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Post by geauxtrappin on Apr 28, 2014 8:51:15 GMT -5
A few months back I was doing some studying on. Long Tailed Weasels.. I seen they are on the LDWF website as a louisiana species, but extremely rare "Highly Local" is how they put it. Their population is condensed to the ouachita river basin. Went to visit an uncle in Lincoln Parish on Saturday and he told me earlier in the week his blue heeled was going Ape Stuff outside his shed, so he peeped out and seen what he thought was a rat take off from under the shed, his dog caught it and unfortunately killed it. He walked over to see what it was because his dog was very cautious of it after it killed it, he said he knew immediately it wasn't a rat and he had never seen anything like it in 52 years of living. He got to researching it and he knew it was a weasel. He set it up on his picnic table and ran inside to get my aunt and her camera but when he got back to it, his dog had already jumped on the table and hauled it off somewhere... Dang!!! Had a yellowish belly and brown back he said, about as big around as an 1 1/8" PVC and maybe a foot long tail and all. This is a good sign!! Their population is growing and expanding. For those of you who hae an interest on trying to catch one now, please use your common sense and remember it ain't legal to trap them. My uncle insisted wildlife and fisheries not be contacted because he don't want them running all over his property marking off sections as sanctuary or whatever. Apparently one of his favorite fishing holes was taken over by LDWF several years ago when he reported an ivory billed woodpecker he seen there. On the LDWF map they have union parish and ouachita parishes marked on the map as having weasels.. I have not seen one in union. I think this is awesome, Thought some others would be interested in this too. Be smart, let them grow. Louisiana habitat is prime habitat for everything.. Except penguins
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Post by geauxtrappin on Apr 28, 2014 9:01:39 GMT -5
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paul
Junior Member
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Post by paul on Apr 28, 2014 21:01:56 GMT -5
I picked up a road killed long tailed weasel about six years ago in Calcasieu Parish. I didn't think we had any here and figured it must of escaped from someone. I called LDWF and talked to the zoologist. He told me we have some in the state and they are a "species of concern" in Louisiana. He said that they have been expanding their range and this was the first one reported in Calcasieu Parish. I asked him if they turn white in the winter like they do up north (I found it in April). He told me that they only turn white in northern states that have a lot of snow. He asked me a few questions about the habitat where I had found it. I asked him if he wanted it, he didn't. Then I asked him if it would be OK for me to skin an tan it since he didn't want it. He said it would be OK since I reported it. So I have a tanned long tailed weasel from Calcasieu Parish.
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Post by Tony Howard on Apr 28, 2014 21:58:11 GMT -5
Paul you stated they were a species of concern in the state. What did he mean by that? Are they worried about them expanding their range or their range being smaller?
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Jim
New Member
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Post by Jim on Apr 29, 2014 11:20:39 GMT -5
My fisrt encounter with the long-tailed weasel in Louisian was a road kill I found in McNary in 1996. In 1999 I went to work as a wildlife biologist at Fort Polk and we began catching weasels in traps designed to capture the Louisiana Pine Snake ( its basically a box with a funnel on each side and a fence leading up to it. Just an estimate but I know there has been over a dozen realeased. In addition I have pick up one road kill on Fort Polk and three one morning on Hwy 10 in Pitkin ( an adult and two young.) Habitat is varied. Most of the ones caught in traps were on ridges in Longleaf pine forest. The road kills were near creek bottoms. Species of concern is the lowest level before restrictions are applied. Personally I think there are a lot more than we realize. Ive been trapping off and on since the early 60's and never caught one. All the ones we caught in the snake traps were released. If I can dig up a picture of one in the trap Ill post it.
Jim
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Post by geauxtrappin on Apr 29, 2014 17:46:17 GMT -5
From the research I have done, without snow on the ground or a sighting, most people don't get know they are around. My uncle has resided at his residence for over 30yrs and has spent a lot of that time combing his woods and creek for deer sign. He even did a little coon trapping years back and never seen one. I found some tracks early this past season along a creek I was trapping, sort of like a mink but differences in size and toes... I set for it thinking mink but never caught anything. I've been thinking about it all season because it was weird not being able to id the tracks with confidence. I bet the right Jim, I bet there are ALOT more than we think. I wonder how LDWF would be able to do a study of some kind to see how wide spread the population is. The map LDWF shows 2 parishes in the central southern part of louisiana, and 3 or 4 parishes in my area. Lincoln, union, ouachita and Jackson I believe. I've always wanted to see a weasel in person.. Neat little critters. I think Stanley Hawbaker wrote in one of his books that if the weasel was a dog sized animal it would not be safe for any man to walk in the woods. To be so small, they are Bloodthirsty and will attack animals 5x their size. It's really cool how they dance around and out rabbits under hypnosis pretty much so they can prey upon them. YouTube has a few videos of their "dance".
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paul
Junior Member
Posts: 60
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Post by paul on Apr 29, 2014 19:11:10 GMT -5
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Post by Ryan Schaefer on Apr 29, 2014 19:59:34 GMT -5
I would feel pretty confident saying that there arent any in Vermilion parish. Given the number of mink ive caught, and the variety of non targets that have found their way into my 110's, and my method of trap modification, if one were there, id have caught one by now.
110 catches
coon
Opposum
Mink
skunk
squirrel
muskrat
birds of all sizes
Bullfrogs
Water Moccassin
Choupique
& Amphiuma.
If there were a long tail in my midst, i'd have one to show!! Wish there were!
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Post by geauxtrappin on Apr 29, 2014 20:36:36 GMT -5
Beautiful fur Paul!! You way down brotha Ryan, hey!! Weasel musk is an enrager for mink, like mink musk is for an otter. A mink will go out of its way to kill a weasel, and so will a red fox.... Must be hard being so killer but so small.
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