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#6232 - 04/18/07 01:58 AM avoiding otters in beaver sets
tommypaul Offline
Member

Registered: 01/28/07
Posts: 101
Loc: Tennessee
I saw an otter approach a 330 set at a slide for beaver this am. The otter swam around the trap. I have read about bending the triggers to help avoid catching otters. Is there anything else I can do to avoid catching an otter in my spring/summer beaver trapping? Catching one in season with prime fur would be another matter altogether.

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#6233 - 04/18/07 03:09 AM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
deerehunter03 Offline
Member

Registered: 11/02/05
Posts: 80
Loc: NE Ohio
put the triger streight up and down and all the way to the side.

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#6234 - 04/18/07 03:23 AM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Newt Offline
Member

Registered: 07/31/00
Posts: 508
Loc: Port Republic,South Jersey & C...
Use only snares

At a beaver dam cross over. Look at the dam ,while you are on the down stream side.Most of the time (in NEWT'S WORLD"anyhow) Otters will cross the dam (going in eather direction)on the right side.Beavers will too,but they will also use cross overs in the (if any)middle and on the left hand side. Much more than a otter will.Very seldom do I catch a otter in the center or left side of the dam.Matter of fact. I cant rember one otter cought in the middle or left hand side. When there was a cross over on the right hand side.

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#6235 - 04/18/07 03:04 PM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Hal Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 10227
Loc: Blue Creek, Ohio, USA
Time to leave the bodygrips at home. There are things you can do to "avoid" otter, like moving the trigger to one side, but bodygrips and otter are a deadly combination no matter what you do. Newt suggested snares and that's a good idea. Use a beaver size loop, 10-11 inches, about 2 inches off the ground, and you'll let almost all the otter go through. Also, if you retard the lock a few degrees on your loop the snare will not trip so easily if an otter does bump it, but a beaver will still plow through the snare and fire it. And/or, employ foothold traps with baited/lured sets for beaver. This is an almost sure fire way to avoid otter. Otter really aren't attracted to beaver lures to any large extent.

Newt: Maybe I'm not following you here. I whack the devil out of otters at a center crossover on a beaver dam, it is one of my most productive sets. What am I missing?

smile -- Hal
_________________________
Endeavor to persevere.

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#6236 - 04/18/07 04:06 PM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
45/70 Offline
Member

Registered: 04/10/01
Posts: 832
Loc: South Georgia, usA
We have a very large beaver and otter population in my area. There is no closed season on beaver here, and a lot of beaver ADC work is done outside the legal otter season.

Even in large loops, with lock retarded to 10 or 2 o'clock, or slightly more, otters are still being caught in snares. Almost 100% of these otter will be body snared, and wasp-waisted.

When we first began doing live work with otter, we learned that these otter would almost never survive more than a few days.

I built some otter snares with an outside limit stop that only allows them to open to six inches. These snares resulted in more neck catches. Finally,I figured out that if an otter could be caught in a 6" loop, he should be able to escape from a 6" loop. So, for my off season beaver work, I install a limit stop inside the loop that restricts closing to 6".

This has worked out rather well. The 6" loop will hold most all beaver (however, you will miss some kits), while giving the otter enough slack to escape w/o damage.

I have also learned that with a loop limited to 6" open, a few otter will still be body snared. I have begun making my otter snares with a limit stop that allows only an appx. 4 to 4½ inch opening. This is a better diameter for neck snaring. However, I still use an inside limit stop set to allow only a 6" closing diameter for off season beaver work.

When using a 330, a single pole set with the trigger wires pinched together, and both the lock and the trigger moved to the upper side of the trap, will pass a lot of otter, and nail the beaver. However, it will not pass all the otter, and it will pass some of the smaller beaver.

Finally, don't set the otter crossings. While otter will cross at beaver crossings, they also often have their own crossings which are much narrower than a beaver crossing. Beaver rarely use these narrower crossings.

Nothing is perfect, and the three techniques I have listed above are more effective in farm ponds. And as noted, if you are out to remove an entire beaver colony, you'll miss some of the small ones.

Adios,
45/70,
RKBA !!!

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#6237 - 04/19/07 01:51 AM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Newt Offline
Member

Registered: 07/31/00
Posts: 508
Loc: Port Republic,South Jersey & C...
Hal, from my experance. "IF" there is a active crossing on the right hand side of a dam (when your facing up stream) .The otter will cross here.Not in the center or on the left.That is of course there are crossing ,Right, center and left.No crossing of the right? Then they will use the crossing,closest to the right. Which might be the center of the dam.

Also again.When your facing up stream. 95% of all otter toilets are on the right.And most of them are under evergreen trees.

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#6238 - 04/19/07 12:15 PM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Hal Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 10227
Loc: Blue Creek, Ohio, USA
My records show that about 50% of the time, an otter uses the main crossover on a beaver dam (the ones the beaver use) no matter where it is located. Of course they use secondary crossovers too, and the beaver don't use these -- ordinarily. I will still recommend that to avoid otter you should avoid setting bodygrips on the main crossover on a beaver dam.

I've never found an otter toilet under and evergreen tree. (But that's because there are few, if any evergreen trees on my traplines. smile )

smile -- Hal
_________________________
Endeavor to persevere.

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#6239 - 04/19/07 01:10 PM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Newt Offline
Member

Registered: 07/31/00
Posts: 508
Loc: Port Republic,South Jersey & C...
How about the Right side part.On the Otter toilets? Even with out evergreens.

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#6240 - 04/19/07 04:45 PM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Hal Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 10227
Loc: Blue Creek, Ohio, USA
I never noticed that. Frankly, I find more otter toilets away from a dam than I do nearby. However, I am going to make myself a mental note to be more observant of that.

smile -- Hal
_________________________
Endeavor to persevere.

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#6241 - 04/20/07 02:37 AM Re: avoiding otters in beaver sets
Newt Offline
Member

Registered: 07/31/00
Posts: 508
Loc: Port Republic,South Jersey & C...
Sorry Hal, I did'nt explain my last question well enough. I'll try again. (i have a hard time explaining my self in writing)

Do you find more otter toilets on the right side of a waterway ? (while facing up stream)
I am talking about the whole waterway. Not at the dam.

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