We're did the fishers go ?

[Bear hounder]

Last year we had 2 or 3 fisher on every bear bait with lots of pics this year not one fisher on camera my hounds used to tree them some times one hear or their but this year they have disappeared I'm not shure why maybe some sort of sickness or yotes cleaning them up I'm in ontario south and east maybe it's just around hear

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[Andyva]

What is the squirrel and rabbit population like this year compared to last?

[Bear hounder]

Some what the same hear I'm not sure if their is some kind of disease that could wipe out the fisher but they are gone still tons of coons tho I talked with another local trapper and he said he noticed the decline last fall he has a quota of 17 and traped the hole open season only caught 11 the thing is their seemed to vanished wich don't really hurt my feelings as far as small game hunting goes

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[Twopipe]

I don't know what is happening there but this is what's going on here with fisher.
I have to preface this post with this info. I am a forester, I've been a logger and I am also a trapper but, my passion is hunting bobcat with hounds.

About 10 years ago there was a very good population of fisher here. It was no problem to catch your limit of 5 in no time. Now, it is a rare occurrence to see a fisher track.
About 10 years ago logging began to increase and has continued at a rate that panders to the logging/forest products industry with little regard for much else. We have been given a resource that is to be utilized, but used wisely. There are different harvesting methods used in forestry and all are necessary silvicultural tools that are needed including clearcuts.

There are three things that are a result of the increased rate of logging.
1. In order to log and get the products to market roads must be built. This allows good access for people to trap. That, along with mild winters, has allowed people to easily go wherever they'd like in order to trap. Fisher are very easy to trap and the fisher population can handle regulated trapping if there are no other limiting factors. A case in point is in a largely agricultural area to the southwest of here the fisher have quite a bit of trapping pressure but are thriving.
2. When forest stands are selected for harvest, it is the oldest stands that are targeted for harvest. Fisher need large hollow trees for reproductive dens. The preferred tree is a live Aspen with a diameter greater than 20 inches. Those are the trees most targeted for logging thus reducing available dens.
3. When Aspen is harvested it regenerates itself by root suckering with thousands of stems per acre which is great habitat for rabbits and other prey. This type of cover is also very good for bobcats. Since the great increase of logging activity the bobcat population has increased. Every year the female fisher move their young from one den to another from one to four times each spring. recently, research has been done here in Minnesota that shows that when the female moves her young 30% of the females are killed by bobcats. When the female is killed the young die as well. And with the lack of dens the fisher have to go farther to find a den and that means more time on the ground that they are susceptible to predation. The fisher population cannot withstand that kind of pressure. I have talked with a biologist in British Columbia and the fisher is experiencing a similar situation there.

The lesson learned from this is that this did not need to happen. With balanced age classes of the forest to include old and young forest and everything in between we could have viable populations of both fisher and bobcats.

This is where I, being a bobcat hunter, should probably just shut my mouth and enjoy the increased bobcat population but, natural resource management should not be about ones selfish interests only. There is a bigger picture than oneself. In the words of the father of American conservation, Gifford Pinchot;
“Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.”

[dwalton]

two pipe thanks for your input. We have Fishers here in southwestern Oregon in some areas quite a few but they are protected. I am a believer that animal population will do fine if they have the habitat they need to survive. What has happen out here is two things that have caused our game population to decline. One is the stopping of clear cutting on public lands, if done in small parcels deer, elk and most small animals do well. We have stopped natural fires which control under brush for over a 100 years, now they are letting wild fires burn with so much fuel that you get a very hot fire making it hard for the forest to recover quickly. Them on the private land trees are grown as a crop creating a monoculture with the use of herbicides to control grasses and unwanted brush that supports our wildlife. Man in his narrow way of thinking or greed can sure affect everything. It seems to me that there needs to be a balance, Greed by trying to save everything will cause the loss of something[ no cut of trees or protection of predators] or greed to get the most money out of our land be it forest or agriculture land [ with herbicides, pesticides] will have a adverse affect in the long run. Man with his knowledge or lack of being on either side of the fence can cause a problem by not looking at the big picture. Dewey

[Bear hounder]

Topipe I think you are right I also am a logger and trapper as well and I love to run bears with our hounds and that is why when I see such fast decline in one specific animal it makes me aware that it could happen to bears or bobcats deer or whatever the logging industry has a very norrow mind set and most of our timber harvesting hear in ont is based on what a forest tech has been taght about the life cycle and re growth rate of trees and the sustainability of the rate at witch we can harvest money the idea of considering all the animals that depend on certain sized trees can't be under stood by someone who does not know the animals their habits and their needs we need to manage more than trees and count more than money as loggers we need to understand we are causing dramatic changes some good and some bad we can operate as sustainable or we can operate in a way that makes the bush thrive not merly survive thanks so much for your time keep looking up

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[Bear hounder]

I saw pics of a nice little female fisher on a bear bait today first pic all year

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[Bear hounder]

Hey dewy you are right without the habitat nothing can remain stable except decline and the way

we cut timber hear in ont. reflects the way industry in genral handles the environment the will to do something better but few are the people who interacted with the bush the way it was made to work properly so if someone does not understand the way things must be in the bush then it has now become very easy to imply and even deminstrate better timmber harvesting techniques to the vast majority and then they call them self sustainable and if it takes 50 years to prove them wrong then who cares the big timber company's will already have made their retirement by then . rant grumble rant more grumbling ... good night

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