a job security scheme/initiative.
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Re: Indiana Otters
[Re: Saskquatch]
#6761118
02/06/20 10:18 PM
02/06/20 10:18 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 867 Indiana
cattails
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 867
Indiana
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I wonder how much information the DNR biologist have taken from these 600 carcasses., the last 3 years . It seems like a lot of unnecessary nonsense to check them in. My guess is most all get slam dunked into the dumpster once the DNR gets a hold of them. When they don't take the advice from the local trappers and/or locals who actually know the real numbers, it becomes more of a job security scheme/initiative. I posed that question with a bit of sarcasm... Some ( in the know) reported that the freezers went out last year and so they couldn't collect any data. So yes Saskquatch, they're in the dumpster
Last edited by cattails; 02/06/20 10:20 PM.
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Re: Indiana Otters
[Re: lip1]
#6764685
02/09/20 08:57 PM
02/09/20 08:57 PM
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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 34 Missouri
Fleshnugget
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 34
Missouri
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Spent yesterday afternoon with Geriann Albers, Indianas furbearer biologist. She was checking our muskrats for year 3 of her muskrat study. We talked a lot about otter. This years otter carcasses will be sent for inspection and the results wont get back to her until next year. She explained there is only one outfit that does this kind of study. All I can say now is there will be some changes in the future as far as otter quotas, rules, etc. Next season however will be the same as this year. The Indiana State Trappers Association is working closely with her so be patient we have one more year to go. There are a lot of hoops to jump thru when you take a specie off the endangered specie list such as Indians otters. She definitely is a friend of Indiana trappers I really enjoyed the Hoosier Trapper Outdoors podcast with her. She really knows her stuff.
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