michigan otter registration

Finally! Just received an e-mail from DNR that they have opened 2019 otter registration by appointment only.I have fired off several e-mails to DNR officials including Adam Bump over the last few months,not sure if it helped but maybe? They all responded to me in similar manner tip toeing around the fact that they were handcuffed by "there boss". I feel for them in there frustration! Just another example of why we as trappers need to continue to have our voices heard.Sometimes the squeaky wheel does get the grease.So keep up the good fight,trap hard and good luck in the upcoming season!

All areas? I been trying for.months to get mine registered.

same here have not heard anything , thanks for the up date will try them today again

Yes all check stations should be taking phone call now it sounds like.Must make appointment.I will try the Holly station next week,I'll post how it goes afterward. Hope everyone's gear it ready,i'm finishing up waxing this weekend.These last few cool mornings have really got me going!!

So I contacted my local DNR check station early this week and it still went to the old closed message,I then called the main office and was able to have a message forwarded to the biologist.I did get a prompt return phone call and was told i'm on the list for them to make an appointment for me as soon as they put it all together,was told a week or so.

Did you guys see that they shorten the season on otter? closes March 31 in all Zones. they did raise to 4 otter limit.

Interesting.After seeing your post I went to their website,apparently they haven't put up the 2020 regs ,I got the 2019.There was a news release by MUCC about looking at different furbearer regs ,they mentioned raising the limit to 4,nothing about shortening the season.What really makes it interesting is in the past beaver and other regs were tied together,this release says they're looking at extending the beaver season to the end of April.

That is nice increasing limit to 4, as there are plenty in all northern and up regions I trap.

they do have the 2020 Fur Harvester Digest post on the Michigan DNR web.

4 per RESIDENT fur
harvester, only 3 may
be taken from Unit
B, and only 2 from
Unit C.
Unit A
Unit B
Unit C
Oct. 25 - Mar. 31
Nov. 1 - Mar. 31
Nov. 10 - Mar. 31 sucks for spring trapping in zone 1 and 2 . catch a lot of otter in April

Alot of otter caught in beaver traps,there'll be A lot of unwanted incidentals.

Didn't see the otter closure this year on March 31,and yes that does suck and there will be a bunch of otters caught in April! Depending on the weather and location ice out may not have happend by then.Increasing the the bag limit and shortening the season doesn't make sence to me?

Mi DNR, always seems to do that, give us a little then take something away. Seems a couple years ago increased the martin take by one, then cut the season by I think a week.
Gave us the use of snares, but only when the snow is butt deep to a giraffe, no snares on public or commerical land, and restrictions on their use makes them almost worthless.

They've been playing that game for some time.The otter thing really had me puzzled.Back in the early 80's when a season was put on Fox there was a push to move the coon season up to coincide with Fox so all incidental coon were legal.This went on for sometime ,the dept.s position was their hands were tied because muskrat,mink,and coon were all linked together by law,that it would take the legislature to separate them so we could get a earlier coon date.Why this on for years I don't know,but finally somebody got the legislature to act and we got our early coon season.Beaver and otter we were told were in the same boat,linked by law.I never heard anybody wanted a shorten otter season to begin with,then,presto,chango,beaver season is now closing 2 weeks later and otter 2 weeks earlier.The DNRs name should be changed to the Bureau of Mystery.

I do agree with John,plenty of otter where I trap as well.But early April was always my favorite time to target them,The time I do have in fall to ice up is taken up with canine efforts,I guess I will try to mix in some water gear,just tough to take everything with and keep changing areas and boots to waders.Always sumthin ...

I was just checking this out in the guide book and seen they are allowing any otter incidentles caught between April 1 thru April 30 to be tagged and kept as part of our season bag limit.See page 11, second paragraph under reporting incidents catches.