[Skidway1944]

Jason, I am wondering if you didn't mean Barred owl or Great Horned owl when referring to the "night sounds". The screech owl sounds are quite gentle and soft compared to the other two. We have screech owls around our house. Might bear checking on an audio clip for those birds. I think from the descriptions, the first person was hearing a Fisher Cat.
Pete(skidway1944)

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

From a New Hampshire Game site :


"The Fisher Cat, is one of New Hampshire's most elusive animals, and a ferocious predator of small game. They are very fast on their feet and can turn on a dime. Few ever get the chance to see a fisher, mainly because they are nocturnal, but can be heard calling in the woodlands during their mating season. They have a chilling scream very much like that of high pitched child."





YIKES !!!!!

I have a 2nd home outside of Londonderry, VT that I intend to move into full time in the next 4-6 years. There have been nights when I've been scared awake out of my sleep by screams -- which a good neighbor had warned me of in advance.

I have dogs, and after a certain time at night, they are taken on a leash to a well lit, unwooded spot on the property to do their business. The dogs' usual haunt by day is a fisher cat haunt by night.

Only once have I seen one and it was a quick flash as it darted across my road late one evening.

Freaky!

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Now you guys have me walking around paranoid! I was at a small park with my husband and son last night and it was getting dark so I said to them, "I'm waiting in the car!" Visions of fisher cats or skunks attacking me (along with those creepy bats)!

Yeah, I like wild life but sometimes that suburban 'get me away from here!' instinct kicks in.

I was in Bellows Falls one Friday night in late August. A skunk had just walked over the bridge at Depot street and was making the turn onto Canal. A skunk was the last thing I expected to see in a good sized town!

[GypsySoul22]

My neighbor downstairs told me tonight she's seen one not too far from our house!! EEEK!!!
I guess I'd rather see a skunk!

[Catamount]

Had a Fisher come into my backyard, saw my black lab, and took off for my neighbors chicken coop.
Very shy, but, you never know.

[Targo]

You're far more likely to meet an alien in VT then a fisher cat. Coyotes would be a FAR greater concern when it comes to cars and small dogs ending up as a lunch.

Worrying about being attacked by a fisher cat in VT [even if you go looking for one] would be like wondering if you'll win the lottery when you haven't bought a ticket.

[Karen Sayers]

We recently moved to the Rural life and my neighbor tells me fishers are bad here !! We had a real bad winter last year so I'm praying that was why, but I breed German Shepherds and don't want my dogs killed or injured by these critters. My thoughts of having chickens is now gone for fear I'll come face to face with a fishercoming out of the henhouse !!

[Trudy Rose]

Very interesting topic. My husband and I actually had an encounter with a Fisher in broad daylight!! It was about 15 or so years ago...we were hiking,(well, if you can call being totally lost on abandoned lumber roads in the middle of the adirondacks hiking!!)..We came around a bend and it was standing right in the middle of the path with a frog in its mouth...Guess he was as starteled as we were...whole thing probably lasted all of 60 seconds...but seemed much longer till it darted into the woods...it dropped the frog!!

[mustmove]

I thought all that late night screaming was the neighbors having tax bill nightmares...

[arel]

From what I have read and seen on TV, healthy fishers can be very tame with humans. I could be wrong on this - I am not by any means an expert - but I don't think they are generally a danger to people.

I once read of fishers visiting a campsite and socializing with people. The people fed them, which may not have been such a good idea.

Fisher cats are definitely a danger to pets, though, particularly cats and small dogs. If, like me, you have pets you love, then that makes them definitely dangerous.

Does anyone know of any fishers kept as pets or even outdoor animal friends?