Fisher Tracks and Sign
The fisher (Pekania pennanti) is one of my favorite animals to track in snow because it does a lot within a relatively short distance. It winds through the forest, often from from the base of one large tree to that of another, occasionally pausing to scent mark, and occasionally to climb a tree and then jump down. It’s a generalist predator that searches for small mammals in the nooks and crannies in trees, under roots, and between rocks, and once in a while you may see evidence of a fisher kill site – perhaps a squirrel tail. You get to see a lot in a short period of time. So take some time to familiarize yourself with fisher tracks and sign before your next sojourn into the snowy woods, and you might just get to see the action of this forest dwelling creature.
Weighing in at only 5-12 pound, on average, this medium sized mustelid (member of the weasel family) has a long slender body, long tail, and short legs. I say “only” 5-12 pounds because many people who are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this secretive predator estimate its size as much, much larger. A typical guestimate is 20 pounds, and I’ve heard excited reports that “it must have been 50 pounds!” However, the largest fisher on record weighed about 20 pounds and the average fisher is much smaller. I think overestimates are common partly because of the animal’s fluffy coat and long tail, and partly because people tend to overestimate the size of wild animals in general, especially predators. The latter is a fascinating topic in and of itself, but outside the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that the tendency for humans to exaggerate the size and ferocity of wild animals is likely an adaptive trait. Better for one’s own survival to overestimate rather than underestimate danger.
Fisher tracks and sign
Fisher tracks
The front track usually measures about 2 1/4 to 4 inches in width. It has 5 clawed toes, with the innermost toe (toe #1) being small and set back. That innermost toe often does not register, but the other toes usually do. There is a C-shaped metacarpal pad (actually several fused pads) which usually registers. There is also a carpal pad which sometimes registers as a dot. In between these pads is a lot of fur, creating “negative space” between the pads. What this means is that the you usually cannot see the connection between the finger tips and the metacarpal pad. But sometimes you can see a hint of those connections – it depends on the substrate.
Hind tracks are smaller at about 2-3 inches in width. The anatomy of the hind feet is very similar to that of the front feet except that the carpal pad is covered with fur. So, while the “heel” often registers, a discrete heel pad does not register.
Fisher trails
Fishers are said to walk, trot, lope, and gallop. I have seen lopes and walks reflected in track patterns, but I don’t believe I’ve ever come across a fisher trot pattern, and maybe not a gallop pattern. The lope is the commonest gait. Usually in snow of at least a few inches in depth, fishers use the 2×2 lope, superimposing hind over front tracks, to save energy. In shallower substrate, the fisher often uses a 3×4 rotary lope in which the hind track on one side of the body is superimposed on the front track of that same size, but they use a transverse lope as well.
Fisher body prints
Fishers sometimes jump down from tree trunks where in deep snow, they will leave a body print. This is a fairly rare treat in my neck of the woods, because we don’t often have deep snow. Here in MA, we are more likely to see just the impressions of 4 feet where the fisher landed after the jump.
Fisher dens
Breeding dens are usually in cavities of large diameter trees and snags but I have never had the pleasure of seeing one. In winter, they may use tree cavities but more likely take shelter at ground level (e.g., in a hollow log, in the space under rocks, roots, or a brush pile), and they do tend to leave scats near the mouth of these dens. These ground level winter “dens” or rest sites, are easiest to find in deep snow. Because I’ve done most of my fisher tracking in Massachusetts and we don’t often have deep snow for extended periods, I’ve located fisher ground dens only one winter – in early 2015 when we had deep snow cover for a long time. These “snow dens” consist of tunnels that may lead to an intranivean or subnivean chamber, or to a ground level shelter (like a hollow log or rock pile) under the snow.
Fisher scat
Because fishers do consume some mast and tend to place their scats on elevated surfaces like stumps, logs, and rocks, their scats are easily confused with fox scat. Looks for associated track to help distinguish. The diameter of fisher scat generally does not exceed 1/2 inch, but it can be much thinner. Sometimes fishers void tiny scats that can be confused with scat of the smaller weasels. Elbroch and McFarland (2019) describe hair-filled fisher scats as “extremely twisted, tapered ropes with pointed ends”. Most fisher scats I have seen are indeed tapered with pointed ends, but usually appear only slightly twisted. The scat outside the “snow den” in the photo above does appear highly twisted but scats pictured below are not very twisted.
