Otter trapping
- Thread starter cutman
- Start date
Turkey Creek
Well-Known Member
What size trap are you using? If it is a 280 or 220 you might want to slide your trigger wires to one side. Or possibly something has fallen in front of your trap blocking access to it. Otter acts like the opening is too small. Otherwise you have an educated otter that is simply avoiding your trap.
Merle Hawggard
Well-Known Member
He didn't care for something under there for sure.
I'd say move it back a bit though I remember you saying it gets deep pretty quick on one side or the other so that may not be an option.
Do you have the trigger on the bottom? Make sure it is and the wires are not straight like they come from the factory.
I shape mine into a pretty wide u.
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I'd say move it back a bit though I remember you saying it gets deep pretty quick on one side or the other so that may not be an option.
Do you have the trigger on the bottom? Make sure it is and the wires are not straight like they come from the factory.
I shape mine into a pretty wide u.
Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk
Turkey Creek
Well-Known Member
I am guessing that is an educated otter! Looks like he may have had a trap snapped in his face once before. Very likely will have to try a different tactic to get that one. Not sure what your trapping experience is and if foot hold or snares are legal in your state?
My trapping mentors response to the video:
"Smart little bastard. May have to catch him with a foot trap when I return. Sometimes I'll put a crab shell or mussel shell on the bank by the trap to distract them. An old shell works good. "
I have the trigger on the top. Will flip it over and move the trap way from the bank a little bit if possible.
"Smart little bastard. May have to catch him with a foot trap when I return. Sometimes I'll put a crab shell or mussel shell on the bank by the trap to distract them. An old shell works good. "
I have the trigger on the top. Will flip it over and move the trap way from the bank a little bit if possible.
Terrific_tom
Member
Foot hold right where he enters the water.
None that I know of. They are cool creatures, but man they can eat some fish.
I had otter problems a few years ago. The otters will have slides into your pond. I used chicken wire and fenced off 10-15 feet on both sides of the slide and put my trap where they had no choice but to enter. Otters come and go. In my area they might be gone for a week or more before they return, but this setup is no fail. I do the same with toilets, giving otters one way in. You can also make a fence with sticks that are poked into the mud, not laid down, but vertical.
Nada last night. Otter activity has really slowed down. It appears that only one otter is still visiting, and he comes every 4-5 days.
On a happy note, my fish population is fine. With the warmer temps we've had they must have come out of hibernation, and the activity around the feeder yesterday was amongst the highest I've seen.
On a happy note, my fish population is fine. With the warmer temps we've had they must have come out of hibernation, and the activity around the feeder yesterday was amongst the highest I've seen.
I did some research on otters when they started hitting my pond. In Missouri Otters feed primarily on crayfish until the crayfish hibernate for the Winter and then their diet switches to fish, though they will eat fish year long. One otter eats 1.5 - 3.2 pounds of fish per day. That's over 500 pounds of fish per year, so just one otter can clean out a pond.
