New Years treat in my trap

Just something about filling an otter tag on a cold snowy morning makes me still smile

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That’s awesome! Are there quite a few of those around?

Around here the population is steadily increasing. I just do ADC work with trapping anymore. Homeowner has an 8 acre pond and the otter just moved in…..

Randy Wieland wrote:

Homeowner has an 8 acre pond and the otter just moved in out…

Fixed that for you.

Otters are one of my favorite animals. Make it a point to see em up in the Duluth aquarium every year. Probably shed a tear if I saw one dead

With that said I’m not all tree hugger about it. I’m actually surprised they are allowed a harvest with what would seem to a city guy a really low population.

Are they nuisance animals up there? What does the hide go to use? I’m familiar with others, not otter.

Im with ya beads, i have no idea why people trap unless they are a pest/problem? it can’t be to make a few bucks cuz that seems like a lot of effort for a little rodent.
i trap moles cuz they eff up my yard, minnows to take fishing, mice cuz they try to live in my house but not really sure what an otter could mess up.

Randy Wieland wrote:

Just something about filling an otter tag on a cold snowy morning makes me still smile

Nice catch ! Otters can decimate small waters quickly .

Good Job Randy !! for some stupid !@@$$!!!??? reason the state I live in thought it was a good idea to reintroduce river otters here.
in just a few short years they have about cleaned out every pond in my area including the pond on our family farm.
happily the one that destroyed ours died of,er,uh,well,it just fell over dead one day.

the state does not care one iota what it cost us or other pond owners to stock them the first time and I sure as heck am not spending another two grand to restock it to feed those critters.
even with pictures of the carnage they leave,and of the critter itself we were told oh well.

big or small kill em all.

Don Meier wrote:

Otters can decimate small waters quickly

Iowaboy1 wrote:

just a few short years they have about cleaned out every pond in my area including the pond on our family farm.

Good to know. They are extremely effective hunters, I didn’t think of them in smaller watersheds.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

Good Job Randy !! for some stupid !@@$$!!!??? reason the state I live in thought it was a good idea to reintroduce river otters here.
in just a few short years they have about cleaned out every pond in my area including the pond on our family farm.
happily the one that destroyed ours died of,er,uh,well,it just fell over dead one day.

the state does not care one iota what it cost us or other pond owners to stock them the first time and I sure as heck am not spending another two grand to restock it to feed those critters.
even with pictures of the carnage they leave,and of the critter itself we were told oh well.

big or small kill em all.

So…the native species that lived in the area was brought back and killed the fish in the man-made pond and you are upset about it? I don’t get it.

so they are eating up small fish in ponds????? why are land owners stocking ponds? is it for recreational fishing? growing big panfish? or for baitfish? I guess i would be a bit ticked off but are live trap\relocate not an option? i get it the kill first mentality is easier but they are pretty cool critters unlike the common mouse and muskrat

dfresh wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>iowaboy1 wrote:</div>
Good Job Randy !! for some stupid !@@$$!!!??? reason the state I live in thought it was a good idea to reintroduce river otters here.
in just a few short years they have about cleaned out every pond in my area including the pond on our family farm.
happily the one that destroyed ours died of,er,uh,well,it just fell over dead one day.

the state does not care one iota what it cost us or other pond owners to stock them the first time and I sure as heck am not spending another two grand to restock it to feed those critters.
even with pictures of the carnage they leave,and of the critter itself we were told oh well.

big or small kill em all.

So…the native species that lived in the area was brought back and killed the fish in the man-made pond and you are upset about it? I don’t get it.

eyeguy507 wrote:

so they are eating up small fish in ponds?????

native yes,over a hundred years ago then man moved in.
yes,they will kill every fish in a pond,why do we build ponds in Iowa?
livestock watering,our use for pleasure,etc, if you dont like it I dont care.
we have spent over twelve grand to build the thing,stock it and maintain it.
the biggest reason they invade the ponds if you want to know the truth ??

lets face it, farming practices and chemical use has wiped out many species of fish in the small rivers and streams here so an otters food source is low,as stated they are prolific hunters.
when a pond has an abundance of fish in it and the fishes smell runs down the spillway/overflow pipe that smell gets into the streams and rivers,otters being able to smell their next meal follow that conveyor to the source and put on the feed bag.
the small river next to my house use to support carp,shiners,minnows of all sorts,catfish,etc. and I havent seen a one in many years.

one thing I dont understand though,they decimated every crappie,bass,bluegill,catfish and walleye we put in back in 2000 when it was new but they didnt touch one of the grass carp and they are in the neighborhood of forty pounds!!
I wouldnt mind if they ate the entire fish but to eat the back straps out and leave the rest of the carcass is beyond me.
still makes me want to puke seeing fifty to sixty- eight pound plus catfish laying on the ponds banks let alone the hundreds of other fish.

go ahead,go right ahead and invest thousands of dollars and sweat equity to only feed a nuisance rodent,sir,I dont get you.

