NOTICE: ND Game & Fish Closes First River Otter Season in 97 Years

December 4, 2017 T. Arthur Mason Outdoors

Photo Credit: North Dakota Game & Fish Department

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has closed the state’s first River Otter season in 97 years after just one week of being open. The season opened Monday, November 27th and was officially closed just moments ago.

The last time trapping was permitted for this semi-aquatic member of the weasel family was 1920. While it has been known for some time that the River Otter had returned to North Dakota, recent surveys showed that they had recolonized most areas of the state where they once lived in the past. Thus leading to the decision to open a season.

Stephanie Tucker, a furbearer biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said that the River Otter has inhabited the Red River Valley and its tributaries for about the last 15 years. With incidental trappings taking place each year anyhow, the department finally decided to open an official season and let trappers keep the pelts from the animals.

The limit for the season on River Otter was 15 and marks yet one more species that has returned to the state. Mountain Lions and Fishers have also returned, only to have seasons opened on them as well. The first experimental season for Mountain Lions was in 2005 and for Fisher it was 2011.

Sources:

1. https://gf.nd.gov/magazine/2016/nov/otter-season

2. https://gf.nd.gov/hunting/otter

3. https://gf.nd.gov/wildlife/id/carnivores/otter

4. http://library.nd.gov/statedocs/GameFish/mtn-lion-report-200720090303.pdf

5. http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/outdoors/2155133-outdoors-notebook-nd-fisher-trapping-season-dnr-catfish-survey-etc

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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.