Had a first time experience this morning

[phylodog]

Hunting partner and I were in the stand this morning when he spotted a critter walking across a sandbar in the creek. From the way it moved he thought it was a mink and pointed it out to me. Before I could get a look it popped into the water and we began watching it swim, then it dove underwater. Then it became apparent that there were two of them. We watched them popping up to the surface and diving back down as they worked their way upstream. Then one of them popped up onto a log by the bank with a fish in it's mouth and looked my way. It wasn't until that point that I realized it was a pair of otters!

I know next to nothing about the little critters other than how much fun they can be to watch. We used to watch them in a small bay on the lake I used to go to in Canada. I definitely would have never guessed they would inhabit a creek that small (10yds wide on average). I was very excited to see them and I'm hoping to get some video of them this winter if they stay in the area.

The only mammal we haven't seen on the farm now that I know exists in Indiana is a badger. Don't know if there are any in Fountain County but it would be pretty cool to spot one.

 

[MCgrease08]

There's an otter that I've seen a few times in a small retention pond near my apartment complex in Fishers.

The first time I saw it I thought I was seeing things, but I've spotted it twice since then.

 

[churchmouse]

Heard they were in Indiana but never seen one. That would be neat to watch.

 

[indyjohn]

That is very interesting, otters in Indiana. I would guess they were prominent here 200 years ago? Not sure.

This reminds me of the eagles and various hawks & falcons I see now. When I was a kid, I NEVER saw any type of bird of prey. And I grew up 40 miles west of Indy.

 

[phylodog]

When I took my daughter to hunters ed this summer the CO said that the otters had established well enough that we will probably see a limited trapping season open up for them soon. The biggest problem is the sponsor program the IDNR took part in when they first started reintroducing them. There are a lot of Hoosiers who "adopted" an otter and now those otters may be allowed to be killed by someone else. Not a great scenario.

 

[Bfish]

I've seen two in Indiana, and was kind of happy to see them really. I always have loved them being around up in Minnesota. From what I understand they aren't so intrusive like a muskrat or a beaver.

 

[mom45]

We actually had a mink run across the road in front of our truck the other night in a swampy area. I had never seen one before so I caught me off guard. It was neat to see it.

I know the otters seem to have established well after they released them, but I haven't seen any in the wild.

 

[bobjones223]

I have seen two in Noblesville on the White River while small mouth fishing.

 

[CindyE]

They are fun to watch, but a nuisance to some. Saw a mom and pup playing on the ice on the river a couple of winters ago.

 

[T.Lex]

Dear Penthouse,

Had a first time experience this morning. Hunting partner and I were in the stand this morning .....

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

The only mammal we haven't seen on the farm now that I know exists in Indiana is a badger. Don't know if there are any in Fountain County but it would be pretty cool to spot one.

Back in the mid-1980's I found a road-killed badger in Delaware Co, about 5 miles east of Muncie, but I've never seen or heard of any others in the area.

I've never seen an Indiana otter. I had a job in Florida in the orange groves on Merritt Island and there were lots of otters there, and we see them all the time around our place in Canada.

 

[jimbobcooters]

My father told me about a guy catching a badger in the 80s in Bartholomew Co. By the time the DNR go there it had almost eaten its way through the cage.

 

[Expat]

I was float hunting several years ago and got to see one scampering around. It was pretty exciting at the time.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Seen otter(s) on a few separate occasions while hunting in VA, but never in Indiana.

 

[Mark 1911]

Never even knew we had otters in IN. Cool little critters.

 

[singlestacksig]

yes they re in fountain county. I have one in my woods..
they make HUGE holes in the ground..

 

[singlestacksig]

otter season
DNR: Indiana River Otter Trapping

 

[IndyGunworks]

I had an otter swim under my boat while fishing at Brookville lake.... Had the sonar going and the whole middle of the screen turned black and you could see the dive pattern and depth as it swam through the sonar.... then the black blot started coming up and up popped the otter w/ a fish in its mouth.... was a small catfish is I remember right.... all this happened less than ten yards from the boat....

 

[OWGEM]

The River Otters were reintroduced to Indiana at Muscatatuck NWR near Seymour in 1995. I have been photograhing them there for years. One of my favorite subjects. Here is a link to some photos...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dhkaiser/albums/72157601139596460