“At least 70% of the individuals were two years old or younger,” Kempema said of otters that have been turned into Game, Fish & Parks and had their age determined. AVOIDING RIVER OTTERS WHEN TRAPPING BEAVERS. River otters occur in several streams, rivers and marshes within eastern South Dakota. Trappers now have until November 7, 10:45 a.m. central time (24 hours from the … Tracks and Scat. GFP staff will collect biological data from the carcass. South Dakota has a population of river otters that has been slowly growing and expanding since the late 1990s. An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). Webster 605.345.3381| 603 E. 8th Ave North Dakota law also has class categories for non-domestic animals, with category 3 being the more larger dangerous animals. The river otter is a mostly aquatic furbearer thought to have occupied one of the largest geographic areas among North America’s mammals at time of European Settlement. RIVER OTTER BASICS. After the pelt is tagged, it will be returned to the trapper/hunter. He’s searching for signs of beaver — web-footed tracks, a cache of twigs or even nearby trees that have been shredded by the rodent’s sharp teeth and claws. To report a harvested otter during the designated trapping/hunting season, please call 605.353.7319. The location information is used to help monitor otter distribution in the state. However, South Dakota never really had any “naturally occurring” river otters until the late 1990s, according to Silka Kempema, a wildlife biologist with Game, Fish & Parks. 2020 South Dakota opened its first-in … States, from what we researched, may be legal in Nevada, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, Tennesse, New York, Minnesota, North Carolina and Oklahoma. For those less than interested in trapping, river otter sightings should still be reported to Game, Fish & Parks. How is this sustainable? When you pay your bill, it’s about more than electricity. This trapping season creates a unique, first-time opportunity for trappers in South Dakota this fall. The trapper/hunter is then required to check in the carcass and detached pelt at a GFP office for registration and CITES tagging of the pelt within 5 days of harvest. Carcasses provide important information, such as reproductive status, age, and health. No license is required for youth under age 16 or for resident landowners trapping/hunting on land they own/operate. Primary Threats Principal threats are habitat destruction and degradation, and human-caused mortality. What’s a river otter? Furbearer license. Quick links. Otters' popularity as a furbearer, however, led to their demise across much of Minnesota, and by the late 1800s they were extirpated from the entire drainage of the Minnesota River from the South Dakota border to Mankato. Submit your report via phone, email, or mail. But now that conservation efforts have allowed us to take the river otter off South Dakota’s list of threatened species, we can get back to needlessly killing them. CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT. The river otter is protected as a threat­ ened species in South Dakota (Ashton and Dowd 1991). States, from what we researched, may be legal in Nevada, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, Tennesse, New York, Minnesota, North Carolina and Oklahoma. As recently as 1998 there had been one or less than one otter sighting in the entire state during each of the previous 20 years. Mike Kroger spent Thursday morning, Nov. 5, checking his otter traps. The state governor’s appointed wildlife commissioners recently dropped Lontra … According to South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, the river otter has been on the state’s threatened species list since the late 1970s. The otter track is more or less a webbed foot.”. Knowledge of the location of incidentally caught otter helps to monitor their distribution in the state. River otters were among the many victims of our centuries-long rape of this continent. The trapping season runs from November 1 to December 31, or when the harvest limit of 15 river otters is reached (whichever comes first). Transmission projects support growing electrical needs, deliver renewable energy, and improve system reliability. But now that conservation efforts have allowed us to take the river otter off South Dakota’s list of threatened species, we can get back to needlessly killing them. South Dakota has a population of river otters that has been slowly growing and expanding since the late 1990s. According to the South Dakota river otter management plan, the South Dakota National Heritage Program has received 575 reports of river otters from 1979 through 2019, with the number of reports steadily increasing since the late 1990s. Several factors have allowed river otter populations to rebound in South Dakota, including re-introductions, improvements in wetland and river habitat management, and protections through various laws. One river otter per trapper/hunter per season. The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe reintroduced 35 otters in the Big Sioux River in Moody County in 1998 and 1999. Otters are a symbolic and aspirational animal. That makes it a bit easier for beaver trappers like Kroger to locate, lure and trap the otters, despite their secretive nature. