# Weasels in Northeast Georgia?



## Gray Surveyor (May 9, 2020)

I remember once as a boy hearing of someone around here catching or killing a weasel. Never heard anything else about them. I'm pretty sure I saw two the other night 50 yards from our house. And I have fuzzy night time trail cam pictures of what looks like a weasel. Am I seeing things?


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## Nicodemus (May 9, 2020)

You`re probably not seeing things. Georgia has longtailed weasels. They`re about as secretive as any critter out there too.


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## Gray Surveyor (May 9, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> You`re probably not seeing things. Georgia has longtailed weasels. They`re about as secretive as any critter out there too.


We live in the boonies. It's over half a mile as the crow flies to our nearest neighbor  and more than a mile to the next nearest. We've lived here for almost 14 years and have never seen a weasel until the other night when I heard some sort of chattering. I turned on a really bright flashlight and saw what I thought were two cats. But they didnt move like cats. Both stood on their hind legs looking at me until I moved closer and they slowly ran away moving like a ferret (my only real frame of reference). And when I walked back towards the house they went back to the area where I first saw them. Not very afraid.


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## Thunder Head (May 9, 2020)

Ive seen martins in Ky. and Weasels in Colo.

The move just like a ferret. Faster maybe. My only reference is a pet ferret too.


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## Joe Brandon (May 10, 2020)

I saw a black mink once in my neigborhood and come to find out ga has a good mink population!


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## oldguy (May 10, 2020)

Weasels, ferrets, martens, fisher, otter, badger, skunks all cousins of the same family - Mustelidae. Only ever seen three weasels, all dead, here in SOWEGA. Wouldn't be surprised to see 'em anywhere in GA. Had a friend at UGA named "Weasel" back in the 70s. So I know there was at least one in NEGA!


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## Gray Surveyor (May 10, 2020)

Thanks for the replies. Guess I'm not as senile as I thought. I've seen skunks and otters (otters only in remote areas) many times and groundhogs a few times. We saw coyotes and armadillos when there weren't supposed to be any here. I guess weasels shouldn't be a surprise. To slightly hijack my own thread... Other oddities:  I've never seen a rattlesnake in the wild (seriously never), I've only seen two true water moccasins and only one coral snake and it was roadkill. I've seen hundreds (or more) copperheads and thousands of the common non poisonous snakes and critters. I've never been lucky enough to see a big cat that some very reputable people have reported seeing. The biggest footprints I've seen had boots on. I have heard a few things I can't identify in the early mornings just after midnight. (A deer just blew at me as I'm writing this.) This being said based on most of my life and work being done within a 50 mile radius of where I live and the *absolute fact that none of the critters named has a copy of, nor could read if it did, the applicable maps of their territories. Note: *Partially plagiarized in honor of an old friend that I won't name unless he asks me to.


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## NCHillbilly (May 10, 2020)

Long-tailed weasels are fairly common in most places, you usually just don't see them very often. They live in every state in the country, including the whole state of Georgia. They are supposed to be there. 

Same with mink-common, but rarely seen. We also have least weasels here in the mountains.


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (May 10, 2020)

I’ve seen one mink two weasels and three otters in ga.


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## Nicodemus (May 10, 2020)

Only seen three weasels myself. One in the mid 1960s in Wheeler County and 2 here in Lee County, last year. Saw mink fairly regular over there back then, and trapped a few. Otters are a regular occurrence to swampers and trappers. I see them regular. They get bigger than most folks realize.


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## NCHillbilly (May 10, 2020)

Mr Bya Lungshot said:


> I’ve seen one mink two weasels and three otters in ga.


If you were running a trapline you'd see a lot more. I also see a lot of mink and otters when I'm out fishing. I've seen literally hundreds of both over the years. Not nearly as many weasels. Probably only a dozen live ones in my life.


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## whitetailfreak (May 10, 2020)

I see mink quiet often while fishing Mountain streams. I see one about every trip to Tellico.


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## Joe Brandon (May 10, 2020)

whitetailfreak said:


> I see mink quiet often while fishing Mountain streams. I see one about every trip to Tellico.


Buddy I miss you man!!! About time to get after it again.


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## Thunder Head (May 10, 2020)

Oddly enough,
 I too have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild here in ga. Ive only seen one copperhead crossing a hiking trail.
 Seen multiples of both on paved and dirt roads.

P.S.
 I did discover. If a prairie rattler crawls in the blind and under your chair. When it shakes its tail. Scream like a little girl! It will turn around and leave the way it came.

Your mileage may vary.


