Boco's correct. On the least, very short tail and no black tip. Usually very small. Overall size is not something you want to rely on for distinguishing the three weasel species. They vary greatly in size over their ranges. In interior Alaska, the short-tails are almost as big as long-tails down here in Idaho. Our short-tails in Idaho are very small.

Interesting thread- found this on Ancestory.com

The chart above is not quite accurate-Fisher is Martes,not Gulo.Gulo is wolverine.

Boco- I'd take your word over the internet

You didn't read it close enough Rob. The chart is correct. The subfamily is Guloninae for Pekania (fisher) which used to be Martes pennanti.

Ok Boco- Since Gulo took his name from a Wolverine... I'm a fair-weather fan and standing with him

Well, I have caught quite a few least weasels. The first specimens I positively identified were placed in a museum in 1964 where they remain today. More recently I have caught and placed least weasel skins for full body mounts, entire bodies for parasite examinations and full skeletons for mounts. Least weasels are indeed smaller than shorttails and much smaller than long tails BUT a large male least and small female shorttail are about the same size in Northern Wisconsin and South Dakota where I have trapped weasel for nearly 70 years, and thus size is not always determinate. The short tail without a black tip that characterizes a least does separate them. In addition, there are other differences such as body form and color that hold fairly true. The weasel in shanemoss's photo is colored much more like a least than a shorttail and in that photo the head appears more similar in shape to that of a least. He sent me several additional photos in which it appears that the weasel is a short tail based on tail length. For a good clear photo of a least in summer pelage, I will ask Law Dog to add one that he has a photo of.

Love those ermines

OK got it.I I didnt know fisher were no longer Martes Pennanti.

Most of my weasels are incidentals in marten boxes,probably more than 90% are male Northern Shorttails.The very few females I get are very small in comparison to males.
I forget the term used for the difference in size between sexes,Maybe sexual dimorphism?

Gulo that female had her litter close by and was probably around her till early September.
female long-tails can be the same size as male ermine, but their skulls are different

think of all the weasels that Jackpine Savage would catch in a year.RIP
and that other guy that asked for his name to be removed because of Minn politics
many a kid got into weasel trapping with his threads

WEASEL ID: Then key factor in identification of each is the tail length in relation to the body length.

Least: Smallest of the weasels, little more than mouse size. Has a very short tail (less than one quarter the combined head and body length nose to base of tail. Tail has no black tip.
Length (head, body & tail): Male 6 ½-8 ½ inches Female 6 ¼-7 ½ inches

Short Tail: Best identified by its black tipped tail that is less than half the combined length of the head and body length, nose to base of tail.
Length (head, body & tail): Male 12 ½-13 ¾ inches Female 9-10 ½ inches

Long Tail: The largest weasel. Tail is also black tipped, but is more than half the length of the combination of the head and body, nose to base of tail.
Length (head, body & tail): Male 16 ½-17 ¾ inches Female 12 ½- 13 ¾ inches

Least weasel hard to catch at least because so many conibear traps these days that they can slip by. Expect back in the day 0/knot traps would catch more, and number 1's too, as easier for a least to trigger. Might be harder to catch cause naturally scarcer too but can not say for sure.

Caught 2. One in mouse trap set for mice and baited with peanut butter in summer and the other in a rat trap purpose set for one I saw in a shed that had some moose bones in winter. No black tail tips either one and small. Not hard to tell if you watch for them. The old people here knew about them and called them "stoats" which is the old English name for weasels. Short tails, which we have here also, we always called weasels. We have no long tails.

Had one 5' away from me one time on a skidoo. It tried to cross path same time as I was going along. It came up to me and bounced around a bit and finally went back to the bush where it came from. Small and no black tail tip on an otherwise all white animal.

First week of November Northern Maine.

Thanks for all the good info so far. Anyone have any tips for skinning them? So small seems like it will be tedious. what kind of knife do you like and stuff like that. Had to set a couple more boxes out today.

A least the cats dragged in~

A #10 scaple works good.

I like using a pointed scapel that's nice and sharp. Makes opening them easy. I try to make sure they're clean and blood free before I skin. I'll wash the ermine first, if necessary, dry it off and then skin.

Easy to skin and put up.
I just pin one back foot to the table with a push pin,pull the other foot,then make the opening cut.Then just proceed with the knee out skinning method by hand on the tabletop.

hard to tell with young of the year in the summer time as the Ermine are still growing.
There is something in their skull formation that separated them apart

My kids and I enjoy catching them! Haven't targeted them in a few years but might toss some boxes out soon. My son is 2 1/2 now, about the age my daughter's enjoyed checking boxes! Seams to be more tracks this year than the last few.


My daughter's 7 years ago


Least weasel