Post by catmando1 on Mar 4, 2011 18:54:13 GMT -5
Today was not the typical day at work, i'll tell ya. A friend/co-worker and I have been beaver trapping the golf course at our place of employment for damage control though season is still in effect. We connected a couple days ago with a 40 lb beav, yesterday nothing, then today we had a huge suprise. We had made a set in a run leading to an old beaver lodge. Mat, set a 330 in blind-submersed fasion, with a diving stick just over the trap, in a run that I had set up a block-aid "fence" stretching across the run channel. I had made the fence out of sticks and small logs, and there was a nice hole in the center to jam a 330. Matt wired the trap/diving stick just under the surface to the 2 inside closest sticks in the fencing to top off a great looking set. I had caught several beaver there in the yrs past, but the water was down a bit, and the sign was a little lacking in that immediate area. I really figured that when we started banging the beavs in other parts of the irragation pond, they would try and escape the pressure in the "old lodge" area, so setting it up seemed like a good idea.
Unfortunatly, this gorgeous buck otter found it before the beavers did. Let me tell you, that just saying we were shocked, is a gross understatement. In this part of Kansas, there had been no confirmed otters. They are however, know to be in the southern counties up to here, but mainly up north along the big rivers, and way south in the bottom 6 counties of southeast Kansas, and they have been established there for several years. Now the state requires us to report any otter sighting, or catch. They are still a protected species here as of now, so we had to surrender it (willingly!) to them. There has been rumors that a limited otter season in some parts of Kansas may begin as early as next season. The officer confirmed this as a good possibility. The otters are doing very well here!
I truely love the idea of otters being here in good numbers, but I would rather have caught one in a season so it would be for "keeps", but it was still a rush and an awesome experience, and I could see myself becoming an avid otter trapper as they are VERY ATTRACTIVE animals.
He was 43.5 in. long tip to tip, and I don't know if that is a good sized one or not, maybe someone can tell me?
Here he is
Unfortunatly, this gorgeous buck otter found it before the beavers did. Let me tell you, that just saying we were shocked, is a gross understatement. In this part of Kansas, there had been no confirmed otters. They are however, know to be in the southern counties up to here, but mainly up north along the big rivers, and way south in the bottom 6 counties of southeast Kansas, and they have been established there for several years. Now the state requires us to report any otter sighting, or catch. They are still a protected species here as of now, so we had to surrender it (willingly!) to them. There has been rumors that a limited otter season in some parts of Kansas may begin as early as next season. The officer confirmed this as a good possibility. The otters are doing very well here!
I truely love the idea of otters being here in good numbers, but I would rather have caught one in a season so it would be for "keeps", but it was still a rush and an awesome experience, and I could see myself becoming an avid otter trapper as they are VERY ATTRACTIVE animals.
He was 43.5 in. long tip to tip, and I don't know if that is a good sized one or not, maybe someone can tell me?
Here he is
