Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations how bad are otters?

OTTER FREE ZONE!
Great Pyrenees livestock guard dogs don't tolerate otters well - if at all....
A few years ago we had otter evidencee with half eaten fish on the pond bank and son Jeff had seen what he believed to be an otter at our small pond.
Brutus came in from the pond area one evening with his face all bloodied up - no more sign of otters EVER.
Betcha they would do a number on beaver as well.

If they view humans as a threat you will never see them during the day. It depends on thier previous interaction with humans. If they get shot at or are watching thier friends get shot they adapt. Mine come right out in the middle of the day and lounge on a turtle platform for photo sessions. Can't shoot them here. They look all friendly and playful until they fel threatened and then you have a mini wolverine on your hands, or biting them.

The beavers have a den and a home pond. The otters have a range, up to 30 miles, and will take over abandoned beaver dens. People call me, frog get rid of my otters, beavers. I can't.

Our Pyrenees hates water. He'll just run around the pond chasing geese from one side to the other.

Can mink have a significant impact on the fish population in a 1 acre pond? The populations of LMB and BG seem lower than they once were and I don't see LMB over about 2.5 lbs. The CC seem to be growing well though (I do not feed). Could I be losing a lot throgh the overflow pipe (15" pipe)? The pond can get pretty flooded during storms but the emergency spillway rarly kicks in, and when it does, it only carries a couple inches of water and flows very slowly.

I was fishing in another buddy's pond from a jon boat, late afternoon, and my buddy and I watched an otter come out of a hole in the bank, walk along the bank, and slide into the water. A few minutes later, the otter came back up the same spot with a small bass and went back into his/her hole. We were not more than 20 feet from it the whole time.

That pond was not far from a river. I'm glad my pond is nowhere near a river.

SSS

Are there any good poisons to eliminate beavers?

Hey Gordy, welcome to Pond Boss...

You may wanna start a new post to ask your question. It will give it more exposure and may help you get the answer you're looking for. There are lot's of guys with tons of knowledge on here. My favorite poison for beavers is lead at high velocities or steel snapping together very quick!