Black Kitten!?, No; Squirrel !?, Mink!?, what is it?

[FourBee]

 And I thought I could identify any animal...

This morning about 10.a.m. while doing some chores around the barn, and hauling off some straw, I came up on a medium sized black kitten about 40 yards ahead of me.   As he darted across the trail, I thought what's a scrawny kitten doing way back here in the field?   I noticed its tail was too thick for a cat, but didn't seem bushy enough for a squirrel either. The grass being about 8" high and thick, he had to jump alot, and it just didn't fit a kitten's characteristics the way he scurried off.   I thought maybe it was a Mink since its head appeared bigger than a squirrels, but don't know if they would be as active as this was.     I really don't know what I saw. 

[leesecw]

Sounds like you saw a pine marten. I see them up in michigan where im from

[quickdtoo]

That would be my guess too.

Tim

[Casull]

Did he have a stripe down his back?   

[FourBee]

   Now Casull I hope I can still recognize a skunk .

   He didn't amble off, he was truckin it.  I could make out its ears, and this thing was jet black, and sure resembles Tim's pic .    I've never heard of martens around here though.

   Kittens usually creep or leap into thick brush to hide, which was close by, but this critter took off at an angle away from me towards the treeline about another 35 yards.

   Thanks for the photo Tim, I'll read up on them.
  LG

[mrsfroghunter]

It looks to me like someone is missing a faret lol

Mrs. Froghunter

[FourBee]

    That could be a possibility if ferrets are black.   I've been back there a few times since my post,  hoping I might see it again.  Of course I had a gun with me so I could make a positive I D.    I've got a live trap that I may set out and see if it will produce anything.   Probably never see it again though.

LG

[FourBee]

Mystery solved !     I'd given up on ever seeing this critter again, but yesterday deer hunting, I jumped him on a creek bank in some thick grass.   He sprang up about 8 feet down the bank from me, and was gone in a flash.   But he's definitely a cat under a year old.   Very malnourished, and very wild.   He seems spry enough now, but surviving the winter out there may be another story.   

  The good thing that came out of this head scratcher is that now I know what it is......

[prairiedog555]

I was going to say that don't rule out a black squirrel.  There is a town around here in NE Kansas that has a whole colony of them.  Marysville Ks.  they have signs up advertising the fact and not to shoot them.  funny how nature does things.  If I am not mistaken all black is rarer that albino, but there they are, hundreds of them.