Does anyone here eat otter meat? A friend asked I’ve never heard of anyone eating otter and wondered if there was a reason for that.

I imagine if I were hungry enough I would. They smell like fish and that ain't right for red meat.

Ohh okay. I always wondered why i never heard of anyone eating them lol

I don't even think maggots eat otter.
I once read a historical journal of some trappers in Labrador in the 1700's. They talked about eating marten, fox and some other furbearers, they seemed to think they were all more or less edible. However, they said that otter was "very strong tasting"; it didn't sound like they thought it passed the test for table fare.

Just about any critter you throw into a carcass pile will be eaten by coyotes, foxes, possums, coons, buzzards, etc. But I have never seen ANYTHING that will eat otter carcasses. If it is warm enough the flies will lay eggs, other than that they just sit there.

The only thing I have seen eat otter is ravens

My experience here in central BC also, Including ravens.

I didn’t know any of that before, thanks for the warning

I have used otter and mink in bait piles for tide sets targeting wolves with success. Must have been the mink that appealed to the wolves.

Eagles eat otter carcasses and I've had wolves dig otter bones out of the snow after the eagles had picked them clean.

I also put otter carcasses in bait piles, and they get consumed. I assume by birds.

I have heard of wolverine stealing otter out of traps. I did throw some in a bait pile last year and the ravens ate the majority, but I think the wolves finished them off.

Have any of you guys ever tried them for crab bait?

last fall my grandson watched us skinning an otter, and asked if they were edible. i said no, and he asked why. i had no answer as ive never tried them. he filleted off a few small pieces and pan fried them that evening. they said it wasnt too bad, but tough. it was phil robertson who once said "enough black and red pepper makes anything taste good". maybe hes right.

Otter are eaten here on the Yukon/Kusko delta by some .I had a friend that would eat them regular. He would hang them in the smokehouse to age a bit and then bake them. Mink too were eaten here,. Not so much anymore.

Fox here will eat otter out of your trap.

our abundant fox populations make for some hungry ones I have seen fox eat them. Had a wolf pick one up and cary it about 50 yards one time and dropped it guess he wasn't hungry enough. I have talked with some old timers who tried them around here they all said it was like trying to eat an old tire

Not sure about using them for crab bait, but mink carcasses are top of the line crab bait, for me.

I picked up about 30 or so carcasses from TrapperJoe a few years back and put them out on the bait stations, the ravens and eagles ate them up. As long as the birds are busy the fox and yotes will come to investigate. As far as a stand alone bait I wouldnt use it, eating it, nope not on my list to try.

How about a nice otter stew,dont forget the green gland cream for the sauce.

LOL ! That gives a whole new meaning to ........."boiled"