Otters

[J Darcy 5,871]

They didn't turn up this morning got there a bit earlier and armed with binoculars but they were a no show!!

They don't spend too long in the same place mate, unless its a mother with cubs. Typically they patrol their territory on a 7-12 day cycle, though in areas of high prey they do stay in the vicinity a little longer if everything is to their favour.

[Shamo 319]

 

They have been known to drag dogs into the Water and drown them too. Badgers and Otters work a Terrier over in totally different ways and a Dog experienced Otter will do more damage 'as a rule of Thumb' than a Badger with the same experience, if it has to.

Some say 'pre-ban' in their posts, well Hunting Otters in the UK was voluntarily stopped, before it actually became necessary to impose any ban. Badgers became fully protected in 1973, the Sette in 90-91 and digging out a Fox and Hunting one with a Pack of Hounds completely legally, as we knew it, in 2005. So make sure your Maths is correct.........lol. Someone born from 1974 onwards, in the UK, has DEFINITELY never dug to a Terrier with a Badger legally!!...

EErrr...make sure you get your maths correct...... you could legally dig badgers up until 1981 to prevent poultry predation and crop damage.

 

EErrr perhaps I should of phrased it better..............up until 1973 you could legally dig Badgers for no other reason other than purely for sport and fun of it. The same as using a Terrier on a Fox to ground, it is illegal, unless there are certain conditions.

[J Darcy 5,871]

 

 

They have been known to drag dogs into the Water and drown them too. Badgers and Otters work a Terrier over in totally different ways and a Dog experienced Otter will do more damage 'as a rule of Thumb' than a Badger with the same experience, if it has to.

Some say 'pre-ban' in their posts, well Hunting Otters in the UK was voluntarily stopped, before it actually became necessary to impose any ban. Badgers became fully protected in 1973, the Sette in 90-91 and digging out a Fox and Hunting one with a Pack of Hounds completely legally, as we knew it, in 2005. So make sure your Maths is correct.........lol. Someone born from 1974 onwards, in the UK, has DEFINITELY never dug to a Terrier with a Badger legally!!...

EErrr...make sure you get your maths correct...... you could legally dig badgers up until 1981 to prevent poultry predation and crop damage.

 

EErrr perhaps I should of phrased it better..............up until 1973 you could legally dig Badgers for no other reason other than purely for sport and fun of it. The same as using a Terrier on a Fox to ground, it is illegal, unless there are certain conditions.

 

No...you were wrong, not phrased incorrectly. You said that from 1974 no one had legally dug to a badger. Plainly they have. Don't worry, I spotted it and corrected it for ya....

[redquil 219]

Terry Nuttkiins the bloke with that dodgy hair style off Animal Magic and suchlike lost two fingers to his pet otter.Reckons he had smell of another otter on his wool jumper. He deserved that I reckon just for that hair. Think he's dead now.(not killed by otter)

[Mosby 355]

There's a great book that I recommend every hunter read. It is called "A Sporting Chance" by Dan Mannix.

In it, he has a chapter about his trained otter that he used to retrieve shot ducks with. It did well. I'd have that over a lab anyday.

[Shamo 319]

 

 

 

They have been known to drag dogs into the Water and drown them too. Badgers and Otters work a Terrier over in totally different ways and a Dog experienced Otter will do more damage 'as a rule of Thumb' than a Badger with the same experience, if it has to.

Some say 'pre-ban' in their posts, well Hunting Otters in the UK was voluntarily stopped, before it actually became necessary to impose any ban. Badgers became fully protected in 1973, the Sette in 90-91 and digging out a Fox and Hunting one with a Pack of Hounds completely legally, as we knew it, in 2005. So make sure your Maths is correct.........lol. Someone born from 1974 onwards, in the UK, has DEFINITELY never dug to a Terrier with a Badger legally!!...

EErrr...make sure you get your maths correct...... you could legally dig badgers up until 1981 to prevent poultry predation and crop damage.

 

EErrr perhaps I should of phrased it better..............up until 1973 you could legally dig Badgers for no other reason other than purely for sport and fun of it. The same as using a Terrier on a Fox to ground, it is illegal, unless there are certain conditions.

 

No...you were wrong, not phrased incorrectly. You said that from 1974 no one had legally dug to a badger. Plainly they have. Don't worry, I spotted it and corrected it for ya....

 

I need to correct you back Mr Darcy. You are wrong........I said anyone born from1974 onwards hadn't legally dug to a Badger, assuming of course not many 7 year olds had their own Terrier and Parents let them go digging.

[kirstysdad 827]

Still 1981 is 34 years ago at least 20years before most of the terriermen on here were born lol

[MIK 4,756]

if I owned a terrier "pre ban" and it got smashed by a otter that terrier would not be in my kennels the next day.

So if you owned a terrier that got smashed by a small vixen would you get rid also ?

[Mosby 355]

I think he's saying he doesn't like a dog that gets smashed at all.

[mackem 25,991]

There's a great book that I recommend every hunter read. It is called "A Sporting Chance" by Dan Mannix.

In it, he has a chapter about his trained otter that he used to retrieve shot ducks with. It did well. I'd have that over a lab anyday.

