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otter
Sept 25, 2007 7:48:33 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Sept 25, 2007 7:48:33 GMT -6
now I'm confused- rn says he caught 21 otter and he was trying not to catch them. And I believe this without any doubt- my cousin when he was in the WI dnr, was doing beaver control work for them, and in trying very hard to avoid them, passing up sets he "knew" would take otter- and still caught 13 in a little over 2 weeks, and this was WI, not in a real otter state.
But- if you really wanted to avoid otter- isn't the thing to do avoid using 330s?
some say the beaver are the otter incidentals- and thats fine- but if setting otter taking sized traps, the only other thing would be you wanted the beaver.
So why not just set footholds?
because I do know, that it is very possible to avoid most of the otter, and take the beaver, by set selection and depth over the trap.
I understand many feel 330s are easier and quicker, and they are to a certain extent ( a drowning slide setup goes in quick if prepared)- but I don't feel they are more efficient.
Comments?
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 8:18:21 GMT -6
Post by bobwendt on Sept 25, 2007 8:18:21 GMT -6
if it will drown a beaver it will drown an otter. plus, otter are near worthles now, so what matters if a few get zapped getting rid of a few beaver that may be causing thousands of dollars of damage? it`s like western guys worrying about a $300 cat dieing while saving 5 grand of sheep.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 8:30:28 GMT -6
Post by furman on Sept 25, 2007 8:30:28 GMT -6
Last year they opened otter here in Iowa but I didn’t put much thought into it because I was running a road line and didn’t think I was going to have the opportunity to take any until I can to a bridge and seen otter sign on a sand bar. I sat there for a little bit thinking how can I catch these otter on a flat sand bar then it dawn on me put some caster mound set in. In two days I took my fist legal otter. I set up the castor set for a front foot catch on a beaver because it’s what I had most otter incidentals in the past.
I have never caught a otter on a foothold set for a back foot catch on a beaver but I am not a big beaver trapper.
On the 330s can you avoid otters buy twisting the trigger together and have all the way to one side?
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 9:00:03 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Sept 25, 2007 9:00:03 GMT -6
sure- if it gets caught. and you aren't going to avoid all- but you darn sure can, if you have experience with footholds on beaver and WANT to miss most of the otter, do so.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 10:14:31 GMT -6
Post by livefreeordie on Sept 25, 2007 10:14:31 GMT -6
If you take the trigger wire and make an upside down L out of it, and push the trigger to one side, you can avoid a lot of otter and still take the beaver, not 100% for sure, but that is what is suggested by the state here, since we can not legally take otter.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 11:16:48 GMT -6
Post by makete on Sept 25, 2007 11:16:48 GMT -6
Lets say that I wanted to buy a couple of them there southern otter from you all, is it legal? I may have a small market for a few. Case skinned and dry.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 11:58:52 GMT -6
Post by Steve Gappa on Sept 25, 2007 11:58:52 GMT -6
rn- don't get me wrong- I haven't a doubt in the world you tried to aovid them- I guess my point was if they are that plentiful and worthless then they are no more than possums are to me-
yes- flucuating water makes a big difference. We used to trap the backwaters of the Mississippi and they were controlled by dams- makes things tough to figure out.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 13:04:37 GMT -6
Post by makete on Sept 25, 2007 13:04:37 GMT -6
Would really appreciate it Steve. ;D
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 13:28:24 GMT -6
Post by shagnasty on Sept 25, 2007 13:28:24 GMT -6
rn must be blessed with a tremendous otter population, i can count on one hand how many otter incidentals i have caught in castor sets and/or coon pocket sets in the past 6-7 years. I can also count on one hand the total number of otter incidentals caught in a single season. i dont know how long it took rn to get his 21 incidentals but that is a good season catch here for an average to better than average otter trapper. Anyone setting 330s is not trying to avoid otter no matter where you set them or what trigger configuration is used. large percentage of otter i catch fill up a 330. if your cousin got 13 in two weeks trying to avoid, then you have a much better population than here, otter are in pockets here and some areas are near void of them due to heavy trapping. there are alot of water trappers here and most targeted otter up until last season.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 13:45:33 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Sept 25, 2007 13:45:33 GMT -6
I thought that was a high number also, but my cousin might have been in one of those high pocket areas. Its not the norm here- I catch 1-2 a year as incidentals in coon sets
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 13:56:52 GMT -6
Post by makete on Sept 25, 2007 13:56:52 GMT -6
OOPS sorry meant to say Mountianman, just checked with my DNR and was told that if they are sealed by the trapper that he could sell to whom ever he want to. So some one let me know how much you are getting for them.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 16:06:58 GMT -6
Post by shagnasty on Sept 25, 2007 16:06:58 GMT -6
one reason a single trapper can hurt a population in a large area is due to the otter movement patterns certain weeks out of a year. a few strategically placed traps will catch a large percentage of the available otter in a very large geographical area, in my opinion. i have just seen too many locations go dead or near dead after trapping hard a season or two.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 20:50:10 GMT -6
Post by ColdSteel on Sept 25, 2007 20:50:10 GMT -6
Catching otter in castor mound sets and coon sets I can count how many otter I have taken with these 2 methods over the last 5 years on on my hand .Reading these post surprise me for some that say they have no otter popualtion to speak of.AS for setting 330's simply put they are a otter killing machine plain and simple.I had a good debate here awhile back about missing otter in 330's with Robert W.It ws a good method in avoiding a lot of otter using the 2 trigger method.Push each trigger over to the corners of the trap and set.Reasoning being behind this was otter would strike one trigger and the trap would remain set although the second or third or fourth is subject to get whacked.This is the best method I have heard of to protect some otter. but traps must be checked daily and triggers set back .As far as sliding one set of triggers over in a 10 inch opening and making it a 9 inch opening and thinking a good size 20 to 30 pound otter will miss the trigger
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 20:55:08 GMT -6
Post by ColdSteel on Sept 25, 2007 20:55:08 GMT -6
Forgot to finish the last sentence.As far as a 20 to 30 pound otter missing a trigger in an 9 inch opening say what you want but that is BS and most people who have seen large otter fill up a 330 know it
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 20:59:53 GMT -6
Post by robertw on Sept 25, 2007 20:59:53 GMT -6
Guys, I catch roughly 20-25 otter every season in castor mounds. RN understands and explained why this happens in regards to the lure used.