Very cool. What are they going for this year?

I agree otters are cool critters and I enjoy watching them.

For those that don’t spend the time on small creeks and rivers like I do, you would see how abundant they have become. WI laws are strict and they have been regulated to have a population that grows exponentially. Like all animals, populations need to be kept within a balance of the capacity of its habitat. Part of that balance is how we relate with our personal property. If coyotes were attacking your pets in your yard, beaver eating your trees, muskrats destroying your shoreline…..or excessively wiping the fish out of your private pond, you act accordingly. No one is wiping them all out, it’s not a slaughter fest to kill as many as possible. It’s taking a couple so the pond can sustain and otter can still be part of the eco system.

People would be blown away to realize how many fish two otter can eat in just one winter. Then have several otter hitting the same pond and then you have major issues. All about balance.

River otter pelts are primarily used in garnet trimming. Values have run 20 to 40 for raw pelts. I don’t the count that NAFA had at auction last spring. I don’t trap for fur checks anymore. Too many other things going on for the time it takes. I do, however trap for animal damage control on property I manage.

FYI: They can clean out a trout stream VERY quickly.

eyeguy507 wrote:

so they are eating up small fish in ponds????? why are land owners stocking ponds? is it for recreational fishing? growing big panfish? or for baitfish? I guess i would be a bit ticked off but are live trap\relocate not an option? i get it the kill first mentality is easier but they are pretty cool critters unlike the common mouse and muskrat

Landowner took swamp land, excavation, and created an awesome pond. Stocked with a verity of fish. Though, regardless of their intent it doesn’t matter “why”. They have a private pond and like to fish it, as well as all the kids they allow in. Sad to see 10 to 15 bass carcasses in the 3 to 6# class scattered on the ice almost everyday. You do the math – x amount of mature bass per acre times 7.75 acres. Won’t be long and the primary predators will be wiped out. Then add in the 20 or so gills and perch the otter are also taking. Again, won’t be long to have the pond sucked out.
As for live trapping, fine concept. Where to go with them? Range on otters is miles. So first of all they need to be removed well beyond their existing territory. Then when releasing, are you really doing something ethical??? Releasing a mature otter into an environment it doesn’t know?? Are you releasing it into an existing eco system that is already beyond its capacity? Are you releasing it into an existing ADC problem?
I have an upcoming beaver project. If you have soft wood trees in your yard, I could possibly drop them off for you to care for

Interesting. Learned something new tonight. Thanks.

Otters are people too.

Thanks Randy, good info there!

#otterlivesmatter

I’m no tree hugger so not easily offended but I can’t remember the last time I seen one if ever.

eyeguy507 wrote:

but I can’t remember the last time I seen one if ever.

It’s strange that when I’m up in the Boulder Junction or other areas in northern wi, I see them often during the day. Down here, almost 100% nocturnal

Neat thread. I like otters, but I also understand the need for management. Good points, Randy!

We see them occasionally in the Whiteface River in St. Louis County. The hunting shack doesn’t have running water so we swim near where the river crosses under Cty Rd 52 after a day of working on the shack in the summer or early season grouse hunting. They have played in the water near us, neat animals. They also are tremendously effective predators, need to be managed.

I keep erasing my comments to post here because I don’t want to start a fight. Trapping is a sport the same as hunting and fishing. But instead of just making a turd you can make clothing and other items such as gun cases, jewelry and beautiful blankets, and on and on . These items last for years and get handed down from generation to generation , well they used to. Now everything is evil. The anti’s attacking trapping and putting these thoughts into your heads that it’s evil and we don’t need it are not going to stop there. They will be pushing to stop hunting for wild game because it’s unneeded and then they will be pushing to stop recreational fishing, unneeded. We need to embrace them and use the resources god has put here for us . Trappers are some of the most down to earth people you will ever meet and most all of them love the animals they pursue and the environment they trap them in more then anybody. We as sportsman need to stick together when it comes to all outdoor activities or we’re sure too lose them all.

