Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 10, 2004 11:23:44 GMT -6
(Reprinted from Sept 2004 T & PC)
DRYLAND OTTER
By Steve Gappa
I am by no means an otter expert and I am not setting myself up to be so. My lifetime numbers don’t even begin to compare to what a lot of good otter men take in a year. In fact, I have only taken 2 otter that were dispatched either in conibears or in drowning sets. And both of these were incidentals. But over the past few years I have developed a system for otter that works very well for me and my special circumstances- and that is taking otter in dryland blind sets with footholds. More importantly, the otter are completely unharmed and injury free.
Let me explain why I am involved in taking live otter. The Minnesota DNR in cooperation with the US Wildlife Service has been conducting an otter study on the Upper Mississippi River for the past few years. As a lifelong resident and trapper of the area, I was one of the trappers used to catch the otter for radio implanting. The trap we were required to use was selected for its minimal impact on the otter. This trap was the #11 double jaw with a 24-inch chain, 7 swiveling points and a shock spring. All traps were to be solid staked. While this trap was very kind to the otter and certainly held what it caught- it wasn’t really an otter trap to be used in the traditional way at crossovers. If I were using a trap specifically for otter in dryland situations I would look strongly at a 1.5 to 1.75. I don’t believe too much bigger would be better in this case. Water yes, land no. I found I had a couple of problems with trying to use the #11 in water. First of all, I found the trap subject to a lot of misfires as the otter exited or entered the water. Guiding of course helped, but many of the natural spots couldn’t be used because of deep water or other potential harmful materials. Spots that could be set up for my purposes were few and far between. The misfire problem was further hindered by the constant water change. With the trapping area directly connected to the Mississippi at a point midway between two Locks & Dams, the water was always too high or too low. Constant minor flooding of the feeder rivers was also another problem. At this point I started experimenting with making sets completely on land- both because the otter would be safe and I could keep the sets in operation. As I started having some success with dryland trails, I was fortunate in being able to talk with Mike Fisher, a man who might well have live trapped more otter than anyone around. In any case, Mike is a bona fide otter expert. I mentioned that I was starting to prefer dryland trails and Mike passed along a tip that changed my outlook on otter. And that tip is simple but important- you can make otter do what you want them to do. In other words- you can put up a lot of guides and a lot of structure- and you aren’t going to spook the otter. Words I wanted to hear and words I took to heart.
Now as a fur trapper, you might be asking yourself why would you want to trap otter on land with footholds. Simple- if you have fluctuating water conditions as many have and/or have restrictions on either Conibear size or setting locations- knowing how to trap otter on land with footholds could keep you in the game. And at the current price of otter- it’s worth the effort.
After experimenting with various types sets, I came up with a method that worked in most of my situations. The preferred location is of course an existing otter crossover. In good otter areas, if you look on river oxbows, dikes, connecting ponds, backwater channels, etc you usually can find the trails. Sometime the trails are narrow points between two water areas and sometimes they go meandering through the woods for quite a distance. At some points, you will just find toilet areas and rollups, with no trails. In all three scenarios, with a little construction work, you can make sets that will take otter on land using footholds. Most of my sets are made on existing trails. While in high traffic areas, otter trails can be well worn and little enhancement is needed, in my area the population is sporadic and the trails are there but not so well traveled. It is on this type of trail that most of my sets are made.
The first thing I do is look for the driest part of the trail. In my area this often is a sandy area and if I can find that I prefer it. Many times the driest area is also the highest area- a double benefit. This set location provides that the trap will be above high water in all but the most severe water rises and secondly the trap will be ready to fire when the otter finally comes along. Don’t hesitate to “move” the existing trail if it doesn’t quite go where you want to set the trap. The first step is to take your handy tile spade (you did remember to put one in the truck?) and sharply define the trail. Do this by digging a path down the trail (or where you want the trail to go) for a distance of at least 20-25 feet. Make the length so that the trail extends on both sides from the point where you will be setting the trap. You will then have a trail 10-12 feet on each side of the trap location. Dig this trough to a depth on 4-5 inches, about the width of your tile spade. Pile the dirt up on the sides of the trench as you dig. Don’t waste sand/dirt, as you will be using all of this and more to construct the trail.
What you now want to do is make this trail into a self-guiding funnel set. You will be building up sides along the center 4-5 feet of the trail and using that for your focal point. So take dirt and sand and make a wall about a foot wide and about 5-6 inches above the cutout trail- leaving the trail untouched between the sides. This seems like a lot of work and dirt, but it really isn’t. To further make this center a focal point, I then take my spade and dig up weed or grass clumps and line the top of this wall with them. Place these close together so that the wall formed by the grass clumps is continuous. You now have a 20-foot trench with the middle forming an inviting travel lane for the otter. To maximize the funneling effect, on both sides of the grass wall area, use the remaining dirt to form ridges in a V effect to guide the otter. I often do this by using the side of my spade to scrape of the top inch or two of dirt and pushing it to the sides to form the V. You now have a sort of bowtie looking trail. A wide “funnel” at both ends forming the bows and the grass wall in the center as the knot. Since my otter needed to be taken alive and unhurt, I used no sticks or potentially injurious materials for guiding- hence my extensive use of sand and weeds. Other materials can certainly be used. As far as I can tell, otter have no fear of guiding and can be forced quite a bit. A nipped otter does get wise though and I believe will recognize sets like a wised up beaver will.
