MAGIC VALLEY — River otters can be found throughout Idaho, and the Magic Valley district has already reached its trapping quota for the season.
Wildlife biologist Jake Powell, who has worked for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for over 20 years, said the animals are primarily nocturnal, which is why people don't see them very often.
WATCH: River otter trapping quota reached in the Magic Valley
"Any fish bearing water or stream or lake or reservoir has otters in them. Again, if you've never been to Celebration Park or Falls or Shoshone Falls, there are certainly river otters in all of those reaches," Powell said.
Powell told me otters, like other furbearers in Idaho, are highly managed and abundant in the state.
"Trapping is highly regulated in the state of Idaho. We have strict rules and regulations and those rules and regulations are enforced by conservation officers," Powell said.
Unlike the more popular beaver that has no quota, river otters are less abundant, leading Fish and Game to set limits on how many can be harvested in each region. For the Magic Valley, that number is 30.
On Monday, Idaho Fish and Game announced the quota had been reached, giving trappers 72 hours to remove their traps.
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