A new friend met on the trail..

[ADKnative]

I was climbing the Brothers, Big Slide, and Yard last week, and was heading back on the JBL trail to The Garden when I met this deer. I saw her in the woods from a short distance down the trail and decided to try to get closer. She didn't seem alarmed by my presence at all. I was actually close enough where I could have reached out and touched her, and she showed absolutely no fear. I sat on a log for about 15 minutes watching her graze about in the woods, occasionally lifting her head to look at me. Eventually she moved further in and I decided to let her be, but I did take a few pictures before she moved off. It was a very pleasant experience, I always love to be in close proximity to wildlife and observing them this way.

By the way on the same day I saw an owl (not sure what kind) and met a mouse on the summit of Big Slide who greatly enjoyed some peanuts I dropped.

[dmartenvt]

I'm glad I'm not the only one around who "meets" wildlife. Sometimes my friends think I'm a bit nuts. If, for example, they show up at my house and ask me why I'm squatting down at the pond I might be chatting to a frog, or yukking it up with a bird. Maybe I am nuts. But to me chatting with an animal is the most natural thing in the world, and I think it's cool you met a mouse, a deer and an owl.

[ellsaf]

I once had the experience of a large barred owl who seemed to be checking me out. I was walking down a dead end drive in the woods near my childhood home and saw him sitting within feet of me on a tree branch. Later I noticed him in the trees around our house. The next day I walked back down and he flew from further inside the forest to very close where I was standing and sat in a tree and seemed like he was stretching out to see me. That's when I found out they can make a very funny monkey like sound. It was a nice experience.

[sp_nyp]

I met a new friend last weekend while out hunting. I wish I had had my camera to snap a picture off. Hopefully it will come back this weekend so I can get a pic.

I was sitting in a little make-shift ground blind I had pulled together. Late in the afternoon I see what I first thought was an otter coming out of the pine trees about 30 yds away.

I then thought to myself, why would there be an otter way out here, I am not near any kind of substantial water. Then I thought it might have been a weasel or a mink (neither of which I have seen in the wild).

The next thing I know, it is making its way straight over to me. It appeared to be very curious with the blind and or myself. it stopped about 2 ft away from me looking around at and through the blind. At this point I can see it really close and the best I could think of at the time was that it appeared to be like a cross between a squirrel and a fox... very cute little guy.

He then came around the side of the blind where he could look directly in. At this point he is within two feet of my person which is just sitting on the ground with my back against a tree. Not wanting the little guy to come into the blind and get frightened by me ... and possibly biting or scratching me ... I nodded my head really slowly at it.

That put him on alert at which point he promptly hooped into the nearest tree and started making his way throught the woods.

I had to look it up when I got home... turns out it was a Pine Marten.

this is close to what I saw... the one I saw was a little darker and larger and his 'bib' was more red.

[Hobbitling]

You probably saw a fisher, probably a female, which are about half the size of males, similar size as a marten. Fishers are darker than martens, pretty dark brown, and have a big bushy tail. Martens and Fishers are very closely related. Both are related to otters, in the mustelid (weasel) family, but non aquatic. Nobody seems to know why they are called fishers, since they don't eat fish.

I'm a bit jealous, they tend to avoid being seen, but are actually becoming pretty common nowadays. Good decision not to let it get too close, they are seriously tough little critters. If it can kill a porcupine I'm not going to mess with it.

[redhawk]

I had to look it up when I got home... turns out it was a Pine Marten.

this is close to what I saw... the one I saw was a little darker and larger and his 'bib' was more red.

Their winter coats tend to be darker, just like whitetails

[sp_nyp]

I am definitely sure it was a marten... I looked at the fisher originally when I got home.

It wasn't quite as big and dark as the fisher and its bib was very apparent. Especially from 2ft away.

The facial construct seems to differ a little as well.

Hopefully I will get a pic of him one of these days and I can post it up here.

That would be really cool to see a fisher though.

[Harvey44]

Unfortunately deer that are not afraid is a sign of encroaching civilization. The deer in suburban NJ have no fear. Really wild deer are afraid.

[ADKnative]

Unfortunately deer that are not afraid is a sign of encroaching civilization. The deer in suburban NJ have no fear. Really wild deer are afraid.

I was thinking that too when I saw her, but this is a well traveled area so I am sure she is just used to hikers. Luckily there isn't much developed land around there.

[Harvey44]

That's my point - she's accustomed to people.

[dmartenvt]

I'm a bit jealous, they tend to avoid being seen, but are actually becoming pretty common nowadays. Good decision not to let it get too close, they are seriously tough little critters. If it can kill a porcupine I'm not going to mess with it.

I was lucky enough to see a fisher last weekend crossing the road. I also saw one late at night in Vermont a few years ago. If I had to say at the time, I'd swear it was a wolverine - it was the size of a bear cub. The one I saw last weekend was a normal sized fisher.

[looncry]

I was climbing the Brothers, Big Slide, and Yard last week, and was heading back on the JBL trail to The Garden when I met this deer. I saw her in the woods from a short distance down the trail and decided to try to get closer. She didn't seem alarmed by my presence at all. I was actually close enough where I could have reached out and touched her, and she showed absolutely no fear. I sat on a log for about 15 minutes watching her graze about in the woods, occasionally lifting her head to look at me. Eventually she moved further in and I decided to let her be, but I did take a few pictures before she moved off. It was a very pleasant experience, I always love to be in close proximity to wildlife and observing them this way.

By the way on the same day I saw an owl (not sure what kind) and met a mouse on the summit of Big Slide who greatly enjoyed some peanuts I dropped.

Two years ago and this post is interesting. tx ADKnative. Looncry

[Cory D]

I imagine it might be the same dear who hangs out next to the JBL. It is so tame you'd have to kick it nowadays to frighten it. I was walking not 3 ft from it and it didn't care enough to look at me.