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## Nicodemus (May 10, 2020)

Thunder Head said:


> Oddly enough,
> I too have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild here in ga. Ive only seen one copperhead crossing a hiking trail.
> Seen multiples of both on paved and dirt roads.
> 
> ...




What part of Georgia you in?


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## Thunder Head (May 10, 2020)

Stephens county. The foothills

My friends say i dont see snakes because im not afraid of them and dont look for them.


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## Gray Surveyor (May 10, 2020)

Thunder Head said:


> Oddly enough,
> I too have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild here in ga. Ive only seen one copperhead crossing a hiking trail.
> Seen multiples of both on paved and dirt roads.
> 
> ...


I used to sit and read at our picnic shelter into the wee hours of the night (on my phone). One night I realized it was dark, so i was going to put my feet on the ground from the footstool i was using to take two steps and turn the light on. One foot landed on something that didn't feel right. I quickly put my feet back on the stool and looked down by the light of my phone. Screaming like a girl doesn't work for copperheads. He was coiled under my chair with two frog's feet sticking out of his mouth. If he hadn't had a mouthful when my foot landed on him, he'd have bitten me I'm sure. My wife was already in bed asleep and didn't hear me screaming so I called my son on his phone (which he rarely answers) and his wife picked up. She managed to understand that something needed shot. It took a little bit but he got it out from under my chair where it was relaxing, digesting its meal and shot it. 27" long. I don't sit at the picnic shelter and read anymore.


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## Gray Surveyor (May 10, 2020)

Thunder Head said:


> Stephens county. The foothills
> 
> My friends say i dont see snakes because im not afraid of them and dont look for them.


Hey neighbor! I'm in Elbert County.


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## NCHillbilly (May 11, 2020)

Thunder Head said:


> Stephens county. The foothills
> 
> My friends say i dont see snakes because im not afraid of them and dont look for them.





Gray Surveyor said:


> Hey neighbor! I'm in Elbert County.


I just think that there aren't as many rattlesnakes in that area as there are in most of Georgia. I have a good friend in Elbert, and right across the river on the SC side in Abbeville and McCormick counties, I have a lot of friends. None of them have ever seen a rattler in that area in their lives except for a few pygmies.


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## Gray Surveyor (May 11, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> I just think that there aren't as many rattlesnakes in that area as there are in most of Georgia. I have a good friend in Elbert, and right across the river on the SC side in Abbeville and McCormick counties, I have a lot of friends. None of them have ever seen a rattler in that area in their lives except for a few pygmies.



Why do you think this area has so few rattlers?


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## NCHillbilly (May 11, 2020)

Gray Surveyor said:


> Why do you think this area has so few rattlers?


I don't know. There are parts of central NC that are the same, pretty much no rattlers. Around here, I've seen several in one day before.


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## NCHillbilly (May 11, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> Only seen three weasels myself. One in the mid 1960s in Wheeler County and 2 here in Lee County, last year. Saw mink fairly regular over there back then, and trapped a few. Otters are a regular occurrence to swampers and trappers. I see them regular. They get bigger than most folks realize.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The last one I skinned was an even four feet from nose to tailtip. They are the hardest critters to skin that I've ever laid a knife on, too.


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## Nicodemus (May 11, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> The last one I skinned was an even four feet from nose to tailtip. They are the hardest critters to skin that I've ever laid a knife on, too.




Yep, they are hidebound for sure.


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## turkeykirk (May 11, 2020)

Haven’t seen any weasels around here but have seen a few minks over the years.


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## turkeykirk (May 11, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> Only seen three weasels myself. One in the mid 1960s in Wheeler County and 2 here in Lee County, last year. Saw mink fairly regular over there back then, and trapped a few. Otters are a regular occurrence to swampers and trappers. I see them regular. They get bigger than most folks realize.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



One thing I do know about otters is that they sure can clean out a farm pond of fish in no time.


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## ghadarits (May 11, 2020)

Thunder Head said:


> Stephens county. The foothills
> 
> My friends say i dont see snakes because im not afraid of them and dont look for them.


I’ve seen two Timber rattlers in Stephens County. One near Spring Branch boat ramp in the early 90’s about 3ft long and another near Jenkins Ferry boat ramp in 2008 that was a bigger specimen at almost 5ft. That tornado that went through the Jenkins Ferry area a few weeks ago didn’t do those folks any favors.


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## ghadarits (May 11, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> I don't know. There are parts of central NC that are the same, pretty much no rattlers. Around here, I've seen several in one day before.


