THE OTTER.
The otter is a carnivorous animal, somewhat resembling the mink in
appearance. They are found in various parts of the world and will be
met with in most of the wilder parts of North America. The northern
or Canadian otter is the most common, but there are other varieties
known as the Carolina otter, the Florida otter and the Newfoundland
otter. In habits and general appearance they are all similar.
A distinct species is found in the North Pacific, and is known as the
sea otter. This animal is considerably larger than the fresh water
species, and has a shorter tail. The fur is of great value.
The otter is an aquatic animal, living in and near the streams and
lakes, and getting its living from them. It has a long body, short,
stout legs, and webbed feet; the tail is long, thick at the base, and
tapering to a point. The neck is thick, the head comparatively small,
with small ears, set well down on the sides of the head. The fur is
of two kinds, the under fur being fine, soft and wavy, and of a light
silvery color; while the outer fur or guard hairs, are longer,
coarser, and usually straight, the color varying from brown to almost
black. The fur of the tail and under parts is shorter and stiffer
than that on the back, sides and neck; that on the under parts having
a silvery tint. Otters frequently measure three and one-half feet in
length and weigh from fifteen to twenty-five pounds. The skin, when
stretched, will often measure five feet from tip to tip, and
sometimes even more.
The food of the otter consists principally of fish, trout being their
favorite food; but they also feed on muskrats, clams, frogs, and the
smaller animal life, found in the beds of streams and lakes.
They capture muskrats by entering their houses and their holes in the
banks.
Otters usually make burrows in the banks of streams, lining the nest
with leaves and grass. The entrances to these burrows are under the
water and it is my belief that they inhabit them only during the
breeding season. The young are born in April and May and there are
from two to four in a litter.
The otter is a great traveler, following the lakes and water courses,
sometimes going a distance of one hundred miles on a single trip.
Apparently he is always in a great hurry to reach a certain place,
some lake or pond, at which, having reached, he may remain for
several months, and again he may leave immediately after his arrival.
Otters sometimes have slides on the banks of streams, down which they
slide into the water, apparently for pastime. They also have landing
places on the banks of streams and on logs projecting into the water,
where they go to roll in the grass and leaves, or to lie in the sun.
These places are seldom visited in the fall, but in the spring, they
will land at almost every place as they come along.
In traveling, they usually follow the center of the stream, as they
are more at home in the water than on land. In winter they travel
under the ice, wherever the water is deep enough to allow of their
passage. The otter's legs being very short, he has a peculiar method
of traveling on the ice or snow. He throws himself forward, sliding
on his belly, and by repeating the move in rapid succession, is
enabled to get along at a surprising rate of speed.
Wherever there is a sharp bend in the stream, the otter will make a
short cut across the point, and if the stream is traveled much, you
will find a well-defined trail in such a place. Where two streams lie
close together, they sometimes have a trail from one stream to
another. Also wherever a long point of land projects into a lake,
they are likely to have a trail across the point.
The otter appears to be on very friendly terms with the beaver, and
if there are any beavers in the country, the otter is sure to find
them and will spend considerable time in the same pond. When there
are a number of families of beavers in the same locality, the otter
will spend nearly all of its time with the beavers, visiting from one
family to another. Wherever he finds beaver cutting along the stream,
he examines it, and will most likely follow up the stream to find the
beaver. This habit is taken advantage of by the Indian trappers of
the north, as will be explained later.
In the north, the otter becomes prime about the first week in
November, and remains in good condition until about the first of
June. In the south they are seldom prime until the first of December,
and commence to shed from the first to the fifteenth of April. The
fur of the otter is valuable, the dark, straight haired ones being
worth the most. Occasionally an otter is found having a decided curl
to the ends of the hair, the ends being turned forward. These are
called "curly" otters and are not near so valuable as the others.
