Caught my first Fisher - pic

[Roughfisher]

I just might have another one waiting for me in the morning!

[Sarge]

Cool Pic! Would you share some details with us, I'd like to hear about the setup.

[Roughfisher]

I caught it in a box cubby. I built three of them from scrap wood, about 18 inches long with slots in it for a 220 conibear. Baited with Jack Mackeral. Placed it in a spot where I have seen fisher sign in the past in the area of the Chippewa National Forest. It's a low, swampy area with clumps of trees; cubby was on the ground in the middle of a clump of trees. Conibear hit her right behind the ears.

[RussDaBuss]

NICE PIC. I SEEN 3 OF THESE RUNNING THIS FALL WHILE BOW HUNTING.. FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN THEM.. MY BUDDY WAS TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO GET ONE.. I CAN IMAGINE, NOT THE EASIEST ANIMAL TO TRAP ... GOOD JOB...

[Dan Thiem]

WOW!! That thing is cool! I sure wouldn't want to tangle with one of those bad boys. Is that an adult? It looks pretty big. I have never seen one before. Way to go Roughfisher!

[Mr. B]

Cool picture. I saw one of those the second weekend of deer season. I was not sure what it was. Thanks for posting the picture.

[Roughfisher]

Thanks guys! This fisher was a large female - but it's probably the same size as a small male - the males will be quite a bit bigger. They are mean SOB's - the DNR has reported seeing them hanging from the throat of adult deer, killing them by strangulation.

Today I checked my trapline and found a big fisher track that came right up to my box-set, and there was a single pawprint on the edge of the box. Then he left. Bummer. Caught nothing today.

[lawdog]

That thing is cool, I've never seen one. Would it be fair to say its size was between that of a fox and coyote? Just trying to guess based upon the picture. Do you have an approx weight guess? Sure is pretty fur!

[Mark Christianson]

Wow!

That thing lives in this state?

That is unreal. Very awesome looking animal.

I was thinking a fisher was more like a big mink.

And if that is the size of a small male, I will be watching my back from now on. Wow.

Thanks for the post/pic.

[fishermn]

Nice Pic! I tried for several years when I was younger to catch one up in the grand rapids area, but had no luck. There was always sign in the area where I ran my mink line, and I had a few sets out for fisher / marten, but never did manage to get one.

Watched one chasing a mink around on the NW shore of Shagawa lake last summer. I dont know what that mink did to upset that fisher, but he was reall worked up.

[Roughfisher]

That's really cool that you saw one chasing a mink. I've heard that otters chase and kill mink - but it would make sense that fishers would see mink as competition and run them off or kill them.

Weight - it's funny, their fur makes them look bigger than they are. I would say the thing weighed maybe 6 or 7 pounds. The carcass was really skinny once the fur was off. The DNR says females weigh 5-6 pounds, males 10-12, so a male would be twice as heavy as the female. I read about a trapper in Maine who caught a male weighing 17 pounds. So the males would be between fox and coyote in weight, and the females would be smaller than foxes in weight. Of course they are longer and skinnier than foxes so they look bigger. I have never caught a male, so I don't really know. But hopefully I will catch that one that outsmarted me and have another picture after this weekend!

Traps are still out!!!

Corey

[PerchJerker]

Great pic, congrats on the fisher.

I hunt in the Chip NW of Grand Rapids and occasionally see fishers while deer hunting. There were a couple years in a row when we had a bumper crop of red squirrels, and that was when we saw the most fishers (red squirrels are their favorite food). The last two years there's been a lot less squirrels around and we haven't seen a fisher.

Here's the story of one of my fisher sightings. One evening a guy in my group shot a doe that ran out into a grassy swamp (old beaver pond, now dry) before she dropped. When he field dressed her he put the gut pile up on top of a log out in the middle of the grassy swamp. I hunted that stand 2 days later and the gut pile was still there. That morning I watched a fisher come out of the woods and go across the far side of the grassy swamp to the woods on the other side, disappear in the woods for a while, then work it's way out to the gut pile. It climbed up on the log, sat back on its haunches, grabbed some of the gut pile, and bounded back into the woods. I watched it do this 3 times. While this was going on a red fox came out of the woods and followed the fisher's trail across the far side of the grassy swamp, about 30 minutes after the fisher went through there. The fox went right into the woods where the fisher was taking the gut pile. I watched with eager anticipation, wondering what was going to happen. They were too far away for me to hear anything, but after 30 seconds that fox reappeared running at top speed and heading back the way it came. Eventually the fisher came back to the gut pile one more time, then I didn't see it again. I didn't see any deer that morning, but it's one of my all time favorite hunts.

[protrapper]

Nice fisher. I caught two myself this year a small female and a big 15 pound male. Plus my three marten.

I like beaver and coon meat for bait I also use the box cubby set-up. Except I mostly use the 4 gallon square buckets instead of wood. Use Grawe's Fisher Getter Lure in the box and a smudge of heavy skunk six feet off the ground and then some fish oil squirted around the set. Good Stink.

Don't ya wish ya could still get two hundred plus bucks for them girls!!!

[lawdog]

Quote:

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Nice fisher. I caught two myself this year a small female and a big 15 pound male. Plus my three marten.

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OK, now you've confused me again...(which I don't know much at all about trapping and furbearers so it isn't too hard...) But, I thought a fisher was a marten or a kind of marten?!?!?!?!??!?????

[Stratosman]

What do you get for a Fisher pelt? I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure to see one of those in the wild. But I don't get into fisher country very often though.

Congratulations!

[protrapper]

Forty dollars for big males tops. Thirty or so for females. Size is the factor now. Fisher are used in the trim trade. I remeber when the females were worth two hundred plus dollars. Females are much silkier than the males and thats why hey brought more money.

Marten are much smaller than fishers. Male fisher can get to almost twenty pounds. A real big male is fifteen. Females are usally half that.

Marten are three to four pounds. If you get a five pounder he's huge. DO a search on the animals and you should get some nice photos so you can see the difference.

[89Bronco]

Pine marten often have an orange patch on their chest and yes, they are quite a bit smaller than a fisher. Last year there were three different martens raiding my bear bait during bear season. It was cool to watch. Especially when two would meet at the same time...then it was time to rumble!

Nice fisher! I wish I had time to do some trapping. You guys are very fortunate!

[psegriz]

lawdog

I've never caught a fisher or a marten. But have trapped most my lufe and they are all related to the weasel. Fisher, marten, mink, skunk, otter, badger, wolverine there's more but they are all in the same family.

[HateHumminbird]

I've only seen them, but had a very close run-in with one in Northern WI. I was just walking through the woods, and it scurried out from under some logs and stopped about 15 yards in front of me in a clearing. Then it turned around, rubbed up against the tree like a cat (I was weirded out at this point), and started strolling towards me non-chalantly. It got about 7-8 yards from me and I stomped my foot at the ground. Instead of tearing off in the opposite direction, it ripped right past me as I ran out of the way.

It was obviously a drunken fisher, acting very strangely. It wasn't going after me I'm convinced, but it certainly wasn't too alarmed or afraid of me. It climbed up nearly to the top of a large maple and just stared down at me until I left.

It's been 3 years since I've seen one. After reading one of the above posts, I'm picturing one dangling from my jugular.

Joel

[freighttrain50]

first and last time i saw one of them critters was at my cabin which really surprised me because my cabin is about 10 miles west of Mille Lacs. Was really neat to see. Hope i can see one of them again once my parents move to grand marais.