Fisher slides and belly drags
Unlike the river otter, the fisher slides only on occasion, and slides tend to be quite short (just a few feet). Short fisher “slides” are likely for scent marking and more aptly called body drags, in my opinion. Some people believe they do occasionally slide in snow for locomotion or for fun, and have observed slides up to 10 feet long. All I can say is that I personally have never seen sign of fisher sliding that I thought was for the sake of efficient travel or for fun. The ones I have seen were very short, and the only video I’ve captured of a fisher sliding did not appear to be for either play or efficient travel. It dragged its belly on ice, then licked its groin. I covered this in some detail in Do Fishers Slide? where you can watch the video and see photos of slides created by fishers and other mustelids.
Elise Torello has captured a fisher rubbing its belly and groin on a protuberance where other species have also scent marked. Watch her fascinating video:
Other scent marking behavior
Other than scat placement and belly dragging, fishers mark with urine and anal glad secretions, and by rolling around and mauling conifer saplings. The urine has a distinctive odor, but I don’t know how to describe it. I think it smells somewhat like the urine of the American marten, if that helps anyone, but admittedly I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to sniff the urine of either species. I do know that it does not have the skunky odor of red fox urine, nor does it smell like cat or coyote urine.
I’ve only once seen what I thought was fisher anal gland secretion on snow. It was a circle of mucus about the size and color of a weathered penny. Fur, however, is more frequently left behind. Look for it on the ground and stuck to vegetation where the animal has rolled around. I have never seen the so-called common behavior of mauling conifer saplings. From what I’ve seen, fishers roll anywhere and slightly flatten or leave fur on whatever vegetation happens to be around.
So, what have you discovered or wondered about while tracking fishers? Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below.
Sources
- Elbroch, M. and C. McFarland. Mammals Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Mammals. 2nd Edition. Guilford, CT: Stackpole Books, 2019.
- Powell, R. A. The Fisher: Life History, Ecology, and Behavior. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
Another really interesting and informative blog/post. Thanks so much- I learned a lot!
My pleasure. Thanks for reading. A couple of the photos are from the recent fisher tracking that you and I and Maureen did together. So fun, and always more to learn about this animal.
WOW very educational.
Glad you found it useful!
Great article, Janet!
John R.
Harvard MA
Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed it. Also glad to have a very local reader. I am in the next town over 🙂
Great article! I, my wife and two friends along with our 70 lb black lab had the FIRST Fisher sighting after one/some? had been re-introduced or migrated to the Mohonk Preserve – about 35 years ago. We were hiking up next to a ravine on the West side of the Gunk’s ridge – right behind our house. Our dog started barking – the Fisher was ensconced 30+ feet up a big tree but was at eye level and 40′ away because the base of the tree was at the bottom of the ravine . it was early spring some snow still on the ground so fur was sticking straight out -looking BIG.
At first I thought it was a SMALL BEAR. It was hissing ferociously and really pissed off at our dog who was right next to us. Its gleaming white BIG teeth were quite noticeable. Re size mis-perceptions by humans – I still have difficulty resolving that lasting image into what its size really was. About two years ago I had a clear image of a Fisher with hunched mustelidular back hopping around on a nearby carriage road – this one was obviously not bigger than 20 lbs – it was summer so the fur was not puffy. I still – even after reading your article and having seen a Fisher recently as true to size – can’t get that erroneous gigantism out of my mind.
P.S. I’m a hunter and one who ‘Dances with Bears’ including Alaska grizzlies getting up close and personal. I do realize that even when bird watching I can NOT use my perception of size as accurate UNLESS there is another known critter or pocket knife or car adjacent for comparison. Funny thing – that size exaggeration. For me it also happens with deer. With people they all look big if they are people I like and/or respect- kinda like Egyptian Art.
Very interesting interaction with the fisher when the dog was present. I have heard similar stories. They don’t immediately back down when faced with a large dog. And large male fishers do look bearlike, much more so than the females, because adult males grow big, wide foreheads due to their large temporalis muscles (used for the killing bite). In fact if you look at the skull of an adult male fisher, you can see a large crest on the top of its head (called the saggital crest) which is where the temporalis muscles attach. The adult female’s head looks quite different – narrow and sleek, more like a mink’s head, and her skull has a much smaller crest. I love all your comments about “erroneous gigantism” 🙂
Great post on a long misunderstood animal — thank you
I’m glad you liked it, Woody.
