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Hard to say Piston, nothing for us to scale it to for size. I've seen a fisher once while hunting. There is no doubting what you're seeing, they are much larger than martens. I've also found a porcupine skin on my property, needless to say those fisher can be nasty little buggers.
Males and females are similar in appearance but the males are larger. Males are 90–120 cm (35–47 in) in length and weigh 3.5 to 6 kilograms (8–13 lb). Females measure 75–95 cm (30–37 in) and weigh 2–2.5 kg (4–6 lb). The fur of the fisher varies seasonally, being denser and glossier in the winter. During the summer, the color becomes more mottled, as the fur goes through a moulting cycle. Fishers prefer to hunt in full forest. While they are agile climbers, most of their time is spent on the forest floor. They also prefer to forage where there is fallen dead wood on the forest floor. Fishers are omnivorous and feed on a wide variety of small animals and occasionally fruits and mushrooms. They show a preference for the snowshoe hare and are one of the few predators able to successfully hunt porcupine. Despite their name, fishers seldom eat fish.
Fisher, we don't have pine martens in Massachusetts.
Cowboy Bob is looking over my shoulder, and he's impressed with the buck! He said those antlers would look good over the fireplace.
Piston's got land in NH too. Not sure where the photo was taken but guessing MA since you said you lost the cats. Time heals all wounds, P.
HabitsFishers are shy and elusive animals that are rarely seen even in areas where they are abundant. They can be active day or night and tend to exhibit crepuscular (dawn and dusk) and nocturnal activity in the summer and diurnal (daytime) activity in the winter. They remain active year round and do not hibernate. Their preferred habitat is mixed forest with heavy canopy cover as they tend to avoid traveling in large open areas. They commonly use hollow logs, stonewalls, tree cavities, and brush piles as resting sites.
American Marten:Extirpated. Formerly central and western Mass. Last known record, Worcester County, 1880. One vagrant from a Vermont release was taken in Worcester County in 1992. A 1993 Worcester County record is believed to be an escape from a fur farm.
Fisher:Statewide except Dukes & Nantucket counties. Range expansion into Barnstable County first confirmed in 2006.
My B.I.Ls girl friend saw a fisher from her tree stand 2 weeks ago.
Been following along. Sounds(and looks) like a Fisher to me. Only seen one time by me - in Canada. But I have seen Mink many times there. This is definitely NOT a Mink. Way too big, shape of the head is different, and the tail is way too large in both diameter and length to be a mink.
Thanks Doc, I say this case is closed Fisher it is.
(I'm hoping for more pics of 'it' Piston showing a light bib on the front. )
Quote from: JohnM on November 21, 2013, 10:01:08 AM(I'm hoping for more pics of 'it' Piston showing a light bib on the front. )Which would prove that it's a fisher, right?
Succumb to the evidence, it's a fisher.
Trap it alive and do the finger test.
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