Beware the Fisher Cat
Something evil is lurking in the woods of Connecticut these days, something ancient and almost forgotten.
You can hide your children and lock up your pets, but even then all may be lost. For there is no stopping the fisher cat!
Okay, so maybe they aren’t all that bad, but it is true that the fisher cat is back in full force in Connecticut.
The fisher is neither a fish, a fisher, or a cat. It is a relative of the North American marten.
From the Wiki.
Adults weigh between 2 to 7 kilograms (4–15 lb) and are between 65 to 125 centimetres (26–49 in) in length. Males are about twice the size of females, with the smallest females having been recorded being as small as 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb), hardly larger than most other martens, and males at as much as 9 kilograms (20 lb), by far the largest size recorded for the genus. Their coats are darkish brown, with a black tail and legs; some individuals have a cream-colored patch on the chest. All four feet have five toes with retractable claws. Because they can rotate their hind paws 180 degrees, they can grasp limbs and climb down trees head first.
A circular patch of hair on the central pad of their hind paws marks plantar glands that give off a distinctive odor, which is believed to be used for communication during reproduction. Fishers are also known for one of their calls, which is often said to sound like a child screaming, and can be mistaken for someone in dire need of help.
Their numbers drastically declined about a hundred years ago in Connecticut as they were hunted for their brown to black furs.
The fisher cat gets a bad rap because they seem to just love the taste of cats, and when a domestic cat goes missing within a hundred miles of a fisher sighting, it seems the fisher is always to blame.
The really damned scary part of the fisher is its scream. I was recently told it sounded “exactly like a women being murdered.” After taking a step back and wondering how this person knew exactly what a women being murdered sounded like, I went to YouTube to check it out and and I do find the fisher cat’s sounds a bit creepy. I can also see how the fisher could be mistaken for an unearthly spectre wandering the woods late at night. Apparently, the screams are the sounds they make while mating.
(And if you have been keeping up on your weird CT news, you will know the fisher isn’t the only mammal being accused of murder when romance is in the air: (Passionate Screams Mistaken, Assault Ensues))
You can read more about the fisher cat and it growing numbers in Connecticut in this article from the Hartford Advocate.
I don’t understand that if people are afraid for the safety of their cats why don’t people keep their cats inside? Why do people let their cats outdoors anyway? I grew up in the Bronx, and respectable and considerate folks in my neighborhhood kepot their cats indoors. A Fisher is a wild animal that eats other animals. Keep your cats inside. I find more chipmunks, snakes and birds ripped up in my yard from cat attcks than from Fisher attacks. People are so dangerous and stupid letting their pets ruin the community.
I had one of these creatures wake me up a 2am the other night. Freaking creapy!! It was right outside my br window making the weirdest noises, and loud, too! Hand went right on the shotgun until I knew what was going on.
In the city, I can see why you keep your cats indoors – traffic, other cats, etc. To declaw them, the vet removes each toe up to the first joint. I prefer not to have my cat suffer that indignity. He is also helpful outside in keeping down the red squirrel population – they can chew their way into most houses and then live in the attic. I have had that experience – before cat. They chewed up the wiring and raised their young above my living room – wetting down the sheet rock and disrupting the insulation.
Today, a fisher walked across my back yard, under the deck, and when I went out onto the deck he trotted about 25′ away, turned and watched me. They have no fear. They will also attack small dogs and have completely decimated the rabbit population in our town – and probably the surrounding towns. Raptors – hawks, owls, eagles – depend on having a source of food which includes mice, rabbits, chipmunks, etc. To my knowledge, fishers have no natural enemies. I, among many, would like to see open season on them.
I believe the animal pictured above is actually a mink, a semi-aquatic relative of the fisher. A mink is smaller, usually about several pounds in weight. Since there is nothing in the photo for scale, it is hard to say mink for sure, but the suggestion of a whitish throat patch on the animal pictured is highly suggestive of mink.
Fisher “screaming” is most probably a product of urban legend. Biologists who have studied both wild and captive fishers for many years have never heard them scream. They are generally quiet, occasionally hissing or growling. The recordings you listen to on the internet are merely assumed to made by fisher. I don’t believe there has ever been a credible report of a person actually seeing a fisher scream. Check out the work of Roger Powell who studied fishers for years, and wrote a book entitiled “The Fisher: Life History, Ecology, and Behavior”.
Many other animals make loud vocalizations that could be described as screaming. Some owl species do, as well as mating bobcats and house cats. Foxes make a variety of loud vocalizations, some more like a bark, and others more like a scream. Rabbits scream when caught by a predator.
Hi: I live in Haverhill, Mass. in a condo next to the woods and see a fisher a few times a year. It comes to my bird feeder and digs around for food. I suspect he is looking for chipmunks, as there are plenty of them. Well he measures about 36″ from nose to tail, and goes up and down the trees like a monkey. The fur is dark brown and nice and shiny. In talking with a friend today, he mentioned he got a photo from a trapper friend in Palmer, Mass. who sent him a picture of a large fisher he caught in a box trap. He said the animal weighed in at 46 lbs. This size animal would have no problems taking down a deer. I will contact him and try to get a copy of the picture and more info on the trapper. I used to trap muscrats and caught an otter once. He weighed in at about 18 lbs., and I had a pet raccoon that weighed 28 lbs. so I know what a 46 lb. animal would look like. I will get back and report when I get more information. Thanks. Carl
Very interesting, Carl. A weight of 46 lbs is extremely hard to believe, but my motto is, “never say never”! I hope you post follow-up information even if that claim of 46 lbs is incorrect, because, unfortunately, even unsubstantiated statements can contribute to popular belief and public perception.
Aside from your report, the largest fisher on record weighed 20 lbs, 2 oz, trapped in Maine. I am a tracker and have tracked fishers many, many times, in various parts of central Massachusetts. If any of them were close to 46 lbs, their tracks should be at least double the size of those recorded for fishers of the typical weight range of 5-15 lbs. If anything, the track sizes I have been seeing have been on the smaller end of the spectrum.
Fishers are capable hunters, for sure. They have been seen feeding on deer carcasses, but they are most likely scavenging, because they have not been reported to actually take down healthy, adult deers.
[...] about fishers and their growing numbers here in Connecticut. You may remember a few months ago, Steve was talking about them, and the horrible screams they make at night — apparently they sound a bit like someone being [...]
I was looking out across my back yard 3 wks ago and saw this strange animal that looked seal like and when it walked it moved like a slinky. We have 5 acres but live in a fairly busy area only 10 min from NH my husband was a witness to this thank goodness or he would have thought I was having a Lucy moment. We have Maltise’s and we will be very careful about their potty routines.
Karen, I don’t mean to attack you but I want to turn around your opinion on this fisher issue.
- Fishers are tree hunters and one of the only things fast enough to catch red squirrels. In many places they specialize on red squirrels and porcupines. In contrast, I’m guessing your cat is way too slow and being a ground hunter can only catch about one red squirrel a year.