I know where a rattle snake migration route is. Don’t laugh... I used to hunt a spot on the Green - Oglethorpe county border near Woodville and there was a rock outcropping that they must have hibernated in. It wasn’t unusual to see one cross my food plot heading that way usually in the afternoons. I probably witnessed 7 or 8 cross in a 50 yard stretch and I only ever hunted that spot on overcast afternoons for a few years. That place convinced me of the value of snake boots.


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## Nicodemus (May 11, 2020)

ghadarits said:


> I know where a rattle snake migration route is. Don’t laugh... I used to hunt a spot on the Green - Oglethorpe county border near Woodville and there was a rock outcropping that they must have hibernated in. It wasn’t unusual to see one cross my food plot heading that way usually in the afternoons. I probably witnessed 7 or 8 cross in a 50 yard stretch and I only ever hunted that spot on overcast afternoons for a few years. That place convinced me of the value of snake boots.




There`s a canebrake crossing about 300 yards west of my home. I can`t tell you how many I`ve seen or escorted across the road there over the past 27 years.


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## Gray Surveyor (May 11, 2020)

ghadarits said:


> I know where a rattle snake migration route is. Don’t laugh... I used to hunt a spot on the Green - Oglethorpe county border near Woodville and there was a rock outcropping that they must have hibernated in. It wasn’t unusual to see one cross my food plot heading that way usually in the afternoons. I probably witnessed 7 or 8 cross in a 50 yard stretch and I only ever hunted that spot on overcast afternoons for a few years. That place convinced me of the value of snake boots.


I have friends on bairdstown road


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## Jimmypop (May 11, 2020)

Boll weasels ruined our cotton crop a couple years while I was growing up . ( Go ahead... ban me. I totally deserve it.I don't know what got in me. I just couldn't help myself. ) lol


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## blood on the ground (May 11, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> Only seen three weasels myself. One in the mid 1960s in Wheeler County and 2 here in Lee County, last year. Saw mink fairly regular over there back then, and trapped a few. Otters are a regular occurrence to swampers and trappers. I see them regular. They get bigger than most folks realize.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's a good size one Nic! I'm more impressed by all at fancy grass you are standing in! You at Sinclair's house?


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## Nicodemus (May 11, 2020)

blood on the ground said:


> That's a good size one Nic! I'm more impressed by all at fancy grass you are standing in! You at Sinclair's house?




Not hardly! That`s part of my pasture, out in front of my pole barn. In Mid January.


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## ucfireman (May 11, 2020)

Joe Brandon said:


> I saw a black mink once in my neigborhood and come to find out ga has a good mink population!


I saw a mink for the first and only time while hunting last year. Had no clue what it was or that they were in Ga.


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## NCHillbilly (May 12, 2020)

ucfireman said:


> I saw a mink for the first and only time while hunting last year. Had no clue what it was or that they were in Ga.


I used to trap them, still see a lot of them trout fishing. They will follow you sometimes, hoping to get a fish. They can act really tame. This one wasn't at all afraid of me.


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## oldguy (May 12, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> Yep, they are hidebound for sure.


And the most beautiful!
Had a great year around in Mitchell County one year, caught 50. Walking in high cotton!
While checking traps along a tiny creeek in Grady County once I saw an otter come loping through the woods toward the creek on the opposite side. Decided to play with him. He could only go up and down stream and I had traps in both directions. I ran along the creek with him swimming first one way then the other. I was standing on an old root wad on the bank when I lost sight of him. Looked down between my feet and could see his tail. He was "hiding" under the root wad where I was standing! Again decided to have a little fun with him so I reached down and grabbed his tail. Didn't take long to turn him loose!


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## blood on the ground (May 12, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> Not hardly! That`s part of my pasture, out in front of my pole barn. In Mid January.


Good looking place!


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## mguthrie (May 25, 2020)

Nicodemus said:


> Only seen three weasels myself. One in the mid 1960s in Wheeler County and 2 here in Lee County, last year. Saw mink fairly regular over there back then, and trapped a few. Otters are a regular occurrence to swampers and trappers. I see them regular. They get bigger than most folks realize.
> 
> Beautiful otter. I trapped one years ago that was as long as my tailgate is wide. His pelt was 60” long after skinning and was almost black. That was one old otter. A buddy of mine trapped a weasel when we were teenagers in Ohio. I road my bike 4 miles into town to see it. It’s the only one I’ve ever seen
> 
> ...


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## DAVE (May 25, 2020)

I have seen several weasels in Georgia over the years. They are built close to the ground and that makes them hard to see if there is any ground cover at all.


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## Throwback (May 25, 2020)

I got a weasel in the freezer that was ran over just up the road from my house.  Assuming my wife hasn’t thrown it away that is.


