Fisher is a rarely seen weasel family member. Finding these tracks in snow was a surprise. I confirmed what I saw by checking my most reliable source:
Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign by Paul Rezendes
From my journal:
A single set of footprints meander along downed logs, weaving in and out of brush, through holes dug in snow, reappearing up a tree trunk and through branches into a hollow tree. Some tracks show it traveled head-first down the tree. Those prints were not clear enough for a good photo.
Tracks:
The first photo shows a track pattern known as a 2-2. The space between the sets is about 2 feet, so the fisher was running.
This single track shows five toes and a palm pad, but no heel pad, so it’s probably a rear foot.
The fisher has long, dark brown fur, which makes it look chubby. It can be as long as yardstick (3 meters) and a large male can weigh as much as 18 pounds (try holding two gallon jugs of water).
Like most mustelids - the Latin name for the weasel family - fishers are solitary, they like to hunt at night, and prefer to live in dense forests. Their territory can range of 50 to 150 square miles (130-400 sq km).
What’s exciting about seeing these tracks is that fishers have enough habitat to survive in this local area. They have not been hunted to extinction nor have they been pushed out of their homes by development.