Otters

Saw a wild river otter for the first time while hunting, not legal to shoot where I was though. It came out of a culvert and stared me down for a second, scampered back into the pipe before I could get a picture. I know trapping them is the typical harvest method, but any of you ever shoot one? The one I saw was pretty big, close to four feet long.

They are regulated and protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. They can be legally harvested with the correct permits and a CITES tag. Killing them without the correct permit and a CITES tag is a federal offense and not where you want to be in the legal system.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/permits/land/wildlife/cites/

Take one and go get it tagged with the CITES tag, no big deal. I would wait til winter when they will be prime and much prettier.

Take, Possess or Sale of Furbearers
Hunter education requirements apply.
A department-issued CITES tag is required to be attached to all otters taken and possessed in this state. No otters may be taken or collected from a public roadway.
Furbearers may be hunted at night on private property with the aid of an artificial light.
No license is required if nuisance furbearers are taken while causing loss or damage to agricultural crops, livestock, poultry, or personal property. However, such animals or their pelts may NOT be possessed or sold.
There is no closed season for recreational harvest.
For more information on COMMERCIAL seasons, legal means, and other rules for furbearers and their pelts, consult the Fur-bearing Animal Digest, available at TPWD Law Enforcement offices or calling (800) 792-1112.
Otter Tags
All otters taken in Texas, except nuisance otters, shall be permanently tagged with a department issued federal Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) tag valid for the year in which the otter was taken within 90 days of take. All otter pelts imported into Texas must be accompanied by evidence of lawful take or possession.

CITES tags for otters may be obtained from:
TPWD Office Address Zip Phone
Beaumont 5550-K Eastex Fwy. 77708 (409) 892-8666
Mt. Pleasant 212 South Johnson 75456 (903) 572-7966
Tyler 3330 South Southwest Loop 323 75701 (903) 534-0388
Lufkin P.O. Box 266 75902 (936) 632-1311
Rusk 801 West 6th Street 75785 (903) 683-2511
Contact Information
For other information concerning hunting and fishing regulations, parks, wildlife or other subjects related to TPWD, call our toll-free number: (800) 792-1112 during regular business hours. At any time of the day, a person may call toll-free (800) 792-GAME (4263) to report a violation of the state's game and fish laws. A reward may be offered to eligible callers who provide information which leads to a conviction.

They are neat to watch but I hear they can clean out your pond quickly

No permit needed and you can’t get the CITES tag until after you shoot one. If they are a nuisance you don’t have to get the CITES tag as long as you don’t keep them. And yes Biscuit they will destroy a pond.

Would be interested in a reference link for any exceptions because TPWD is not showing them on that reference page. From the TPWD link - emphasis added for ease of reference -

"Otter CITES tags are required for all otters that are legally harvested in Texas. The pelts are required to be tagged with an otter CITES tag regardless of whether or not it is being shipped out of Texas. The otter pelt must be tagged within 90 days of take and is valid for the year in which the otter was taken....

Pelt tags can be obtained by presenting the pelt and your hunting license number at one of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Regional & Field Law Enforcement Offices. Please call the office ahead of your arrival."

From the link you posted regarding obtaining tags and permits:


Further reading. https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/...g-animal-regulations/general-regulations

From the link you posted regarding obtaining tags and permits:


Further reading. https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/...g-animal-regulations/general-regulations



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Interesting conflict from TPWD as the very page you link, just above your quotes also states:

"A department-issued CITES tag is required to be attached to all otters taken and possessed in this state. No otters may be taken or collected from a public roadway."

I'll give them a call tomorrow as I am already talking with USFWS enforcement people tomorrow, I'll ask them too as the TPWD site says two conflicting things.

One thing I know for certain is River Otter is listed in CITES Appendix II, and that is not a guess.

Possessed is the distinction there. At least it was when I spoke with Tyler TPWD a few years back. If they are a nuisance they are fair game, license or not…no CITES tags required as long as you don’t keep the pelts. Hunting/possession outside that requires CITES tag after harvest within 90 days.

I am curious now and will report back with what I find out. fwiw - CITES Appendix II listed animals are not threatened or endangered. They are the next level down as vulnerable and could slide into threatened or endangered legal status. So the purpose of the CITES Appendix II listing is to try to track population and distribution trends for each listed species and try to keep them off of the threatened and endangered list.

River Otters are slowly increasing in Texas as water quality improved in many areas. About 25 - 30 years ago, I picked up a road killed River Otter near High Island and turned it in. What I was told at that time was that was the first confirmed River Otter in Texas in 50 years. I have documented them a few times since them including in Hays County near Wimberley a couple of years ago.

At a minimum, TPWD needs to correct conflicting statements on their reference pages. Will report back with what I hear from both the state and federal folks. Hopefully they are on the same page, but have seen them disagree on occasion too.

