River otters are rare to see in person, but in just ten days, South Dakota met its river otter harvest limit for 2021.

Game, Fish and Parks reported 21 otters were trapped in the eastern side of the state.

…“Everyone I talked to on the phone was pretty excited for at least the opportunity to harvest one. Guys were pretty happy when they got it and I think it went pretty well,” said Alex Solem, wildlife biologist.

“This is something that not many trappers have ever got to experience and it’s kind of a touch of South Dakota history as well,” said Nick Harrington, communications manager. “This is what our state was founded on was hunting and trapping beavers and otters and this is really that kind of taking a step back and living what our folks did long before we were even here” [Ariana Schumacher, “South Dakota Completes Second River Otter Trapping Season,” KELO-TV, 2021.11.15].

Full story here.