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Question for states that have a lot of Fishers #7672164
09/15/22 07:16 PM
09/15/22 07:16 PM
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 1,776
Pennsylvania
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patrapperbuster Offline OP
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patrapperbuster  Offline OP
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Pennsylvania
Do you notice in areas with good population of fishers that your population of coons is lower? Fisher are fairly new to PA and in areas where they are increasing it seems the coon numbers are down. I know both animals compete for denning sites & a fisher will win out every time if it wants that site. Could this be it? or just coincidence ?

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672185
09/15/22 07:53 PM
09/15/22 07:53 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,446
Tug Hill, NY
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Squash Offline
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Squash  Offline
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Tug Hill, NY
The Tug Hill Plateau area of NY is loaded with fisher. They were reintroduced in the 1960s and have done well. I agree our raccoon population is low. I don’t know if from competing for dens ,or from rabies outbreaks, but I do know fisher will eat raccoons. Also, since the fisher population has boomed, our hare and grouse population has suffered.

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672186
09/15/22 07:53 PM
09/15/22 07:53 PM
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Posts: 550
Tug Hills, NY
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Bass1 Offline
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Tug Hills, NY
Can't say that I've noticed that. Most areas I trap fisher I don't expect to catch coon. I have caught coon in fishers sets but these were set in the vicinity of beaver dams. Most of my fisher trapping is on hardwood ridges mixed with pine, hemlock. I've never caught nor expected to catch coon in these areas.

Every area is different.

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672189
09/15/22 07:54 PM
09/15/22 07:54 PM
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 513
wisconsin
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Muskratwalt Offline
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wisconsin
I don't know if it's coincidence or not in your case. I do know that I have never seen any lower Coon population that I attribute to just to Fishers. The price of raccoon pelts and disease affect populations more than anything else I also know that raccoons can be a problem in December trying to trap Fisher when you have a warm spell.


Walt legge
Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672346
09/15/22 10:36 PM
09/15/22 10:36 PM
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Posts: 11,293
East-Central Wisconsin
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bblwi Offline
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East-Central Wisconsin
The major area of WI where our fishers populated after being reintroduced, never has been an area where coon were common or higher in population. There is just not enough corn and other crops to sustain a large coon population in that area. The last 20 years or so it seems the fishers have move further south into what would be more central and north central WI and I have not heard anyone discuss they are seeing fewer coons in those areas. Coon and and do utilize a very wide range of food stuffs and denning sites that make them more adaptable then fishers. I don't know the majore reason for the fisher dissappearance in our northern region, but we have had increases in black bear, bobcat and wolves over the last 2-3 decades. As the forests in northern WI mature there is much less habitat for prey and thus fewer predators will be on the landscape as well.

Bryce

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672406
09/15/22 11:50 PM
09/15/22 11:50 PM
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Posts: 986
Louisiana
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MattLA Offline
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Louisiana
Bryce,

Spot on about the forests, more forest = less deer, elk, moose etc. Whats a little frustrating to some degree is that we have not a great clue of whats what in the animal population world. Be interesting to see where all the populations settle at with wolves and everything else back in the mix.

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672503
09/16/22 07:01 AM
09/16/22 07:01 AM
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Posts: 2,446
Tug Hill, NY
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Squash Offline
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Tug Hill, NY
I have to disagree about fisher being not as adaptable as raccoons. Fisher will eat about everything that a raccoon will eat, including fruit and vegetables. In NY they have expanded their range and live in most any habitat from climax forest in the Adirondack Mountains to open farmland in southern NY.

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672601
09/16/22 09:47 AM
09/16/22 09:47 AM
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Posts: 611
PA
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Strut10 Offline
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Strut10  Offline
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PA
We've got plenty of fishers. We've got a bunch of raccoons, too. I honestly haven't noticed ANY difference in the coon population since fishers showed up here 25+ years ago.

The one thing the fishers definitely AREN'T putting ANY hurt on is the porcupines. mad That was SUPPOSED to be their one (and in my opinion ONLY) redeeming quality............


Wollen nicht krank dein feind. Planen es.
Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: Strut10] #7672694
09/16/22 12:52 PM
09/16/22 12:52 PM
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Posts: 1,776
Pennsylvania
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patrapperbuster Offline OP
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patrapperbuster  Offline OP
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Pennsylvania
Originally Posted by Strut10
We've got plenty of fishers. We've got a bunch of raccoons, too. I honestly haven't noticed ANY difference in the coon population since fishers showed up here 25+ years ago.