Hi Janet, excellent article! It’s condensed yet still vitally detailed and conveying exceptional knowledge. I sent you an email just a little bit ago asking if you have a Facebook page for Winterberry Wildlife? Also, I sent pictures of two sets of tracks in my email – one of which I think is a Fisher track. I was hoping you could help identify. Can’t wait to come back and read more!
Hi Austin, I don’t recall seeing either of those emails, so feel free to try sending again. There’s no fb page specifically for Winterberry but I use my personal page pretty much only for wildlife stuff. It’s where I share my track/sign photos, as well as trail cam photos and videos. Feel free to send me a friend request, and then PM instead of email, since emailing didn’t seem to work.
I believe that I saw my first Fisher this week in New York. It was big and fast. I’m am not trying to learn as much as possible. I did get several pictures, and found a possible den on my property. I have a trail cam on the site. Any additional info would be greatly appericiated.
Hi Dean, congrats on seeing a fisher! I’d be happy to provide additional information if you have some specific questions. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know where to start.
Thank you for sharing. This has been very educational and interesting and i enjoyed the read! I have been very interested in learning more of this secretive creature and you have definitely helped in researching..Thanks!!
Thanks for letting me know. I’m so glad it was useful!
Great post. I believe we have one which crosses our yard in VT from one wood to another (we live in four acres). I can see it clearly as I carry a flashlight. When our dogs are outside the fisher “barks” at them. It sounds more defensive than aggressive but I have never heard of them barking.
Any experience with that vocalization?
Thanks!
Hi Josh, I think the issue is that different people use different words to describe the same vocalization. What one person calls a scream like a woman in distress, might be a raspy bark to someone else. Fishers do make some sounds but it’s not common. If you actually see a fisher make any vocalization, try to get a video. In most recordings people get of “fishers” vocalizing the animal cannot be seen, and the sound comes from something else, such as an owl or fox or bobcat. They just assume it’s a fisher because they’ve seen one before in that location. So I can’t say whether the sound you heard comes from a fisher or whether it’s one of the known fisher vocalizations, without hearing it myself.
Thanks for the great, informative post. Saw some tracks in the snow today that I was pretty sure were fisher tracks. Was able to confirm from your pictures/description of the 2×2 lope.
How great that you found that! I’m glad this post was helpful. Happy tracking.
Thank you for this post! I just got back from exploring tracks in the snowy woods (also in MA) and was so puzzled by tracks that came out of nowhere, then bounded off with as much as 3 feet between bounds. We have sometimes seen fisher in this area and they must still be around.
Lucky you to have seen fishers in the flesh! I have had 3 fisher sightings, all in MA, but the last one was at least 5 years ago. I’d so love to see another. From tracking I get the sense they’ve decline a bit in my area.
Yes, we’re really fortunate to see a lot of wildlife. We’ve seen fishers twice, in daylight hours. One was on a tree trunk, the other was running between our house and the one next door. We keep our cat indoors…
Wow, sounds like you live right in the woods. The forest next to my yard is an abandoned field – woods too young for fisher, but good bobcat habitat. I have seen a bobcat several times in my yard.
Thanks for your article and the photos. I was walking in my driveway in a wooded area of Ulster County, NY a couple of nights ago when an animal dropped out of a tree about 3 feet away from me and then bounded off. I’ve seen a fisher around here a couple of times over the past few years and the shape fit. It was dark but I went back and the shape so fit your photo of the fisher body print and the prints where it had bounded your other photos that I’m sure that’s what it was. Thanks again!
What a FANTASTIC sighting – to see one drop from a tree and then to examine that fresh body print. Congrats to you. I’m glad that my article got to be a part of that.
It really was amazing. I’ve had many many wildlife sightings living where I live but they are mostly animals doing expected things that they always do in the sight of humans. This was so unexpected as I had no idea fishers dropped from trees! And the snow having stayed intact for these many days so I can keep revisiting has been just delightful. But I really would never have been sure if it wasn’t for you. Thanks again!
Congrats on such a great sighting, and thanks so much for sharing about it here.
Thank you for sharing . I live in MA. Recently we have had small amounts of fresh snow every so often so the tracks are very clear and fresh. I have seen the tracks w 5 little pads and have not seen that before. Now I know. Also the scat detail was very informative. Can you tell me what the fisher cat likes to eat. I usually go with my little dog so I will be much more aware now. Thank you so much. Great pics too
Hi Kelly, fishers eat mostly small mammals but also some birds, and some medium sized mammals, such as raccoons. However, it isn’t clear how often they kill the raccoons they eat. Some of the raccoon remains found in their scat could be from roadkill. Your small dog is safe when walking with you leashed, but I would not let the him or her roam free, especially at night.