Good and interesting discussion. 👍

Wild they weren’t well dispersed a few years back. I’ve seen them all over east Texas and numerous places in central Texas while fishing. Figured they were like rats nowadays.

Wow pretty easy for me to understand.
Nuisance otters can be taken without a license but the pelt may not be kept or possessed.
They are listed as furbearers in Texas so you need a trappers or hunting license to take one.
To keep a pelt you must go to TP&W and get the CITES tag after harvest.

Used to watch 3 of them play around on my lease in east TX. They were fun to watch.

What did you find out jeffbird ?

We have some up here in Collin County around Lake Lavon. Neighbor had a couple on his game cam behind his house and another neighbor saw one on the side of the road earlier this year. Went back to makes sure it was, what he actually thought it was, confirmed.

I do nuisance beaver trapping in Grayson county, and I've caught several the last couple years. Game warden says no problem, but I can't keep them. They go out in the field, but the coyotes don't seem to like them. The buzzards will pick at them, but nothing like a pig or beaver carcass. They are incredibly strong, and I've had them break a chain and pull out of 330s.

We have otters in the pond / creek behind our house. We don't own it, so I and my family are happy to watch them play around. Cool critters.

I researched all this back when I was thinking about killing one at my place. The real issue from a practical standpoint is that most of the TPWD regional offices did not have otter CITES tags so it would have required a trip to Austin to be legal.

Now that time has passed I’m glad I never killed one and I just enjoy my infrequent sightings these days.

we gotta pond at our place in northern california. they ate 60 ducks over 6 months. not liked.

Luckily just passing through from a creek on my property and did not stay at my ponds.

We saw a group of otters on our lease about 3 years ago... passing through the creek, boogying along. never seen them again.

We're a long way from a creek & these two were passing thru. Never seen before or after. Cool critters, this is 'Vid Year 2021'.

They are my all time favorite animal. Love watching them play and man talk about great fisherman too lol. First one I ever saw was eating a bass about 4 pounds.

Short followup, two people in Texas with USFWS that deal with threatened and endangered species both say to get the CITES tag. Both mention it is not supposed to be a big deal, but helps with monitoring the population trend. The contact I deal with at TPWD did not know, but was going up the chain to find out. Never heard back.

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No permit needed and you can’t get the CITES tag until after you shoot one. If they are a nuisance you don’t have to get the CITES tag as long as you don’t keep them. And yes Biscuit they will destroy a pond.[/quote]

I've got at least three in the pond on my property. I believe they pushed out beavers and took over the beaver den. I see no signs of the beavers anymore. How do they actually destroy a pond? Are you talking about the fish numbers?

I have seen them use beaver dens. I know they do fight with beavers. They definitely clean a pond out of all the fish.

Saw an otter in Missouri once. Wife and I were fishing one night on a wooden dock and decided to head back. The critter jumped on the dock between us and the land and just about scared my wife out of her skin. I had a good laugh. It was just curious at us and went back in the water. Fun to watch.

I’ve never seen one in person that I can recall but we had 4 on a trail cam over a mile from the river last week. I thought that was pretty cool,

I've had fishing guides tell me that if you see an otter in the river, you may as well pack up and head 2 miles downstream in order to find any fish.

Have seen several along Sabine river @ Gladewater, Kilgore, Marshall and roadways close to it. 2 on highway due to being run over, another one near Carthage same. Guess blinded by headlights crossing roads since pretty agile.

I was driving thru Cameron, Tx (just south maybe 3-5 miles) about 1 am when I jammed on the brakes and hit one in the road.

Wife woke up and said WTH was that and I said I think I just ran over an otter

She didn't believe me so we did a U-Turn and by God I did run over an otter

I'm from North Tx and I have never saw one outside of a zoo

I've seen road kill otter. Might as well take the pelt if you just killed it. A few years back the Buddhist monks over in China were buying otter for turbans they wear but they got into a thing with the government that put an embargo on and the market dropped. At the top I think a couple of guys were getting about $140 per otter.

The crappie house in Graham has a couple that have run off the crappie and eaten fish that people had on stringers. Tore up a couple of fish baskets too. They need someone to trap them or shoot them. You can’t hardly catch a crappie since they showed up.

Forgot to mention I saw one last weekend crossing a powerline easement I was watching while hog hunting. I think it was heading for my uncle's pond, hungry for bass.

They sure cleaned out my Uncles pond in a hurry. Luckily he mostly built it for Wood ducks, but he had stocked it with bluegill and sunfish for his grandkids to catch. 2 otters rolled in and that was the end of the fishing for my little cousins.

My buddy caught one in a snare he set for coyotes near Franklin, and me and my boy found a roadkill one between Franklin and Calvert in Robertson county.

Got a report from my son in Snook they have an otter that’s taken up residence under one of their sheds. He’s setting the trap this evening.

Hit one with a truck once in VA. Game warden gave me a roadkill permit for it. Had it tanned and gave it to my nephew when he was about 10. He wore it out using ut as a cape.