DRYLAND OTTER
By Steve Gappa
I am by no means an otter expert and I am not setting myself up to be so. My lifetime numbers don’t even begin to compare to what a lot of good otter men take in a year. In fact, I have only taken 2 otter that were dispatched either in conibears or in drowning sets. And both of these were incidentals. But over the past few years I have developed a system for otter that works very well for me and my special circumstances- and that is taking otter in dryland blind sets with footholds. More importantly, the otter are completely unharmed and injury free.
Let me explain why I am involved in taking live otter. The Minnesota DNR in cooperation with the US Wildlife Service has been conducting an otter study on the Upper Mississippi River for the past few years. As a lifelong resident and trapper of the area, I was one of the trappers used to catch the otter for radio implanting. The trap we were required to use was selected for its minimal impact on the otter. This trap was the #11 double jaw with a 24-inch chain, 7 swiveling points and a shock spring. All traps were to be solid staked. While this trap was very kind to the otter and certainly held what it caught- it wasn’t really an otter trap to be used in the traditional way at crossovers. If I were using a trap specifically for otter in dryland situations I would look strongly at a 1.5 to 1.75. I don’t believe too much bigger would be better in this case. Water yes, land no. I found I had a couple of problems with trying to use the #11 in water. First of all, I found the trap subject to a lot of misfires as the otter exited or entered the water. Guiding of course helped, but many of the natural spots couldn’t be used because of deep water or other potential harmful materials. Spots that could be set up for my purposes were few and far between. The misfire problem was further hindered by the constant water change. With the trapping area directly connected to the Mississippi at a point midway between two Locks & Dams, the water was always too high or too low. Constant minor flooding of the feeder rivers was also another problem. At this point I started experimenting with making sets completely on land- both because the otter would be safe and I could keep the sets in operation. As I started having some success with dryland trails, I was fortunate in being able to talk with Mike Fisher, a man who might well have live trapped more otter than anyone around. In any case, Mike is a bona fide otter expert. I mentioned that I was starting to prefer dryland trails and Mike passed along a tip that changed my outlook on otter. And that tip is simple but important- you can make otter do what you want them to do. In other words- you can put up a lot of guides and a lot of structure- and you aren’t going to spook the otter. Words I wanted to hear and words I took to heart.
Now as a fur trapper, you might be asking yourself why would you want to trap otter on land with footholds. Simple- if you have fluctuating water conditions as many have and/or have restrictions on either Conibear size or setting locations- knowing how to trap otter on land with footholds could keep you in the game. And at the current price of otter- it’s worth the effort.
After experimenting with various types sets, I came up with a method that worked in most of my situations. The preferred location is of course an existing otter crossover. In good otter areas, if you look on river oxbows, dikes, connecting ponds, backwater channels, etc you usually can find the trails. Sometime the trails are narrow points between two water areas and sometimes they go meandering through the woods for quite a distance. At some points, you will just find toilet areas and rollups, with no trails. In all three scenarios, with a little construction work, you can make sets that will take otter on land using footholds. Most of my sets are made on existing trails. While in high traffic areas, otter trails can be well worn and little enhancement is needed, in my area the population is sporadic and the trails are there but not so well traveled. It is on this type of trail that most of my sets are made.
The first thing I do is look for the driest part of the trail. In my area this often is a sandy area and if I can find that I prefer it. Many times the driest area is also the highest area- a double benefit. This set location provides that the trap will be above high water in all but the most severe water rises and secondly the trap will be ready to fire when the otter finally comes along. Don’t hesitate to “move” the existing trail if it doesn’t quite go where you want to set the trap. The first step is to take your handy tile spade (you did remember to put one in the truck?) and sharply define the trail. Do this by digging a path down the trail (or where you want the trail to go) for a distance of at least 20-25 feet. Make the length so that the trail extends on both sides from the point where you will be setting the trap. You will then have a trail 10-12 feet on each side of the trap location. Dig this trough to a depth on 4-5 inches, about the width of your tile spade. Pile the dirt up on the sides of the trench as you dig. Don’t waste sand/dirt, as you will be using all of this and more to construct the trail.
What you now want to do is make this trail into a self-guiding funnel set. You will be building up sides along the center 4-5 feet of the trail and using that for your focal point. So take dirt and sand and make a wall about a foot wide and about 5-6 inches above the cutout trail- leaving the trail untouched between the sides. This seems like a lot of work and dirt, but it really isn’t. To further make this center a focal point, I then take my spade and dig up weed or grass clumps and line the top of this wall with them. Place these close together so that the wall formed by the grass clumps is continuous. You now have a 20-foot trench with the middle forming an inviting travel lane for the otter. To maximize the funneling effect, on both sides of the grass wall area, use the remaining dirt to form ridges in a V effect to guide the otter. I often do this by using the side of my spade to scrape of the top inch or two of dirt and pushing it to the sides to form the V. You now have a sort of bowtie looking trail. A wide “funnel” at both ends forming the bows and the grass wall in the center as the knot. Since my otter needed to be taken alive and unhurt, I used no sticks or potentially injurious materials for guiding- hence my extensive use of sand and weeds. Other materials can certainly be used. As far as I can tell, otter have no fear of guiding and can be forced quite a bit. A nipped otter does get wise though and I believe will recognize sets like a wised up beaver will.