- Red squirrels are extremely territorial and there is generally only one or two per acre. Keeping the population of red squirrels down really isn’t an issue in a typical yard, where your cat roams, because there’s a population of one or two. On the other hand, fishers hunt red squirrels all through the forest, roaming far and wide.
- Fishers do fear humans and dogs. Sure, they can get a little cheeky when you are on the deck looking at them, but if you approach they usually run for it (unless rabid, of course). I tried hunting one down with my camera last Fall and he was having absolutely none of it — ran like the dickens.
- How do you know that fishers have decimated your rabbit population? If you have fishers you surely have coyotes, red and gray foxes, and probably even mink if there’s water nearby.
- The conventional wisdom that fishers attack small dogs and cats is often repeated, but there is not a lot of hard evidence supporting this. Try Googling it. People’s cats disappear and they blame fishers based on their reputation. Could just as easily be a coyote, which is absolutely documented to go after house pets when food is scarce.
- Very few raptors around here are big enough to go after rabbits. Even red tail hawks mostly end up getting songbirds and the occasional gray squirrel who wasn’t paying attention.
Do you really want to see “open season” on a member of our native wildlife who was almost hunted to extinction? I think this is just your emotional reaction to fearing for your cat’s safety, which is completely understandable. Unless you live in a very dense suburban or city environment, there are dangers to your cat beyond fishers — the scapegoats. Having an outdoor cat is a risk. My neighbors have a great compromise — they let their cats out in the afternoon, and the cats are back before dusk for their dinner.
“Fisher “screaming” is most probably a product of urban legend” Not really. We just had one putting on a 20 minute “aria” one lot over from us, and it is just as advertised: almost human sounding distressed screeching or screaming. 10:30pm in the middle of mating season. Right on time from what I know about them.
if i was worried about the safety of my domestic pets, i would keep them indoors. rather than encourage the trapping/killing of wildlife that has been in the area long before humans.
you may not know this but a fisher is one of the only known predators to the porcupine. take them away and it will really mess up the ecosystem.
Anyone who thinks they don’t scream, they do. Twice a night a fisher cat screams in my cousins backyard. A rabbit isn’t being murdered everynight let alone twice every night. My cousins dog started barking then we heard the fisher scream. Doesn’t help that we were outside her house in tents.
I saw a fisher cat this morning hopping across the enterence to the Merritt. I wasn’t sure what it was since I had never seen one. It looks like a large black weasel, sleek and pretty. I also thought it odd since it was daylight, aren’t they nocturnal, I guess it was late getting home from a night of hunting.
I always knew we had fishers in the Scituate area but never encountered one until yesturday. I have a fenced in yard with two dogs (who were just let in for breakfast thank goodness) and a fisher walked up to my glass slider and looked in. When the dogs began to bark it slowly walked away and climbed out of the yard. I am now so scared to let the dogs out IN THEIR OWN YARD!!! It was 8am in the morning. Should I expect this thing to keep returning???
Biologists continued to be mystified by the reports of “screaming” attributed to fisher cats. There is no documented evidence of this (None other than recordings with no video). Most predatory animals do not scream when attacking (it scares off prey). Animals generally only scream when being attacked (or eaten), or to mark territory. Or mating.
Coyotes are MUCH more likely to go after cats and dogs, especially those above 10 lbs. An 10lb male fisher isn’t going to take down a 20lb dog.
They are related to weasels and otters (mustidelae), but generally fall in between, typically 10lbs for males and 5lbs for females. But their long bushy tails can make them appear larger. They are essentially big ferrets, and simply can’t get to the 20+lbs levels that are sometimes reported. Wild animals typically don’t have the variability in size that occurs in domestic animals. All robins and all deer are roughly the same size. It’s extremely rare to find an individual animal more than twice the size of another.
Well, I appear to have a Fisher cat in Orillia, Ontario (1+ hour north of Toronto). I live in a heritage downtown neighbourhood (close to city centre) and had no idea what it might be at first either; then I looked it up on the Internet. I am assuming that’s what it is as I’ve ruled out the other options. When I first saw it, it reminded me of a beaver but the tail was wrong as a beaver’s tail is flat and leathery and this mammal’s tail is bushy. I thought it might be a porcupine too but it doesn’t have the prickly bristles, although the fur is very thick and sticking up like a porcupine’s but it is brown like a beaver’s, not black. Having never seen badgers either, I thought it might be a badger but the look is all wrong in the neck and this is a solitary mammal – badgers are supposed to live in colonies. I just looked out my kitchen window and it’s just resurfaced from underneath my patio deck; I’ve seen it up and about many times during the day. I’m taking the wait and see attitude as it currently may be serving a useful purpose and is not posing a danger or a bother at present. Interesting. …
I had heard of pleanty of sightings of fisher cats in my area, but hadnt seen one until about an hour ago. i had just gotten my last of 4 children in to bed and sat down on the couch to read, when i heard a loud hissing sound. imedietly following it a creature flew out of no where and hit my window! Andrew, my husbend, heard it as well. We knew it had been a fisher cat trying to get our bird Brownie. i googled them amd heard they kill cats if they find them. Now that i know about them, and what just happend to us, im afraid it might get Brownie and Sunny, our birds, and dont want to let our cat out any more. what do I do!?
If you see and hear a fisher screaming and get a recording of audio with video, please contact wildlife officials, as they will be most interested. Again, scientists who have studied fishers for years, both in the wild and in captivity, have NEVER known them to scream. Until someone can provide proof that they do, we can only assume that claims of fisher screaming are nothing more than urban legend.
Many other creatures scream at night: mating bobcats, mating house cats, rabbits (when frightened or attacked by predators), foxes, and owls. Both coyotes and raccoons also make a variety of vocalizations; some people may interpret them as “screaming”.
For an excellent book authored by a man who studied fishers and other members of the weasel family for many years, see the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Life-History-Ecology-Behavior/dp/0816622663/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280881008&sr=1-2
I live in Hillsborough NH and in the past two months I have heard 4 different Fisher Cat attacks around my house (within 100′). There are missing cats (my neighbor’s pets). One of the attacks I heard outside my window at 3:30am and woke me up. At 6:00am I went out to find a pile of fur and blood. That was Elaine’s cat (could tell by the color of the fur). Another morning I was out having my morning cigarette in the shop at 5:30am and I heard the attack on the other side of the yard. It lasted about 8 seconds (like they most do). I went over there after getting protection and found a pile of fur. Another attack was obviously on a Turkey, those are obvious. And the one I heard five minutes ago left a pile of orange fur and so I will tell Amy tomorrow her cat is gone. This thing loves my neighborhood and my yard even more. My cat sees it all the time at night… she chases it from window to window all night. My 100lb German Shepherd smells it all over the place. I might have to hunt this thing down. I want the squirrels back.
