I have recently sited some beat up cats in my pond...7lb or so...with areas behind their head missing hide and flesh in some cases as large as your thumb or more...looked like something took a hunk out of them few days ago an early morning fisherman sighted an otter...suggestions for efficient removal would be appreciated thanks

First you need to get a newsance permit. Contact a game warden. Dont put it off they eat 5 to 7 lbs of fish a day, do the math. And just like you saw they waste more than they eat. They may look quett but they will ruin a pond. Shooting in or over water is illeagal but works. Trapping works also. Look for or make runs out of the water to set traps. They make and use stools,a spot repeatedly used to feseate.They are close to a den or hole. Killem all good luck.

Shoot them if legal in your state....

Des, what makes you think it's an otter? Have you seen them in your pond? The reason I ask is because I too have CC that have marks on their heads ranging from white colored abrasions to what looks like actual raw meat showing. I was wondering what was causing it but haven't noticed any varmints.

A previous thread on this subject might save a lot of dialog.

An otter in the midst...

I'm seeing a few CC with the same wounds right now. No otters here, I put it down to spawning behavior. I see a few every year this way.

I would say the CC are doing the damage themselves fighting for the best spawning areas.

If it was an otter, I don't think the fish would still be alive.

I was thinking the damage to my CC was spawning related or fighting with the HSB when the feeder goes off. When someone mentions otter I get a little paranoid.

I've seen it on my CC too and figured the wounds were caused by GBH. My CC would come close to shore. I've never seen a furry predator, or tracks of one, around that pond.

I live near Lake Shelbyville in Illinois where otters have been reintroduced. Your best option is a dog that likes the water and will scare away the otters. Good luck!

I have seen a otter run a sow coon and 3 little ones out of a hole in the crick. Also saw one turn on my mountain curr squirrel dog and whip him, and he can whip any possum and keep any coon treed on the ground all night if need be. I watch a pair of otters sneak swim up to the bank of my pond and watch my beagle working the brush and they looked like they were thinking about going after her, to the point I made myself noticed,good for them I had a bow instead of a gun. I helped turn the first ones loose years ago in our county. Big mistake on our part.JMO swimming cats

My dogs never indicated that they picked up the scent of the first furry critter I saw, or the 2 muskrats (I saw them for only a split second as the dove into the pond, so maybe they weren't muskrats). If they knew there were critters hanging around the pond, they would probably hunt for them, but I don't want my dogs tangling with an otter in deep water, and I'm sure my Airedale would go after one if she saw it in the water.

I'm pretty sure my pond has been visited by otters. There's still some fish activity, but not nearly as much as there had been until recently. The number of BG that come up to feed now is less than a 1/3 of what it was a month ago. The last couple times I've fished I've had no strikes. That's very unusual. The number of fish I've caught has been tapering off, and the decline started about the time I saw the first furry critter. I've seen no dead fish in the pond. If it is otters, maybe they'll leave me with a few BG when they depart, and I'll get a spawn before the summer ends.

Still bummed out about otters devastating my pond. I still have a number of BG, mostly big ones compared to what I had last year. I saw one LMB of about a lb or less while I was feeding, and maybe a couple smaller ones. I didn't see any GSF. If the bass have been pretty much wiped out, I may quickly have a pond chocked with BG. Apparently otters don't care that much for BG. I haven't tried fishing for a while, but I guess I should. It's been warm for this time of year.

I snuck up on two breeding otters Saturday and shot both with 12 ga. OO buck at 30 feet!

I ain't making any other comment except "2 thumbs up"!!!

Way to go!

Pat, that's being pretty stealthy to get close enough for shotguns. I was never able to sneak up on one but I did manage to remove 4 of them in about 3 weeks using 330 conibar traps. Good job Pat and thank you once more Brian(Highflyer) for teaching an old dog new a new trick.

It might surprise you but I was able to get close enough and have killed all three I have seen this year with a single shot 410 with #4 squirrel shot!! They are very curious and will swim right at you sometimes.

I got 2 otters last night in 330's, but it is unknown as to the damage done to my fish population. Unfortunately for my pond, we didn't notice otters in there until recently and it appears that they had free reign for awhile this winter.

I am hoping for the best once the water warms up and I can fish the pond, but expecting the worst.

I have learned to hate otters now, and will have conibears set year round in my pond going forward.

I still have a fair number of bluegills, and a few catfish and probably some LMB of a pound or so. Although I have fewer BG, I have more big ones - maybe about a pound - the biggest I've ever caught. If the otters lay off the BG but eat everything else, I may have a BG management problem before long.

330's and 280's are the way to go. Remember about Conibears. If a dog gets in one he's gone for good. Several years ago, otters were the highest priced furbearers in our area, all fur is down in price now. As long as the conibears are underwater, no problem with pets. An otter was the first catch on my kids first trapline years ago. It brought 80 dollars.

I also suggest u keep the Conibears under water if you r going to keep them out. I caught 4 otters this past winter in the pond and one 50 to 60 lb beaver. Hugh Beaver!!

The conibears are indeed all the way underwater in den sets that produced this past winter I know firsthand what a conibear can do to a dog when I was 15 years old & watched our family blue healer dog die right in front of me when he got in a 220 that an unknown trapper set in a homemade wood cubby set on land back in the mid 80's. Was not a pretty picture & tough on a teenager who's best buddy was that dog.

Thus far, no more otters have been caught. But oddly enough, 2 snapping turtles & 2 LMB have been caught. I am guessing that the LMB's were chasing small fish or whatever into the den hole and got caught. Don't know what the snappers were doing by venturing up into those den holes. Both snappers were alive & that was interesting getting them out of the conibears.