What the cat drug in

[Pony Soldier]

I came home tonight and was greeted by a dead juvenile erman that one of the barn cats had brought in for bragging rights. First one I had seen.

 

[Rogue Bay]

That looks like a least weasel. Without asking too much, are you in north central or eastern Montana?

I used to live in northwestern Montana and saw plenty of long-tailed and short-tailed weasels, but we didn’t get least weasels that far west so I never have seen one in person.

Our cat killed and brought a short-tailed weasel to us one time. I always thought that would have been an impressive fight to see.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Between Butte and Helena

 

[Pony Soldier]

I killed an elk out of St Regis in the 70s. I packed out half and came back for the second half. In that time one of these weasels claimed the gut pile. As I loaded the quarters on the horse, he would run out and grab my boot with his teeth, try to shake it and then run under the gut pile and hiss. There is no fear in these creatures and an immense imagination.

 

[Bubblehide]

an immense imagination.

They are giants!

 

[Mt Al]

That's cool! In 40+ years of traipsing about in the winter in MT I've seen two, but both had the black tip on the tail.

Just read in Montana's awesome Field Guide that least and short tailed weasels don't have the black tip, only the long tailed weasel:

(Family) Weasels - Montana Field Guide

fieldguide.mt.gov

Must have been an epic battle

 

[Pony Soldier]

Thanks! I hadn't found that. I guessing there is some cat hair at the conflict site.

 

[Rogue Bay]

That's cool! In 40+ years of traipsing about in the winter in MT I've seen two, but both had the black tip on the tail.

Just read in Montana's awesome Field Guide that least and short tailed weasels don't have the black tip, only the long tailed weasel:

(Family) Weasels - Montana Field Guide

fieldguide.mt.gov

Must have been an epic battle

Very cool, thanks for sharing! I hadn’t looked at that in years.

I have to respectfully disagree with the field guide on the black-tipped tail though LOL. The short-tailed weasel is also has that distinctive black-tipped tail. They’re the classic white and black so well know for the liners on the robes of royalty.

 

[Scoot]

I live in NW MN and we see them fairly often around here. My cats have drug 3 or 4 of them back to the house. Like said above- I bet it was a heck of a fight! We also have fisher here and those things are hell on cats!

 

[Pony Soldier]

A new addition to the tale. It is normal to have to dodge the mice and voles the cats drop off on the porch. Lately they have upgraded to red squirrels but this morning the tale reached a new level.

I went out to feed and the morning offering was a young muskrat. My cats obviously have high aspirations. I can hardly wait for when a beaver shows up. The odd component is the fact that the nearest water source is more than a mile away.

 

[MarlinMark]

You should start doing euro skull mounts of all your cat's kills. Weasel skulls look awesome... if there is no reference to scale in a photo you would be terrified of the animal that has that skull.

 

[rayporter]

just yesterday there was a pile of feathers at the barn door. that bird had harassed the cat all summer.

 

[MarlinMark]

Did you keep the weasel skull?

 

[Pony Soldier]

Sorry. Nope