I recently moved to the waterbury/cheshire line in CT. In the 6 weeks that I have lived here I’ve heard this fisher cat “scream” twice in the woods behind our house, and let me tell you it IS a scream. Once it was so loud that I had to get up and shut all the windows, and it was still loud. I have not actually seen the fisher cat (and I don’t want to), but after lots of researching, the noise had to be a fisher cat. Unfortunately, my cat has gone missing and I’m pretty sure he’s not coming back. Before moving here I had no idea that such an animal even existed. A word of advise, keep your pets inside.
My 39 year old son was sitting outside his apt last week & a fisher cat came out of nowhere jumped on his arm bit him bad!! Went to emergency room the doctor scrubed the hole (good size) started rabbie shots & booster. This fisher cat was on the apt roof which my son did not see or hear.T his happened In Chester CT.Where my son & daughter In Law live there are all familys with children.Then the next day my son went out to check around In late morning there were two fisher cats In the tree.Now I heard from different people that the Fisher Cats are put In the wood to kill the wild Animals, the fisher cats can take down a deer,wild turkeys,ect,e t. I am looking Into this matter.
Regarding Comment 16 July 31, 2010 I also live in Orillia, Ontario and since moving back to this area In May, 2010 3 of my cats have disappeared without a trace. Just prior to the latest incident last week, I heard what I thought was a cat fight. Although I searched, I never saw hide nor hair of my cat again. My internet search revealed that fisher cats can sound very similar to domestic cats fighting. I feel a fisher cat attack is the only reasonable explanation for the disappearance of my three cats.
I lived in Thompson CT and Fisher Cats defitinely scream. The neighborhood cats went missing we found just a round ball of his fur in a circular outline?? It was weird. I loved that cat. another friend in Thompson, CT when outside and saw a baby fisher and thought it was cute and went to go near it and it hissed and showed its teeth, she then got in her car apparently just in time as the mother came out of now where and attacked the car and was hanging on the window, she backed up and then stepped on brakes to get it off of her car. The CT Audobon Society said they are extremely vicious to humans. Now I am afraid to take walks in the woods and I think if they are in the neighbor hood they should be hunted down and killed for the saftey of the children and adults in the area. What if it had been a child that went near the baby? That mother would have certainly killed a small child it was in such a frenzy. I think they are extremely dangerous.
Woke up last night to that sound everyone here knows all too well…the “scream” of the fisher. I could track the circular route it was taking around my neighborhood, and incidently did make sure my cats were all inside. I am in Chester, very near the village itself, and we have a large pack of coyotes here as well, which I would definitely blame for any missing cats rather than the fisher, especially during Chester Fair time, because I think the coyotes hang around the fairgrounds during the off-season. Fishers are just not built to run down a fast land animal, they run like weasels, or like I saw someone above mention, a seal…..in a tree, now that’s another story. Just found out that they “scream” during mating season, so there must be a couple in the vicinity.
To Donna regarding your son in Chester, I honestly don’t believe any wild animal would have attacked like you said without having been startled or sick…I hope your son is ok.
I was just woken up at 3:30am by that exact same scream everyone’s describing. Probably one of the scariest screams I’ve ever heard. I was sure some animal was being murdered in my yard and it is extremely disturbing. Several cats have also recently gone missing in my neighborhood. All of our stories sound the same and we all live in different parts of New England. There is definitely some type of animal on the rampage out there! Such a disturbing scream. I have never heard anything like it before.
November 2, 2010 I had gotten home from working election. I had my cat out on my deck and stepped into my kitchen and was talking to him while I put a few things away and was going back out to get him and I heard a terrible scream from him and ran out onto the deck and he was gone. I could hear a terrible screaming noise coming from a wooded area behind my home and then silence. It was an awful sound that I can’t get out of my mind and my pet is gone. I am sorry but these Fisher Cats are out of control in our area and a something needs to be done. They are vicious killers.
Something needs to be done about cats disappearing, yes, Sandy – KEEP YOUR CATS INSIDE. If you didn’t let your cat out, you’d have your pet. Fishers are wild animals that are beneficial to the ecosystem; cats are invasive species that do horrible damage to the songbird population. Lol.
Yeah, those fishercats truly are Satan in disguise. My best friend’s cousin’s boyfriend’s barber’s plumber’s mother’s friend says that in his town those monsters have taken to eating animals as large as horses and cows. You can find their rotting limbs hanging from trees. The whole town has been devastated. No one leaves the house anymore without being fully armed, and you can’t let your kids out at all. The screaming never stops.
LOL. Learn to live with wildlife, people. Fisher “screaming” is nothing but urban legend. Yes, they can kill cats and small dogs, and if you cannot cope with losing a pet, THEN DO NOT LET IT OUT UNSUPERVISED. Do you really want to kill off any native predator that scares you? Keep at it, and there will be nothing left. Should that really be of concern to humans? Answer: you bet. No wildlife means ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem collapse means destruction of our own species.
Did you know that 21% of the world’s mammals are endangered? And, FYI, 30% of amphibians, 12% of birds, 28% of reptiles, 38% of freshwater fish, and 70% of the world’s plants….are all endangered. Please get a grip and learn to tolerate other species. It’s our only hope.
I have a fisher cat lurking our backyard and I don’t n
know what to do.
My kids and Pets are very active (along with me) and always go outside…………..Should I keep them in???
A large male fisher will likely be terrified of a larger dog, but might take a very small dog or cat. That said, there are cases of even cats chasing off a fisher. Small pets should not be allowed out unsupervised if losing them will be devastating. If you allow them to wander, remember that they are probably killing small prey themselves, competing with wild predators like the fisher for food. Seeing it in that light might help you see that fishers are not cruel and vicious — rather, they are an important part of the food web, just trying to survive.
If your kids are toddlers, they could possibly be at risk to a large fisher or other wild animal, but then again it’s not a good idea to let toddlers play unattended anyway, since they could fall victim to the most dangerous of all predators: humans.
Older children should be fine playing in your yard. Use common sense and keep your eyes peeled. Please don’t panic. Perhaps you and your kids could take interest in this amazing creature and learn something from it. Learn its tracks in the snow. Photograph it. Read about it, and its relatives, the otter, mink, and weasel. Expand your circle of compassion to include all of nature, even predators.
Hope that helps.
