Its South Dakota's 3rd (I think) otter season. In some parts of the state. The first two seasons lasted about a week or so each. It would be cool if it only took three days maybe showing the populations are increasing. However, its starting on a Weds so probably the week average will be the thing again this year.

P.S. I wish they would stop adding "River" with "Otter". What other otter species would we have here...? Nimrods.

2023 River Otter Season Opens November 1

South Dakota's river otter season opens at sunrise on November 1 and marks the fourth season in the state. This season creates a unique opportunity for furbearer license holders during the fall and there are several regulations that must be followed to participate.

The season is open to residents only and participants must possess a valid Furbearer License.
The season is open in the following counties: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Grant, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Turner, Union and Yankton.
Harvest limit of one river otter per person.
The season runs from November 1 to December 31, unless the harvest limit of 20 river otters is reached (whichever comes first). When 20 river otters are harvested, the season will close immediately.
Otters caught in existing traps within 24 hours of the close of the season are legal catches.
Participants must report harvested river otters to GFP within 24 hours of harvest by calling 605.353.7319.
All river otter pelts are required to be tagged through the eyeholes with a CITES tag provided by GFP within five days of harvest and the carcass must be surrendered to GFP.

Participants can track the river otter harvest limit by viewing the Current River Otter Harvest Count or by calling GFP's River Otter Harvest Hotline at 605.353.7185.

For more information about the river otter season, please visit the GFP website at gfp.sd.gov/river-otter/.

Here it runs from Oct 5 to April 30.
Open Quota

I have in my possession two '23-'24 Oregon otter record cards with spaces for up to 30 otters total. I pity you guys.

And he can get more cards.

Boy I thought Indiana was bad..we can keep 2 and the season is Nov 15 to March 15 with a quota of 750..

We don’t need no stinking cards……lol
No limit here.
3 1/2 month long season.

Yeah but you buy gas by the "Litre" too.

So do you you just dont know it.
You also get shortchanged,lol
Your gallon is only 3.7ltr and a real gallon is 4.5ltr.

Yep NoPC, dealing with a similar mindset here. Although, we have a longer season, our harvest per county is somewhat contradictory to what our actual population is. Otters, IMO, are one of the most abundant proliferaters that we have.

Our gallon is 4 qts.

10 Gallon is a Cowboy Hat

Three month season and no quota here

I suspect what has happened here is that all the conservation officers have a tanned otter pelt for educational purposes and anyone who is somebody in state government also has a tanned wallhanger if they want so the State has decided, "we might as well let a few of a common joes keep a slider (maybe) if they catch one during the first week of November". It shows that they are responding to good, law abiding citizens. Meanwhile, they will still get x number of otter skins that are caught out of season that they can sell at their annual auction of antlers, skulls, and other nifty wildlife things they (or common people-- look out of the "big buck skull" admin reg) find or court cases are settled. At least we have a chance at those each spring depending on if we have coin to spend at auction

What I’ve been trying to beat into their thick skulls is that if they are going to have a limited quota, at least do it when the otter are prime….. I try and make them see the point by saying it is like shooting a 6.5 year old 10 point in July. Simply a waste in my opinion…

[quote]What I’ve been trying to beat into their thick skulls is that if they are going to have a limited quota, at least do it when the otter are prime….. I try and make them see the point by saying it is like shooting a 6.5 year old 10 point in July. Simply a waste in my opinion…/quote]

There is that. I sort of thought that myself.

Easier patrolling in early November than later in the colder times of the year

Well, I would have lost my bet, 8 days into the 2023 SD otter season and the boys haven't reached the half mark yet. Perhaps the first two years of finishing within a week had some "eager beavers" (pun sort of on purpose) to be one of the first to legally take a slider and they got their wall hangers in 2021 or 2022 and aren't out this year. Or there's just less trappers running water lines. I doubt its fewer critters.

The SD GF&P has a neat little "otter tracker' telling when and where the slider was taken. Duel County is sort of a funny one, mostly a higher (elevation difference is a relative ting in eastern SD) plateau with lots of lakes but not a noticeable river. There are a few creeks on the eastern edge where the plateau starts falling away to the Minnesota River Valley in MN where I suspect the otters are being taken. The state boys & girls have explained that South Dakota basically had two otter initiation areas. One is north of Sioux Falls along the Big Sioux River where the Flandreau Santee Tribe dumped some into the river. The other area of otter spread was in the northeast (Duel County would be counted here as a southern northeast county) where the sliders have made their way upstream on the Minnesota River western tributaries.

We'll see if they can get the 20 count done by Thanksgiving...

https://sdgfp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/58ab820440aa4bd9b616d2ab4689e4dd

Weather is probably playing a part.

If you guys think Nov 1 is too early, when would be a good time?

a buddy caught #7 of the 20 a couple days ago.

fossil2- Was that in one of the northeast border counties?