Otter trapping

cutman

cutman

Administrator
Staff member
Does anyone here have experience trapping otters? I have some hitting my fish pond regularly and I'm worried about them wiping out everything I've stocked in there over the last couple of years.

I set up 2 conibear 330s last night around their toilet/slides and trail camera does there were 3 otters right there last night, but no luck. I thought my sets were perfect. Guess you can't become a trapper by watching youtube videos. Ha.
 
422c1fd5c443c5b4ec16ba5fb9178302.jpg


ff25afab49bf27d427bffbcba372a4c6.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum
 
330s will catch otters but make sure you have the trigger wires spread to cover as much of the jaw spread as possible. 280s are a better choice. Otters arent too big around and can fit through some pretty tight spaces. Lightly camoflauge the traps and give it a bit more time. You might have the traps a little too barricaded from the looks of it and thus the otters found a different route last night.
 
I'm with TC on the 280's, I loved belisle, but 330's have eliminated a lot of otter. I use a reasonably large limb so they'll dive under it and into the submerged trap. If it's to close to shore you may miss any that didn't come by your trap, but are leaving that way so play with it till it looks right to you. If you have any small channels leading to or away from where you are trying to catch them that's a great spot for a dive set as well. I usually set the trigger on the bottom, but that's just my preference in our soft bottomed waterways. Where I'm at we have lots of beaver dams and I use the crossovers pretty much exclusively when I target otter. Good luck and post a pic of your success please!
 
Looking at the top picture, keep in mind I can't tell how deep it is or how it looks leading up to the picture, I'd set a 330 with a dive log each way leading to the place they climb onto the bank. I bet the place with a straight shot off the bank will have a smooth firm place were they hug the bottom unless it's a really steep drop off. If the channel is a little big narrow it with a few sticks, but back from the trap a bit to gradually lead them the way you want them to go. I hope I described this as well as it looks in my mind lol.
 
Thanks for the tips. Those 2 setups are about 5 feet from each other. They are coming from salt water, crossing a dike, then sliding into our fresh water pond to eat my fish!

3750cedec6cebdfce02da7c6aa68cef7.jpg


25a338273e50e92f9961c9dd72692b06.jpg


Little mink crossed too. Cool.

f2620caf9657a53f9270ae6a51e7ed68.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum
 
I'll add that you may miss when the dive log is to close to the bank because they'll jump on it then into the water instead of just slidding down the bank.
 
The water you can see in the pics is the freshwater. The silver pipe you can see in the very first pic drains overflow freshwater out into the marsh. The otters follow that freshwater outflow up at high tide, climb up the salt side bank (steep), frolic around on land, then slide down into the freshwater. If I could set the traps on land, I think I could hide them in the marsh grass and catch them climbing out of the marsh. But that's not legal in SC...conibears have to be submerged.

The top setup (by the pipe) is pretty shallow. The trap was only about 80 submerged. The bottom setup is deeper...the top of the trap was probably a foot under water. Ground is firm in both spots.
 
Set them by the pipe triggers spread somewhat and on the bottom, points facing up. A good sized log over each and you'll have otters to skin. I sold several skins for over 150 dollars at our trappers auction several years back, but they've dropped off considerably since then. Go get Em!

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk
 
The pipe is about 4 feet underwater. It's a steep drop off from the bank to that pipe, so I think I will need to keep the sets closer to the bank.

I will try again later this week!
 
20161120_185611.jpeg Hope you can make these out. Here are a few pics from several years back.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Sorry cutman, I read it thinking the pipe was the shallower side. You'll get Em soon just play with it a bit.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk
 
You guys have got me thinking about trapping some otters! They are plentiful on Little Blue.
 
Merle Hawggard said:
I sold several skins for over 150 dollars at our trappers auction several years back, but they've dropped off considerably since then. Go get Em!

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Them were the days! I had a buddy that paid for his new pickup about 10 years ago with his otter catch. I cashed in on a few but not that many!
 
Turkey Creek said:
Them were the days! I had a buddy that paid for his new pickup about 10 years ago with his otter catch. I cashed in on a few but not that many!
Click to expand...
Man they were! It was as close as I'll ever get to being a longliner. It took half a day to run the loop I'd set in the county then the other half to skin, flesh, and stretch. The beavers would more than pay for the gas so otters and the occasional cats and yotes were where I made a little money.
 
We were just nuisance trapping since the price of fur has gone down so much but a trapper friend of mine who has been doing it for 30 years said he never would have believed that I caught two otters in one 330 if I hadn't taken the pic to prove it.

It was set on a beaver slide which was what we were actually targeting. The otters just happen to be swimming together when they tried to go through the trap. As you can see a 330 really is too big for them. Except, of course, if you catch two at a time! LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

cutman
2023-24 Trapping
Replies
9
Views
1K
cutman
cutman
Back
Top