Fishers

[Deleted Account]

Just now, Water Rat said:

The fisher's reproductive cycle is pretty interesting. I caught this one about 8 years ago in Ulster county.

That's a beautiful mount.

[SteveB]

I saw 4 different ones on our lease this year - all within 10 yards of my stand. From large squirrel size to fox (with shorter legs). Haven't seen or heard a turkey there in 4 years - not even an old feather. Southern Cayuga county.

[Tughill Tamer]

I was sitting on the ground on watch and had a big Fisher come up to within 20 yrds of me to check me out. This was during crossbow season and though I was a bit on edge it was awesome experience.

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[TACC]

There has always been a population of fishers in the Adirondacks..I have a NYS  Fishing and hunting syllabus   from 1959-1960 that lists a trapping season in the northern zone from Oct.25 to Dec. 31...I think the fishers, like the coyotes, expanded southward and westward  as the forests matured and the habitat became more suitable for them..
Pennsylvania did stock a bunch of them in the north central counties  and it is believed that this population has expanded northward into adjacent NY counties...I am not aware of any NYDEC stocking of them..
Although fishers have the ability to kill and eat porcupines ( more so than most predators) I don't think they are a favored food source for them...In the first place, porkies have a very low reproduction rate,  and even in places where they are relatively plentiful, there aren't that many of them...Besides that, killing a porcupine without ending up as a pin cushion is quite a challenge, even for a fisher..They would much prefer to take easier prey, such as squirrels.. I think squirrels and other rodents make up the bulk of a fisher's diet, although they are voracious, opportunistic predators and will take rabbits, birds and most anything small enough for them to kill if they get a chance..

I agree fishers are eating machines, a smaller version of a badger in my opinion. I have seen them wipe out a whole chicken coop in one night, 10 chickens within 5 minutes. They are fewer in number than Bobcats by us in 3H/3K. But they definitely can hold their own as a predator.

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[chrisw]

I think fishers are awesome animals, I love seeing them in the woods.

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