Otter in small private lake

[racn35]

i bought a box of 22 SHORTS .... the POP dont carry as far with the 22LRs ... wont feed auto in the rifle but the 6 shooter kills what ever its aimed at too

[Don Hershfeld]

That is why you shoot and shut up. Don't go running youjr mouth that you killed an otter. Shoot his ass and keep on moving. Otters and beaver will destroy a lake or river faster than an oil spill!

I can confirm this advice about the advisability of even discussing taking out an otter, having twice had surprise visits from CO's sent to investigate. Since there had been no otters offed here, in each case the CO left officially satisfied, but apparently also privately sympathetic about the need for control of their numbers.

Have to disagree that otters will necessarily destroy a lake or river. There was a time of course when otter co-existed with fish throughout the state, and by all accounts fish stocks were quite healthy. Of course, so were the fish habitats, the water quality, plus there was relatively little harvest pressure being brought to bear by man either. Fish almost certainly benefitted from thinning at the beaks and jaws and claws of all manner of natural enemies.

I suspect that our good folks in Wildlife see the successful reintroduction of an apex predator like this as a matter of restoration and something to celebrate. Its great that our waters can once again physically support otters. But at what cost to other end users of fish, such as ourselves?

Trouble is, fish stocks (both natural and otherwise) face all sorts of pressures and other ecological limitations today. Other than perhaps mud shad below the Conowingo Fish ladder (from what I read they physically crowd out more desirable migratory fishes from even using it), it is no longer possible to write about catching fish with a frying pan, like Captain Smith! It is not a utopian aquatic world out there anymore, with only one missing furry face needed to complete it. Fish have enough hurdles to overcome as it is, and so these days our waters no longer exactly teem with them.

So when a reproducing, winter-active apex predator is superimposed upon a non-reproducing, winter-inactive, and habitat-limited prey species like stocked trout, and the predators preferred forage (crayfish) take a long and total seasonal siesta, there is trouble soon brewing in River City, or any small body of water really.

Hey, upon our return today it was snowing seriously atop Keyser's Ridge (I68 and U.S. 219 south).

[Loop Wing]

Thought I told you to keep your mouth shut.

[Don Hershfeld]

I may have already exhausted the local contingent of CO's, and so am not too worried about discussing the 'ver boten' topic anymore. Actually, I wish the need for otter management was a topic of greater as well as wider angler concern and I guess that compels me, Loopwing. I'm done for now.