Gino wrote:

I’ve keep erasing my comments to post here because I don’t want to start a fight. Trapping is a sport the same as hunting and fishing. But instead of just making a turd you can make clothing and other items such as gun cases, jewelry and beautiful blankets, and on and on . These items last for years and get handed down from generation to generation , well they used to. Now everything is evil. The anti’s attacking trapping and putting these thoughts into your heads that it’s evil and we don’t need it are not going to stop there. They will be pushing to stop hunting for wild game because it’s unneeded and then they will be pushing to stop recreational fishing, unneeded. We need to embrace them and use the resources god has put here for us . Trappers are some of the most down to earth people you will ever meet and most all of them love the animals they pursue and the environment they trap them in more then anybody. We as sportsman need to stick together when it comes to all outdoor activities or we’re sure too lose them all.

X2
It should be about the true Teddy Roosevelt sense of conservation: be able to enjoy hunting, fishing, trapping for generations to come.

Gino wrote:

I’ve keep erasing my comments to post here because I don’t want to start a fight. Trapping is a sport the same as hunting and fishing. But instead of just making a turd you can make clothing and other items such as gun cases, jewelry and beautiful blankets, and on and on . These items last for years and get handed down from generation to generation , well they used to. Now everything is evil. The anti’s attacking trapping and putting these thoughts into your heads that it’s evil and we don’t need it are not going to stop there. They will be pushing to stop hunting for wild game because it’s unneeded and then they will be pushing to stop recreational fishing, unneeded. We need to embrace them and use the resources god has put here for us . Trappers are some of the most down to earth people you will ever meet and most all of them love the animals they pursue and the environment they trap them in more then anybody. We as sportsman need to stick together when it comes to all outdoor activities or we’re sure too lose them all.

Don’t think anyone here was calling trappers garbage, some including myself was curious as to more details on it.

I’ve fished alot of waters and alot of those at night, and was simply surprised to hear there were even trappable populations. Can’t manage what you can’t see.

Was interesting to hear more info on them.

Me. Beads;
Don’t think anyone here was calling trappers garbage, some including myself was curious as to more details on it.

I’ve fished alot of waters and alot of those at night, and was simply surprised to hear there were even trappable populations. Can’t manage what you can’t see.

Was interesting to hear more info on them.

No problem, it’s all good . When I seen this get posted I was waiting for negative comments about trapping. It’s a sport / hobby/ part time job I loved as a younger man.

Gino wrote:

No problem, it’s all good . When I seen this get posted I was waiting for negative comments about trapping. It’s a sport / hobby/ part time job I loved as a younger man.

I have experienced about every imaginable response one can receive about trapping. I see/hear a common theme with some people being surprised that there are those of us who trap, the animals that are trapped, and of coarse – many misconceptions about the means we use in trapping. Because its not a “mainstream type sport”, it goes unmentioned. For me its sad to see how many of our pelts are exported throughout the world. The US is about as FAKE as you can get and its disgusting. Faux fur that is basically plastic and the waste that is produced from all the plastic crap in this country. Yet, most other countries still use renewable resources in garments. But that’s a tangent I don’t want to get into this early in the year and get kicked off the site so soon.
Ironically, trapping is one of the most regulated sports to participate in. Trap use, types of sets, size, placement……ALL for the purpose of effective trapping and coexisting with non-trappers.

Just had an idea. Randy you could re locate them to pool4 of the sippi. I mean they are river otters! They would feast on the gigantic schools of shad and thin them out a bit. Maybe then the walleyes would be more likely to hit my rods. Win win situation

A couple years ago! lol

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Deuces wrote:

Otters are one of my favorite animals. Make it a point to see em up in the Duluth aquarium every year. Probably shed a tear if I saw one dead

With that said I’m not all tree hugger about it. I’m actually surprised they are allowed a harvest with what would seem to a city guy a really low population.

Are they nuisance animals up there? What does the hide go to use? I’m familiar with others, not otter.

Like all things they need balance. Left unchecked an over abundance would cause problems. In MN at least the limit is low. You are issued tags and once you get your three you are done.