by Chris Thompson
This last couple of months, while looking through the Friends of Schmeeckle Reserve trail cam photos, a new visitor was noticed. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a very large weasel?….. well kind of – It’s a Fisher! Fishers are a medium sized member of the weasel family. They are native to Wisconsin but were wiped out for their fur in the early 1900’s. In the 1950’s they were reintroduced and are now doing quite well in Wisconsin with an expanding range and a limited harvest permitted. Currently, fishers can be found in the top 2/3rds of the state.
Opposite of what their name would imply, fishers do not rely on fish for their diet. It is thought that their name comes from a French word for pelt, “fiche,” as early explorers valued them for the fur trade.
Weighing in at between 10 and 15 pounds and looking like a giant mink, fishers are one of the largest members of the weasel family in Wisconsin. They are active year-round (as the pictures illustrate) and are skilled climbers as a result of their semi-retractable claws.
They are predators, feeding on squirrels, rabbits, mice, birds, reptiles, porcupines, and even creatures as large as turkey and fox on occasion. It has been observed that fishers will occasionally also feed on carrion, fruit, nuts, and mushrooms as well.
They have relatively few predators themselves due to their size and tenacity, but are occasionally killed by bear, eagles, and wolves in Wisconsin.
Fishers have small litters, with females giving birth to 2 to 4 kits in spring, usually in hollow trees/logs. The young grow quickly and are independent by 6 months of age. They tend to be solitary outside the breeding season.
Fishers are just one more of the fascinating critters recently seen on the Friends of Schmeeckle Reserve trail cameras