Otters are found in good numbers in the swamps of the southern
states; in Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and the lowlands
of Texas. They are also quite plentiful in some parts of
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine; also in the wilds of
Labrador, Ungava, Quebec, Ontario, Yukon, Mackenzie and Alaska. The
most valuable otters come from the far north, but they are probably
more plentiful in the south, and the southern trapper has the
advantage of having open water all winter.
The best traps for otter are the numbers 2 1/2, 3 and 3 1/2 Newhouse;
the Nos. 3 and 4 Hawley & Norton; and the No. 14 Oneida jump, also
the "Seminole" pattern, Blake & Lamb.
The point to keep in mind when trapping for otter, is that they are
very shy of the scent of man; more so perhaps than any other animal,
and unless great care is observed, are likely to be frightened
entirely out of the locality in which you are trapping. This human
scent theory is disputed by some trappers, but I speak from my own
experience, and from the experience of many expert trappers with whom
I am acquainted. If one will use a little judgment he will readily
understand why human scent is alarming to many wild animals. Man is
the natural enemy of all wild animal life, and all wild creatures
realize this fact. Now you will see that any indications of the
presence of man, puts the animal on its guard; especially is this the
case in the wilderness where the animals are not accustomed to seeing
the tracks of man wherever they go. When an animals finds human
scent, he has positive proof that man has been in that vicinity.
Footprints and other human signs, if there is no scent, are not so
alarming, as they are likely to be mistaken for signs made by some
wild animal. Although the animals of the wilderness are more afraid
of human scent than those found in the settled countries, they are
just as easily trapped. The more wary animals found in settled parts,
are always looking for danger because of the continued presence of
man in their locality, but on the other hand, they are not likely to
be frightened by human scent because it is a common thing to them.
As mentioned before the otter is sure to visit the beavers, if there
are any about, so if you know of a family of beavers, go to that
place and if you can find an old beaver dam, on the stream
somewhere, below where the beavers are located, make a break in the
center of this dam, so that all of the water will flow through this
opening, and set the trap in the water, in the upper end of this
passage. Narrow down the passage to about eight inches, by driving a
few old stakes on each side of the trap. The trap may be staked, but
it is better, if the water is deep enough, to use a sliding pole, so
that the captured animal will drown. No covering is needed on the
trap, but after it is set, the entire setting should be drenched with
water, to remove the human scent. This is an excellent set and will
remain in working order until late in the fall, as the water
immediately above the break in the dam will not freeze until long
after other water is closed by ice. Even in the coldest weather this
set may be kept from freezing by roofing it over with evergreen
boughs, and banking it well with snow.
Beavers and beaver dams are not found in every locality, but wherever
otters are found traveling on small streams, they may be trapped in
the following manner:
Find a narrow place in the stream, where the water flows smoothly,
and narrow up the stream by placing a bunch of old dead brush in each
side, leaving a passage of about eight inches in the middle. Lay a
few stones among the brush to keep them in place. Set the trap in the
opening, and splash water over the brush and banks. The trap may be
staked but it is better to fasten to a clog. Cut a small sapling of
such a size that the ring of the chain will just pass over the butt
of the sapling. Slip the ring over the clog and fasten it by
splitting the butt and drive a wedge in the split, or by driving a
staple over the ring. The clog may be placed on the upper side of the
brush, used to block the stream, and the top may be tied to the
shore, so that it will not be carried away by high water. In very
small streams, a narrow passage may be made, by simply placing a few
stones in either side, leaving a narrow passage in the middle, in
which to set the trap.
When you can find a sharp bend in the stream, with a trail across the
point, set the trap in the water, at the end of the trail. Use same
care as advised for the other sets.
For spring trapping this method is excellent: if you can find one of
the otter's landing places on the bank, prepare the place for setting
in the fall in the following manner: Make a nest for the trap in the
center of the trail and fill the nest with grass and leaves. Lay a
bunch of dead brush or a chunk of rotten wood on each side of the
trail, so as to leave only a narrow passage and cut a clog and lay it
in place. The otters seldom visit these places in the fall, so there
is no danger of frightening them. In the spring, before the snow is
all gone, go and set your trap in the place prepared, covering with
the leaves and grass, and attach to the clog, covering the entire
setting with a little snow. As the snow melts, it takes with it all
of the scent and signs, leaving the trap ready for the first otter
that comes along.