Hi Janet
My wife Marja and I own 43 acres in the Cooking Lake Uplands east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada about 35 miles(50 kilometers for us) at Hastings Lake with lakeshore and Aspen Parkland. We have now about 10 trail cams set up and get moose, deer, foxes, rabbits, etc regularly. For past few years we have caught fleeting, evening videos and still shots of a Fisher. We think we have found one nest along a walking trail that winds past a two foot wide very tall, old spruce tree with large exposed root cavities below the main trunk. Really enjoyed your Fisher Blog
Lucky you to own that property! Sounds like you share it with a lot of wildlife. Have you set up a camera facing that space under the tree? Would be interesting to see what uses it.
Hello. We have a fully enclosed cattery on our property with 5 cats. Fully fenced with predator proof netting on top. I found several paw prints in the snow this morning inside the cattery that are quite large. Not a cat. I think they are Fisher prints which is not good as he would be after the cats. I can not find where he would be getting in. Could you look at the photos for me and give me your opinion?
Sure. I will respond via email to tell you how to send me the photos.
Many years ago on our dairy farm I, unexpectedly, came face to face (within several feet) of a Fisher! I was apparently downwind from said Fisher as I was walking over to our sugarhouse where I’d seen Fisher tracks a few days earlier. The Fisher and I stared at each other for a brief second and off it went into the woods! If trailcams had been available back then I surely would have purchased one and set it out. Have seen tracks in years since but never again had that good fortune to see a Fisher up close like that! It was a thrill beyond words!
Very cool experience; thanks for sharing!
Thank you for all this Fisher info.! I’ve been searching all evening trying to confirm tracks I saw this aft., now feel firm that it was a Fisher’s prints; so fresh in snow deep in my snowshoeing path on the Ice Age Trail near my home. I’ve longed to see a Fisher, but in actuality, was a bit spooked by the precise triangular point of the claw ( am I still correct on I.d?) & my lack of knowledge nudged me right away-when perhaps I should have followed ( so wish-especially after reading your words).Next chance-I’m following-but not too close!
Lucky you to find nice fresh fisher tracks! If it spooks you to follow fresh tracks, you can always turn around and back track them – learn about where it came from rather than where it’s going. That would be less stressful for the animal, too, if the tracks are super fresh and the animal possibly still nearby.
Hello Janet! Our family lives in a beautiful hilly area of Central New York and over the last 10 or so years area folks have been seeing signs of Fisher, and I have seen them myself several times and heard them in the summers with that awful but really cool to hear, cry. Fast forward to 2020-2021, My 7 year old and I have been on a tracking quest this winter, to keep winter interesting and it is part of our homeschooling fun. I am so glad I came upon this article, I have been noticing some peculiar tracks and body drags on our winter trail. I was guessing it was a Fisher since we have had two sightings in our backyard this past summer…we have chickens! My husband built a very fortifide chicken coop and run so if the girls and our rooster can’t venture out they have the safety of their space to roam. I am excited for the sightings but it is certainly bittersweet. May put up a camera to see if we can catch an image. We also have coyote tracks and sightings, as well as fox! All chicken eaters, LOL! Take Care and thanks for the article, we will come back for more!
Hi Christine, I’m so glad to hear that you have been tracking with your child as part of home schooling! What a great way to educate kids and get them curious about nature. I hear you on the challenges of coexisting with chicken eaters. We kept chickens for about 12 years and it was difficult to give them freedom to forage. Glad to hear you have built a fortress for them. One thing about the “cry”. These loud vocalizations are much more common among foxes, and thought to be quite rare in fishers. In the vast majority of “videos” of these sounds where people claim it was a fisher, the animal cannot even be seen. People assume the sound is made by a fisher without really knowing. However, foxes commonly make that sound, with many, many videos confirming it. Just something to think about when you hear animals cry or scream and you cannot see who it is. Thanks for stopping by!
I have photos of what looks to be fisher anal gland secretions
I would like a second opinion
It looks like it perched in a tree watching my cat for a week
My cat is gone
But I found these weird watery fecal/urine spots
Hi Kc, I will respond to you by email so you can send me the photos. So sorry to hear about your cat.
Thanks for all this detailed info. We saw some prints this weekend we can’t ID. We got a couple inches of snow here in Northern MN. Some are thinking it’s a fisher.
