Almost lost my old lab to an otter attack.

[Goshawk]

I feel compelled to post this, but I can say there is no real lesson to be learned besides be aware of what's around you. I took the old man (my lab) down to a swamp alongside the lower Chehalis River for a last chance at some ducks. While walking in, a pair of widgeons cut past us at reasonable yardage. Again, my lab is old and not able to handle current anymore so whacking a smaller duck for him would be about as good as it gets. I pulled through and pulled a lot of feathers off the second bird, but not a DRT shot. The duck went into glide mode then folded up. The lab saw the shot and marked it well. No current and just some swamp grasses to swim through, so he should be ok. I sent him.
What followed next was something right out of a horror movie for any duck hunter.
The old lab cleared the first batch of open water, passed over the floating grass and onto the next open water were I could no longer see him. I then heard a screeching / hissing that I've never heard from a dog, followed by the sound of my dog barking and yelping, then growls and gurgling. I plowed through the chest deep water and pushed through the grass. My dog was being drowned by river otters. As soon as he came up for air one would grab him by the back of the head and roll him over onto his back with another otter grabbing at his neck. I was in luck in that I could still touch the bottom, so I plowed into the fight. The otters backed off when I shot over them. The lab did his best to swim to me but got rolled again. I did a contact shot on that one and pulled my dog up onto my hip and shot two more as they surfaced in my face hissing at me. None was shot further than 5' away.
Dog and I made it back home. He did not need stitches as most of the wounds were puncture type including his paws, but man is that one stoved up old lab!
The short of it is that before I again do some jump shooting, I'm sure going to check for otters, or at least have them in the back of my mind. I always carry a load of buckshot just in case of a coyote or bear, but never considered otters as a threat. I'm just hoping they did not have rabies.
Anyone else ever run into one of these packs?

[Knocker of rocks]

I'm glad your old dog is OK.  What a fright for both of you.

[JimmyHoffa]

I've run into otter packs of over a dozen.  They haven't been aggressive toward me, but they cleaned out the river of steelies.

[ICEMAN]

Wow, what a scary story. Glad all are ok now.... Geez!

[goody31]

Glad your lab is ok and is recovering.

[Ice monkey]

Glad your dog is ok. Good advice!

[bobcat]

Wow! Scary! I guess the otters were hungrier than normal?   

[bear hunter]

I always carry a load of buckshot just in case of a coyote or bear, but never considered otters as a threat.  [/quote]                                                                   My dog went after 6 otters in the river and the little ones took off,but the big ones charged. I called my dog and she come back. I'm glad she listened or she might of had her ass kicked. I would watch out about carrying lead buckshot while duck hunting. No leadshot shell be carried while duck hunting. $1000.00 dollar fine per shell. I buy hevi shot 00 buck or lead slugs its legal. I saw a guy getting a ticket for having lead buckshot in the hunting area. I think it was bull*censored*,because he was in the parking lot just heading out. Hell I use to carry lead for upland birds and steel for ducks,but the Game Warden/State made it a law.

[BOWHUNTER45]

The only battle I ever had with an otter was them stealing trout off my stringer  at one point I picked him clean out of the water before he tore more from my stringer !!!!

[jeepguy]

thats a scarey situation  glad to know your both ok your poor dog if he could only talk 

[Call em in]

Wow scary!  You were lucky you were able to wade out to help your dog!  Thanks for sharing that story.  Glad your pup is alright.  I've run into many packs of otters hunting waterfowl in SW WA but never had an issue.  I'll be sure to look out for them in the future!

X 2 on the Hevi shot buckshot 

[mossy8352]

Glad your dog is okay might not have been without your interference. On the shot I now and will always carry dead coyote 3 inch shells with me just for things like this and they are legal.

[Jim Sr.]

A good friend of mine told me a story about his lab & it was the same thing, almost drownded him too. Glad yours is OK.

[JohnVH]

scary! Time to go back there otter hunting 

[tatatumpi]

what a story!

[Wtrfowlr62]

One pond i hunt has a couple active beavers, one day i thought when my new puppy was retriving a bird for me, would he attack her if he felt threaten? Never thought anything of it really after thought it was me just being over protective of my dog, but with that story you never can be to careful, i thought otters were supposed to be cute and cuddly? Guess not lol, very happy to hear everything turned out good.

[jordano]

wow! that's some scary stuff right there! glad everyone came out alright! Hope your dog gets back into it really soon! 

[carpsniperg2]

WOW glad to hear he made it threw it. Scary stuff

[ICEMAN]

Not trying to be a jerk, but guys may want to reconsider bringing any lead buckshot or whatever with you on a waterfowl hunt, this is a big no-no.