Mary Beth, I’m in agreement with you RE: What an interesting and amazing animal the Fisher is, however I dont care what the Wild life boilogists say. I have personally seen and heard a Fisher Scream on quite a few occasions. I saw a very large Fisher chase a huge Raccoon off of my neighbors trash barrel at about 2:00 AM screaming like a banshee. Scary stuff. A 40 pound Raccoon took off like he was shot out of a cannon when confronted by a large tom Fisher. “And it was the FISHER doing the screaming/crying. A large Tom Fisher is in a class of it’s own as far as it’s tenacity. Second only to his big cousin the Wolverine. While Coon hunting a few years back My friend’s dog treed a Fisher after a long chase. The Dog, a 95 pound Blue Tick Coon Hound is among the most ferocious dogs alive. We did not know what We were chasing until We cought up to it after about an hour. By then the Fisher had had enough and was ready for a fight. Lost his sense of humor. While we were down below discussing our find He decided to make a fight of it and came down the tree so fast we thought He fell. He was 30 feet up and made that in about one second. He went for My friend Jerry who had no time to think. He fell backward half concerned about the status of his shotgun and that the muzzzle did not end up passing by any two legged companions or his dog who was fixated on the Fisher. The Dog intercepted the Fisher and IT WAS ON!!! All we could do was watch as Jerry’s Dog had his underside kicked open, His insides coming out, had half His nose bitten off, one ear bitten off, and His throat ripped open all the way to his jugular vein. Fortunatly the vein was not damaged. The Fisher got his hooks in the dogs neck from under so his impressive choppers were at the dogs throat while his huge rear claws ripped the dog’s gut open. After what seemed like a lifetime the Dog got his choppers on the Fishers head and ended it. The Vet wanted to put the Dog down when we finally got him proper care. Jerry said after a fight like that we’re going to give Him a chance and paid the $1500.00 vet bill. The Dog lived. Fortunatly. 300 stitches. Some of them to reattatch half his nose, many to sew his insides back in. A year later almost to the day He chased down another one. Only this time We didn’t hang around long enough to revisit just how unfriendly a pissed off Fisher can Be. Also, the animal that almost killed Jerry’s dog weighed in at 26 pounds. So that throws the 20 pound thing right out the window. I’ve seen a couple of others just as big if not bigger. And oh yeh, That animal was screaming like a hundred cats on fire, and making other ungodly noises. Made Me want to jump in bed and pull the covers over My head!! I’m of the opinion that a big tom will prey on cats, small dogs, ect… A Woman in Hamilton Ma. had her Jack Russel Terrier torn right off the leash and devoured in front of her by an audatious over grown tom Fisher. That occured along the hedgrow at the Myopia Hunt Club about ten years ago. A Woman in Boxford Ma. had her leg ripped open by a Fisher just passing by At eight in the morning. I personally had the crap scared out of Me on another occasion when one was raiding the squirrel nest in the attic of my delapitated garage. It came out on the roof and made a scream like a cat on fire and a baby crying and a turkey cackling all at the same time. He came right down to the edge of the roof and faced Me off. He made it clear He was not afraid of Me and would be more than happy to shred Me. I had a gun in My hand and I was still terrified. I ran in the house and didn’t come out after dark for a month. He was out ther every night for a couple of weeks making all sorts of frieghtning sounds. Fisher vocalisations run the gamut. They make sounds like a injured rabbit. They make bird sounds. They make turkey sounds. They do a near perfect angry grey squirral. They make cat sounds. It’s part of their hunting stragety. They lure in other animals who come to investigate the sounds. My cat fell for the old grey squirrel trick. I saw the Fisher make the squirrel sound, so there is no debate about their vocalisations as far as I’m concerned. Occasionally they loudly throw all the different sounds together and the result is that terrifying banshee from hell sound. Where I live there is at the very least a moderate concentration of Fishers, and Coyotes, also Foxes. When a cat goes missing and there is no evedence of Fisher attack it was more likely a Coyote. Studies have shown when examining contents of Fisher stomachs very seldom is there cat remains. And some of that can be attributed to eating road kill. A small or female Fisher is probably not going to go out of it’s way to try to kill a cat. However there is that certain percentage of larger specimines over 16-20 lbs. maybe 5-10% who will make it their business to at least try to make dinner of any cat they come accross. Two things I’ve learned is, when feeling set upon they will fight to the death. Also what I learned from the Squirrels in the garage incedent is dont interupt their dinner. They will defend their meal very agressivly. Occasionally a big one will make a meal of your dog weather your on the other end of the leash or not. Also some of the more mature animals are vantriloquists of sorts. I wittnessed this Myself. He made a sound of an angry or injured Grey Squirrel and lured My Coon Cat Scout right in. Upon realizing Scout was a huge very healthy cat at about 22 pounds the fisher which was not a particularly large specimine came about half way down the tree and assesed the situation. When it noticed our whole family advancing to him or her it beat a hasty retreat. Last summer a small Fisher was hanging around with my other cat. I was calling tha cats in At about elevin oclock. My other coon cat Harley came trotting home with what I thought was his brother Scout right on his tail. As it turned out the other animal was evedently his new friend. Before Harley got to the front stairs the Fisher took a swipe at his back legs and tripped him up. They rolled around play fighting for a minute when I yelled for the cat to get in the house. “Coon Cats are like dogs in that regard. They respond to commands”. When Harley got up and headed for the stairs the Fisher followed him right to the bottom stair, looked at me with no fear, but with some curiosity then took a hard left and went up the tree in My neighbors front yard. It probably weighed in at all of seven pounds. I was scratching My head over that one for a while. Usually these Cats are petrified of anything that looks like a Weasel. They both got their asses handed to them by a Mink that couldn’t have gone more than a pound and a half. He kicked the crap out of both of them at the same time. They tag teamed him and it wasn’t even a fair fight. They needed ten more cats. They came home looking back over their shoulders looking like they saw the devil himself. So just immagine the damage a large Fisher could do. It’s a Mink X 20. The one Jerrys dog killed had some of the most impressive teeth I’ve ever seen. And claws that were nothing like a cats. Like inch long fish hook Eagle talons. Huge hooked claws. Thats why the Dog couldn’t shake him. Once those hooks are in, there is no getting him off till he’s dead. Jerry’s dog got lucky. Mind you this was a very big tough tough mean mean dog. This Fisher at 26 lbs wasn’t even showing any grey at his tips yet so he was in his prime. By the way we were going to leave him once we saw what he was. We just didn’t realize how angry he was. It was a learning experience for sure. Not for the dumb ass dog!! Sorry for the protracted letter. I just had a lot to say about these animals. FYI, Fisher vocalisations are not an urban legend. Some day you will hear one. You’ll know exactly what it is when you hear it. My guess is they do not say much most of the time. But when they do they DO..TTYL, Regards, JIm…
If I used to be worried concerning the security of my domestic pets, I’d keep them indoors. Instead of encourage the trapping/killing of wildlife that has been within the space long before humans.
We’re all animals Dave. Humans are just smarter. I encourage hunting and trapping about as much as I promote veganism. My protracted post was Just articulating some stories from the past regarding these interesting animals. FYI, The hunters and fishermen contribute more to the health and upkeep of the wild lands, wet lands, forest, ect… and the organisms that live there than all other so called enviromentalists groups combined!!