I do not use instagram so cannot view the photo at the link you sent. If you like, you could send me a jpg by following directions under the Contact tab.
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Had a face to face encounter with the fisher one winter during a very deep snow season through my sliding glass door. We were just inches away. I don’t know if he realized I was there in the dark and I just layed on the floor looking at him for a long time. Then he was frolicking out there for some time, rolling on his back in sheer joy. Climbing all over the place. Have had lots of sitings being a nature gal, but that was the best! Had tracks on my truck just last night…
That is an amazing sighting indeed! I have caught mere glimpses of them.
I’m wondering if these are fisher tracks? Some people are wondering if they are from a sasquatch..but a friend of mine says he thinks they are more likely fisher tracks..I tend to agree with him. What are your thoughts? Here’s the link to the FB post and pictures I’m referring to:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160077310630742&id=798225741
Hi Douglas, I think a bounding deer made those tracks, with each “track” consisting of 4 tracks. The reason I say that is that it looks like the animal sunk a lot. A fisher would not sink so much, and when it does sink substantially (like when snow is very soft and deep), it has to labor, and would not be able to leap 6 feet between landings. Six or seven feet between landings is about the max a fisher can do (as far as I know), and that is in substrate where significant sinkage isn’t slowing it down.
Hello Janet,
Thanks for posting this great info on Fisher tracks.
Have a look at the tracks I found today & the pattern.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/blbufxy4dyxzxi2/AABIfGGC1MPHx6jDoJe6sJXNa?dl=0
Certainly looks like a Fisher to me.
However, there are many short slides across a powdery 10 inch snow depth, and some on the steeper parts of our field the slides measured 12-15 feet in length. Now I’m thinking otter?
We followed the slides and prints for about 1/2 a mile before travel through brambles & swamp became too unbearable.
When snow depth was minimal atop of a frozen stream, the animal stopped sliding there appeared to be a clearer 3 by 4 rotary or transverse lope to the prints.
We live fairly high up in hilly terrain in NE Massachusetts. Aside from small streams and some swamps, there’s not really a lot of otter habitat. Though the Merrimack river is several miles away, this animal was headed away from there. Once it left our property, it did follow a small stream towards a swampy area, which for it (vs. us & the thicket) was the easiest path relative to snow depth. If this is in fact a Fisher, then it’ll likely be the longest account of Fisher sliding behavior you might have seen.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi! Those are classic otter tracks and sides. Someday I will have to wrote a post on distinguishing otter from fisher tracks, because there are some differences, some of which are evident in your tracks. So even disregarding the slides, I can tell the tracks in your photos were made by an otter.
In your photo 2, the left track in the two that are very close together is a left hind otter track. I can tell because the “thumb” is set back and sticking out away from the other toes. That is the typical appearance of an otter’s hind track. I can also see clear webbing between that “thumb” and the next toe. In fact I can see webbing between toes in some of the tracks in photo 3 as well. In both front and hind fisher tracks, the “thumb” is rather subtle, shorter, and does not stick out like that. Usually there does not appear to be webbing in fisher tracks, though certain substrate conditions can create the appearance of webbing.
Streams and swamps are fine otter habitat. They don’t need to be close to rivers and they will travel over land for long distances between water resources.
Thanks for sending the great photos and giving such a detailed description of the setting. And congrats on finding beautiful otter tracks and slides.
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Hi.. I’ve been setting up my game camera for many years, observing and learning about different animals. I wish I could figure out how to leave some of my pictures because I have dozens of rare pictures to share.
Hi Joey, thanks for your comment. I see that you emailed a bunch of photos. It’s taking some time for them to download, but when they do I will reply by email.
Fantastic info! We got our first snowfall here in Fitzwilliam, NH so I scrambled out in the woods to see what I could find. And I think I found a fisher den and trail. The snow was very dry, so the tracks are indistinct, and I didn’t want to get too close to the den, but now I have a place to put a trail cam. Thanks, and can’t wait to read the rest of your posts.
Very cool! I was out today in Mass searching for fisher tracks in the snow and hoping to find a fisher scent post, but came up short. A winter den is a terrific find. Definitely trail cam worthy!
