Took the otter pelt out of the freezer that I caught last week. It weighed 26 lbs and stretched 64 inches nose to tip of tail. Had to use a mink stretcher as an extension for tail to fit.
After fleshing I concluded that this was the toughest otter I've ever fleshed. Didn't have much fat on it , mostly just meat, membrane, and tissue. Kind of reminded me of fleshing a tough old coyote. Season ended in this zone now.
I caught my 1st otter in 1974 in a 14# jump in a blind set and have caught my share since then. Hope I can catch a few more in future seasons. Have to fasten cites tag before I forget. Lol

You did a good job on the fleshing and yes....Otter with little to no fat are much harder to flesh.

Nice looking work there. Could tell it wasn't your first.

Nice work and nice otter. To me otter are hardest to work on.

Great looking otter Walt. Thats a biggun for sure.

As usual, beautiful work, Walt! A lot better than Andar would have done!

Moosetrot

Nice work Walt! I hope you catch a pile more.

Very nice put up. I use a piece of a Coroplast road sign for an extension, if needed.

Nice otter Walt. I caught two this season and both of them had very little fat. One had all kinds of tick marks on it's back so I'm pretty sure it will be graded damaged the next auction.

I love the statement that you'd better get the tag on.

Nice work, Walt. Otter, to me, are the most labor intensive animal, for the money.

Fleshing a lean otter is almost like trying to flesh the hull off a battleship. There has to be a better way. I made a beam out of a piece of 2x3, rounded the top and nose as needed and mounted it on the wall. The most fat is around the hips and is like the frosting on the cake. I know I`m not supposed to eat that first, but this is the exception. I flesh the bottom 6" or so, and clean up the tail while I`m there. Slip the pelt off the beam, spin it around and slide the mouth down the beam until you get to where you fleshed the bottom, now start your fleshing again only now your going towards the head. Going up the pelt, your going with the grain of the hair roots, not against them like when we go top to bottom. I guarantee it`s a world of difference. Good luck.

Just a sidenote on this catch. I caught it in a blind set in a MB 1216 at the outlet of a spring fed slough which drains into a medium size creek. I usually put a set or two here every winter as the creek stays open all winter due to the many springs. I usually catch an otter or two if they travel through.
This year I had to sort through the other furbearers that also travel in and out of the slough. The 1216 accounted for 2 muskrats, 2 beaver, and a mink before the otter catch. As is typical of most otter trapping it is a waiting game
and keeping the trap operating is the key. Not only was it tough to flesh, but proved to be a tough catch.

I guess I’m weird, but I like putting up otter.
I scraped and dried 65 this winter, and one stood out as way worse than the rest. In fact that otter really made the skinning machine moan way more than most. Sure glad they aren’t all like that lol.
I see you all talking about having to put extensions on your boards to accommodate big ones. How long are your otter boards to begin with? I’ve put up many hundreds of otter and have never had one too long for my otter boards.

I'd rather put up 3 otter than 1 beaver.

I can’t say that! Lol

I enjoy the time spent on each critter. Otter just are a bit more work, and honestly I think they should be quite a bit more valuable for the trapper.

Agree.
I’m gonna average close to $70 this year by the time I move the skulls, glands, and peckers. Sure would like to see them at a Benjamin or more average. That’s been awhile ago lol.

My shoulders and elbows are aching just thinking about it. Occasionally I’ll catch a real thin spring beaver, they’re tough. Nice job on that otter Walt.

Good job.Looks very nice.

Them grissely old males can force the swear words out! And take twice as long