What Wild Animals Have You Seen in PA (Brodheadsville: 2014, apartment)

[speagles84]

I have a new one. ELK in Benezett, Elk county.

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by speagles84

I have a new one. ELK in Benezett, Elk county.

would love to go see them

[fisheye]

What I would like to see are a few of our small animals that I have never seen. Mink, Ermine, long-tailed Weasel, Least Weasel and Fisher. I think I did see one Ermine many years ago with a pure white coat in the rocks by the side of a stream. Recently we have re-introduced the Fisher and I also thought that I saw one; but I could not be sure - too far away.


I am curious if others see these small animals on a regular basis?


One animal that I have seen on many occasions is our small flying squirrels. While I have not seen them in recent years; I grew up with listening to them play in our attic. It was a constant battle, when I was young, to keep them out of the house. Today they are endangered or protected and you don't see (run into) as many. Of course many modern houses have aluminum soffits that are a little harder for them to enter the house.

[Wells5]

Wild mammals that I have not seen in PA are mink, porcupine (I don't know if PA has any), ermine, bobcat, badger and otter. Here is a rundown of the bag numbers for the 2008 trapping season in PA.

142,808 raccoons (121,446 in 2007); 74,059 muskrats (72,174); 54,273 opossums (41,168); 44,745 red foxes (52,000); 23,699 coyotes (28,974); 20,845 gray foxes (18,613); 12,331 skunks (9,818); and 8,621 mink (10,004).

There are several licensed pelt and fur buyers in the state. Bobcat pelts bring the best price, but there aren't too many bobcats trapped in the state. Racoon pelts are hardly worth anything.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

Has anyone else seen any?

It's rural where I'm at but it's not the sticks either, 10 minute drive and I'm in a major town in the Wyoming Valley.

When we first moved here we had a bear walking up the road. Was actually surprised they were here since it's so close to town. Don;t know if it''s the same one but I saw another one a about 1/2 mile away going across the road.

We also had a visit at least four times with the bear after the garbage, made a mess three times. the second to last time it was a mother with two very large cubs. I fixed the garbage can with latches, was actually pretty funny because the mother was rolling it around. These are very heavy metal cans, even denting it would difficult.

Haven't seen them since. I don't worry about them, my only concern is if the dogs go after them.

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

It's rural where I'm at but it's not the sticks either, 10 minute drive and I'm in a major town in the Wyoming Valley.

When we first moved here we had a bear walking up the road. Was actually surprised they were here since it's so close to town. Don;t know if it''s the same one but I saw another one a about 1/2 mile away going across the road.

We also had a visit at least four times with the bear after the garbage, made a mess three times. the second to last time it was a mother with two very large cubs. I fixed the garbage can with latches, was actually pretty funny because the mother was rolling it around. These are very heavy metal cans, even denting it would difficult.

Haven't seen them since. I don't worry about them, my only concern is if the dogs go after them.

something I haven't seen or heard for many years are pheasants. We used to ride on horseback all the time, and pheasants used to always flush up....plus hearing them was a treat, no more.

[blauskies]

I never seen a Fisher, but they were reintroduced after I moved out.

[Ohiogirl81]

I've seen all sorts of birds on Presque Isle, from turkeys to swans and loons and snowy owls and many as they stopped over on their migratory routes, but the only non-birds I've seen there are deer and woodchucks. And turtles. Lots of turtles.

[cremebrulee]

are fishers related to wolverines and are they just as mean?

[blauskies]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

are fishers related to wolverines and are they just as mean?

They are in the weasel family just like the Wolverine, the Wolverine is bigger and can take down larger game like Deer and etc, probably the more aggressive of the two, but I read the Fisher is close to the Wolverine in temperament.

Rarest I ever saw in PA was a Eastern Hellbender, never saw another in the wild, along with some other smaller Salamanders, saw as a kid and never saw again.