last year my neighbor had a fisher in their front yard in the middle of the afternoon. they said that it didn't seem rabid, but ignored the dog that was tied up barking. today she called and her daughter saw a fisher on our hill at noontime. aren't these guys suppose to be nocturnal? we live in new hampshire and have heard since we moved here to keep our cats in at nite because of the fisher threat. does anyone know why fishers would be out in the daytime? thanks laura

-- laura cavallari (ladygoat13@aol.com), March 30, 2000

Answers

we have fishers here in Mich. They mostly come out at night but just like anything else, they sometimes break habits for some reason or another, hunger, something disturbed then, ect. Could be any number of reasons, I know fishers dont usually get rabies, but check with your local DNR and find out what the rabid rate for wild animals in your area is. Hope this helps

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 30, 2000.

Laura: I'm from Calif. and I don't know what a Fisher is. Can you please describe it for me?.....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), March 30, 2000.

what is a fisher ???

-- gene (gward34847@aol.com), March 31, 2000.

A bird......

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.netr), March 31, 2000.

a fisher is of the marlen family or weasel. they are large. the info i have says 25lbs. however i have seen the one that hangs around the area and it looks alot bigger than 25lbs.they are brown/black and have a patch on their shoulder area kinda like a bagerdoes. they have a long furry tail, in fact they have a very thick furry coat.when we first moved here we kept hearing about the problem with fishers eating cats in the suburban area near manchester. one was up in a tree in a neighborhood for a few days and neighbors were scared. i'm in a rural area and they seem to be common here according to the people here, but not many people have seen them out during the day.apparently they also like chickens. kinda worried about all my critters here. everyone is in at nite, butduring the day they can be easy prey. any info would be appreciated. thanks, laura

-- laura cavallari (ladygoat13@aol.com), March 31, 2000.

Laura , can they be trapped ? I don't trap but a neighbor does , its usually easy to find someone willing to come in and do it free.The same goes for shooting them , find an avid hunter .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 31, 2000.

If fishers are classed as fur-bearing animals, you would probably have to acquire a permit to kill them legally.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), March 31, 2000.

I have VERY limited knowledge with fishers, but they are basically a HUGE marten- a member of the weasel family, perhaps THE most ferocious predators, pound for pound, in the US, if not the world. I do have experience with the other members, and I THINK I had a crossing of paths with a fisher in Alaska. In my opinion, second only to the wolverine in pure power. Took my marten trap and probably ate it and pooped out mouse traps! I woulod talk to an experienced trapper. As far as permits are concerned ~ I am a Libertarian. Kill the sucker and don't brag! If the local Barney Fife (Phyfe? Fyfe? Feife?, who cares?) shows up, deny everything! Good luck!

Brad

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), March 31, 2000.

Brad, what a fascinating answer!

I have a bit of a libertarian bent, myself, but I have moderated my formerly slightly extreme views of life, the universe, and everything.

I don't know you, so please don't take this personally, as that is not how I mean it, but, if someone happened to disagree with your assessment of killing this animal (e.g. perhaps they thought the animal had as much right to do it's animal bit as you do), would you think that, as a Libertarian, this person should just shoot YOU, and if Barney whatever his name is, or perhaps Andy Griffith, comes around, just deny everything?

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), March 31, 2000.

Good grief! I've got to find out if we have these in TX. Last summer something got in the poultry pen & killed all our hens, chicks, & quail. It was wierd because there was no feathers around, looked like whatever it was snuck up on everyone of em. It didn't eat or carry off any of them. They each had 2 small fang holes on their necks. This doesn't help you (sorry) but reading the thread mad me wonder.

-- Sherrie Holcomb (ester@communitygate.net), March 31, 2000.

Sherrie: Holes in the neck you say? You know what that has to be!!! Break out the garlic.....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), March 31, 2000.

holes in the neck usually mean a weasel. they kill it and just drink the blood. a fisher or marten, would have eaten the whole thing, they're alot bigger

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 01, 2000.