Hi Janet, Yesterday @ 730am in So. Dennis, Ma, Geno (100lb. German Shepherd) and I saw a fisher drop from a pine, Geno chased it 20′ where it climbed another pine. I called Geno to leave it, which he did. The pine the fisher jumped from had what looked like an accumulation of needles/branches- possible den? Found a bluejay kill 2 days before, thought it was a coyote but now thinking fisher. Been seeing fisher tracks for many years in these pine woods and sand pits watershed. My first live sighting since about 30 years back from dawn treestand in West Penn. mountains in Tyoga County. That critter was busy loping down a trail! Thank you for your shred knowledge. Arturo
Hi Arturo – how exciting to have seen one! I don’t think fishers make nests, but they do sometimes sleep in old squirrel dreys and the like, sometimes after consuming the previous occupants.
I have a few videos of a fisher that is hanging around where I feed the birds. They look like little bears from a distance and hop around like the bobcat that also frequents the area.
As you mention it, some people describe them as having teddy bear faces. The rounded ears complete the picture.
We had something steal our suet feeder a couple weeks ago. We thought it might have been a raccoon. Last night the suet disappeared again. I was surprised to see Fisher tracks in the snow across the lawn to the oak tree we hang the suet in. Tonight we have a trail camera facing our feeders to catch it in the act. We live in northern Wisconsin and see fisher’s once every couple years.
I certainly would not be surprised if a fisher was taking suet!
Fisher cat sighting Western, Pennsylvania, probably May of this summer. 2023. They were reintroduced in 1969 in West Virginia and they are making their way up here.
Good to know – thanks for sharing!
I live in Ontario, and I caught a fisher on camera trying to get into my bee hives that are tucked away for the winter
Wow. I guess fishers are even more opportunistic than I realized. I hope you’re able to predator proof your hives.
We have a fisher run through our backyard and over the hill every morning between 4:50 and 5:10am. Thank you Ring system! We’re at Cheat Lake WV. We have snow on the ground and plan to take pictures of the paw prints in the morning. I read through info on this site to determine what to look for and where our fisher may live. Thank you!
You’re welcome. How cool to have a fisher visit on a regular basis. Must be a core part of its territory. Hope you find some nice tracks!
Very good website. I found claw marks on a few trees along the Chanango Canal towpath that I thought were left by a fisher or small bear. Would send photos if possible.
That would be great to send the photos. I will contact you by email.
We have an area of several square kilometers in New Brunswick (eastern Canada) some of which is actually within city limits. Lots of human activity like walkers, firewood gathering, maple syrup operations, lumber milling and yet this winter we are seeing Fisher tracks in the snow. Your excellent article and photos helped identify the animal.
My friend J.P. Daigle, well into his eighties walks at least 3 kilometers a day had a Fisher follow him in the woods. Probably a younger animal but J.P. said he would hide behind a tree and peek out at him and move from tree to tree as J.P. walked. After a while the animal lost interest. We positively identified the fisher with help on the internet.
Thank you for your well written article.
Hi Ross, it is amazing how fishers in some parts of their range are adapting to human activity. In the northeastern US, where we used to live, fishers have become very much a suburban opportunist, as long as there is sufficient forest with large enough tree cavities. I do wonder if what followed your friend was a marten rather than a fisher. Martens are similar to fishers, but smaller, and leave tracks that are very similar but smaller. As far as I know, martens are more likely to follow people. They’ve even been known to raid backpacks at camp sites. Fishers are more likely to avoid people. But in any even, it must have been a very interesting experience for your friend!
Good morning Janet,
We live in Traverse City, Michigan and had a strange visitor the other night. The next morning we saw what you describe as a belly slide, but just thought it was a fat raccoon. I didn’t get a pic of that (darn!). I did get a pic of some of the strange tracks the animal left behind, and I would like to send them to you. Please email me so I may do so. Thank you!
Hi Melissa, I’d love to see the tracks and will send you an email.
Hi Janet, I found your site while looking for fisher information. We live on a bay of the St Lawrence River east of Kingston Ontario, and back on to a large wooded areal with homes spread throughout. This afternoon about 2 pm, a fisher passed right by our house about 50 feet away. It climbed a jack pine and entered a crevice in the bark about 16 feet above the ground. The bark below this opening is all abraded and scratched.
I went outside and looked at the tracks and although they’re not in great condition (it’s been +1 to 2 C most of the day and the area is sunlight) the tracks look quite like some of those on your site.
I saw a fisher once many years ago and have heard them in the woods occasionally. We’re excited that this may a female with raising pups, all to be seen from our living room window.
Thanks for your work on this site, it nicely done.
Wow, that would be a amazing to have a fisher den you can see from your house!!!