The one thing the fishers definitely AREN'T putting ANY hurt on is the porcupines. mad That was SUPPOSED to be their one (and in my opinion ONLY) redeeming quality............



I think thats what our game commission was hoping too. For fishers to target the porcupines. Seems our fishers like our squirrels better. This comes from a few reports of trappers checking stomach contents

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7672825
09/16/22 04:47 PM
09/16/22 04:47 PM
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Cape Cod, Massachusetts
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Guy Johnson Offline
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Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A few years ago I caught over 400 coon and 3 Fisher within 15 miles of my home, last season I caught 40 times as many fisher and 17 coon in all the same areas so i would have to believe that fisher definately impact the coon population! I think they are very hard in young coon pups, not positive how they'd do against a 30 pound old boar but coon pups are like a buffet

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: Strut10] #7672878
09/16/22 05:53 PM
09/16/22 05:53 PM
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Tug Hills, NY
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Bass1 Offline
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Tug Hills, NY
Originally Posted by Strut10
We've got plenty of fishers. We've got a bunch of raccoons, too. I honestly haven't noticed ANY difference in the coon population since fishers showed up here 25+ years ago.

The one thing the fishers definitely AREN'T putting ANY hurt on is the porcupines. mad That was SUPPOSED to be their one (and in my opinion ONLY) redeeming quality............


Almost every fisher I skin here has quills in its body, makes skinning interesting.

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: Bass1] #7673076
09/16/22 11:10 PM
09/16/22 11:10 PM
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Posts: 1,776
Pennsylvania
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patrapperbuster Offline OP
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Almost every fisher I skin here has quills in its body, makes skinning interesting.[/quote]


That's interesting Bass1. Will bring that up at the next trapping get together. Personally i haven't encountered that yet. But we're only allowed one fisher a year so far

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7673171
09/17/22 05:54 AM
09/17/22 05:54 AM
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Posts: 611
PA
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Strut10 Offline
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Strut10  Offline
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PA
Originally Posted by patrapperbuster
Originally Posted by Strut10
We've got plenty of fishers. We've got a bunch of raccoons, too. I honestly haven't noticed ANY difference in the coon population since fishers showed up here 25+ years ago.

The one thing the fishers definitely AREN'T putting ANY hurt on is the porcupines. mad That was SUPPOSED to be their one (and in my opinion ONLY) redeeming quality............



I think thats what our game commission was hoping too. For fishers to target the porcupines. Seems our fishers like our squirrels better. This comes from a few reports of trappers checking stomach contents



I was hoping for that too.

I've had our two dogs to the vet for quill removal TWICE since the first of July !!!!!! mad mad mad

It actually seems like the porcupines got here at the same time as the fishers (fishers followed them in ??) and the porcupines multiplied as fast as the fishers. We never had porcupines here until about 20-25 years ago.


Wollen nicht krank dein feind. Planen es.
Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7673189
09/17/22 07:11 AM
09/17/22 07:11 AM
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Posts: 1,099
Adirondacks, N.Y.
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trapdye Offline
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Adirondacks, N.Y.
We have a lot of Fisher and a lot of Raccoons, also a fair amount of porkeys, I have skinned quite a few Fisher with quills in them . As far as Fisher feeding on Raccoons, On my cams I see both Fisher & coons feeding, but never at the same time.


John's Nuisance Wildlife Control
If you like what you do for a living, It's better than a vacation. Most days.
Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7673341
09/17/22 10:33 AM
09/17/22 10:33 AM
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Posts: 2,874
Adirondacks, NY
Fisher Man Offline
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Adirondacks, NY
I have seen a decline in fisher in the central adirondacks. We also have a low coon population. I have attributed the coon decline to rabies. I have often wondered about the relationship of fisher with bobcats.

Re: Question for states that have a lot of Fishers [Re: patrapperbuster] #7673523
09/17/22 04:41 PM
09/17/22 04:41 PM
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Posts: 231
pa
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poconobear Offline
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pa
Not sure I can contribute much, if anything to this post. Where I trap in PA, we have a fair number of porkies. We don’t have many raccoons or fisher. There was 1 fisher trapped in the township last season according to PGC. We have a lot of bobcats and coyotes. I lean towards bobcats being hard on fishers. My concern is the smaller females getting taken by a larger predator, bobcat or coyote, when they have young. Then the whole family unit perishes. I have not been able to find any evidence, in literature or PGC, that it is actually the case.

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