First fisher!

[davep]

Headed up to Garrett county earlier this week, 'cause fisher has been on our to do list!

Record harvest was 50 couple last year, and state just bumped season limit from one to two. One of my sons thought it would be fun to get after them, so we loaded up the truck earlier this week, and made to 200+ mile trip.

Got a late start, so got less than a dozen sets in before it got dark (and COLD- about froze sleeping in the truck bed, low 20s)

Next morning, first few canine sets were empty. Moved on to an area we thought looked "fishery-ish" and first trap empty, second sprung by a deer.

Moved on to the next site, and what was there to greet us?



Our first fisher, female! To say were ecstatic would be an understatement!

Checked the next set,nothing, then drove on a 1/2 mile or so to the next pair.Sent my son down to check them.He comes up and nonchalantly says "got another."



Male, and what he was doing there, I have NO idea! But I ain't complaining!

So, caught our season limit in 15 minutes.
I've always said, I'd rather be lucky than good.
And you all know the one about the blind hog and acorns!

[morgan]

Very very cool Dave. You are in an elite group. More than half of the fishers harvested are shot and not trapped. I bet not one in a hundred trappers in Md. can say they caught even one fisher much less two in one day.

Would make a good magazine article...

run across any bobcat sign at all ?

[davep]

Not this trip, and I'm not really sure WHAT I'm looking for/at half the time , but last year I saw some droppings that were semi covered with leaves, on a rock ridge with piles of rocks and thick brush, so I'm thinking that's what it was.

Talked with a young DNR guy, who said he KEEPS catching bobcats and can't buy a fisher, and another one that told me he caught a fisher out in the middle of a pasture!

One thing that has REALLY helped me is something that stuck in my head that you mentioned back some years at the Trapper's School- looking at the big picture, and how terrain figures in.

Around here, no problem finding the edges/corners, and travelways, but up there I had to look at the big picture. Time at the library and Google-earth,etc, actively looking for good spots. Too much ground to try to narrow it down any other way. Found some spots that seemed promising then went and checked it out.

(and it's too damn steep out there for me these days

[BIG FOX]

that is very cool

[osprey]

Hate to say I agree with Fox on anything, but that really is cool!

[BIG FOX]

You know you have been waiting a long time to agree with me on anything. Just like we can both agree I am going to kill a monster Sika in a few weeks at Blackwater..

[morgan]

Dave...did ya reach down and scratch em behind the ears ? They like that you know. ;D Guys that have to release em say fishers like to stay and fight...pretty fearless when pissed. Actually pretty damn fearless anytime.
Back during the first Depression when a day's work was worth one dollar, if you could find somebody with a dollar, the best fishers could bring $200.00. You can see why they were nearly wiped out.

Fishers go where the food is, woods, swamp edges, dark timber and even broken/fragmented timber. If the prey is there they will follow. Remind me to tell you what the NY furbearer biologist told us at an NTA function....one stomach contents turned up a pc of a flannel shirt w/ a button and some human DNA. Lots more.

[davep]

LOL, they asked me to send the stomachs back up there to the CC college for a stomach analysis. Lots of birds,squirrels, carrion, EVERYTHING.
Opportunistic was the word they used!

The female was a female thingycat, but the male wanted to eat us.
Made some WILD noises, and was not shy at all.

I can't WAIT until next year. (guaranteeing I'll NEVER catch another!)

[justsand]

awesome story