Mr. River Otter

[Steve Foss]

Well, it's been four years of solid searching for a good wild otter to shoot, and finally I happened on this fella late this morning.

As usual, it wasn't what I was looking for. I was scouting locations for tonight's lunar eclipse shoot when I drove across a bridge over a little creek near Moose Lake and saw a fresh otter trail in the snow. On the way back I saw movement, and, yep, it was the otter hanging around and fishing from a hole it had dug in the bog creek ice.

I pulled over, thinking it would take off, being a wild animal and all, but he only plopped his head back down the hole into the water as I settled in 30 feet away. And he popped back up and seemed fine with me there.

Eventually, I was able to get within seven feet of him. Any closer and my lens would not have focused.

He was not in the best of locations. There was a lot of brush all around him, so these shots, every single one of them, are tight portraits. Anything looser and he was captured by all the brush. I was able to shoot him through a slight gap in the shrubbery.

And of course, being it was a bog, I was squatting in slush up past my knees as I hunkered down. An hour at 10 degrees above zero with wind about 15 mph and sitting in slush. Wet feet, wet legs, hands so cold I finally broke off after I couldn't keep them steady anymore. Yeah, the romance of being a wildlife photographer!

All with the Canon 20D and Canon 100-400L IS at focal lengths from 200 to 400mm, iso200, 1/500 at f14, handheld

[Dbl]

Really some nice shots Steve, #2 and the last shot are just great! He looks mighty cold himself.

[floating minnow]

Great series of shots Steve.

[Steve Foss]

Thanks guys. Took me awhile to get warmed up and my wet clothes all dried out. Now the images are downloaded, moved to the supplementary hard drive, backed up on CD and erased from the memory card.

Half an hour or so from now I'll be putting my warm duds back on and heading out to shoot the eclipse. I've got a client who is interested in any images shot at a certain location, one that should work OK for the eclipse but has a treeline a little too tall to suit me. Probably the moon will be showing a little white with the red when it comes over those trees, because it'll take 10 minutes after moonrise to emerge, by my estimate, but if I can nail even one it'll mean a nice print sale.

After my time this morning with Mr. Otter, I'm not sure what to think. Either I'm going on a roll, or all my luck for the day has been used up. So here goes . . .

[Jim Almquist]

Great set of shots Steve. I got cold just reading what you went thru to get these shots

[MARINERMAGNUM]

those are just great! looks like he would have taken a minnow from your hand if you'd of had one along!

did you pet him?

[Steve Foss]

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did you pet him?

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I probably should have tried. Could have pulled out the backup camera body with the 17-40L and held it in one hand while I reached out with the other.

The otter actually came close enough to me on its own that I couldn't focus the 100-400L. I talked with him/her a bit, and (Contact Us Please) if that otter didn't pay attention to what I was saying. I mean, I've had wives who didn't listen as well as that otter! Well, ex-wives, anyway.

Here are a couple more. The second one shows the trail the otter made. The stuff at the bottom right is where he had the hole in the ice, and I was positioned to the right out of the frame, shooting through brush. I started out of frame to the left, but the sun was just too high and strong, and the backlighting wasn't good.

[polarsusd81]

Steve,

This thread brings up a tip I have for anyone out shooting in the cold and snow. I don't know about you guys, but I enjoy waterfowl, wait a sec, I know you guys enjoy waterfowl as well. Anyway, when I go out in the deep snow for pretty much anything, I throw on the neoprene waders. Out shoveling the driveway, in the waders. Out shooting photos, in the waders. Out ice fishing, in the waders. That way I never worry about getting wet, I stay warm, and I can quickly get all the snow off before I go back inside or hop in a vehicle. It works great. The best is when you find something you have to crouch for, just plop your butt down on the snow, no worries about your backside getting wet. Try it the next time you go out and you will never go back.

Tom

[Steve Foss]

Thanks Tom, that's a good tip.

[Swimmer]

Nice shots as usual Steve. Sounds like you had to work for these! CaddyShack comes to mind for some reason...

[Jim Hudson]

Steve

Gotta love those otters.. Awesome shots...

I have had some close encounters with these critters while out ice fishing this year.. At one point, I was with-in touching distance of one early ice... He was fishing, I was fishing and our paths crossed as he came out of one my augered holes with a fish!!! Caught me by suprise and I caught him by suprise... Too funny, had to be there though.. This lake always has two to three otters playing about.. If your ever in my neck of the woods and need some shots.. Let me know..

[Steve Foss]

Thanks Jim. I hear all kinds of stories like yours from the ice fishing ranks, including tales of otters coming up the holes into permanent shacks and fighting for the dead minnows. Yikes!

[Deitz Dittrich]

every last one of them!!!! Love em all.. they always look like such a happy creature! Great picts as always mr Steve.

[Steve Foss]

Thanks everybody. I wondered why these images seemed so coarse looking after I posted them online, and just now realized I'd saved them for Web at 33 percent quality level, which turns them to utter dump. Usually, I save them at 80-90 percent quality. No idea how that setting got changed!

So here they all are re-done at a higher quality jpeg setting. For some of them, it doesn't make a lot of difference. For others, it is a whole new image. Dang, a good lesson. Don't make the same mistake I did! Sorry for all the rigamarole.

[caseymcq]

Those shots were...

AWESOME.

[woody1975]

I am not sure if it a common occurance, because it could be - stfcatfish has the otter picture on the Outdoor News HSOforum.

Probably happens all the time, but this is the first time I put 2 and 2 together.

Great pictures - Keep 'em coming

DL

[Steve Foss]

Hey Woody, it's a somewhat common deal. I sell nature/fishing/hunting image to ON now and then.

[woody1975]

Regardless - They are very impressive. I just wish I had more time to be outdoors, but when I can't - You bring it right to my screen.

[Steve Foss]

Quote:

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I just wish I had more time to be outdoors, but when I can't - You bring it right to my screen.

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Thanks Woody. That's one of the reasons I do it.

[harvey lee]

As usual, AWESOME pics. I love to look at your work Steve. Keep um coming.

[blk94fiveoh]

Just got my outdoor news today...congratulations on the cover shot.

Edit: I didn't even notice someone started a new post. Oh well