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 2,329. You will have permission to enjoy hunting on 20,000 acres of wild plains for prairie dogs, coyotes, bobcat, sharptail grouse. Over half of all 13 otter species are endangered or vulnerable and are not legally breed - they have to be capture, usually by killing the mother and confiscating the pups. The statewide season’s predetermined harvest limit of 20 has been reached, which prompted the closure, the department said. All pelts had to be tagged, and the otter carcass surrendered within five days. While once on South Dakota’s threatened species list, river otters have made a successful rebound on the eastern side of South Dakota — so much so that the state’s Game, Fish & Parks department delisted them and established the first-ever river otter trapping season. With 15 otters trapped by Nov. 6, the season ended after just six days. It’s about new technologies, infrastructure, and programs that help to keep your rates among the lowest in the region. Long whiskers on their stubby faces help the otters locate prey, including fish, frogs and birds. This trapping/hunting season runs from November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 or until the conservative harvest limit of 15 river otters has been reached (whichever comes first). Trapping started on Nov.1 and was planned to last until the end of the year or until 15 otters were caught in total — whichever comes first. tracks or scat) to GFP. All 13 species of otters are wild animals, extremely sensitive to environmental changes, and are a marking, latrine species. “It’s kind of a pioneer thing.”. They range in size from 34 to 54 inches in length and … Then, between 1998 and 1999, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe bought 34 river otters from a farm in Louisiana and released them on the Big Sioux River. Trapping, hunting, habitat destruction and waterway degradation combined to decimate the otter population. PIERRE, S.D. River otters were among the many victims of our centuries-long rape of this continent. PIERRE – The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Commission is giving the public until June 19 to comment on a draft management plan that would open the first-ever trapping season for the rare native river otter that was reintroduced to the state by the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. In 2018, South Dakota’s natural heritage program, a division of GFP, described otters as “imperiled because of rarity or because of some factor(s) making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range.” NewsEngine | November 6, 2020 | Trapping News | No Comments. Photos: South Dakota … “An otter’ll have a slick spot where it comes out of the water, like a beaver,” Kroger said. North Dakota does not report a survey. Nebraska reports 7,000 otters, and Iowa claims 4,000. River otters are secretive in their behavior but are active year-round during the evening and from the hours of dawn to midmorning. Observing river otter or river otter sign. There are several rules and regulations that trappers must follow to participate. Habitat destruction and *During the open season trappers/hunters are required to report any river otter within 24 hours of harvest to GFP. South Dakota’s First River Otter Trapping Season Ends. Conservation and Management. There are several rules and regulations that trappers must follow to participate. You can learn more about ways you can avoid river otters when trapping in our informational video. State of South Dakota. Its county seat is Gettysburg. For an update on the current river otter harvest please view the following link: Or call the River Otter Harvest Hotline at 605.353.7185. nativesunnews.today. Once this harvest is reported, the trapper/hunter will be directed to call a GFP Wildlife office to set up a time to check in the river otter carcass and receive their CITES tag for the detached river otter pelt. If the animal is dead, leave it undisturbed and contact a GFP representative within 12 hours. Otters fall in category 2, where they are specifically listed. This trapping season creates a unique, first-time opportunity for trappers in South Dakota this fall. Trappers were limited to harvesting just one river otter and had to report the catch to Game, Fish & Parks within 24 hours of the trapping. Trappers killed six otters in Moody County, four in Minnehaha, two in Hamlin, and one each in Roberts, Grant, and Brookings. Strong coffee in hand and waist-high rubber waders in the bed of his pickup, Mike Kroger will often set out in the early morning hours of the day to meander somewhere along a three-mile stretch of the Big Sioux River near his home in Dell Rapids. If the animal is severely injured contact a GFP representative as soon as possible. © 2020 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. On November 27, 2017, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission held a public input hearing in Toronto, South Dakota. IT KIND OF LOOKED LIKE. It Kind of Looked Like. River otter trapping season will last until 15 otters have been caught statewide. Ft Pierre 605.223.7700 | 20641 SD Highway 1806 Otters fall in category 2, where they are specifically listed. North Dakota’s river otter trapping season is closed immediately, the Game and Fish Department announced Monday morning. Brownotter Tantanka Hunts is a true Native American owned buffalo hunt. The pelt must be removed from the carcass prior to presenting the river otter to Department personnel for tagging. The river otter trapping/hunting season is only open to residents of South Dakota. South Dakota opened its first-in-a-long-time river otter trapping season last Sunday, November 1. River otters in South Dakota live in and around sources of open water that are available throughout the year, with most found along the Big Sioux, Minnesota and James Rivers. River otters were among the many victims of our centuries-long rape of this continent. (KELO) — The lontra canadensis has been spotted near the Big Sioux River by in eastern South Dakota. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of … This population thrived. North American River Otter. In Minnesota, otter numbers top 12,000. Otters can weigh anywhere from 7.5 to 35 pounds and have torpedo-shaped bodies, long tails, short legs and webbed feet for swimming. The river otters are thought to be most prevalent in the Big Sioux River basin, but they are also present and reproducing in other eastern South Dakota river … Covered in warm fur, the meat-eating mammals are mostly brown with tan to silvery-white chins and chests. July 9, 2020: Otter Tail Power Company continues to put employee and community safety first at Astoria Station project site The 2020 river otter season has closed. GFP developed a species status review for river otters to provide strategic guidance for the recovery and sustained management of river otter. The limit is one river otter per trapper per season. South Dakotaopened its first-in … But now that conservation efforts have allowed us to take the river otter off South Dakota’s list of threatened species, we can get back to needlessly killing them. The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. 69-year-old Kroger is a long-time trapper and has been tracking down the paddle-tailed mammals for years. There are less than 50 North American river otters in South Dakota but that's too many to deserve to be on their state list of threatened species. River otter trapping season will last until 15 otters have been caught statewide. There are a number of laws in regards to “exotic” animals in each state, so it’s hard to say if an otter is, for certain, legal where you reside. Like all trapping, otter season required trappers to have a valid furbearer license and was only open to trappers in certain counties, all of which are on the eastern side of the state. Reintroduction efforts throughout North America have led to a successful rebound of this once widely distributed mammal. Between Kroger and his trapper pal Mike, the pair caught 28 total beavers in 2019 alone. Reports of river otters are used by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) for the management and monitoring of the species. If you catch a river otter outside of the trapping/hunting season. Habitats that retain open water in winter are i… North Dakota If you want an otter in this state, you will ‘probably’ need a Non-Traditional Livestock Permit. See below map. The river otter was uncommon for so long that many Minnesotans may have grown unfamiliar with this amazingly captivating mammal. North Dakota If you want an otter in this state, you will ‘probably’ need a Non-Traditional Livestock Permit. They are characterized by a cylindrical-shaped body with short legs; a rudder-like tail; short, dense fur; and feet that are completely webbed and adapted for an aquatic lifestyle. The 2020 river otter trapping season has closed. River Otter Basics. Trappers can track the river otter harvest limit by visiting gfp.sd.gov/river-otter and clicking on the “Current River Otter Harvest Count” link, or by calling GFP’s River Otter Harvest Hotline … There are a number of laws in regards to “exotic” animals in each state, so it’s hard to say if an otter … River otters in South Dakota live in and around sources of open water that are available throughout the year, with most found along the Big Sioux, Minnesota and … Otters often are found in aquatic habitats associated with beaver activity and in shallow pools or below small dams where fish are concentrated. South Dakota’s river otter trapping season opens at sunrise on November 1. Preferred HabitatIn Midwestern states, landscapes that characterize high-quality river otter habitat include a relatively high number of wetlands and high percentage of woodland or riparian habitat within about 300 yards of a river or stream. Now 15 river otters can be trapped per season. Potter County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. About the Asian small-clawed otter During the last 20 years, that number has averaged almost 30 otter reports, with the last five years averaging over 50. Please play responsibily. The South Dakota Lottery is a division of the South Dakota Department of Revenue. Chamberlain 605.734.4530 | 1550 E. King Ave Rapid City 605.394.2391 | 3305 W. South Street You must be 18 years or older to play Scratch and Lotto games. River otters are recolonizing in eastern North Dakota, but don't expect to see the torpedo-shaped, brown mammals in the Missouri River anytime soon. #extinction #endangered #wildlife https://t.co/14pu3f3Gz3 pic.twitter.com/1kwXIasDFl Pierre (NHP) 605.773.2742 | 523 East Capitol Ave Between 1979 and 2011 there have been 170 sightings or signs of otters in South Dakota. We allowed trappers to snare and butcher fifteen of the … To keep it conservative, the season was short and sweet. “It’s nature,” he said. Please include your contact information. It’s not uncommon to find otters and beavers in the same area, as river otters will often live inside of beaver dens — even if the beaver is still living there, too. If you catch an otter in a trap or snare outside of the designated trapping/hunting season, release it alive without injuring yourself or the otter. Sunrise November 1 to Sunset December 31, 2020 or until the harvest limit of 15 river otters has been reached (whichever comes first). The harvest limit of 15 river otters was reached on November 6, 10:45 a.m. central time and, as a result, the season has officially ended. River otters occur in several streams, rivers and marshes within eastern South Dakota. Aberdeen 605.626.2391 | 5850 East Highway 12, © Copyright Kempema said photos of otters or their scat can aid in the identification, as otters can easily be confused with beavers. Mike Kroger spent Thursday morning, Nov. 5, checking his otter traps. That’s the scientific name for … South Dakota Rates and Pricing. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the northern river otter or common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent found in and along its waterways and coasts. Huron 605.353.7144 | 895 3rd Street SW Please report any river otter sighting or river otter sign (i.e. River otters are secretive in their behavior but are active year-round during the evening and from the hours of dawn to midmorning. River otters may be harvested statewide. Geography. For more information on the season, visit South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks or call the River Otter Harvest Hotline at (605)353-7185. (KELO) — North American river otters won’t be on South Dakota’s list of threatened species any longer, the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission decided Thursday. Between 1979 and 2011 there have been 170 sightings or signs of otters in South Dakota. Located in the heart of the Lakota Sioux Standing Rock Reservation in Bullhead, South Dakota. “When an otter is on the beach, he drags his belly. Report these incidentally caught live otters via phone, email, or mail. Between 1979 through 1999, the state received reports of just one otter per year. Avoiding River Otter When Trapping Beaver. These reports are valuable information used to modify trapping/hunting seasons, and determine river otter distribution and expansion within SD. This delisting has allowed for a conservative trapping/hunting season; the first in modern times. While they're mostly illegal in the U.S. you can own and care for an otter in these states: Nevada, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, New York, Minnesota and Oklahoma; You will need permits for otters in each of these states so check and do your research! The river otter was taken off the threatened species list this year, allowing for the first otter trapping season in South Dakota in modern times. The harvest limit of 15 river otters was reached on November 6, 10:45 a.m. central time and, as a result, the season has officially ended. River otters in South Dakota live in and around sources of open water that are available throughout the year, with most found along the Big Sioux, Minnesota and James Rivers. South Dakota was not included in the occupied range. Sioux Falls 605.362.2700 | 4500 S. Oxbow Ave Our project was initiated to determine the likelihood ofa successful river otter reintroduction program in South Dakota using habitat and water The river otters are thought to be most prevalent in the Big Sioux River basin, but they are also present and reproducing in other eastern South Dakota river basins. We allowed trappers to snare and butcher fifteen of the critters, which limit was met by Friday morning. You must be 21 years or older to play Video Lottery. In 2020, the river otter was taken off South Dakota’s state threatened species list. North Dakota law also has class categories for non-domestic animals, with category 3 being the more larger dangerous animals. Consequently, there is increased interest in restoring river otters to their native range in South Dakota. River otters can be legally harvested within the following counties in eastern South Dakota: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Grant, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Turner, Union and Yankton. He’s searching for signs of beaver — web-footed tracks, […] Between this one-time reintroduction and recent migrations from surrounding states like Minnesota, Kempema says the river otter population grew in such a way that it met enough criteria to be removed from the threatened species list. But this week, Kroger isn’t looking for beavers. PIERRE – South Dakota’s river otter trapping season opens at sunrise on Nov. 1. When 15 river otters are harvested, the season will close immediately. Presentation; News releases and updates. The river otter is listed as a Sensitive Species by the USFS throughout Region 2, as state threatened by the states of Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota, and protected under state laws in all states within Region 2. However, the river otter suffered population declines resulting in the loss of nearly 75% of their range by 1988. They range in size from 34 to 54 inches in length and their weights can range from 7.4 to 34 lbs. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1883. If you observe a live river otter or river otter sign, record this basic information: date, location (Township, Range, Section or GIS coordinates), general habitat, behavior (if the animal is witnessed) and a description of the animal. Any river otter that is harvested must be reported to the Department within 12 hours to make arrangements to have the river otter tagged. Watertown 605.882.5200 | 400 West Kemp “That’s a strong indicator that the population is growing.”. River otters were once common in South Dakota. The river otter was taken off the threatened species list this year, allowing for the first otter trapping season in South Dakota in modern times. 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