January 23, 2011 outside my house, my motion lights went on, so I got up to see what caused it and there in my back yard was a fishercat. I ran in the other room to tell my friend to look out the window, because what I was describing he would not believe and there he was sitting. He was brown and furrie and had a long tail and a face like a cat, but a long body like a ferret. We were in awe. I had heard one 9 years ago when I moved here but didn’t realize the screech was a fishercat, but I will never forget that cry and I am sure it was a fishercat. I live on a fresh water pond, considered a lock. Iam sure he’s been here for awhile I just never got to see him before.
Hi Barbara, My two daughters saw one about a week ago while driving on our street. About four houses down from ours. crossing the road. They said it was about three feet long not counting the tail. Next day I went looking for tracks in fresh snow. I found two seperate sets. One smaller animal and one big one. Obviously the one they saw. I followed the larger set for about a half mile to a large old pine tree that had broken in half about fifteen feet up. I could see where it had hollowed out over the last few years. I do believe he lives in there, at least for now. I’ve been back a couple of times since. and he is still active in the area. I bring my camera hopeing to get some pics. The tracks are interesting in themselves. I can see where he stopped to investigate nooks and crannies around the upturned roots of wind fallen trees. I took pics of all the tracks he made. There was a spot where he sat down for a minute probably to scope the area for some unwitting squirrel. Two perfect front paw prints and two perfect rear prints pulled up close to eachother. Sitting like a cat sits. Last month there was a Turkey killed in my yard. I think I found the culprit. We have tons of turkeys up here. He ate everything but the feet and some feathers. I wish I could post these pics of tracks. They have pretty big feet for thier size. If you have some wildlife areas near you go check out tracks in the snow. It’s amazing how many animals are out there. Along with the fisher tracks I found lots of different Coyote tracks, Mink, Lots of Deer, Fox, Turkey of course, all in the same choke point where the woods narrow between two neighborhoods that abutt about a thousand acres of conservation land. It’s going to snow again this week and I will head out for more pics of tracks and hopefully an encounter. Thinking about getting a motion triggered game camera and setting it up where the highest concentration of tracks are. Oh Yeh, The first time I heard the Fisher banshee scream I was afraid to go out at night for a month. There is someone on this post that insists that they do not vocalize. My message is, You’ll know when you hear it. It’s that unique, and scary.
I don’t live in the area in question, so take my remarks with a grain of salt…but I can see both sides of this issue. I think humans should be more tolerant toward wildlife, and I’m in favor of keeping cats indoors in general, but it’s hard to hear about a cat who was only out on *its own backyard deck* being taken without having an immediate “that beast’s too dangerous to live” reaction. The vicious attack on the dog was horrible to read, too, especially with my own big, goofy lab mix lying beside me.
There must be a middle ground to tread here. I don’t have a problem (philosophically) with killing animals that intrude on my home – after all (as my roommate says) “Most animals will kill YOU if you come into THEIR home.” I think fisher cats (or any really aggressive animal) that ventures into an actual backyard (that is, the part of the yard the owner bothers to mow the grass in) should be “discouraged” in one way or another – if loud noise or a water hose fails to drive an animal off your territory, then more serious measures (from trapping to firearms) might be needed.
I’m a fairly bleeding-heart liberal and a nature-loving person, but I don’t think it does a native species any harm to have the boldest individuals (bold enough to hunt prey on backyard decks) culled from the gene pool. Respecting other species means refusing to commit genocide for our own convenience (like we used to); it doesn’t have to mean ignoring an active threat to those we love on our (literal) doorstep.
We ARE the biggest animal around – teaching wildlife to respect us, and OUR territory, is only fair. It’s behaving as though we are PART of Nature, not loftily hovering above it – and isn’t that the most respectful approach of all?
LOL.
The pic is a mink, not a fisher.
You are right! The pic is a mink (usually less than 2lbs).
Mink, fisher … they’re all furry and have pointy teeth, right? Seriously, thanks guys! We fixed the picture …
I have a dog and cat at home. My mom and I have seen the fisher cat multiple times and we live in CT right near the woods too! Weird thing is, my cat ran toward it the other day and it was not explainable! But my cat is perfectly fine….
I think alot of the people commenting on this need to step back and think about the way nature works. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to see “open season” on these animals. I live in upstate ny, im and avid hiker and love to follow fisher tracks and look for dens and such. I have a few fishers in my area that i know of and have never had a problem with cats turning up missing and even if so its called the cycle of life. We all need to step back and enjoy the miracle of nature instead of trying to change it.
Here’s a correction to all the questions about a fishers scream, yes they do scream and a horrible chilling sound unless u know what it is.last night I was out about 10pm w my dogs when I hear what sounds like a child being tore apart,I got chills and took my dogs into the woods towards the noise,my mastiff stopped and let out a bark and growl like no other and this thing ran. It was killing a domestic cat.sadly it was gone by the time I got there.but that haunted me all night.
Thank god for big dogs I tell u.
Hey Guys, First, Let you’r cats out!! Where they belong. The Fishers probably wont eat them. Sometimes it may happen, but not too often. I’m sure Fishers would much rather eat prey animals. Cats a formidable themselves. Someone on this site said “cats are slow” indicating the most highly evolved preditors on the planet are not proficient hunters. Is there some new species of cat I’m not familiar with. Fishers large enough to make an easy meal of a cat or small dog are probably few and far between. Second, The Fisher population has probably peaked. There is a hunting season for them and they suffer atrition due to automobiles. I’ve seen four dead this spring on the road. Two were females with young, so the pups wont make it without the mother, also they are prayed upon by other animals and Raptors when they are young. They are not immune to the rigors of the wild like some on this site seem to think. Maybe one in three survive to adulthood give or take. Last, These are facinating and complex animals. Very illusive, smart, and unpredictable. I’ve studied them for years and still cannot figure them out. From the first time I saw and HEARD one back in 93 when I lived in Peabody Ma. I’ve been facinated with them. In that time I have figured a few things out. Like they mimic the sounds of other animals, like cats, squirrels, turkeys, rabbits, ect… It’s My belief that they do this to attract the curious. Whatever animal comes to see what the noise is may end up as dinner. They are very active in the spring, mating rearing young, and agressivly hunting to support those activities. They are formidable preditors but it’s My belief they do not go out of thier way kill outside of thier natural prey selection. There are documented exceptions, but it’s not too common, so you’r cat is most likely safe. Although the one in the new picture posted here would probably be just as happy eating little Kitty snacks as squirrels. That’s one tough looking animal. Fifteen pounds + for sure. If I saw that in My yard I would let the cats stay in for a couple of days just to be on the safe side.
My friend told me about the killer fishers and i was really scare will in the woods when i was young
we have a gentle man in our condo complex that likes to tell fishercat stories.he says one lives in our back yard. i’ve never seen or heard it, but he said it was in the yard and its teeth were drippeng!! lol, with what i dont know. has any one else ever heard of this or seen it?
Last night we heard the exact scream that is recorded as a fishercat on YouTube. It was pitch dark and it was walking from yard to yard. We could see a shadowed image walking right down the middle of our street. It screamed over and over until it walked out of hearing range. This was 1:30 AM. At 3:30 am it came back up the street screaming again. Scariest sound I have ever heard from an animal.