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## spencer12 (May 25, 2020)

I watched two otters work like a pair of wolves In a pond that was nearly dry this past deer season. I watched them catch fish for hours. One would wait on one end while the other drove all the fish to the other. Then they would switch sides, it was pretty cool.


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## bfriendly (May 30, 2020)

Throwback said:


> I got a weasel in the freezer that was ran over just up the road from my house.  Assuming my wife hasn’t thrown it away that is.


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## steveus (Jul 27, 2020)

The salt marshes on the GA coast are full of minks, at least that's what I think they are! See the all the time.


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## Doug B. (Jul 27, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> I used to trap them, still see a lot of them trout fishing. They will follow you sometimes, hoping to get a fish. They can act really tame. This one wasn't at all afraid of me.
> 
> View attachment 1016449


Yeah, until you catch one in a trap that is still alive.   It's like a mouth full of razor blades.  I have caught and a few mink, but I don't reckon I have ever seen a weasel.   Do they work water like a mink or are they more of a dry ground critter?


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 27, 2020)

Doug B. said:


> Yeah, until you catch one in a trap that is still alive.   It's like a mouth full of razor blades.  I have caught and a few mink, but I don't reckon I have ever seen a weasel.   Do they work water like a mink or are they more of a dry ground critter?


Weasels are a dry ground critter. And yeah, any critter in the weasel family is mean as a turpentined snake when you mess with it.


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## Para Bellum (Jul 27, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> I just think that there aren't as many rattlesnakes in that area as there are in most of Georgia. I have a good friend in Elbert, and right across the river on the SC side in Abbeville and McCormick counties, I have a lot of friends. None of them have ever seen a rattler in that area in their lives except for a few pygmies.



I can second this.  Lived in Elbert 5 years and never saw one.  Lived in Wilkes 3 years and never saw one.  Lived in Taliaferro for 6 and saw 1 Pygmy.  South of Taliaferro, seen plenty canebrakes regularly.  Actually saw a cottonmouth in Lincoln one time too.  Kinda odd.


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## Para Bellum (Jul 27, 2020)

Metro Trout said:


> I can second this.  Lived in Elbert 5 years and never saw one.  Lived in Wilkes 3 years and never saw one.  Lived in Taliaferro for 6 and saw 1 Pygmy.  South of Taliaferro, seen plenty canebreaks regularly.  Actually saw a cottonmouth in Lincoln one time too.  Kinda odd.



Edgefield across the river seems to have a gracious plenty canebrakes as well.


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## Wifeshusband (Aug 15, 2020)

I've seen plenty in the courtrooms, but never any in the wild.


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## nmurph (Aug 23, 2020)

I've seen three weasels in my life. The first was about 35 years ago when I was cutting a hat field. I came home and told my dad what I had seen and he said nonchalantly, it was a weasel. That was the first time I'd ever heard of them.

I saw another a couple of years ago while deer hunting. He was mousing in a stand if planted longleaf pines.

I saw another one this spring while cutting a very overgrown yard.


Rattlesnakes- pretty common  

Coral Snake- I've seen a few.

Indigo Snakes- one or so each year.

Bald Eagle- saw one a couple of months ago- pretty rare right around here- saw two males fighting a couple of years ago.

Foxes/Yotes/Bobcats- common 

Otters- I see one most deer seasons- usually high on a sandridge where the nearest water is several hundred yards away.


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## doublebarrel (Aug 24, 2020)

Taliaferro County Ga. has plenty of big rattlers! Bobby


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## baddave (Aug 24, 2020)

doublebarrel said:


> Taliaferro County Ga. has plenty of big rattlers! Bobby


yes , yes we do .. i captured a eastern diamondback a few yrs back approx 6'6" probbly 14-16 " circumference  . to date the prettiest snake i've ever seen and i grew up around snakes. not crazy about em


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## NCHillbilly (Aug 24, 2020)

Metro Trout said:


> I can second this.  Lived in Elbert 5 years and never saw one.  Lived in Wilkes 3 years and never saw one.  Lived in Taliaferro for 6 and saw 1 Pygmy.  South of Taliaferro, seen plenty canebrakes regularly.  Actually saw a cottonmouth in Lincoln one time too.  Kinda odd.


That's the edge of cottonmouth range. Buddy of mine down there said he's seen one in his life around there-it was on the SC Little River arm of Clark's Hill in McCormick Co.


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## Para Bellum (Aug 24, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> That's the edge of cottonmouth range. Buddy of mine down there said he's seen one in his life around there-it was on the SC Little River arm of Clark's Hill in McCormick Co.



Mine was on a dirt road close to Fishing Creek on Clark’s Hill.


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