What is this critter?

[spivak]

Scott Craven wrote back:

The tail looks long for a mink but the legs look short for fisher!!! However, it appears it may be walking in a depression...so I'm going with fisher. Scott C

[Pinusbanksiana]

No doubt about it, Fisher.

[bigg edd]

I have trapped 3 fisher in the last 2 years on the north side of otter tail lake. 2 were in a foot hold and i released them (out of season) and 1 was during season in a 220 bucket set. seeing more and more in the area.

[swamptiger]

Looks like it's on the small side, but definately a fisher in my mind.

[Random guy]

Fisher for sure, Mink hold the tail different and are often more curled up. That guy has the right ears, colors and shape for a young fisher.

[chris63]

Don't otters usually have yellow stickers on the side?c63

[Musky Buck]

Hockey we have a growing fischer population in that county, I had as big a one as they must get and he/she just destroyed my trailcam, chewed up the straps to pieces, found it face down in a muddy mess, I should've mounted it higher on the tree. It appears to be a young fischer.

[Grayfox]

I don't think it would matter how high you mounted it Muskybuck. Unless you mounted it on a greased pole. Fishers can run down a squirrel in a tree.

Rob

[Random guy]

You are not kidding! I got to watch a fisher take after a squirrel in a spruce island once while bow hunting. The only way I can describe it is when the movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" came out. Those fighters would effortless run across the tree and fisher just do it faster. Fisher look like they defy gravity in the trees.

[DonBo]

Mink, no question.

[not_nuf_time]

I'm going male mink or marten, most fishers I've seen have bushy tales like a fox.

[Musky Buck]

Hey wow see 1 thread can answer many ?'s I wasn't aware of what a fisher ate, squirrels, interesting, I've noticed few if any squirrels around where they once drove me nuts every deer season, had my tcam much higher on the same tree for years and they left it alone, used a stump right next to it since my strap was so bad already and he just demolished the thing. Thanks for sharing, no wonder the squirrel count is at an all time low, I did notice the fisher must use the same trail route alot, it looked nearly greasy and you could tell his belly must rub on the ground, really weird stuff. I'm also sure they just amble any old place also, but I have fisher trails in my swamp area, he didn't like seeing orange and never saw him or them the rest of the season.

[demonjigger]

Ok, I am an experienced trapper in northern MN. I have taken many fisher. It is a fisher. It may be a young one, but it looks skinny because its fur is not prime. Their coats do not fully fill out until late november and sometimes not until mid december. Fur primes from the belly to the back.

They breed in April and they don't become pregnant until February or March, this is probably to stress the females less during severe winters. They use hollow trees to raise their young, so if you own land you may want to favor your old dead/dying trees to help them. I have heard of people actually building nest boxes for them, similar to woodduck boxes... (They seem to be moving south, and that may be due to intense logging up here.) The kits disperse in the fall, so your picture may be a of a kit.

They can run down trees just as fast as they can run up because they can rotate their hind legs like a squirrel. I see them on my bear baits all the time, they will eat anything from grain to gummy bears. Enough said.

[Mieky]

Probably a mink, could be a fisher