[D-Rock425]

That's scary. 

[singleshot12]

That's a strange story.. I've had several otter vs. dog encounters and only once was there a conflict and that was when my Chessy cornered a large male otter. All the other times they ran or swam away avoiding the dogs like the plague.

In your case it could be that the otters were very hungary and were fighting over who got the duck. I know otters love duck, had one steal one out of my duck sling only 20 feet away.

[GoldTip]

Very glad to hear your Dog is OK.

[head hunter]

My neighbor had the same thing happen to his golden on the lake i live on.They can be nasty buggers, they are now public enemy #1 around the lake.

[groundhog]

I am glad the old guy is O.K. I would have tried to kill every last one of them. It is good that you got a few.
 
WTRFOWLR62, You do not have to worry about beaver. They will not bother a dog. You should worry anytime you are swimming a dog in an area where Seals, Sea Lions or Otter are present. All three of these critters are very smart and they will take an oportunity when presented.
The fight may have started because the Otters wanted the duck but I wouldn't put it past them to kill a dog and eat it. I know that Seals and Sea lions will for sure.

[WAcoyotehunter]

Holy smokes!!! I have never heard of that happening before- I'm glad your dog is ok! 

[270Shooter]

I hate those damn things, they eat ducks like theres no tomorrow in a few of our spots.

[quadrafire]

I'm sure the dog was thinking. WTF did I do to deserve this. Thought it was a fricking duck I was after?
He may be a bit gun shy after this experience.

[PacificNWhunter]

Crazy incident or sure, glad your both ok.

[Hornseeker]

That is evil...dang!! Sure glad your pup is ok!

[seth30]

Boy sounds like your story belongs on when animals attack.

[C-Money]

That's a strange story.. I've had several otter vs. dog encounters and only once was there a conflict and that was when my Chessy cornered a large male otter. All the other times they ran or swam away avoiding the dogs like the plague.

In your case it could be that the otters were very hungary and were fighting over who got the duck. I know otters love duck, had one steal one out of my duck sling only 20 feet away.

Wunder who would have won that battle? A Male Chessy is quite a force to reckon with!

Glad the both of you came out ok! Darn otters!

[Goshawk]

Thanks for all the good wishes.
Like I said, this lab of mine in well into the retirement stage so that's it for him. He's still stoved up from fighting. His cuts are healing nicely but one paw is swollen. At 14 this was not the fight he was looking for. What was so scary was the ease at which the otters would skid up on his back, grab the back of his head and just roll him upside down in the water. No dog could take too much of that from full grown otters. Then once he grabbed one it was a mob attack. 
I'll be sure to pack the largest steel shot legal next year, but this old dog will be staying home for everything except a wet hay field.
Later All.

[duck stamp]

Glad your dogs OK, the same thing happen to me years ago down at willapa, the weather had been below freezing for about 7 days and I shot this mallard and it landed in this small fresh water lake just inside of the salt my dog had to brake some ice and he was on his way to getting the duck when all of a sudden 5 otter came from no where and got to my duck first 2 otters grab the duck and the other 3 came at my dog doing that hissing, I shot up in the air and the 3 otters that were coming at my dog took off with the other otters with my duck.  I was abel to get my dog back safe. So now I am always looking around for otters.   Be careful.

[jagermiester]

I was pheasent hunting one time when my lab and an English pointer cornered a Barn owl on the ground. It was vicious and in the 20 seconds that it took for me to get the dogs pulled off my dog got cut up pretty bad. I was also with a buddy and his wirehair when the wirehair got into a knock down drag out bad fight with a racoon there was about three times that I thought that dog was going to meet his demise before we were finally able to split it up. What makes bird huntin fun is the dogs and it sure can be scary when something like that goes down.

[TheHunt]

When I was waterfowl hunting I always had lots of T's and F sized shot in 3 1/2 inch mags that I loaded myself.  That stuff will mess an animal up. 

We ran into some otters.    

[Encore 280]

Probably a good thing you're retiring the ol guy. Be interesting to see his reaction if ya took 'im back to the same spot. 

[Goshawk]

Had I asked him, he would have gone after another duck. That old dude has no "off" switch when it comes to feathers in the mouth.

Having said that, he did snore on the way home!

[mossy8352]

Had I asked him, he would have gone after another duck. That old dude has no "off" switch when it comes to feathers in the mouth.

Having said that, he did snore on the way home!

Glad you are semi retiring your old buddy.