austinp
#3 Newhouse
the next fur season is never far from our minds :)
Posts: 3,008
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Post by austinp on Feb 4, 2015 14:03:10 GMT -5
public comment on what? all I see are lists in those PDF links. Where are any new proposals to comment on?
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Post by papabear on Feb 4, 2015 14:26:38 GMT -5
River otter and American marten are being removed from the SGCN list.
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Post by redknot on Feb 4, 2015 14:36:01 GMT -5
Austin, go to the following link: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9406.html. It brings up the draft Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). The list is nine pages long. On page 8 of 9 is the list of species to be removed from the SGCN and one of those (I believe eighteen) species is the river otter. You know there are those out there that do not want us trapping anything. When a future otter trapping expansion is suggested, it would be more difficult to get new areas opened if otter are still listed... Take a look at it and send Joe a note...Thanks, Jim Yes Papabear, marten too! The draft SGCN list can be accessed at: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9406.html.
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Post by Rick on Feb 4, 2015 17:24:56 GMT -5
". At this point in time, the otter population across entire NYS is high as it'll ever be. Nobody is creating more watersheds nor are they raising water levels in existing watersheds, so potential carrying capacity is capped. Whatever otter exist right now today is most there will ever be. Accept that fact as fact, they are either a sustainable population with ability to harvest or a fringe species that's inconsequential to exist or not."
That was well written Austin, and pretty much my sentiments on the topic at hand. I have seen very, very little otter sign in my travels but, for the reasons you mentioned above, I do not believe waiting another 20 years will change that.
Rick.
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austinp
#3 Newhouse
the next fur season is never far from our minds :)
Posts: 3,008
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Post by austinp on Feb 5, 2015 8:49:10 GMT -5
Rick, I do believe the otter population is saturated already. We have them here in the Finger Lakes region at the north and/or south ends of every lake with marshland. They seem to like the marshy grass and cattail areas much better than big flowing waters. I've never seen an otter track along banks of the Genesee River, for example. But every lake marsh I step into has otters present now. Been that way for awhile. If the DEC feels need for further census, looking for otters in the marshy tributaries and headwaters of bigger flows is where they spend much time.
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Post by hardwoodcharlie on Feb 5, 2015 10:07:43 GMT -5
I can't think of any beaver flows that I have trapped or thought about setting up that didn't have some sort of otter sign or activivety goin on, Even the flows that have had no beavers in the past few years are coverd with otter sign, I don't believe that all these are just traveling threw,to many people have observed otter family's threw the off seasons in various pond and flows that can be revisit year to year with high chances of them being still around,raising young. As far as them being able to over trap them,I believe that with all the prime habitat that is off limits to trappers ,and to hard to access ,they would be able to sustain a Actual season of some sort,and the population would balance out, Just some of my thoughts and input on this :
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Post by tony1967 on Feb 5, 2015 11:43:04 GMT -5
Here where I live in the southern tier, I have yet to see any otter sign on any of the beaver ponds or areas that I trap. I don't know of any populations of otter in my area or even close to me.
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Post by ratlvr on Feb 5, 2015 12:46:32 GMT -5
If you are in Catt or Chtqa counties,there is plenty .
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Post by tony1967 on Feb 6, 2015 7:31:35 GMT -5
I live in Allegany county, and there may be plenty but I have yet to see any or any sign in the beaver ponds and other areas I trap. I don't know of any and haven't had anyone tell me about the otters they have seen near me. I hear plenty about all the bobcats and fishers being seen, so if there were a lot of otters, I think I would have heard at least something about them.
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Post by chappy on Feb 6, 2015 9:55:32 GMT -5
This is not about wether otter are present or not.....it's about politics and bureaucrats within the state. This about those within DEC that stated....."I want to see limits on this species before I retire".....yes....that's really how screwed up this whole process is. Don't get me wrong there are some within DEC that want to see the right thing done, unfortunately job security trumps this.
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