But a strange nugget of info is that in the West, bobcats sometimes kill fishers. A lynx is bigger than a bobcat, but there are five solid records of fishers killing lynx in Maine. So, on one coast, weasels are killing cats, and on the other coast, cats are killing weasels.

Remove feeders if fishers are regularly seen around your yard. Secure garbage. Exposed garbage, compost and pet food can attract small mammals, which in turn attract fishers. Don’t hesitate to scare or threaten fishers with loud noises, bright lights, or water sprayed from a hose.

Fishers are primarily nocturnal. They are active during daytime, but are quite secretive. They are good swimmers and climbers, and may hang out trees cavities, stumps, rock crevices, or ground burrows. In the winter, they make long narrow tunnels in the snow that lead to their snow den.

ten years

About that scream Internet forums say a fisher’s blood curdling screams, let out in the dead of night, signal that the creature is about to attack.

Least Concern

“A fisher will attack and kill a yappy dog, especially if it feels threatened, ” reports naturalist Robert Lu. But, big dogs are not immune from attack. A local biologist reported “fishers are attacking cats, dogs, bears, horses and humans.”

If you think you see a mink, but it’s way too large, you are likely looking at a fisher. Fishers are also members of the weasel family but are two-three feet long and large males can weigh over 12 pounds. While they may look quite cute and cud- dly, minks are very skilled hunters.

Fishers are generally crepuscular, being most active at dawn and night. They are active year-round, and are solitary, associating with other fishers only for mating. Males become more active during mating season.

Diet: Fishers are opportunistic predators primarily of snowshoe hares, squirrels, mice, and birds. Carrion and plant material (e.g., berries) also are consumed.