I was fishing down at the pond last week and a otter came up with about a 2 lbs bass in his mouth. I have never seen one around here except in the river. Ive been taking the gun with me this past week but havent had any luck seeing him. There is a chain of about 8 ponds and im the 2nd in the chain. Im hopeing he has moved on but not sure if he just hasnt been nocturnal. Any ideas on how to trap them or how much a trapper would change to come out and set a few traps?
You can get in touch with my dad, www.trappertim.com I doubt he's gonna drive the whole way to Georgia for your otter problem, but he's a darn nice guy and will almost certainly help you with advice on how to trap them yourself. A few 330 conibears should do the trick...
I have seen an otter in my pond too, along with every heron within miles it seems. The heron decoy doesn't work either. Otters have made a comeback here in NC. I have seen them on other ponds too. Only thing I have found that works is a 17 caliber! Tried trapping too, caught some raccoons, but no otter. I come to the conclusion this is one/two otters at most, and they hadn't taken up permanant residence yet. I searched the forum and seen some posts where folks just accept them being there. I share your pain with seeing your fish being eaten by "outsiders". I found a nice crawfish claw, and a pile of chewed up fish on my dock. Looked like it had regurgitated this mess, or he was letting me know he's smarter than me. My wife says it's looks like the Caddyshack movie where Bill Murray is chasing the gopher around!
"I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won't work" Thomas Edison
I was fishing down at the pond last week and a otter came up with about a 2 lbs bass in his mouth. I have never seen one around here except in the river. Ive been taking the gun with me this past week but havent had any luck seeing him. There is a chain of about 8 ponds and im the 2nd in the chain. Im hopeing he has moved on but not sure if he just hasnt been nocturnal. Any ideas on how to trap them or how much a trapper would change to come out and set a few traps?
They are not nocturnal; and if you remember the time of day, they will be back same time. They are creatures of habit
It's been my experience otters will be out during the day but like deer are more dawn and dusk liking and will also be out during the night time. Probably more as a reaction to human presence and trying to avoid it.
The key to trapping otters is finding the entry exit routes they are using to get to a body of water. Or when all else fails, set out as many darn traps as you can. They cover a lot of ground and usually don't stick around an area for too long. But they will come back... Patience helps!
You are correct, AP, my statement was strictly incorrect. They can be nocturnal. My readings, however, have been that fresh water otters are mainly daytime hunters; like the poor soul shown below.
I know, I'm a big believer in traps. I caught a few coons, then I took up the water sets cause I have some wood ducks that have started hanging out at the pond,and I'm don't want to catch one. I have caught a coyote on dirt hole set up in the field though. I trapped as a kid, didn't realize how much I missed it. I have been looking for otter tracks at the pond, but haven't seen any.
"I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won't work" Thomas Edison
Sniper, did you skin the otter? They make great gloves!
I too prefer the 30-06 or 40 S&W method of otter removal. I do not have the time to walk traps everyday, there is just too much work to be done around the place.
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
Sniper, did you skin the otter? They make great gloves!
I too prefer the 30-06 or 40 S&W method of otter removal. I do not have the time to walk traps everyday, there is just too much work to be done around the place.
I did not skin it. I am not that talented. However, I imagine they would great gloves.
One sure way to know if otters are present is to walk the perimeter of your pond looking for feces. They poop a lot and it will be full of fish scales. I removed one Saturday with a .243 87 grain hollow point. They don't seem to be overly skittish. I shot at him once at close range, shot over him; he then stuck his head up at about 100 yds at the back Of my pond in some stobs and looked around; he will be eating no more cnbg!
Well this morning when i looked out the windom expecting to see the fish feeding i wasnt happy to see the otter feeding instead. I grabbed the .223 and snuck down to the pond while he was down. When he finally popped up he was 30 yards from me. Well im hopeing hes dead but he didnt float. After the water settled i watched bubbles come up for 15 or 20 sec. from the spot where i shot and that was it. He never popped back up and he hasnt floated up yet this afternoon. How long does it usually take for one to float back up?
Are you sure you hit him? If you missed or wounded him, they will swim off underwater and crawl out somewhere else; perhaps where you can't see him.
Did you use hollow point or ball ammunition? .223 is high velocity and can cause just minor wounds with jacketed ammo (if you don't hit any vitals). I like to shoot for the water line, so that if I pull the shot a bit, I will still make a hit.
