I can’t do a PM to Boco so I’ll tell all!
Some time ago, maybe a year or better, Boco mentioned and briefly described his “Christmas Tree Set” (?) for otter. My memory isn’t the sharpest anymore but I used what I could remember of his description and my conception of the set’s principle this past January. For the first time in my trapping career, I caught my otter limits from two Zones in Michigan on purpose instead of just accidentals/incidentals!
Thank you Boco for the guidance!

Good deal. What is y’all’s quote?

I can take 3 in Zone 2 and 1 in Zone 3. I live within a mile of the Zone’s dividing line. I’ve caught otter as incidentals while beaver trapping but I’ve never intentionally set specifically for them until this past winter. I enjoy fleshing them including the tails.

Nice work. Probably my favorite animal to target.

Those otter are always fun to skin . I usually kept a couple knives sharp for skinning those rascals. I would that they would hit the 80 dollar mark again. I would target them more.

I looked in the archives and didnt see it anywhere would you like to elaborate on the set?

Yup, I searched as well but couldn’t find anything so I used memory and cobbled a set together that just happened to work.
I think the principle of the set Houndone was to spud the ice open in fast water in the shape of an inverted “V”. I placed the trap(s) back under the ice right at the point of the “V” and the larger hole helped keeped it from freezing so quickly. I wanted to see open water & hear water moving. I did this where I found weak ice always due to a heavier current AND it helped I'm sure, where I would find where an otter used a hole in the weak/thinner ice. I’d open the hole in the form of a “V” on the upstream side and set the trap as I previously described. I also used some fencing in the outline of the shape of the “V” shaped hole I’d cut. Whether it was Boco’s set as he described or just my memory of what I thought his set was, it worked beyond my expectations and I certainly look forward to trapping otter next season.

Last summer I decided to catch a mess of bullheads out of a deep woods creek that I had trapped beaver on. Well, I couldn’t catch a bullhead for all the huge creek chubs grabbing my worms as soon as it hit the water! These babies were all at least 8” long and stunk ti high heaven even though the creek wasn’t stagnant. As I was fishing I was thinking about the otter sign I’d seen and as thick as then creek chubs were, no wonder the otter were there. My biggest otter came from that creek last January and stunk to high heaven of those frigin creek chubs!!!!

Thanks for the explanation.

Boco is a wealth of trapping knowledge but I enjoy him more for his feistiness. He'll argue about anything.

Good job, Seldom. Pelts look well handled.

I've learned from Boco about pinning tails with a long pin-
Grey Fox


Fisher


Red Fox

Hern I haven't seen that before. I like it. That would take less pins to keep the tails open.

Backroads, Boco showed round head pins, I like the T-pins.
Right, less pins. Easy to center tail with push pin at bottom.

I've learned plenty from reading Boco's posts. He's a wealth of information.

Pretty cool Hern! I’ll try that tomorrow if I can dig up some pins from the ole lady’s sewing room.
Congrats on the Otter Seldom!

I have used those T pins for mending tears / holes in fur during the drying process. Never tried that method on the tails. Will try that next season. Don't know how I missed Bocos post on that method.

Once you get the pins in grab the hair on each side of the tail and pull it all the way down before pinning the end.It shortens and widens the tail a bit,looks better on marten fisher or mink.
Makes pinning wolf tails easier since wolf have super thick fur on the tail,probably be good for your coon and coyote also.

That's a good tip I would have never thought to use those pins. But back to the post boco you care to chime in and give us a rundown of this Christmas tree set?

I think seldom may have been referring to what I call the silt set.This is a winter set to be used when ice is on.Its a modified pressure set.The pressure set is a common set used in open water or when ice is just coming on.
The silt set is an otter set developed by one of our council members who traps a ton of fur of all species.I named the set.
First is to locate old beaver dams that still hold back water,or a fresh dam is good if you remove the beaver first.
This set will work where the millette set wont in winter,The millette set is deadly but has to be made at a dam on a creek with a constant water flow.The milette set works better in extreme cold.
The silt set can be made on a bush runn off creek,since you dont open a large breach in the dam.
Once you locate the dam look on the downstream side for any sign of water going thru downstream.
When you locate those spots,go on the upstream side and carefully open the ice and look down into the water shading yourself so you can see.Stir up some silt and look for a little current which will clear the silt you have stirred up.If no current ,then its not the best spot for the set.If you notice current,take a long pointed pole a couple inch in diameter and ream out a hole down at the bottom to make a bit more current.You want to keep the reamed out hole small so as not to make the water go down at the upstream sideThen set the 220 out far enough so it wont freeze in the top jaws.Then fence from the trap back to the dam on both sides at a 45 degree angle to make a little pen.To keep the trap from freezing in between checks cover the pen with a good bunch of spruce branches to make an air space then bank it all up with snow to insulate.
This set works because Otters when travelling under the ice in winter are always looking for a place to get up or downstream of a dam and they feel and follow current.They also look for places to get up on top of the ice or get under the ice.This set fits the bill for all 3 scenarios when otter are travelling a bush run off creek in winter.
A lot of old dams will have two or three spots for a set,but be cognizant of the flow so as not to drop the water which will cause the traps to freeze in.The set will take otter mink and rats,and in some locations two or three traps can be set side by side at the pen to take multiple otter per check.If setting 220s side by side use block sticks so one animal when caught cannot fire another trap like when setting multiple bodygrips at the beaver main den entrance set.Also twist trigger wires together and move to the side and have trigger on bottom same as beaver den entrance set or millette set.

Yes. Right on.