Eric Posted November 30, 2023 Report Share Posted November 30, 2023 What's the remedy? Trapping / killing of otters to reduce their population? Not sure of their protection status or how permits for trapping might work on public and private lands in Indiana. What have you learned thus far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Eric. I've now seen 15 on the year. It is REALLY bad. Talked to a menonnite man who lives on of our small rivers. He said the families along Deer creek used to snare suckers through the ice. They have all but disappeared with the massive appearance of river otters there. Smallmouth population taken a hit as well. They kill beavers and take over the dens. He watched one otter completely eat 6 large fish over an hour. They now trap them and just flat out shoot them on site was implied. 20231210_142533.mp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Dozens of scat piles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 I aim to increase public knowledge. Ease regulations and limits on trapping and hopefully get more folks to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Local pond owners have taken matters into their own hands as they're tired of seeing their catfish ponds cleaned out over the matter of a week or less. The problem is there are no natural Predators other than maybe a coyote, but I'm not sure they could take on an adult easily. Therefore they will procreate to the point of the available food supply. Which means that you'll be seeing less fish, simple as that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 These catfish heads were giant. Likely 30" channel catfish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 How do you find otter sign? Typically, from the scat, tracks, slides or holes. Scat is almost always a communal area on river islands or sandbars. You'll see cleared areas with piles of dark gray to black feces filled with fish scales, in winter and crawfish, feather, fur parts in summer. Dens tend to be taken over beaver dens, where holes look unkempt and trees haven't been gnawed in a while. Yes, the execute beavers for their dens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted December 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 On 11/30/2023 at 10:54 AM, Eric said: What's the remedy? Trapping / killing of otters to reduce their population? Not sure of their protection status or how permits for trapping might work on public and private lands in Indiana. What have you learned thus far? Riling up the entire fishing community and alerting trappers. Trap yourself.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dodge Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 Ran across this today https://www.inwoodlands.org/a-regulated-trapping-otter/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 30 Report Share Posted January 30 Checked out a local pond to see if the ice had come off and found these little goodies on the dock. 🙁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gillio Posted January 30 Report Share Posted January 30 Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted February 14 Author Report Share Posted February 14 It is bad fellas. I'm trying to organize angler surveys because our DNR has no idea the impact. Here is a video in January of about a dozen smalllies eaten by river otter and left discarded on the ice. Half were said to have been 15"+ https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2Z9kNMrpjS/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe R Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 Kill all the otter and genetically modify them to create Otter variants that only want to eat Carp. That would be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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