The amazing weasel family

Red Bullets · #1 02-06-2023, 01:51 PM

I sure am glad that the weasel family aren't a bigger species because the forests would be even more dangerous to go into. Such efficient hunters to be able to catch prey their own size or bigger.

This can be watched without signing in to facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/10000306702...56847431234988

Blazer 1 · #2 02-06-2023, 02:10 PM

They are a pretty amazing animal!

Talking moose · #3 02-06-2023, 02:18 PM

Our pet marten on the north kitimat camp.

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big_plinker · #4 02-06-2023, 02:21 PM

I thought this was going to be about politicians.
But yes, the weasel family is scary.
A mad badger chasing you back into your truck when you try to get it off the road. A wolverine crossing your path a 100 m away.
Poignant reminder of your place on the food chain without the tools that keep us at the top.

Reeves1 · #5 02-06-2023, 02:35 PM

Was hunting west of Nordeg back in the 80s & I had a Martin try for a long time to get above me.
I kept moving around to prevent it. DID NOT trust it !

When on QCI a raod foreman watched a Martin jump on a Deer's back & was chewing on it's neck. He ran it down & tossed the Martin off it's back.

Each winter I see a Lesser running around the yard. No fear of us.
I let him do so because he never bothers the birds / Rabbits.
Great Mousers !

Sooner · #6 02-06-2023, 05:15 PM

Cool video.

Similar incident back in the 80's between Whitecourt & Fox Creek. Late Nov and hunting with dad and an uncle in the jeep. Rabbit ahead in the trail, flopping back & forth. Dad tries to run over its head to put it out of its suffering. As the tire gets there, it is now off the trail. A weasel had it by the neck and was not letting go. Uncle got out and took the screaming rabbit and grabbed it by the legs and put it down. That weasel came running back as soon as the rabbit lay in the snow. He was not giving up his meal. Was so cool to watch nature in action.

waldedw · #7 02-06-2023, 06:25 PM

The rabbit is the bottom of the food chain

58thecat · #8 02-06-2023, 06:29 PM

This one met our cat!

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vinny · #9 02-06-2023, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58thecat

This one met our cat!

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Now I’m more afraid of your cat!! 😬

FishOutOfWater · #10 02-07-2023, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58thecat

This one met our cat!

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That's funny... My uncle showed me a similar (but not "the same") picture yesterday, exact same breed of weasel, that his cat brought home a couple weeks ago.

I gave my compliments to the kitty...

58thecat · #11 02-07-2023, 06:13 AM

Yeah this female cat is small. I once watched her take on a squirrel and that was a beauty of a scrap too. She brought it to the deck to show me, went in the house ate and slept for two days

Phil McCracken · #12 02-07-2023, 07:26 AM

Yes the weasel family is very interesting indeed.

A few years ago, our female cat killed 2 of them within a week. She brought them inside the shop via her cat door, and left them on the floor to show them off I guess. I remember when I walked in the first morning, thinking wtf is that now.

She licked the one prior me disposing of it just before my wife came in wondering what I was doing. Before me telling her anything about my recent "licking observation", she greeted/congratulated her cat for a job well done, which in return licked her face. Then I told her what just happened before, she screamed in disgust and promptly headed to the shower. Never thought she could run that fast...hehe

In a way too bad because they are great for mice. Oh well, a cat is a cat...

KGB · #13 02-07-2023, 10:57 AM

I was ruffy hunting with a buddy when the marten came on the road chasing the rabbit, we basically witnessed exactly the same action except for the kill… they run along the road for probably 50 meters and then crossed into the bush and we lost sight of them. Was very cool to see it!

Maxwell78 · #14 02-07-2023, 01:02 PM

If a weasel was the same size of a fox, we would all be in trouble

HyperMOA · #15 02-07-2023, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxwell78

If a weasel was the same size of a fox, we would all be in trouble

It’s called a badger.

A fisher is bigger than a fox.

I’m pretty sure a Wolverine is a weasel too, is it not?

Bigwoodsman · #16 02-07-2023, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

It’s called a badger.

A fisher is bigger than a fox.

I’m pretty sure a Wolverine is a weasel too, is it not?

Yes a Wolverine is part of the weasel family.

BW

Smokinyotes · #17 02-07-2023, 02:13 PM

When I was about 13 we were driving up a logging road by mcbride bc to go sledding, all of a sudden a fisher (I think) came ripping out of the bush with a wolverine hot on its heels. They disappeared back into the bush but when we came back from sledding at the end of the day there was blood and fur everywhere on the road.

35 whelen · #18 02-07-2023, 02:56 PM

I've been fortunate enough to see about a dozen wolverines in my life ,one of them was in Northern Alberta where I was standing on a cut line doing some moose calling and it came out about 2 ft away from me looked at me and bared its teeth and hissed at me and took off running down the cut line towards my hunter who freaked out.

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Phil McCracken · #19 02-07-2023, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

It’s called a badger.

A fisher is bigger than a fox.

I’m pretty sure a Wolverine is a weasel too, is it not?

Yep....the wolverine is the King of the weasels...

Sooner · #20 02-07-2023, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

I've been fortunate enough to see about a dozen wolverines in my life ,one of them was in Northern Alberta where I was standing on a cut line doing some moose calling and it came out about 2 ft away from me looked at me and bared its teeth and hissed at me and took off running down the cut line towards my hunter who freaked out.

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Wow, that's awesome. I would love to see a Wolverine.

Bushmaster · #21 02-07-2023, 04:48 PM

I don't see them every year but they have been around. These pics are from 2021.

Phil McCracken · #22 02-07-2023, 04:49 PM

I have been lucky to see a few in the wild also. Quick visuals though, or at a distance. Quite the animal. The French called them "Carcajou", which means the devil.

Back in late 90s, managed to get this one from a trapper near Manning, and was cleared by F&W.

Amazing how "boxy" they are, and the length of their claws...and teeth size. No wonder larger predators are scared of them. This one was estimated at around 40ish pounds. Sure some of them get bigger.

Bushmaster · #23 02-07-2023, 04:52 PM

Neat animal Phil. I've never seen one.

Red Bullets · #24 02-07-2023, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sooner

Wow, that's awesome. I would love to see a Wolverine.

How would you like to see this many at once? I think this is in Russia. You don't need to log in to facebook to watch.

https://www.facebook.com/TheAlaskaLi.../?id=708822679

Big Grey Wolf · #25 02-08-2023, 09:52 AM

I catch quite a few fisher each year on trapline. They are real fighters and will even sometimes break trap chain with a conibear trap around their neck. Fisher are very hard on marten. Males around 40 lbs quite often but females much smaller, also ladies bring better fur price.

35 whelen · #26 02-08-2023, 11:47 AM

I am not a Trapper have seen some Fishers 40 lb seems kind of big for a Fisher?

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Okotok · #27 02-08-2023, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

I am not a Trapper have seen some Fishers 40 lb seems kind of big for a Fisher?

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The largest male ever recorded according to Wikipedia is around 20 lbs. Not that every trapper brings in a big male to be weighed for posterity though.