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Red Fox (Vulpes fulva)

The red fox resembles a small shepherd dog with a bushy tail, erect ears pointed snout, and long legs, the normal color is a reddish yellow to rusty orange with a white-tipped tail, and black long legs, feet and ears. Darker color variations known as cross and silver fox occur in some areas. Fox look larger than they really are. Larger specimens will reach lengths of about 42" with the bushy tail being about 3/5 as long as the body. Maximum weights are about 13 to 15 pounds, about half as heavy as a beagle dog. The pelt features long glossy guard hairs with dense underfur ranging from nearly white to a medium gray brown in normally colored individuals.

Reproduction

Red fox breed in late winter with the pups being born about 53 days later. Both adults may take part in rearing the litter, which usually includes about 4-9 young. Fox have only one litter per year.

Fox den in abandoned woodchuck burrows, old slab piles, under abandoned buildings, or in small rock caves. They may dig their own dens in porous soils.

Habitat

Red fox prefer a mixture of mature, open forest and open fields. Farming country often supports excellent fox populations.

Habits

Red fox are mainly nocturnal, but they are frequently active during the day. Fond of winter sunbathing, they can often be seen on slopes with a southern exposure. Fox feed mainly on insects, small vertebrates, some carrion (animals found dead), and fruits, nuts, and berries when those foods are readily available.

Fox often hunt and travel along field edges, game trails, wood roads, and cleared rights-of-way. They tend to hunt along hedgerows and other strips of cover rather than the central parts of open areas. Fox are wary and have excellent hearing, good eyesight, and finely tuned scenting abilities. They come to baits cautiously, tending to scan the area over carefully from an elevated spot such as a log or ant hill before moving to a trap site.

Fox range over a rather large area (up to 1 square mile) marking their travels much like domestic dogs by urinating on prominent objects.

Diseases

Red fox are susceptible to sarcoptic mange, distemper, and rabies. The precautions mentioned earlier with respect to being bit or to handling dead or dying animals also apply here.

The symptoms of mange on a fox are: flaky skin, missing fur (especially on the tail), crusty patches or squinting eyes. Any fox that may have mange should be handled with caution using rubber gloves, since mange mites can infect humans and domestic animals. Be especially careful when killing the fox and try not to stand on the fox because that might expose you to the disease. If the fox has only a little mange (such as just a little flaky skin on the lower legs), the fox can be carried with rubber gloves and frozen in a plastic bag. After two weeks, the mange mites will be dead and the fox can be skinned. If the fox has more mange, the pelt will probably be worthless and the trapper should place the entire fox carcass in a plastic bag and bury it deep enough to prevent dogs or fox from digging it up. Many trappers also remove the trap and keep it in a plastic bag until it can be re-dyed with any other equipment involved. Never release a fox with mange because this disease is always fatal to red fox.

Trapping Tactics

Fox pelts are best from about November through the beginning of January. After that time the color of the pelts may begin to fade.

Because fox are cautious and have excellent noses, traps and sets must be well hidden and free from foreign odors. Good fox trappers are careful trap handlers and set makers.

The dirt-hole set and variations of it have taken more fox than all other sets combined. Dirt-hole sets can be made more 'A dog-proof by keeping a size 1 1/2 trap as close to the bait-hole as possible, placing the trap so the fox comes across the jaw and using a selective bait, fox urine, and gland lure. Because fox do not like to get wet, spring-hole sets will yield a number of animals each year. The scent post set takes advantage of a fox's home range marking system. Flat sets are also effective. The newer 1 1/2 coil spring trap (with smaller pan) is recommended for fox.

Baits and Lures

Fox urine is an excellent fox lure. Fox are also attracted to a variety of rotten flesh baits, fish oil, and skunk or mink musk. Many commercial lures are available, but many trappers make their own. A wise trapper will test the lure on a few sets before using it on the rest of the line. Red fox gland lures are also among the most effective and selective lures for fox.

Fox baits are generally made from fresh or partially decomposed red meats. Some trappers use pieces of honeycomb or even mouse nests as bait.