Yes Sherrie, we definetely have weasels in Tx, at least the eastern part where I'm from (Panola Country). Brother in law got out of chickens because he couldn't trap the weasels that were killing his chickens and drinking their blood. Thank goodness they haven't found my flock yet. Good luck.

-- phil briggs (phillipbriggs@thenett.com), April 01, 2000.

My goodness, haven't we digressed!? Anyway, Laura, a fisher is a large, ferocious, but generally secretive (as in they USUALLY avoid people) member of the weasel family. Unlike Jumpoff Joe, (or maybe like him - I'm not sure yet) if I saw one attacking my livestock, I would not hesitate to take the bugger out. Around here, if your domestic animals are attacked by any wild animal, and you kill it, the act is considered "justified homicide", or would that be fishercide? When I mentioned that you should just "shoot it" and be quiet, I was referring to the city folks that might object and should not be told. As an example of assinity, we have celebs such as Mary What'sHerFace sending lobsters BACK to Maine for their freedom! But anyway, they are a fur-bearing animal and covered by your state's trapping laws. Somewhere there is a trapper who would be interested. And if you know how to trap, they are not that difficult, and in most states you can trap on your own land without a license. (An exception is Massachusetts, where leghold traps are illegal, but it's OK to drive drunk off a bridge and kill a pregnant girlfriend, but only if you have a certain last name!) And Joe - all my local law enforcement friends (and they are friends!) know that I would never do anything illegal, especially since I am a Libertarian! As far as someone else thinking it might be OK to shoot me because I shot a fisher - most also know there are much easier and acceptable ways to commit suicide! Good luck to all and have a nice April Fool's Day!!

Brad

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), April 01, 2000.

I believe the customary country saying is shoot, shovel, and shut up.

-- jd (belanger@tds.net), April 04, 2000.

I like how JD comes in with just the right answer, the 3 S's are The Law of the Land here in Texas! He also has a way of calming down even the biggest blow hards. We could use you more often. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 05, 2000.

I'm with Jumpoff Joe. The "just kill it!" attitude I find on this and other homesteading forums is a real turn-off. (And I'm not city). Certainly, sometimes killing wild animals is necessary, but there seems to be a basic respect for wildlife lacking in this thread and in the snapping turtle one. I fear that this attitude contributes to the stereotypical image that city people have about homesteaders...the camouflage-garbed gun nut, patrolling his property looking for trespassers to shoot, be they animal or human! A certain amount of regret is appropriate, I think, when one is faced with having to shoot an animal. It's not an occasion for bravado and bragging.

-- Shannon Lentz (gratacres@aol.com), April 05, 2000.

I always say " I'm sorry I have to do this". Then I shoot. I've had it with finding my animals ripped apart and fishers are just one of the many predators we have to deal with out in the boonies.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), April 05, 2000.

I would have to agree with jd. Although in some areas just shooting (even if at nothing) could get you in trouble. I do have respect for wildlife, and it is important to make sure you do everything you can to protect your property, including livestock, without killing the wild critters, if you can. BUT, they like a free lunch just as much as anyone, and if they can figure out how to get one at your expense, they will. And I figure that since I am the one who put out the time, the money, etc., the wild critters don't have a right to just come in and take what they want. If they get too smart at getting in where they aren't wanted, you've got to do something about it. Fortunately, most of the wildlife are doing just fine, and you aren't hurting their populations at all by shooting one every now and then. But do make sure of the laws in your area. And one of my bigger peeves is other people letting their dogs (can't do too much about cats) run around loose. The dogs get into all kinds of trouble, if they don't get hit on the road first, and we've had owners tell us 1. that they'd checked and it was legal for the dogs to run free (untrue, and still foolish even if it was true), and 2. that was why they moved to the country, so their dogs could run loose! Good grief!! I'm sure most of you know why that upsets me so much! Anybody who doesn't can ask!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 12, 2000.