# Any SE otter sightings?



## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I was fishing the Hocking last night and saw something that I can't say was 100% an otter, but I can't say it wasn't, either. I've been fishing the river along campus for over 20 years and it's the first I have seen anything like this. It was definitely too big to be a muskrat, and I really don't think it was a beaver. It was moving with more agility and acted like it chased something up into the shallows at one point across the river from me.

Any confirmed sightings in the area?


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

We've had a trapping season for them for several years. Not something you'll see a lot of, but certainly around.


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## fishmeister (Jul 29, 2004)

Yep I’ve seen them (and their slides) off of county rd 24, south of campus.


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## Fishin365 (Feb 3, 2009)

Quite often at Clendening and Big Stillwater.  They roam in packs and you can find them hunting fish. Pretty interesting to watch.


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## maynard (May 19, 2007)

We've got 6 of them out in front of our house. Mostly see them in winter bc they love to play on the ice.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Over the last 5 or more years I cant remember a year I havnt seen some. Always see a few throughout the year duck hunting. Seen a few at clendenning and Piedmont also while fishing. I've only ever trapped one. It was a unintentional catch in a beaver run.


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## Howland 937 (10 mo ago)

I haven't seen any over in Highland or Ross counties, but my sister in law did try to convince me that she saw one in her yard. Then it ran into a hole under her porch.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

maynard said:


> We've got 6 of them out in front of our house. Mostly see them in winter bc they love to play on the ice.


What county? "Southeast" doesn't mean the same to everyone, I guess. I don't think of anything close to, let alone north of, Interstate 70 as "SE." I'm down in Athens County.


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## maynard (May 19, 2007)

Noble County


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I’ve seen them in the lower parts of the Scioto River watershed.


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## Jim white (Feb 19, 2018)

Seen one in the Muskingum river above Beverly ohio


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## TIC (Sep 9, 2009)

I've seen them on the lower Little Miami River, Hamilton/Clermont Counties...


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## pitdweller (Sep 16, 2004)

They are all through the little muskinghum watershed from graysville to wingett run.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

There are some in Paint Creek downstream of the lake. I have seen them at the tailwaters too. I have seen them and signs of them for a few years in Paint Creek. They raised young on my friends farm along Paint Creek 3-4 years ago.


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## acesand8's (5 mo ago)

Saw one this year in a creek off the Muskingum River.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I have had people tell me I'm crazy cause I've told them I've seen them with 25 min from Columbus in the licking river. Seen them twice in a week. Then again one more time a year later. First time was just before sun up and I spooked them as they was strolling by. Then a few days later I seen them again clear as day across the river at an angle playing on the muddy, grassy, steep bank. The next year I spooked them again coming up to the same spot. 
How long ago was it that it was a rare sight to see geese flying over head. Now I don't go a day without seeing geese. Not even that long ago it was rare to see a bald eagle if you were lucky enough to see one at all. . A year ago when I drove for work more and was fishing more I seen them weekly in different parts of different city's from groveport to Columbus out to Dayton and up to deleware. I see tons of beaver too. Almost everywhere I fish actually.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

Last week my neighbor saw a group of about 12 crossing a railroad track in Guernsey county. I never realized they hung out in groups this large until I researched it. Horrible pic, but here is what he sent me.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I’ve seen smaller groups but I had no idea they hung out in groups like that. That could play hell on a farm pond. I’m starting to wonder if thats what happened to my pond, fish have just disappeared in the last year.


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## Jim white (Feb 19, 2018)

Saugeyefisher said:


> I have had people tell me I'm crazy cause I've told them I've seen them with 25 min from Columbus in the licking river. Seen them twice in a week. Then again one more time a year later. First time was just before sun up and I spooked them as they was strolling by. Then a few days later I seen them again clear as day across the river at an angle playing on the muddy, grassy, steep bank. The next year I spooked them again coming up to the same spot.
> How long ago was it that it was a rare sight to see geese flying over head. Now I don't go a day without seeing geese. Not even that long ago it was rare to see a bald eagle if you were lucky enough to see one at all. . A year ago when I drove for work more and was fishing more I seen them weekly in different parts of different city's from groveport to Columbus out to Dayton and up to deleware. I see tons of beaver too. Almost everywhere I fish actually.


Beaver is good eatin to 😁


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## EDE (Nov 6, 2015)

2-3 years ago saw an otter at Atwood along 542 at the cemetery. It came swimming past me with a catfish about 12" long in its mouth.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

M.Magis said:


> I’ve seen smaller groups but I had no idea they hung out in groups like that. That could play hell on a farm pond. I’m starting to wonder if thats what happened to my pond, fish have just disappeared in the last year.


That's a possibility but theres a really good chance you would of saw puke piles of scales if it was from otter. They puke up scales and bones a lot. If your pond got wiped out from otter I'm almost certain you would of noticed some piles around the pond. 
The coolest experience with otter for me was while duck hunting a very large swamp. There was six otter and they worked as a team to push some carp into a small bay. Once they got the carp in the bay they was able to catch two of the carp and they all took turns eating on them.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

ducky152000 said:


> That's a possibility but theres a really good chance you would of saw puke piles of scales if it was from otter. They puke up scales and bones a lot. If your pond got wiped out from otter I'm almost certain you would of noticed some piles around the pond.
> The coolest experience with otter for me was while duck hunting a very large swamp. There was six otter and they worked as a team to push some carp into a small bay. Once they got the carp in the bay they was able to catch two of the carp and they all took turns eating on them.


Its just a theory, but the pond is pretty much surrounded by inpenatratable briars and weeds. I have one spot I park the jon boat and thats the only place I can see the bank. It may have been something else of course, but I’ll make several otter sets this trapping season just in case.


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