WILDLIFE REPORT FROM N.H. FISH AND GAME - January 31, 2005

February is a "make or break" month for New Hampshire's wildlife.

Will our woodchucks, deer, bear, raccoons and skunks have enough stored fat 
reserves to
last the rest of the winter? So far, our winter weather has been 
favorable for
them. Snow depth has been minimal to nonexistent, with above-average
temperatures for days on end. That's probably not as important for the
woodchucks snuggled deep in a winter burrow, but it's certainly a 
critical
factor in the likely survival of deer born last June.

The long process of getting into winter-survival mode -- which began 
back in
October -- slowly begins to turn around in February. Gray squirrels 
will soon
enter the first of two yearly mating seasons, with young born as early 
as the
first week of March in southern N.H. The lengthening days of February 
will
drive skunks into a mating mode, as well as great horned owls. The 
promise of
spring and fresh new life wells up within all living things in direct
proportion to the longer days. February offers a hint of that promise. 
--Eric
Orff, Wildlife Biologist

Don't forget the 2005 BACKYARD WINTER BIRD SURVEY on February 12 and 
13.
Participants volunteer to report any bird species visiting their yard 
and/or
feeders in New Hampshire that weekend. N.H. Audubon conducts the survey 
to
gather information on the distribution and abundance of many winter 
species in
the state. Get involved by visiting http://www.nhaudubon.org/bwbs.htm.

Know someone who'd enjoy getting this free monthly report? Have them 
sign up at
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Inside_FandG/join_mail_list.htm.

Let us know about wildlife topics you'd like to see covered -- email
jvachon@wildlife.state.nh.us.

IN THIS ISSUE:
   * Moose in Wintertime....Where DO they go?
   * Which Winter Weasel?
   * 'Tis the Season for Northern Shrimp


MOOSE IN WINTERTIME…WHERE DO THEY GO?

It's no secret that moose do not winter in Florida. Condo associations 
refuse to
admit them, so moose must find winter quarters in other climes. Luckily 
for
them, they are perfectly adapted to spend the winter in the snowy 
north, far
from Florida's sunny shores.

Moose are, after all, a northern species. They exist all across the 
northern
hemisphere from China to Scandinavia in Eurasia and from Utah to Alaska 
in
North America. Moose are perfectly adapted to live in the wintry north. 
Their
large body size reduces heat loss because of the low 
surface-area-to-volume
ratio. Long legs allow adult moose to handle snow depths of 36 inches, 
although
at 28 inches they may seek shelter in softwood cover. In addition, snow 
crust
will cause moose to restrict their movements to a more sheltered 
environment.
Spend five minutes walking without snowshoes on a breaking crust and 
you'll
understand why! While long legs allow moose to handle snow depths far 
beyond
the abilities of white-tailed deer (which can handle about 18 inches), 
moose do
prefer to spend the winter in an area that provides plenty of browse 
near a
sheltering, mature mixed-wood or coniferous forest.

This shelter actually serves a dual purpose -- not only does it help 
moose deal
with crust or very deep snow, it protects them from heat! The moose's 
long and
hollow outer hair coat, with its dense soft undercoat, allows it to 
easily
withstand the coldest of temperatures. While calves begin to feel the 
cold at
-22 degrees F, adults are able to withstand far colder temps. Moose are 
so well
insulated from the cold that winter temperatures of 23 degrees F will 
make them
pant. As our winter temperatures can be quite variable, moose depend on 
the
shade of softwood cover to keep them cool during our warmer winter 
days. On
warm winter days, some moose will lie flat in the snow to try to 
dissipate
their body heat. Summer temperatures as low as 57 degrees F can cause 
moose to
begin to suffer from heat stress, and moose will begin panting at 68 
degrees F.
So, while Florida condo associations won't rent to moose, the moose 
don't care.
They'd much rather spend their winters up north, and
  the colder, the better! -- Kristine Bontaites, Moose Project Leader, 
N.H. Fish
and Game


WHICH WINTER WEASEL?

New Hampshire has weasels in abundance. In fact, there are six members 
of the
mustelidae, or weasel family. They include (from smallest to largest): 
ermine
(also known as the short-tailed weasel), long-tailed weasel, pine 
marten, mink,
fisher and river otter. All of these, except the marten, are common to 
abundant
throughout most of New Hampshire, but most of us can count on our hands 
the
number of times we have seen any one of them. They may be abundant, but 
are
scarce to our view. Two species, the ermine and long-tailed weasel, 
disappear
nearly completely in winter by turning white as snow! If you can spot 
any
weasel, then you are doing remarkably well!

