I might have dreamt this, but I thought I heard they were looking at extending the otter season in MN because of all the incidental otter that were being taken with beaver trappers after the otter season had closed.

Here is the report for 22-23 season. They add trapper incidentals but it doesn’t look like WS is added. Unless total was less than 70 last year. https://widnr.widen.net/s/mxdw27c7db/otterharvest2022_23

2023 meeting minutes that they talked about otter quota has a nice discussion on WS effort and impact on otter. Mentions 150.

https://widnr.widen.net/s/knknczml9q/2023_fac_meetingminutes

Here is MN harvest info….looks like I was wrong. MN harvested less than 1000 otter in the 22-23 season.

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/hunting/trapping/harvest.pdf?v=2024.02.15-12.17.53

Sounds like those Minnesota trappers need a lesson in otter harvest from some good ol Wisconsin boys.

Ope, can't do that!

maybe you are just sending some of your rejected bio's that is clogging their system down with them as paper weights.
or it just the Disney effect they are harbouring all along.

Sounds like MNs short harvest season has the numbers skewed. Didn’t see mention of honor system incidentals. MN has an active spring beaver season and closing otter season simply promotes waste. Very few serious trappers are targeting otter during spring dispersal. Or anytime really. Why? Because they don’t have too. To have a closed season when trappers are afield isn’t good conservation or well thought. In fact it’s counterproductive, force to take during otter season only to dispose of later on. Season dates don’t stop catching when species interact. Trap 101, reality check. Kinda leaves MN trappers in a tight spot, turn in incidentals and use it against your quota?

Another interesting note is MN harvest dropping recently and is the opposite of WI according to the charts. It’s smoke and mirrors. Only Confirming a lack of interest in targeting otter.

Even with the lower recorded take the average participant still takes over 2 otter.

You sure about that?

Funny what a little effort can cause. I am amazed at the folks out chasing two otter. Be interesting to see when interest falls. Actually we need otter to shine again to show just how fast we can catch 2500 now?

When those spring beaver trappers are stuck high and dry without a valid tag a couple years in a row, incentive to avoid will be gone. Other than the wardens clamping down again.

All could have been avoided by following the science and increasing the quota last year. Wasn’t like trappers didn’t have representation in that meeting. Look at voting members on attendance.

I sympathize with the proactive thinkers who “save” their tags for spring simply because they are confident they will take incidental otter. By saver I mean using avoidance at all times and tagging the incidental when avoiding fails. If one traps enough the tags will fill on there own. IMO.

You know my thoughts Chris, two tags is a joke if one traps much in the water.

Either that or there isn't many to any otter

Very similar to what Illinois trappers deal with on incidental muskrats during our beaver season. Muskrat closes on Feb 15 but we can beaver/otter trap until March 31. We cannot keep muskrats after Feb 15....grrrr

Another example of poor planning.

Kill the beaver, very liberally. With about 20% of the reproductive potential.
Protect the muskrat. Wait attempt to protect the muskrat as seasons overlap. Add insult with disposal of incidentals.

Don’t understand the justification.

Wasn’t too long ago, they wanted to shorten beaver season.

Those same folks will push like crazy long before we ever have any significant impact on otter.

I hate otter

Which way they pushing?

Well, they didn’t lengthen otter season this year so…..

I know a trapper who tossed 26 otters in a spring beaver season. I told him you need to turn them in so they know how many are out there. He said he use to but a warden accused him of foul play and treated him poorly so he said he’d never turn one in again. Many stories like this I’ve heard like this being In The taxidermy business. Over the years we’ve had some real nasty wardens that have had no respect for people as well as some real standup guys The good wardens make more busts because people will report violations to them. The bad ones no one likes and won’t help them out at all.

Well that individual Is worse then the bad warden. That's just wanton waste on his part.

He also tossed lots of fishers when we still had lots of them. He was a long liner who is no longer with us. I know why he did it, some of these wardens were like Barney Fife on steroids heaped with meanness I’m not anti Warden but the opposite but these guys should have been fired. Thankfully the DA tossed out bad cases and judges chastised the bad warden but they never changed

Highly unlikely incidental otters are going to good use. Incinerator is where they typically end up in MI unfortunately. Doesn’t mean you don’t don’t turn them in but a better program like Beav suggested would be nice. We are getting over run with otter here in MI and our limit is 4.