Ten months ago I did a post about Fishers Cats. The fisher Cat is part of the Weasel family.
Having spotted one, I set up a trail cam and baited it with a Red Squirrel. I was hoping to get some pictures of the Fisher taking the bait. Despite baiting the stump five different times, the next morning the bait was gone, but I failed to capture any pictures of this ferocious, nocturnal killing machine.
The Fisher Cat has become such a big problem in this area. It is responsible for the diminishing turkey and deer population. Because of this problem the NY State Department of Fish and Wildlife opened up a trapping season for the Fisher Cat. The season for trapping these animals is from October 25th to October 30th.
Earlier in the day, I had spotted a large stand of Tamarack trees, also referred to as Larch. Deciduous conifers are rare finds, and the Larch falls into this class. These trees lose their needles like a deciduous tree loses its leaves. Before the needles drop to the ground they turn a brilliant yellow.
Wanting to get a few pictures of the stand of Larch I had spotted, I took a ride on my quad.
While taking some pictures, a red pickup pulled up and decided to stop. When he stopped, he immediately got out of his truck and asked me what I was looking at. He thought that I had a pair of binoculars and had possibly spotted a White Tail Buck. After I explained that I was just taking a ride and was actually just snapping off some pictures, he invited me to see what he had caught. The back of his pickup truck was filled with traps.
Also laying there in the bed of his truck was a Fisher he had just caught. He stated that he had bagged 10 of them over the past four days, and they were all trapped within a mile of where we stood.
This gentleman was all to happy to answer the questions that were popping into my head.
The first thing I asked was if the pelt was of any value.
He told me that each pelt was worth $35.00
He also explained that a Fisher pelt in Canada was worth much more, $80.00
He stated this with a bit of annoyance in his voice.
He told that The Fish and Wildlife Department had blown the date of when the Fishers could be trapped. His exact words were, "Those stupid bastards started the season too early. They should have started the season towards the end of November, and the pelts would fetch a similar price to what the Canadian trappers were getting."
He explained that as the weather gets colder, the fur of the Fisher gets much thicker and takes on a shinier look.
He also stated that the Fisher Cat is fearless and that last deer season a buddy of his was in a tree stand hunting deer. While in the tree, a Fisher Cat had passed right under the tree he was in. Before he knew it, the cat hat climbed up the backside of the tree and attacked his friend. It took over 30 stitches to close up the wounds.
Can you imagine this set of choppers gnawing on you?
Here is the setup he uses. This type is placed on the ground, while the other traps, which are pictured in the bed of his pickup, are placed in a tree.
Well, the turkey and deer maybe a little safer now that the Fisher Cat population is being brought under control.
You never know what you will run into in this rural area.
Hope you enjoyed!