Yup, they do kinda scream. I was hiking in Nehantic SF, following an old stone wall and must have been tromping on ones turf; it tracked along next to me a good distance away, hissing / screaming at intervals. Really freaky.
I live in very thick woods in ct last winter I would here them screech and them walk through the snow I saw one trying to cross the road in march and my buddy saw one today coming home from the farm on his dirtbike in a trail they have gotten alot of my chickens
Yup, Fishers like chickens. My friend Joe has free range chickens and usually loses a couple a month to Fishers. Strangly enough I saw a huge specimine dead on RT 107 in NH today. It was one of those unusually large animals. The tail alone had to be tree feet long. Also, it had a heavy wide body. Almost like a Wolverine. This animal was defenatly well over 20 pounds. I found myself wishing I had my camera. This Fisher was half again the size of the animal pictured on this site. Hide the women and children.
I have never seen or heard of a fisher cat until the other day. When I was in my teens, I would go hiking in the CT woods for hours and I never saw one of those. I saw deer, Coyote, turkeys, turtles, rabbits, raccoons, and fox but never heard of one or saw one. I camped up state NY and VT NH and ME deep in the woods no flush toilets, never saw one. It is almost like big foot to me. a mystery,
where in ct do you people live who have seen these? I live on the shoreline near new haven… we have a lot of woods around but I have never seen or hear (or even hear OF) this animal.
*heard
Stef, I’m in Chester, on the CT River. I’ve been hearing the fishers around my house only for the last couple of years. But “funny” thing is, I now no longer hear all the coyotes I used to hear. I’ve heard that fishers are very territorial when it comes to their hunting grounds, but I would never have thought that they could chase away coyotes, considering they are arboreal. But that’s the only explanation I have for the lack of coyote howls and increase in fisher cat screams I’ve heard. I saw one up-close a little while back…a mama fisher had been hit on the ramp for exit 7 in East Haddam. It was cool to see what they really look like.
In the last two and a half weeks, three of my cats have gone missing. Has anyone heard of or spotted any Fishers in the Preston/North Stonington area? I have not heard any noises or screams to lead me to think it was a Fisher but three cats in such a short amount of time is crazy.
I have seen a fisher cat while driving really slowly in Portland,CT. It looks like a large weasel. It was quite bold and took a step towards my car and stared at me. I had no clue what it was at the time. I do not doubt that they eat cats as an easy meal. I actually had someone, who feeds stray cats tell me he saw one grab a kitten for a meal. He lives in Manchester. I just saw a very large cat in my back yard staring at the feral cat I am trying to get to trust me ( so I can bring it inside). it looked like a baby mountain lion with a stubby tail. It did not have any spots or stripes. It’s tail did have a dark tip, but it was a tan color similar to a mountain lion, but clearly not that creature. Let’s just say it was very SCARY looking, but thankfully was more scared of me. I have had in my yard turkeys, rabbits, deer, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, black bears, black squirrels, and now that large cat. I too live near the Cheshire/Waterbury border.
[...] Beware the Fisher Cat – Damned Connecticut The really damned scary part of the fisher is its scream. … A Fisher is a wild animal that eats other animals. … but the suggestion of a whitish throat patch on the animal pictured is highly … [...]
D, (from August 11),,, the big cat you encountered, based on your description, was most likely a bobcat,, I live in Chester and had one hanging around my backyard (lots of woods close by) about a year ago,, he (I assume it was a he because it was BIG) kept making appearances usually in the early dawn hours or evening,, I figured he was hunting my little cat and actually did go after her a couple of times but she was too quick and hid in some spots he could not get to her. Very interesting looking animal but did run right off if we went outside or let my lab loose.
AND Wendy,, there are plenty of fishers out in the N Stonington area, but if three cats go missing in a short period of time I would be looking for a coyote,, much more likely the culprit.
My 7 years old big male cat was enough smart to kill mouses, moles, birds, squirrels + chipmunks…..very smart to sneak around but it now is gone for 2 weeks….Suspend to blame fisher cat since I lost 2 cats, too. Heartbroken, catlover.
hi Bianca,, please e-mail me @ fisher5135@gmail.com,, I think you have a coyote problem, not so much a fisher cat.
Word of warning to residents of Simcoe County, Ontario (Perkinsfield, LaFontaine). I waws informed by the Huronia Animal Shelter that fishers are a problem this year. I had to take in a 3 month old barn kitten to be put down due to severe injuries (ie. – lower jaw ripped off, puncture wounds to head etc). I found the opening to its den in a gully nearby. Not sure what to do. Anyone have any suggestions to get rid of this creature? Don’t tell me to keep the cats, I don’t own the farm and barn cats are are prolific in this area (most don’t live very long). There has also been a loss of 53 chickens, roosters and 15 ducks. Anybody else experiencing similar problems?
We live in Ontario on the bank of the Muskoka River, right in town below the falls. In the last weeks, ourselves and neighbours on the same side have lost five pet cats…two were ours, one ten-year-old and our especial love, Murray, age 15, who never went off the property. Ours disappeared not at night, but during the late afternoon – Murray always stayed on our sidewalk or front porch, warming his elderly bones. A lady down the street is missing her Siamese now, and she tells us there are the remains of a kitty matching Murray’s description over the riverbank at the back of their property. This all made me want to buy a big shotgun at first, but the comment ShinyAeon, #36, made back in February really nailed it – so does anyone in Ontario reading this know if the Ministry of Natural Resources here will come out and set a trap for relocating this animal? We have other cats…they are our pets, not takeout pizzas for fishers in town. Our other cats are staying inside, yell, holler and complain though they may.
So at least I know what this thing is, after hearing these horrific sounds since buying my home 10 yrs ago, I finally know that I have a fishercat. I have lost several cats over the years, but I am in the woods, keep cats as pets and mouse controllers, so I am not keeping them inside. I have seen this nasty thing, 5pm, barking pretty close to my house, responding to my dogs barking. It is not am ‘urban legend’ that they make this noise, they are evil, should be trapped and hunted just as we hunt anything that we feel gets overpopulated as we take more and more of their native enviornment away from them. I also have coons, bobcat, bear, coyote, all of which ‘belong’ in the wild, not urban backyards. To those of you who live in more heavily populated areas, the fishercat should be removed if not trapped and hunted. I don’t have a large population of porcupines, so I don’t need this fisher to ‘control’ them, I wish it ate coons….
I live in East Hartford, CT and my husband and I were out side the other night and we saw this black ferret like animal walking or hopping like in the road. My neighbor seems to think it was a minx but my friend seems to think it is a fisher cat. What is the difference between the two?? Also should i have a non sloid fence in my backyard should i be worried about my 7 pound dog??