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otter
Sept 25, 2007 21:19:45 GMT -6
Post by ColdSteel on Sept 25, 2007 21:19:45 GMT -6
Wow that is .I have caught more otter in large muskrat dens with 220's than I ever have using lure and I even tried several mink lures when they were bringing big bucks, I tired a little of everything the white bucket set with no luck ;D.Maybe they just don't respond to lure around my parts who knows
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otter
Sept 26, 2007 6:27:22 GMT -6
Post by shagnasty on Sept 26, 2007 6:27:22 GMT -6
i rarely set a castor mound so that may be one reason i dont get many in that situation, but still surprised to get that many otter in castor sets. most places i trap, blind sets are the way to go.
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otter
Sept 26, 2007 20:15:34 GMT -6
Post by mountainman on Sept 26, 2007 20:15:34 GMT -6
One thing I have been wanting to try for a while is oversized pockets for otters.
A while back I had an otter to hit a fresh made pocket I had just put in at a prominent location near the upper end of a large round hole in a larger creek. The upper end of the hole had a good size landing area that looked to me like something an otter would like. There were suckers, brim and minnows swimming in the hole and there were old traces of something that looked like maybe fish bones mixed in with the small flint colored stones on the wide landing place but I couldn't tell. I was not far downstream from the pocket making a dry mink set when I heard the 1.75 pop. When I turned the water boiled for a few seconds then an otter sped away upstream. I guess it just couldn't resist the inviting pocket with the fresh mackeral and Carman's Deep Creek. Strange things like that often quicken my pulse and make the day lot more interesting.
I'm thinking it might be a good idea to have some 2 trap sets on seperate drowners with a 1.5 coil tight to one side of the hole and a strong #2 longspring or larger trap in front of the hole. At least maybe I could double on coons and bust them down where I needed to. I'll be looking for some good otter lure to go with the mink lure and fresh frozen brim or canned mackeral for those sets. Some of my best mink areas will or do have good otter locations for regular otter sets. For places like creek mouths near larger rivers that don't happen to have any normal otter set locations I believe it would be good to have a quick to make set with multiple catch opportunities for anything from rats to otter.
The castor mound thing does sound interesting. It seems like I remember reading a long time ago that tonquin musk is attractive to otters.
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otter
Sept 27, 2007 7:09:31 GMT -6
Post by trappnman on Sept 27, 2007 7:09:31 GMT -6
I didn't have very much luck on sets baited and lured for otter only.
I don't know if its the castor, or the location- but yes, you do catch otter at castor mound sets.
The best "lure" for otter, is what the otter leaves behind. I had good success by taking fresh scat, rollups and sand from the area, and importing it to a new location (usually nearby- just making multiple sets from 1 sign spot). Fake pull out trials are easily made up the stream bank- slick it down, place the scat, etc at the top.
Otter are very easy to force on land.
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otter
Sept 27, 2007 15:40:47 GMT -6
Post by mountainman on Sept 27, 2007 15:40:47 GMT -6
Thanks trappnman.
The first incidental otter I caught was at a small natural landing place with old beaver sign and a pile of sticks on the bank. There was one scuff mark in the edge of the water where something had hit the bank. It was the end of the day and I had one trap left so I made a drowner and set with a strong new 1.5 coil. Adding in some otter sign if any was available would have made that a better set and maybe got another one. That otter was huge and I figure around 35 lb. It stairstepped the #9 wire and slipped down to a toehold before drowning.
I know of a number of locations where I could force an otter on land. One of them is a place I'll be setting for mink and rats with a large marshy pond near a deep muddy creek that runs a short ways into a deep canal. There is a very old 30' long crossover trail that the rats made long before there were any otters here so some otters might show up there.
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