End of the season - caught a fisher

[ouchfoss]

Well, I gave it a good try this year to have fun and bring in lots of fur and I think I accomplished that. Ended up with 22 beaver which is the most I've ever got in a season not to mention NINE otter! Was not expecting that many of them so that's a high point of the season.
I spent most of my time water trapping until about the 1st of March when I tried to do a line specifically just for raccoon but with no animals after 10 days, I figured it's time to target cats. I moved all my cages to the clearwater area and the first check showed where a bobcat had tipped a cage over on its side which made it possible for him to get out. There were a couple big patches of hair so I know it was for sure a bobcat  . Work is starting to pick up for me now and I don't have enough time to check cages so I figured it's time to call it quits for the year. Went to grab the cages yesterday and my first check had a fisher in it! Very cool animal. They would bite your fingers off if you let them though!

[Jingles]

Nice and congrats on the season, thanks for the video

[boneaddict]

That would be really cool.   I got to watch one for a very short bit last year.  Very efficient animal. Congrats on the great season

[JakeLand]

Good job Jess that would be a cool catch and experience!!!

[ouchfoss]

I've been watching lots of the mink man on youtube lately and it almost makes you want to just pick one up and hold it but I know that would end with a trip to the E.R. ! 

[ouchfoss]

Curious if WDFW is still wanting hair and poo samples. I brought the cage home untouched with all that inside it

[Norman89]

Yes they still want samples, according to the girls that are working the special trapping permits stuff right now. Right on that's your second one now!?

[ouchfoss]

Yeah, my second one.
The population must obviously be doing good. That's three caught between me and Bruce and I didn't really do much for dry land trapping this year. Wonder how long til we're allowed to harvest one? Yeah, I know. Don't get your hopes up!

[WSU]

Are they common?  I saw one this year hiking in Goat Rocks.  It's the only one I can recall seeing.

[boneaddict]

Not common at all.   Most here have never seen one.   They are making efforts to get them re-established. 

[redi]

Congrats thanks for sharing

[WSU]

Not common at all.   Most here have never seen one.   They are making efforts to get them re-established.

I could be mistaken I suppose.  Researching it it looks like the pine martin is similar.  What I saw looked a lot bigger than a pine martin but I only saw it for a couple seconds.  I still think it was a fisher.

[Humptulips]

Not common at all.   Most here have never seen one.   They are making efforts to get them re-established.

I could be mistaken I suppose.  Researching it it looks like the pine martin is similar.  What I saw looked a lot bigger than a pine martin but I only saw it for a couple seconds.  I still think it was a fisher.

Easily could have been a fisher. The first releases in the S Cascades were I think 6 years ago.
They must be on the increase. Besides the two I caught on the Clearwater I saw one on the Wynoochee and saw the tracks of one in the snow at a prebait on the W Fork Humptulips.

[Loup Loup]

Same as weeds in your garden if you don't pull em.

[Loup Loup]

Oh and ouchfoss, good season. 22 beaver would have yielded way more meat than one of your deer. Also otter to beaver ratio is very high. 1:2 roughly. Im bout 1:25 this season. Also I average 8 beaver to make a pound of castor. How much castor did your 22 yield?

[ouchfoss]

Oh and ouchfoss, good season. 22 beaver would have yielded way more meat than one of your deer. Also otter to beaver ratio is very high. 1:2 roughly. Im bout 1:25 this season. Also I average 8 beaver to make a pound of castor. How much castor did your 22 yield?

I was super surprised to see that many otter. Had a total of 22 drown set traps out any given time this season which helped I'm sure. I usually average  1 or 2 otter a year with around a dozen beaver so that was a big plus. I was targeting a zone that had several steelhead in it so that may be part of the reason. I caught a few of them in my traps as well and released them unharmed.
As far as castor, I was lazy about it and didn't start saving any until my last 6 beaver. Not sure how many ounces they equal up to but most of beaver were large 40+ lb ones so they weren't small glands.