Fisher cat in MA? (Hudson: cats, young, black)

[Acipenser]

Originally Posted by VlyRoadKid

Our landlady wasn't surprised and told us that a few years earlier, two fishers had killed A HORSE...

No, they did not. This has all the makings of an urban (OK, rural) legend. My sister's husband's cousin's friend's roommate's dad told us...

One, fishers are not social and do not hunt in packs. They have huge individual home ranges. Two, they do not take large prey, though they do scavenge carcasses of deer and moose. The horses are fine. The kids are safe. Relax. Actually, enjoy -- fishers are very cool so be happy you've seen/heard them. Here's a nice thorough summary of fisher biology, with citations, from the US Forest Service:
Martes pennanti

Sorry VlyRoadKid - my intent isn't to pick on you in particular. I just get annoyed when people spend more time being afraid of nature than appreciating it and there's a lot of that in this thread.

[anouk_pantoufle]

Originally Posted by Acipenser

One, fishers are not social and do not hunt in packs. They have huge individual home ranges. Two, they do not take large prey, though they do scavenge carcasses of deer and moose. The horses are fine. The kids are safe. Relax. Actually, enjoy -- fishers are very cool so be happy you've seen/heard them. Here's a nice thorough summary of fisher biology, with citations, from the US Forest Service:
Martes pennanti

Thanks, Acipenter! I was (still am, actually) very excited that I saw it. Cautious with my littlest dog - that's just being wise, IMO (don't want to ask for trouble). He stays by my side, anyway.

It's been years since I've been anywhere with real wildlife. The birds I've noticed here so far have been exciting, too. While walking, I came across I small Audubon sanctuary I never knew existed - the Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary.

Needless to say - I'm thrilled!

[Wack-a-Mole]

Originally Posted by MAGRAMMA

Has anyone seen a fisher cat in eastern Massachusetts? Has anyone heard blood-curdling screams in the middle of the night? I live near the Cape and believe I have heard a fisher cat in my woods late after midnight several times in the last month or so. After describing the loud screams - a cross between a loud bird and a cat screaching - friends have thought that it might be one. The sound gets louder quite rapidly as it approaches and then diminishes just as fast as it moves away. Do you have any other suggestions as to what it might be? I have seen photos and wouldn't want to run in to one. I'm glad my cat doesn't go outside.

We have Fishers all over SE Ma. They are not all that big though.

Originally Posted by Chet-O

We Fisher Cats here in Western Mass. Have you considered a cougar? I saw a cougar over twenty years ago in this area, and it's scream was like that described in this thread. They have been sighted in this area by numerous, reliable people, and in the Quabbin area this year, and in the past, even though Fish & Wildlife claim there are none present.

I have seen Mt. Lion in the Alford area since the mid 80's to 2004 when the farm I hunted was sold.

I think it was '87 when I saw one take a small Doe from my Tree Stand. I showed the Kill, along with the tracks, which were all over the place, to a Game warden and he claimed it was a Coyote kill and the tracks were a House Cat. Go figure....

[DreamworksSKG]

Bigfeet also give off blood curdling screams, so watch out :-)
heh heh.

I think there were some fisher cat sightings recently in MA

[truthseeker2012]

[carychna]

We Fisher Cats here in Western Mass. Have you considered a cougar? I saw a cougar over twenty years ago in this area, and it's scream was like that described in this thread. They have been sighted in this area by numerous, reliable people, and in the Quabbin area this year, and in the past, even though Fish & Wildlife claim there are none present.

[Xenos]

It is interesting that there are so many sightings of fisher cats in Southeastern Mass. My only experience with them is in Norfolk, where a large one would patrol up the streams and around vernal pools by some of the older farms.

I wonder if the fisher cats are pretty much apex predators now that there are not any wolves or eagles in that area to hunt them. I suppose the coyotes could hunt them, but who wants to mess with such a large weasel?

[robcam50]

I had my first run in with a fisher, I live in Franklin MA and have a large lot of land surounded by a large tract of conservation land as well as un developed open space. I have always had laying hens that free range during the day and are locked up at night.
One day in mid July I came home from work and found that out of my 6 hens that 2 were missing, 3 were hiding and looking scared and 1 was sitting on eggs in the hen house. There was a noise frim the hen house and when I opened the door there was a fisher in the house tearing up the hen. It saw me and ran for it.
I rounded up the remaining hens and set a trap next to the pen. The next day the remainng hens stayed in and when I got home from work all were dead in the pen. To me it appered that the fisher had killed them as they ran by the fence and left them, It could not leave anything alive.

Over the next week I noticed that the fisher would travel on the same path on the outer edge of my property south to north at between 6AM and 7AM and return north to south 5PM to 6PM.
I set a box trap with turkey legs in it on the path and waited, 5 days later it showed up and was sniffing the trap but did not go in and traveled up the path and I was able to intercept it on the path and kill her with one shot.
She was a 9 pound female.
All of the animals that left when she was in town


have returned the crows that tell me what is going on in the woods have returned. If you hear of a guy that cuts his grass with a hand gun on they are talking about me
Good luck with your fisher

[arctichomesteader]

Fishers are common in Vermont. It makes sense they'd be moving South into MA. They once lived there before being wiped out as pests. They were re-introduced in Vermont to control the porcupine population. Attacks on people are rare but if anyplace were to have more attacks I'd say it would be MA due to the lack of trapping and hunting of them (therefore less fear of humans over time, just as in NJ bears are losing their fear of humans since bear hunting was banned there) since trapping was almost entirely wiped out in MA after a heavy dose of anti-trapping propaganda/lies. Attacks on pets, though, are common wherever fishers live. Keep your pets indoors.

[impala666]

Originally Posted by bassetpup

Hi all i am new to the board, I googled fisher cat and came across this site, Right now i am near Gardner mass and just saw one in the upper field near the kennel! I am hoping it does not come down in the field more, I am dog sitting for 17 Borzoi's and i hope it stays out of Kennels, This is a very nice site!

If it has any sense a Borzoi would rip it to bits.