Kim, You had better be worried about your 7 pound dog.! A friend just lost her cat to a fisher here in Conn. about 3 days ago.
Warning to Massachusetts pet lovers… My 60 lb dog was attacked by a fisher a few days ago and just came home today after spending the past nights in the ICU of our local emergency veterinary hospital. (Waltham, MA)
The picture is of a Fisher Cat, not a Mink. Minks have thinner tails and narrower skulls. The picture is of a taxidermy specimen. Fishers more resemble small bears while minks are almost indistinguishable from ferrets, except for coloring.
Wild animals have a place in nature. Domestic cats are more destructive to the local ecosystem. I love my cats, but cannot call for open season on a key niche predator.
I’m sure if people and children were being dragged off by Fisher Cats the CT State Police would be out lobbing flash bomb grenades in all your wild woods of CT. Lighten up, people. More house cats get killed by street traffic than wild animals, and kill more birds and squirrels than get killed by Fishers. Nobody enjoys losing a pet; if you value your Fluffy, keep her inside.
I’d suggest a trip to Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in NH where you can see live Fisher Cats (not screaming) and learn about them from a scientific source rather than an alarmist web forum.
Mike, the original photo was of a mink. After several people commented that it was a mink, they replaced the photo with the current one. I agree with everything else you say, however.
[...] My brother lives in Old Sayebrook Ct, and he has one of these patrolling his yard… Beware the Fisher Cat – Damned Connecticut [...]
Mary Beth, I admire your effort to educate people but it doesn’t work, trust me. People in general are very ignorant when it comes to natural history and refuse to learn. They also evidently need drama in their lives so they give animals super powers. When somebody says fisher cat right there I know they know nothing, it’s kind of like coydog, a clue to what’s coming. I lived in Hadlyme, Ct. for thirty years but live in the Adirondacks now where people say they see wolverines, badgers and (my favorite) black panthers. I tell them they’re lucky to see the panthers cause ever since the gazelle herds have gone down they’re hard to come by. People are anti-predator and they also fear the unknown. 46 pound fisher, uh huh. Yeah, and Great-horned Owls fly away with 30 lb. dogs, coyotes reach 80 pounds and are a danger to the neighbor’s prized bull and are also wiping out the Ct. deer herd and now they have to worry about man-eating fisher cats. If they knew how to read and maybe spent a day away from the mall or making love to their computer they might learn something. It’s not gonna happen and I think the long term outlook for Ct. wildlife is bleak because of people’s ignorance and their cats. Good luck.
Sean, we must be soul mates! ;o) You are probably right, but if you are, the future is bleak for us, too. People seem to believe we can exist without wildlife, but, in fact, everything thing we use is ultimately derived from the natural world. Continued species extinctions means collapse of the ecosystem services on which we all depend: clean water, clean air, food production, flood control, drought mitigation, pharmaceuticals, disease prevention, etc. That is usually the angle I take when educating people about nature — I do realize that most people could care less about wild animals, but they do care about themselves. Incorporating ecology into the public school science curriculum is where it’s at. Most people who post here already have their minds made up, and it will not be possible to change them. I subscribe to blogs like this just so I can keep abreast of the sorts of nonsense people bandy about, regarding wildlife, and throw in a comment every now and again. Cheers.
Hello Mary Beth and Sean….
Food for thought –
Although I do not live in Connecticut I do have some information about — yes — fisher cats.
My 60 pound lab/husky/shepherd mix was attacked by one on October 13th of this year…. It was a Thursday evening… and while Enzo is a completely marshmallow and entirely harmless to almost everyone and everything.. this particular Fisher found he was a thread and ripped his body open, leaving us with thousands of dollars in vet bills and 4 surgery’s where at one point, Enzo was at risk of becoming septic and deceased.
I respect wild life and the like….. I do not, however, respect those those who have not encountered similar misfortunes and whom scoff at those who are less “educated” than you seem to be.
Risk losing your beloved pet and Thousands of dollars, and then come talk to me about your intellectual and wildlife awareness.
Dear Stacey, what makes you so sure I haven’t suffered any losses due to wildlife? Over the years I have 3 beloved pets to wild animals, but I accept that as the risk of giving them some outdoor time to improve the quality of their lives. I guess I feel that these occasional losses pale in comparison to the suffering we inflict on billions of animals in industrial “farms”, medical research facilities, etc. Not to mention the annihilation of entire species due to our own greed and pollution.
I also know that wildlife benefit us in ways that are difficult to see on an immediate level, and that, like us, they do whatever they think is necessary to protect their own territories, food sources, and young. Therefore, I accept the risk and feel no need for revenge. I apologize if I seem to “scoff”, but I’m sick and tired of people who choose selfish ignorance over education. I guess there’s no point in arguing — if people are intent on destroying what’s left of nature, then so be it. I’ve enjoyed my time on earth, and it won’t be me who suffers. It will be future generations.
Hi Stacey, I also lost a pet. A goat named Alfredo to coyotes and that was my fault. I learned from it. What was at first anger or thoughts of revenge I realized were maybe my own feelings of guilt for not doing enough to keep him safe. I like coyotes, in fact I find most predators far more interesting. It takes a little more of a brain to hunt something than say a deer creeping up on a leaf. If people took the time to learn about local predators (and not from Joe six-pack) not only would they not live in this manic fear their pets would be safer and their own lives would be enriched and more interesting. Why would the fisher consider your dog a threat? Just curious. One more question is a fisher cat anything like a marten cat or a weasel cat or an otter cat?
In no way am I saying that wildlife is to blame for Enzo’s misfortune and near death experience. In fact I truly cherish wildlife and the habitat in which they live.
Bear in mind that this personal occurrence is still quite fresh for me… so at the moment I’m battling personal feelings versus logic and life realities.
On the one hand you are entirely correct about humans invading the space of wild animals homes by building factories and complexes, tearing down forests for “our” own needs etc…
On the other hand I can’t help but be upset about this attack on my boy, in an area that is heavily populated and is not where fisher’s have been known to reside.
Unfortunately they have been spotted in my town more and more over the last couple of months…. cats have gone missing with only their tails being found etc… They seem to be getting more and more bold, and have attacked both pets and humans.
Enzo was romping through the woods at the Payne Estate in Waltham MA ( http://www.stonehurstwaltham.org/ ) when he was attacked…. an area that is kept well maintained and Always has a great deal of foot traffic by humans and dogs.
And to answer your question about the differences in these “cats” … Yes there are differences. Weasels are Significantly smaller than fishers… they are just bigger than rats with different coloring than fishers and martens . . . more yellowish on top with white-ish underbelly . . . an “otter cat” is not the technical name for an animal other than a jaguar type cat that is similar looking to a weasel or an otter.
The Marten is the closest to a Fisher, where Fisher’s are actually sometimes referred to as the north american marten.
Are you asking because of the potential for Enzo being attacked my something else and my mistaking it for a fisher??
