Algonquin Adventures / Fishers?

**Posted by Steve E** 1/13/2016 8:59 pm

Has anyone ever seen a Fisher in the Park? From what I understand these guys can get quite large and are pretty nasty. Just curious...

**Posted by MartinG** 1/13/2016 10:35 pm

I've seen 2 Fishers in the wild. One in Charleston Lake PP about 8 years ago. I was paddling it was swimming. The second time was this fall in Frontenac PP. It took one look at me turned and scurried away. Pretty rare sightings. Certainly not aggressive or nasty encounters. Beautiful animal! Pine Martins are Bruce Banner. Fishers the Hulk. Except not green.

**Posted by My Self Reliance** 1/14/2016 5:48 am

I've seen many but none in the park. I have quite a few around the house, but the closest I've seen them to APP is west on highway 124.

**Posted by hiker72** 1/15/2016 6:11 am

Hi Steve,
I came within about 10 feet of one in APP while I was hiking the Western Uplands Trail in 2012. It was clinging to a dead tree in a swampy area and was situated marginally higher than my eye-level. It just glared at me as I kept walking past it, and I was a bit spooked out by it. I'm pretty sure I saw one from a distance two days earlier on that same trek as well. I haven't seen one since.
Cheers,
Rich

Last edited by hiker72 (1/15/2016 6:12 am)

**Posted by My Self Reliance** 1/15/2016 1:36 pm

A couple of years ago in Horseshoe Valley, a fisher was taking out cats on a regular basis! They are relatively common in nearby Copeland Forest. When I say common, I mean I may see one there every year, but more often just tracks.

**Posted by Steve E** 1/15/2016 1:43 pm

So are they generally larger than say a Pine Marten? I think I may have seen one in Killarney a few years back and I seem to recall it being a fair bit larger (I actually thought it was a bear as it was peeking around half way up a tree).

**Posted by Algonquintripper** 1/15/2016 3:09 pm

John Connelly wrote:
There is some good footage of a fisher on this amazing video uploaded by Kevin Jeffery , check out the 5:10 mark .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e60bKt27ZdY

Great video. Notice the hiker with the coke can at the very end? BUSTED!

**Posted by Steve E** 1/15/2016 4:50 pm

I went back through my old pics and found a pic of that animal I saw in Killarney. Looks like a Fisher to me? I recall it being pretty darn big! John thanks for that video link that was awesome!

**Posted by MartinG** 1/15/2016 5:00 pm

Yep, that's a Fisher.

**Posted by Algonquintripper** 1/15/2016 5:46 pm

I saw one of those up at Maple Leaf Lake around 2009. It was in a tree just as this one is. At the time my guess was it was a badger. I distinctly remember the little bear-like ears.

**Posted by Andy W** 1/15/2016 5:57 pm

I was fortunate to have one encounter with a Fisher a few years ago at the end of the portage from Booth to Ryegrass, (doing a loop through Godda. and back via McCarthy). He/She wasn't threatening at all. Stopped to check me out and wasn't any further than 10-15 feet from me as we encountered each other then scampered along it's way. Wasn't fast enough to get a photo but it was a experience that I'll never forget.

**Posted by solosal** 1/15/2016 6:26 pm

I was on the Highlands backpacking trail this past summer heading back towards the parking lot and an animal was on the path ahead on me. At first I wondered why a house cat was on the trail and I assumed what I saw was a marten. About an hour later, on the same trail, a similar looking animal ran up at me from the side bank and it hissed and looked at me for a few seconds. It startled me because it didn't make much noise other than rustling in the leaves. After checking out what others have posted and looking more online I think may be it was a fisher. It was dark brown in colour with no other markings that I could see.

**Posted by hiker72** 1/15/2016 8:32 pm

Steve,
Funny you should mention that you originally thought the fisher may be a bear as I thought the exact same thing on my first sighting. From a distance, it can totally look like a cub peeking from around a tree (or in my case, over a log...)
Rich

**Posted by DanPM** 1/18/2016 5:47 pm

I can't remember or dig up my source on this but I seem to remember reading that porcupines are less abundant in Algonquin (at least western Algonquin) than in unprotected areas, because of fishers being protected from trapping. So no trapping = more fishers = less porcupines.

**Posted by ahubbs** 4/11/2016 8:08 pm

I thought I saw one in the Ganaraska forest and did a little research, according to wickepedia they will kill bobcats and lynx at times so they must be pretty ferocious.

**Posted by Tripper** 4/12/2016 12:28 pm

A number of years ago I canoed down Sunday Creek just after ice out. There was a moose carcass in the bog that wolves had been feeding on over the winter and I wanted to see what was left of it. As I was poking around the remains I heard a blood curdling scream come from the forest. A few moments later a Fisher appeared on a rocky outcrop, screamed again and then bounded back into the forest. If I hadn't seen the fisher I would have had no idea what made that sound. It was like nothing I'd heard before.

**Posted by kellycamps** 4/17/2016 8:04 pm

Hello all
Getting caught up on all the goings' on in the message board after the winter hiatus. This subject caught my attention as my one encounter with a " fisher cat" is one of my best experiences in the park.

It was my second trip in to the park, solo as always, and I was staying on Pen Lk. I had arrived, set up camp, gathered wood and built a fire and had prepared my dinner. At that time I was eating meat, which I no longer eat, and I had cooked up a dinner of bacon and eggs. My site was high up on a beautiful cliff of rock overlooking the lake. I took my meal, which I eagerly anticipated woofing down after a long day, and scrambled down the rocks to sit on a large boulder at the waters edge. As a took my first bite of food, I noticed a flash of movement to my right along the rocky shoreline. BEAR? No. I saw a small fella scrambling towards me along the rocks, his eyes peering intently on me. I thought at first it was an otter, but then realized it was something I was not familiar with. I have never seen martins or fishers, or even mink so I was baffled at this critter. He stopped about six ft from me and cocked his head. His little black teddy bear ears pricked forward in curiosity. " Hi little buddy" I said. He was just the cutest thing I'd ever seen. He looked at me in that "puppy with his head cocked to one side way" and then turned and trotted back the way he came. When I got home I immediately did my research and realized it was a fisher cat. Can't say I was afraid or would be again if I had another encounter like it. He was cute as a button and clearly coveting my bacon lol.