First light fisher

[mushka]

If it is a destructive species and non native the three S system works for controlling troubles like that.

 

[Brokennock]

It is getting tough to tell sometimes what is native and what isn't.
Some of these animals are "reintroduced," to states and areas they have been gone from for many generations. There are other non-native animals around that have been around so long that no one even thinks about it.

Our Fishers are a reintroduction. Brought back in many years after wild turkeys were reintroduced and the state felt that the combination of hunters, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, hawks, and eagles could not control the rapidly growing turkey population.
The Fishers did not seem to make even a dent in turkey numbers, but, were hell on stray cats, chickens, and other small domestic animals. They seemed to be an exploding population and growing issue. But, for the past couple years I don't see or hear much of them.

 

[oldwood]

In north central Pa. , Fishers , and predator birds out of control, and now a local state university and blame comm. , are experimenting with , cross breeding red wolves w/ coyotes to make a super coyote. That should cut down the amount of huntable game. The state is stocking non-hunting species ,like elk , through out the state forests n. c. Pa. . They have a conundrum though. Their precious non-huntable elk herd is being threatened by Chronic wasting disease. The newly stocked , elk population , is only miles away from possibly infected cervids (deer) , so they say , kill off the huntable deer herds. Brilliant govt. decision.

 

[Celticstoneman]

Interesting comparison to cats. I fought with animal control for years over their policy to spay and neuter feral cats amd re-release them. For exactly the behavior mentioned.
The other interesting thing there, is that Fishers are often called Fisher Cats, but, they don't primarily eat fish,,,, but, they will destroy a domestic cat every chance they get. Small teacup size dogs don't stand a chance either.

I once had an interesting encounter with one at a traditional archery event in the area of Lee, Massachusetts while walking the 3-d course. I saw a group of 7 or so shooters gathered in a big circle along one side of the trail. A very young juvenile Fisher was playing in the leaves in the circle. One guy was tossing it pieces of bagged popcorn, the Fisher would hurry to get it then go back to just playing in the leaves. But, every so often it would charge and attack the pant legs of one individual in the group. Only him, everyone else it ignored (except the popcorn). Several times it would just abruptly stop whatever it was doing and charge that one guy.
Maybe it was because the pants he was wearing were that stupid blue and black camo?

Or maybe that fella had house cats at home.

 

[thompson50]

Until you hear one scream while your in the woods alone, you don’t know scared. Sounds like a woman screaming

 

[nhmoose]

Native specie here in NH. Season for hunting 12/1 thru 1/31 bag limit 2 per season including trapping traps are 12/1 thru 12/31.

The NH tap asso gives hides to make the miss NH coat or stole every year.

Female hides are top dollar fur.

Nice pics!!!! thanks for posting them

 

[Celticstoneman]

Until you hear one scream while your in the woods alone, you don’t know scared. Sounds like a woman screaming

Maybe "Britsmoothie" is listening. In the tv dramas Midsommer Murders, they have on almost every show the sound of an animal screaming.I assumed it was a fox, I have seen them but never heard their call, could it be this critter you call a Fisher?
John

 

[thompson50]

Maybe "Britsmoothie" is listening. In the tv dramas Midsommer Murders, they have on almost every show the sound of an animal screaming.I assumed it was a fox, I have seen them but never heard their call, could it be this critter you call a Fisher?
John

If it sounds like a woman screaming and the hair on the back of your neck stands up, then yes, it’s a fisher.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

The scream in Midsummers Murders is a Vixen(female Red Fox ) in seaon calling for a mate. Quite scary if you haven't heard one before. Used to be one that often sat on my front garden in Late Dec-early Jan a few of years ago. Always had a Rely from my labs, annoyed at being woken in the early hours.. OLD DOG..

 

[Kyle Kalasnik]

Saw one in Potter Co. , Pa. last summer. Pa. Blame Comm. stocked these years ago statewide , now we have little small game , in the north country. Another Dunce Boy decision by the clueless idiots in govt..

I also saw one in Potter County. Two years ago, driving home, just as the sun had come up. I was maybe 20 feet away and the Fisher moved very gracefully across the dirt road in front of me. Very creepy, mean and nasty looking creature.

 

[Daveboone]

Here in northern NY they have naturally reintroduced themselves, but have always been around in low numbers. Local trappers target them. I have watched them several times, cool little animals. the only folks around here who complain about them are cat owners who let their pets out...they stand no chance against a fisher. Myself, I am on the fishers side, as I am a firm believer that if a cat is a pet, it stays inside.
They call them fisher cats because in handling them, they are very similar to a cat in build and size, and like a cat have retractable claws. I had one scream at me coming out of the woods late, several years ago. It set my hair on end and sped me along.

 

[Kyle Kalasnik]

Here in northern NY they have naturally reintroduced themselves, but have always been around in low numbers. Local trappers target them. I have watched them several times, cool little animals. the only folks around here who complain about them are cat owners who let their pets out...they stand no chance against a fisher. Myself, I am on the fishers side, as I am a firm believer that if a cat is a pet, it stays inside.
They call them fisher cats because in handling them, they are very similar to a cat in build and size, and like a cat have retractable claws. I had one scream at me coming out of the woods late, several years ago. It set my hair on end and sped me along.

Although I have never heard the scream, people I know who have and from what I have read on this thread, it does not seem like a pleasant sound.

 

[thompson50]

I am from PA but live in Maine now. I also go home for muzzleloader season and I have seen their tracks in the snow during late season flintlock. They do a number on the local urban farmers and their chicken flocks.

 

[Nameless Hunter]

Sounds like a SSS critter. Happy to have never seen one in TN.

 

[bushytail]

3 years ago I seen my 1st one while spring turkey hunting on Shade mountain in PA. And last year I seen one looping by along the creek as I was talking to a guy at the club. (Perry county Pa) Seems they’re moving southward in Pa. From talking to a few different guys that put trail cameras out, they use to get turkey pics. Past few years they get fisher pics and not many turkey pics anymore. I called the game commission to let them know where I seen them. So hopefully they’ll expand the trapping area. And open up a hunting season.

 

[PathfinderNC]

If it sounds like a woman screaming and the hair on the back of your neck stands up, then yes, it’s a fisher.

Haven’t heard of them being in around this part of North Carolina, but Barn Owls scream like that ( sounds a bit more like a kid screaming bloody murder than a woman though). Scared the bejesus out of my kids one night when they were locking up the chicken pen!

 

[Ames]

Surprised nobody mentioned they are one of only a few animals that will target a porcupine for a meal. Attack the soft underbelly and eat out the middle.
I have a lot of them in my parts, but only had one close encounter. Checking my trail cams in September years ago I got blurry black shots from a tree camera. Something had crawled up the fir tree to check out what the camera was. The first four shots were worthless blur. Shots five and six showed a Fisher looking right into the lens.
I checked the time and date. It was 3 minutes ago! Must have seen me coming. I turned slowly to find it was on a branch 5 yards away watching me!
I moved off to the next camera and let it be. Wish I had not field deleted those shots.

 

[Rod Man]

The latest issue of muzzle blast has pics of a fisher after squirrels.

RM

 

[SSBN617b]

When I lived in a wooded part of Massachusetts we used to hear them a lot at night. Seems like they were trying to out sing the coyotes, made some interesting background noise to sleep to.
As far as I am concerned they are part of the ecosystem kept down the rodent population to our benefit.

 

[tenngun]

My oldtimers struck me this morning. I was looking all over the sky in the photos for a king fisher, and thought well you just don’t see them in the woods, but I couldn’t see it
I blew up the first and look all over then I saw it… oh ‘fisher’
I’ve never seen one in the wild