To the guy who says fishers mimic, well, I hear they do a great Groucho Marx. Continue to feed each other these fairy tales of screaming killers, you obviously need something to spice up your mundane lives. What’s truly terrifying is how ignorance feeding ignorance becomes indisputable fact; What’s also scary is with all our mistakes as a species and with so much truth available how little we’ve learned. I’ve wasted too much of my valuable time already. Careful, it’s a jungle out there.
Stacey, I think Sean was pointing out that fishers are in the weasel family, not the cat family, as the popular name would suggest. I am glad to hear of your love for wildlife. You are correct that fishers have been moving into more densely populated areas. But it is not really a range expansion; rather, it is a re-occupation of their former range. We humans drove them out of all but the northern limits of their range, by clearing forest for agriculture in the 1600s -1800s, and by over-trapping (for their beautiful pelts). Future generations came to think of them as creatures of the far northern coniferous forests, but in fact they originally ranged much further south, into mixed deciduous forests.
Now that most of New England is not used for agriculture and forest has reclaimed much of the landscape, fishers and other previously extirpated species are returning. But the “forest” in their former range is now fragmented and dominated by suburban development, so they are forced to either adapt to suburbia, or die. Naturally there will be conflict with humans and their pets. I see the return of the fisher and many other species almost as a miracle — a second chance for us to co-exist with a species we almost drove to extinction. I personally think this second chance is probably our last chance, because development is advancing so rapidly, that if we push them out of “our” land again, they will have no place to go.
I’m all for wildlife conservation and I’m a hunter / hiker. I have spent the last 15 years or so on and off season in the woods around Tolland CT. Ive seen fishers more than once, both in the woods and running across the town green. I’ve known people who raise chickens to take losses and most every other month some poor missing kitty’s picture is placed on a telephone pole or in the town bulletin board. Bad enough we have coyotes. Since the recent addition of this predator to my area the wild turkey population has taken a nose dive.
If youre going to re-introduce a predator – pray, introduce a predator to the predator to maintain balance, or don’t do it. It would be a real sad day if after all the work that was done bringing the wild turkey back home – someone brought in a species who doesn’t hunt by seasons, follow laws, or buy licenses, to eradicate them once again.
I commented once before about an issue with this nasty creature, it seems to have been resolved. I had one of my cats go missing in Sept, when I was hearing and seeing the fisher, then I had the coyotes move in closer than they ever have for a few nights, alas, no more fisher, spooked off or dead I don’t know or care, but I have no more screaming fisher in my woods since. I love coyotes….
Regarding the comments on fishers and the recent decline of turkeys in CT: Turkeys are still considered “abundant” in CT despite the recent decline. The decline is thought to be most likely related to cool, wet spring weather of recent years, which leads to reduced survival of young. If we want to blame someone for that, we’d do best to point the finger at ourselves. Unusual and more severe storm and weather patterns are part of climate change (“global warming”), which is due to the human induced increase in greenhouse gases. The fisher is native to New England, and its return is, in and of itself, a return to more balanced conditions.
About a year ago, I did an extensive lit search on the fisher’s diet. As of that point in time, not one studied showed turkeys to be a significant prey item, and in some studies, no birds of any kind were taken. From southern New England down to MD and West Virginia, common menu items were gray squirrels and deer carrion, the latter probably road kill and/or remains left in the woods by human hunters.
Last year I was riding my HD Road King along Birch Mtn Rd In Glastonbury when it was attacked by a Fisher cat ( just like the stuffed one in Cabelas). Cat came out of the woods and attempted to swat the front tire. Bent the front fender trim out 90 degrees. The rear wheel ran over the extended paw. Luckly I didn’t swerve and didn’t fall. I estimate the animal to be 30-36″ long probably weighed 20-40lbs. I didn’t stop but returned in the afternoon and did not find a body.
All things in moderation. Have a BLT sandwich once a week no problem, eat a pound of bacon every morning and your family will buy your coffin suit at the super-size store.
I hunt, I fish, I live, I coexist with be beasties of the animal world that have yet to develop thumbs and walk on their hinds. It is a glorious place at the top of the food chain.
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Sorry to those of you who have lost your animals and pets that you keep in captivity as I know it is difficult to lose a fury family member. Fishers are doing there job, they are surviving. While I have some loathing for them because they eat rabbits, and I love rabbit stew I respect them for their abilities, but only in Moderation. Here in RI we trap them. Usually in box traps, but we have used kill traps for certain areas. The season is regulated by the RI DEM.
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The season for your house cat however is unregulated except by you. Coyotes and foxes harvest more domestic animals and barn yard poultry than Fishers ever will due to their higher population and expansive habitat. Fisher adapt well but prefer older growth forests with heavy cover. While they may live in an hollowed tree, they are fantastic ground hunters.
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If you are going to let your cat out to do his business, I would tie a small bell around its neck. We can tell the difference between Coyote, Fox and Fisher dung, so we will be able to tell which one ate Fluffy. It will be the turd with the bell in it.
I caught a fisher in a live trap a few months ago. It was probably around 38 inches… Does anybody know if you can shoot a fisher in February? Thanks.
Jim, Not in RI they are a “fur bearer” and they are harvested in a regulated season normally december. CT is similar i’m sure. call your wildlife dept to be sure.
Hey There Damnedct,
I know what you mean, Writing articles related to your business is a great way to build your link popularity and also to provide more content for your site and other sites. Not too mention it’s always nice when someone finds your site and uses it within their newsletter.
Kindest Regards
Madge Ellison
Re #82 – Jim
If the Fisher’s on your property you can kill it any time you wish – you’re protecting your territory. Don’t know what you’re “live trapping” – don’t want to know.
The Fisher was reintroduced to Ct. by the DEP a number of years ago – to aid trappers. If the trappers want fur – they should raise the damned things in cages! To introduce an animal with no other natural enemy besides man and the auto is insanity at it’s best!
They Do kill anything they get their paws on climbing trees at night to do in turkeys and squirrels… and they love the domestic cat – as does the coyote…
2/9/12 Living in Somers,Ct. for many years I have seen abundant wildlife.Have had bear destroy birdfeeders because I didn’t bring them in like i should.I have pictures of one hoping to get to my feeder but i guess i scared him taking his picture. Had a fisher come thru the yard this morning.I am convinced that storm alfred has really screwed up the wildlife.Would enjoy any e-mail anyone would like to send.
Colleen, in your ignorance you forgot to mention the biggest threat to native wildlife. Domestic cats. If your cat is missing it’s automatically a fisher, if you see a couple less turkeys, it’s a fisher. How many fisher kills have you witnessed? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Are you really that stupid to think nature works that way. When was the last species to go extinct naturally? Do you think white man got here just in time to save all the animals. Coyotes were gonna wipe out the Ct. deer herd, how’s that going so far? Maybe if you learned how to read instead of listening to Red-neck Joe who’s anti-predator to start with you might learn something!!!!!!!!!!!!