The Wrangell sentinel., 1939-03-10
THE OTTER GOES TROUT FISHING
BY OTIS b SPEER

age of from six to ten inches in
length. As We are very well aware.
the trout are very swift themselves.
| However. the otter seem to use their
long tails as a propeller going
through the water IN a rolling
corkserew motion somewhat like a
torpedo.
Otter Show No Fear
Between where I am standing and
where the otter are fishing, there
is a strip OF ice perhaps % feet
in width while at the lower end of
this ice is a long narrow strip oil
open water about ten feet in width
which extends almost up to my feet.
Suddenly a trout comes sailing out
from this water about 20 feet from
me and lands over on the ice. ThereI
it lies Tipping its tail. The otter is
completely under water at the time
the trout is trown but very soonI
his little brown head pops up and
he takes one casual glance at me them
climbs out onto the ice. There he
stretches out on his belly and prof.
ceeds to have lunch at his leisure.
He pays no more attention to me
than if / were another similar ami
NAL. 1t is only a few seconds until
another brown head pops up scarce
" 20 feet from me. He turns around
stretches his neck and comes UP a
little closer. He takes a good long
look at me and so close is he that
l can see him wrinkle his nose and
wriggle his whiskers as he makes
a grunting noise that sounds some
what like a little pig. All this time
1 am standing quite motionless yet
in full view, although backed up !
against some evergreen boughs. At
ter several seconds, well drawn
out, the otter, still grunting and !
wrinkling his nose, turns right
then goes down after another trout, |
seemingly very little afraid of me,
only curious, no doubt wondering
just what manner of wild creature
that thing might be. They continue
their fishing for quite a while and
that this pond may hold. Then, evil
IDENTIFY well fed one of the otter
crawls out onto the ice. There he
stretches out resting and I can see
his sides moving in and out as he
breathes. Soon another one crawls
up along side of him. They seem
very affeetionate lying there rub
bling noses and licking their chops
which no doubt are quite fishy.
Good Camera Shots
All this time I am standing there
wishing that I had a camera. Then |
suddenly I hear some wolves howl /
ing in the distance. Soon 1 am On
my way. AS I walk out across the
dam into the open, the otter stretch |
their necks taking a good long look
and evidently thinking what a fun
ny looking creature, and perhaps it |
was, for they slip off into the water
still watching my retreating form.
l timber up and make a wide de-
tour, away over by the mountain. |
1 find many deer tracks over
around the lower slopes of the
mountain while at the edge of an
opening, I find where wolves have
made a kill and had a feast-quite
a while back. Two have been back
recently looking things yer, as they
usually do whenever they pass near
a former kill.
Look Both Ways
keep travelling and eventually |
l come out into the edge of a large
opening. I stand there a long time
and look things over. study the
mountain ridges, the slopes and the
various drain ways and get a gen-I
eral outline of surrounding terrain
all mapped out in my minds eye.
For we'll we know that when tray
cling across strange country onel
must necessarily pause and look
backward as we'll as straight ahead. |
Many a man has become bewildered
and sometimes completely lost by
his failure to look both ways.
Away over there beyond that next
high ridge there is a little hidden
valley completely surrounded by
towering mountain ridges. A beau
tiful park like valley protected and
seemingly watched over by those
towering mountains, Once before, 1
almost reached it, but was forced
to turn back by the heavy snow and
now l am hoping that some day II
may pitch my little camp at the
edge of those verdant meadows
along that crystal stream. Strange
isn't is, how just beyond the next
divide, the most interesting things
always seem to be.
AS I swing out into the open,
about 200 yards away there is a
slight movement. At the edge of The
brush I see the head and neck of a
wolf looking through the dense
foliage. A wolff Or is it a wolf?
1t is standing like bronze statue.