Weasels, by their very nature, keep themselves scarce. Most of them are 
either
most active after dark, or, as in the case of the otter, are active at 
first
light of morning. They leave an abundance of sign in our forests or 
along our
rivers. When the Fish and Game Department did numerous winter snow 
tracking
census lines in the early 1980s, fishers were the most frequently 
observed
tracks -- even more common than squirrels! Fisher are found practically
everywhere there is plentiful cover of softwoods, including our 
backyards.
Their distinctive two-two-two (: : : :) cantered prints in the snow 
leave ample
signs to find. Learning the signs of these small predators will open a 
whole new
world of wildlife for you to discover in your area.

Let's start with the smallest of these weasels, the ERMINE. While the 
term
"ermine" is often used to describe either the short-tailed or the 
long-tailed
in their winter-white fur phase, it is the short-tailed that is 
actually called
an ermine year-round. The ermine lives in the more northern reaches of 
North
America, from northern California to well into the Rockies and east to 
northern
Pennsylvania and all of New Hampshire. Ermine are generally 7 to 8 
inches in
total length, with fur covering even the bottoms of their feet in the 
winter.
In the winter, they are all white except for a black-tipped tail. Males 
are
considerably larger than females, as is the case with all weasel family
members. Very small mammals, like mice, voles and shrews, make up more 
than 80
percent of their diet. Over the years, I've had numerous reports of 
weasels
invading old colonial houses in the winter, no doubt there to capture 
the
abundance of mice found in these old buildings.

The LONG-TAILED WEASEL, at about 11 or 12 inches long, is actually only 
slightly
longer, or larger, than the ermine. Body measurements are needed to 
distinguish
a male ermine from a female long-tailed. They both turn pure white, 
except for
the black-tipped tail, in winter. Long-tailed weasels are widespread 
around the
world and are one of the most widely distributed mammals known. From 
the Arctic
to the tropics, you can find this little member of the weasel family, 
although
it does not range nearly as widely across northern Canada as its 
smaller
relative, the ermine. Similarities include a diet of mostly small 
mammals and a
home range of just a few acres, making these weasels very similar.

The PINE MARTEN is a larger cousin, generally at least twice as long as 
a
long-tailed weasel at about 20 to 25 inches long. Pine marten are on 
the
state's threatened species list. They have been making a remarkable 
return on
their own the last two decades. Currently, there is a small, but 
growing,
population in northern Coos County. Pine marten have been described as 
golden
brown, with a very distinctive yellow chin patch. Marten are an animal 
of the
far north, preferring the spruce-fir thickets of the Great North Woods. 
In an
ongoing New Hampshire study, nearly 30 pine marten were live-trapped 
and tagged
in the northeastern side of the state near the Maine border. Marten, 
like the
other weasels, prefer small prey mammals like voles, but also will eat 
fruits
and nuts.

If you live near a stream, river or pond, MINK are some of your 
neighbors. Mink
have a dark chestnut-brown colored pelt, only interrupted sometimes by 
a white
chin patch. They are similar in size to the marten. Mink are 
semi-aquatic in
nature, although they can and do range distances from water. Their 
typical home
range is nearly a mile of a river corridor. Their aquatic dwelling 
shows up in
their diet -- which is 31 percent fish, 25 percent frogs and 23 percent
crayfish -- although small mammals are often part of their prey base, 
as well.
Mink range widely over North America, except the desert southwest, and 
are
common throughout New Hampshire. Like other weasels, they are rarely 
seen.

FISHER, often nicknamed "fishercats" in New Hampshire, are one of the 
most
common land predators in the state -- and one of the least well 
understood.
Fisher are a mammal of great mystique here; probably more folklore 
abounds for
this species than any other in the state. The screaming of a fox in the 
night
is often attributed to the fisher. "Fishercats" are blamed for dozens 
of
missing cats each year. Do they eat cats? Sure, as do foxes, coyotes, 
owls and
-- more likely -- a local SUV. It is the nature of a housecat injured 
on a
highway to seek a hiding place to die, but you can bet a "fishercat" 
will be
blamed for its disappearance. In 1979 and 1980, Fish and Game collected 
more
than 1,000 fisher and checked their stomach contents to determine what 
they had
been feeding on. Cat hair was found in exactly...one! Housecats are not 
part of
their regular diet, but, like the other predators, fishers are 
opportunists. If
a housecat is out catching mice and squirrels, especially at
 night, competing with these predators for the prey they depend on, 
then the cat
may become part of the natural cycle of things. Mother Nature plays no
favorites. To keep your cat alive, keep it inside.