Fantastic book

[perthshire keeper 1,239]

 

just my 2p worth

 

the only dog ive ever had killed in action was by a otter we were looking at mink traps and she slipped to ground she was a nice lal white sealyham from welshpool called taffy....their was a slurping sound a lal bow wave and the dog popped up stone dead in the river the otter was the biggest ive every seen crossed the river and away it went..never to be seen again

 

ive caught them in cage traps and had a good look at them up close and ive handled roadkill ones and they are pure 100% muscle more so than a badger of fox they dont have much gape in their bite but the head is like a staffie just built for short sharp bites..... they can turn on a penny and roll in a bottle for agaility the only thing that could beat them would be a ferret on crack!

 

also i have a very very real first hand exsperiance of the otters speed,agility,strength and bite! not to mention intelligence!

beacuse i had one as a pet for about 2 and a half years in my static caravan...think ring of bright water and your not far wrong, it was called honey and was as loyal as any dog ive ever had and would follow me around on the quad and sleep round my neck like a scarf

 

i have known of a similar story perthshire keeper, my uncle reared a couple from pups down through the years amazing to see how tame they get, this was before the protection act of 1976. a license could be obtained to hunt otters in ireland for a period after this act, but if memory serves me right the packs agreed to stop hunting otters and instead all agreed to change to hunting mink as they were vermin and no licence needed, and like all good sporting hunters if the species was in danger they should be rightly left alone......here in munster it has been documented to have one of the healthiest otter populations throughout europe.

 

i pulled honey from a flooded river with my crook...i thought it was a mink and was going to stove it in!

it was about the size of a jill ferret when i got it...but grew like a mushroom, on minnows rainbows rabbit and dog meat

 

this was in 2010/2011

[fat man 4,741]

 

 

just my 2p worth

 

the only dog ive ever had killed in action was by a otter we were looking at mink traps and she slipped to ground she was a nice lal white sealyham from welshpool called taffy....their was a slurping sound a lal bow wave and the dog popped up stone dead in the river the otter was the biggest ive every seen crossed the river and away it went..never to be seen again

 

ive caught them in cage traps and had a good look at them up close and ive handled roadkill ones and they are pure 100% muscle more so than a badger of fox they dont have much gape in their bite but the head is like a staffie just built for short sharp bites..... they can turn on a penny and roll in a bottle for agaility the only thing that could beat them would be a ferret on crack!

 

also i have a very very real first hand exsperiance of the otters speed,agility,strength and bite! not to mention intelligence!

beacuse i had one as a pet for about 2 and a half years in my static caravan...think ring of bright water and your not far wrong, it was called honey and was as loyal as any dog ive ever had and would follow me around on the quad and sleep round my neck like a scarf

 

i have known of a similar story perthshire keeper, my uncle reared a couple from pups down through the years amazing to see how tame they get, this was before the protection act of 1976. a license could be obtained to hunt otters in ireland for a period after this act, but if memory serves me right the packs agreed to stop hunting otters and instead all agreed to change to hunting mink as they were vermin and no licence needed, and like all good sporting hunters if the species was in danger they should be rightly left alone......here in munster it has been documented to have one of the healthiest otter populations throughout europe.

 

i pulled honey from a flooded river with my crook...i thought it was a mink and was going to stove it in!

it was about the size of a jill ferret when i got it...but grew like a mushroom, on minnows rainbows rabbit and dog meat

 

this was in 2010/2011

 

What became of Honey,PK.

[Griz 89]

I've read many opinions about Otters here , but, no account of a terrier being able to work an Otter to ground without heavy punishment taken.....The accounts I've heard about when a terrier encounters an Otter in a river bank or ground hole is the terrier is punished badly in a short amount of time, and the Otter goes his merry way none the worse for ware.

[neil cooney 10,416]

Griz, that because the lads who have been commenting haven't got a clue what they're talking about.

When you see someone use the term "smashed" when describing a terrier it's time to switch off.

Terriers are not made of glass so how can they get smashed. It's a macho term that falls straight into the anti's hands.

Those who regularly worked otters with their terriers will tell you that they often bolted quicker than a fox and when he didn't bolt a smart baying nipping type was the perfect terrier.

In fact, it was often the conditions that tested the terrier more so than the quarry itself ,in that, the terrier might have had to dive in water to go to ground or he might have had to work in water and roots at the same time.

Anyone here ever see the photos of Mr Griptons "Thatch" ? Bert being a famous otter hunter often described her as a brilliant terrier on an otter.

There's plenty of photos of Thatch and she look all there to me.

 

It's a pity that subjects like Otters get the dreamers imaginations going wild.

it's not good for hunting.

[Shamo 319]

My Dads friend had a Jack Russell, which was a Pet, given to him to run around his Stables. The thing had to go from her old Home for biting Milkmen and Postmens Trousers, with Police regularly knocking on the Door. Sounds funny but she Barked at everything, ripped up Mail, Newspapers and Carpets too. My Dads friend thought she was funny and 'game' (lol) and said he'd have her with him.

To cut an even longer story very short, she used to get borrowed by my Dad and his mutual friends for Mooching about, she used to retrieve. It materialised into ripping up Papers and Mail though. She earned a good reputation as a go anywhere and work anything Terrier as she got older. She bolted several Otters, along with Foxes and even Badgers, but only ever had a split Ear tip from Wire and a few nips here and there. She was a cur in every way, a Pet in the House and for chasing Cats and Rats around the Sheds and pens. A noisy, stroppy pain in the arse called 'Peggy'........she accidently did her Job...........lol.

Like has been said, it takes a certain style of Terrier to work some things and a certain type of guy to accept that style of Terrier.