Comments on: Tracking Martens, Fishers, and Otters

By: J Kruger

J Kruger — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:26:32 +0000

I love viewing a tracking animals in the wild, great article.
In the past few months I have seen 2 otters on the Red River south of Fargo. A smaller one just before freeze up checking for fish under the banks and a larger one as the the river was coming up in March this year. It’s amazing how they move in the water, powerful. I hope they survived the flood and hopefully they have pups.

By: Gary Scott

Gary Scott — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:30:28 +0000

I found this site while trying to decide if I had seen a Martin or a Fisher, I’m sure it”s a fisher. I live 20mi east of Winnipeg. It sat in a tree in my front yard for 2 hours. The tree is 10 yard from any others. I walked to the base of the tree and took pictures which didn’t seem to bother him at all.
Nice website,
regards Gary

By: Ron Slaathaug

Ron Slaathaug — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:54:18 +0000

I saw a Fisher 3/16/2010 in my creek behind a beaver dam, located 4 miles northwest of Park River, ND. It did not appear to be afraid, just wondering what I was doing in the area. I was within 30 meters of it. I did not know what is was, until the next day, when I was at the museum in Pembina and there was a stuffed fisher, being the exact same size. The exhibit sign stated they were extinct in the Red River Valley.

By: david weltz

david weltz — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:30:06 +0000

while bow hunting in early november near bottineau my daughter and wife encountered a marten it climbed up the ladder of my daughters tree stand she tapped it on the nose and it went down and over to my wifes stand and climbed the tree she was in and left her after a little while

By: duckslayer100

duckslayer100 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:04:43 +0000

I had an otter come up and start squaking at me last spring along the Red River just north of Grand Forks. It scared the bejeezus out of me. Came up about 3 feet from shore right in front of one of my poles. He looked POd. He then gradually made his way downstream. I kept waiting for one of my lines to start dancing, but never did. Thank goodness as I don’t know what I’d have done if I would have caught an otter!

By: joey reierson

joey reierson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:06:25 +0000

My family has Hunting land along the forest river by fordvile and we have trailcamera pictures and camera pictures of the a fisher and 3 river otters. I have seen the fisher twice in person and the otters twice. what an awesome sight to see.

By: niles short

niles short — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:04:58 +0000

Nice! While shore fishing outside of Minnewaken 3 years ago on a very calm day, a friend and I had the pleasure to watch an otter swim by. I have seen them in Canada numerous times, but was amazed to see one in North Dakota. If I remember right after I looked it up it was, or may have been a river species of the otter family, whereas most of the sightings are more common in eastern Minnesota, but not uncommon further west.

By: njsimonson

njsimonson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:41:54 +0000

Great article Doug! I’ve only bumped into one of them, but the experience was one I’ll sure remember. A pine marten was whizzing around the branches of a tree along a grouse trail I was walking, and I couldn’t believe anything of that size could move so fast in a tree. It then saw Guns and me, and stared us down…we backed away slowly…very slowly. Thanks for the read!