If you do not find the landing places until after the snow is gone,
set the traps just the same, washing the scent away by sprinkling
with water, or set the traps in the water where the otter climbs up
the bank.
[Illustration: Otter Trap Set Under Ice.]
Another very good method for spring trapping, is to set the trap in
the edge of the water, where the bank bluffs a little, sticking up a
few fresh cut, green sticks behind the trap, and at the sides. Post a
piece of the dried oil castor of the beaver on a stick, behind the
trap, and about ten inches high. The ordinary beaver castor is also
good. The oil castor is very attractive to the otter, and the green
sticks are also attractive, as the otter mistakes them for beaver
cutting. Always fasten the trap so the animal will drown, as you are
likely to catch a beaver in this set.
One of the best methods of trapping otter in winter, after the
streams are closed with ice, is as follows: Find a long pool of still
water, where you are sure the otter will be traveling under the ice,
and at either end of this pool, where the water is about ten inches
deep, cut a hole through the ice, make a pen of dead sticks in the
water, making the pen about nine inches wide, by twelve or fifteen
inches deep. Now take a fish and fasten it to a stick, in the back of
the pen, and set the trap in the entrance, staking it securely. Drive
the stake about ten inches in front of the pen, and directly in front
of the trap. The object in this is to cause the otter, in entering,
to twist his body, in which act, he will put his foot down in the
trap. Throw some snow in the hole, so it will freeze over. The bait
should be renewed once a week. In case you cannot get fish for bait,
use the head of a rabbit, the breast of a partridge, or a piece of
muskrat. The bait should be skinned.
The otter will also be attracted by any white object. I know a
trapper who caught one in this way by baiting with a white door knob,
and the Indians sometimes use a piece of fresh peeled poplar for
bait.
If the ice has formed when the water was above its usual level, there
will be an air space, between the water and the ice. In such a case,
cut a hole through the ice at the edge of the water, placing a piece
of beaver castor on a stick behind the trap. The hole may be closed
by covering with a block of ice.
When the otter has been working on a lake for some time, you will
find where he has been coming out at the springholes, which are found
on nearly all lakes. In such places the water is always shallow, and
a trap may be set on the bottom directly under the hole. Great care
must be used however, for if the otter is not caught the first time
he comes out, he will be frightened away.
Otters often land on the logs which project into the water. When you
can find such a log, cut a notch for a trap, so that it will set
about two inches deep, and place some mud in the notch so as to hide
the fresh cutting. Some very successful trappers, set their traps in
this way, and place some good scent on the log, above the trap.
If you can find an otter slide, find the place where the animal lands
on the bank to visit the slide, and set the trap under about two
inches of water.
The Nos. 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 Newhouse traps were designed especially for
trapping otters on their slides. The trap should be set at the foot
of the slide, so as to catch the animal by the breast or body.
Otters often travel in pairs, and it is usually advisable to set two
or three traps on one stream.
Do not make your camp near the stream, and do not travel along the
stream more than necessary. In looking at the traps, do not go too
close, unless the traps need your attention.
There is no way in which the sea otter can be trapped and they are
hunted only with rifles. The methods employed in hunting them have
been very successful and as a consequence the animal has been
practically exterminated.
The track of the otter is peculiar, owing to their strange mode of
travel. As before mentioned their method of travel is a series of
plunging slides and in the snow they make a deep furrow, their
footprints being from four to eight feet apart, according to the
"sliding conditions". When two or more are traveling in company, they
will usually all run in the same trail. Their tracks are as a rule,
only seen on lakes and streams, but occasionally they will go
overland from one stream to another. The footprints will measure
about one and one-half or one and three-fourths inches in length and
about the same in width.
[Illustration: The Beaver.]