Otter advice

This is the first time they have opened an otter season in my area of NW PA. We get a 1 week season in late Feb. What advice do you have for someone who's never chased otters? Type of set? Trap size? Any advice is appreciated.

If you know of a watershed that has otters, look for a toilet. It'll be piles of black to gray "scat like" stuff mainly consisting of fish scales and crawdad shells. The black being fresher than the gray. This is vomit that I guess they throw up because the scales and shells are indigestible.

But these toilets will be up on the bank and there should be a trail from the water up to the toilet. Set a big strong foothold down in the water in the base of these trails. Any otters coming through will go up to these toilets to mark their scent and roll around on it. Otters are rovers and cover a lot of area so it may be a while before they come back through.

Another set that I've had success on is a ditch or creek with high banks. Dig a softball sized hole about 4 foot above the water and put some otter lure in the hole with a trap directly below it. The otter will be swimming down, see the hole, and "stand up" to investigate the hole and thus step on the trap. The lure I've used with this is Lennon's Otter lure. And I'm pretty sure on the bottle it describes the above set as one to use with that lure.

Remove(trap out) all your beavers then set all the dam crossovers above and below each dam.

If it's open water conditions, lay brush along the top of the dam to allow only one or two places for the otters to cross. I've found they'll cross anywhere on a dam and a lot of times along the creek edges. They don't always use the cross-over. Blocking works well and you will funnel them into your traps.

Otter Trapping:
With regard to the type of area to set, I would suggest key locations would be:
- Beaver dam spillways, above and below. Also check each shore edge of dam for other (otter)
cross over locations.
- Stream pinch points.
- Diving sets in narrow stream channels.
- Old beaver (abandoned) lodges.
- Cross-over shortcuts between bends in a stream and toilets.
- Otter Pressure Set: At iced over beaver dams with a constant water flow over the dam place a
trap or two back under the ice. Enlarge the hole if necessary, to accommodate the traps. Then
block off the sides to the dam with sticks thus forcing the otter through the trap(s).

Beaver dam cross overs- Otters will cross more often than not on the right side. While looking at the dam on the down side, where the dam meets the bank.

Toilets- Again looking up stream More toilets will be found on the right. Under the most promlet evergreen (cedar)on the most promlet point.

Footholds- I'v held many a otter in a #2 DLS .The #3 Sleepy Creek DLSOS is my "go to" Otter trap. There can not be too many swivels in your trap chain.

Body Grip traps- I like a 330 with CIRCLE trigger.SWIVELES are a most

Snares- I use 5/64" 1x19 Double Swiveled.With the first swivel as closs as I can get to the 4 1/2" loop that I use. Set 4 1/2" off the walking surface.

Never set IN the toilet.Set the trails leading to or from the toilet.Otter back into a toilet. NOT head on.
Dirt hole sets work on location.My OTTERLY SIMPLE LURE works for me.I formulated it when I long line state hoped otters when they adgveraged close to $200.00

DONT forget Mink. They cant pass up a Otter Toilet.

Newt and Clint's otterly simple dvd was terrific. Interesting ideas that apply to mink trapping also.

If I were strictly chasing otters, I’d set body grips in narrow stream pinch points. If setting around beaver dams, I’d set below the lowest dam where there is the least open water. If it’s shallow, set multiples, because Coons and mink can and do plug sets.


On dry land, 220s are great otter traps. In the water, 280 is usually a better choice in my opinion, although I’m more likely to set a 330.


Agricultural road culverts that have defined crossovers (meaning it’s a used location) can be golden. I’d set a trap on each end of each crossover.

IMO a 330-size trap is a poor choice for otter unless it is fully submerged.
For fast moving otter’s a 330-size trap quite often closes on them to far back resulting in poor hip catches that don’t dispatch them quickly. My experience with the smaller 280 is that it closes faster and results in fewer, if any, poor catches. The 280 will also capture more of the incidental mink and muskrats that often trigger 330 beaver and otter sets without getting caught. Thus, it is the ultimate otter trap IMO.

Circle triggers, bctomcat

I cought more mink and muskrat incdencals in 330's with circle triggers than any other trap.

Otters dont go into a circle trigger far enough to get cought by the hips. Most are suit cased

All Great info, but in PA I don't recall you can set within so many feet of a dam. Do your scouting, look for toilets' set your slide and then its just time

You can't set a trap within 15 feet of an established beaver dam or hut in PA. You can only set 5 otter traps statewide. 2 can be body-grips. I got my first otter permit but it's going to be a longshot. I saw sign where I trapped my Fisher last year so I'll give it a go. The tracks went about just like a mink would so a 5 trap limit makes it tough. I recall someone on here saying skunk works good. Good luck to you awesome 'possum.

I’m more likely to set a 330, because that’s what I have more of. Just like with dry land mink trapping, I prefer a larger trap, because I can and do add nearby vegetation to camouflage it, as well as narrow the trap opening when needed. I can use grass or sticks to reduce the size of the opening or not. It gives me the option of making a smaller trap out of a larger trap which is easier than making a larger trap out of a smaller trap.


Also, I use (2) trigger configurations for my 330s. Twisted together to make a T, dog down and twisted together as a single trigger wire, pushed to one side which helps me to catch beavers while avoiding some otters and other smaller non targets. The T wires, set half submerged and blended as I prefer to set for otters, kills them stone dead.

If I were setting submerged BGs for otters, I would certainly agree with that a 280 is a better choice. I just prefer half submerged T triggers here. I know that’s not legal in a lot of states.

WHY? If either trap is under water they are both equally effective in dispatching the animal quickly whereas on land, or non-submersion sets, the 330 not necessarily so due do possible poor body strikes.

Because if I were using submerged traps for otters, I’d be using a trigger configuration that covered more of the space between the jaws, rather than leaving an opening for them to possibly slink through.

Since I generally use a well camouflaged trap in a pinch point with T triggers, half submerged, I don’t need anything else. It just looks like a gap to shoot through, and the T triggers means a good catch. I trap a lot of areas with shallow water, and I can make a lot of these sets.


I don’t care what others choose to use. I simply said that I use 330s most, because that’s what I have and use on the large end of trap sizes. On the smaller end, I use 220s and even 160s, and they both kill otters stone dead.

Smaller trap on land in natural pinch or under ice at dams-larger trap(330) submerged in channels.
Otters can get out of older 330's set on land,and also can and will avoid the triggers.Too much fencing will cause refusals for a lot of otters on dry land,in my experience.Because otters try to avoid triggers larger traps often hit poorly on the otter.When swimming otters wont try to avoid triggers and the single twisted trigger wire dead center,even on 330's takes them in channels.

You are right. We have to be at least 15ft from dams.

Thanks. Good luck to you too.

Thanks. Good luck to you too.

awesome 'possum. HI from a NW PA trapper also! We're just allowed 1 otter so i just use my #4 dls beaver traps. Or 330. Find toilet areas & set up climb out spot. If i use lure it's been Caven's otter lure. Hardest part in Feb is keeping set clear of ice! Otter will use any main beaver channel in shallower water (330)

Check for signs,here in northern Ontario a good place is the cross over with 2 traps one on top and one at the bottom with the 280. Often the 2 traps are full, they often travel in pairs.

Yup..280’s hit hard and fast....put 3-4 ..one on top of the spillway...one at the bottom...and others down stream in pinch point where the water is rippling....there’s usually more than one