Fisher are considerably larger than marten at 35 to 40 inches long. 
Likewise,
their home range is considerably larger. In a New Hampshire study in 
the 1970s,
fisher had a home range of about 600 acres. Fisher live-trapped in New 
Hampshire
have been translocated to three other states to help re-establish 
populations.
In 1975, 25 were transferred to West Virginia in exchange for 25 wild 
turkeys.
In the early 1980s, about 30 were transferred to Connecticut; and in 
the mid
1990s, 175 were shipped to Pennsylvania to re-establish an extirpated
population there.

The biggest of New Hampshire's weasels is the RIVER OTTER, at 25 to 40 
inches
long. These stately creatures of the water are dark chocolate brown in 
color.
Otters may roam as much as nine square miles. As with mink, fish and 
crayfish
make up the majority of their diet. Like other weasels, otters are 
rarely seen,
despite their abundance. The otter sign that I frequently see is where 
they
slide along the snow in the winter.

I've frequently watched otter family groups in the Little Suncook River 
along
the Route 4 highway rest area in Epsom. I often stop to study the dark 
object
on the ice with binoculars in the spring, when the current first opens 
a
winding channel in the frozen Bixby Pond. Otter are powerful animals --
including their jaws. Several years ago, I watched an otter dive from 
the ice
into the water and return with a small painted turtle. It sat on the 
ice and
ate it, shell and all, like a cheeseburger. Otters are mostly 
fish-eaters,
though. I have many times watched them consume huge common white 
suckers, which
they seem to catch easily under the ice. One Fish and Game employee was 
watching
three otters feeding on fish last March, when suddenly an adult bald 
eagle
swooped out of a tree, scaring the otter off and grabbing the fish.

Otters range over much of North America, but historically their range 
was much
greater. Unregulated trapping in the 1800s, as well as pollution, 
eliminated
them from several states. Ongoing restoration efforts have been 
successful in
many areas, including Pennsylvania, which received a few New Hampshire 
otters
in the early 1990s.

How does the future look for New Hampshire's weasels? To maintain our 
wonderful
diversity and abundance of these sleek predators, we must protect and 
preserve
more of the large wooded habitat blocks in New Hampshire, especially 
those
along our rivers and streams. We must link these areas with wildlife 
corridors
along our rivers by protecting the riparian corridor at streams' edges. 
Recent
studies show that protecting a greenway 300 feet wide along our rivers 
and
stream could maintain nearly 80 percent of the states' diversity of 
species --
including many of our wily weasels. -- Eric Orff, wildlife biologist, 
N.H. Fish
and Game


'TIS THE SEASON FOR NORTHERN SHRIMP

Did you know it's northern shrimp fishing season? The current shrimp 
season
began in December 2004 and continues through March 25, 2005, for both 
mobile
and trap gear (Monday through Friday). This is a 70-day commercial 
fishing
season, a 30-day increase from last year's season. Historically, Gulf 
of Maine
northern shrimp have provided a source of income for the local fishing
community. This fishery generally peaks in late winter, when 
egg-bearing
(ovigerous) females move into inshore waters. You may have noticed 
delicious
native shrimp appearing at the fish counter of your local supermarket!

The northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis, has an unusual life cycle. 
Shrimp are
hermaphroditic, maturing and functioning as males at approximately age 
two,
passing through transitional stages and maturing as females at 
approximately
age three. Mature females may bear eggs up to two to three times during 
their
lifetime (about five years).

The northern shrimp resource in the Gulf of Maine is considered to be a 
"single
stock." Mating occurs offshore during summer months and eggs are 
extruded and
fertilized. These eggs are attached to the abdomen (underside of the 
belly) of
the females. These ovigerous females migrate inshore, where hatching 
occurs in
late winter. "Spent" females (females with hatched eggs) return to 
deeper water
offshore. After the larvae metamorphosize during the summer, they 
become bottom
dwellers and usually remain as juveniles until about age two, when they 
mature
as males and migrate into deeper waters, where they mate with older 
females and
the life cycle continues. It is the movement inshore of the large, 
egg-bearing
females that allows an inshore New England northern shrimp fishery 
during this
timeframe.

The Gulf of Maine fishery for northern shrimp is managed by agreement 
between
the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts through the 
Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery 
Management
Program. N.H. Fish and Game biologists conduct weekly port sampling 
from the
Yankee Fishermen's co-operative in Seabrook and the Portsmouth 
Fishermen's
co-operative in Portsmouth throughout the fishing season to furnish 
biological
and catch/effort information for the ASMFC. The New Hampshire data, 
along with
similar information from Maine and Massachusetts, used to advise 
fishery
managers on the status of the fishery, so that they can properly manage 
the
resource and set season dates. --Clare McBane, Marine Biologist, N.H. 
Fish and
Game.

___________________________________________

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the 
state's fish,
wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us.