[imfishin']

hey fellas, while out scouting i found what looks like a fox den, its about an 8ft berm, with holes on both sides, numerous tracks going in and out of both holes. my question, (being this will be the first trap i have ever set) should i set a trap on both holes? or should i set up away from it? thanks for any info....

 

[steve ypsi]

imfishin'
You better check those tracks real close, fox only den when they have pups and they are starting to mate at this time of year, in the rare ocasion they will go in a hole if it's really really cold, fox sleep in the open fields, fox tracks and coyote are very similar and if you follow these tracks a way from these holes a short ways there is no mistaking a wild canine, one print directly in front of the other, the wild canines differ from a dog , the dog's tracks are splayed out round more like a cat and they don't put one foot in front of the other, the fox and coyote are more narrow and the three main toes make a point not spread out like a dog, a cat track also makes one foot in front of the other but if you look close you will see the roundness to it . these holes you see are ground hog holes that other things use as a den, coon, skunk, wild feral cats, possum are some that do.
like I said above the best way to tell a wild canine is that they walk one foot directly in front of the other about 12 to 18 inchs apart depending which, coyote the longer step but it is always a straight line like they were walking on a tight rope.

 

[multibeard]

As we don't have that many grey fox around here I was wondering if they may be grey fox. I know that reds seldom use dens other than when having young what about the greys. somr times a grey's track is hard to distinquish from a feral tom cat.

 

[imfishin']

thanks for the reply, the tracks leading to and from the holes are in line, its not a cat thats for sure, tracks are to big. they are one in front of the other, and there has been both grey and reds spotted in the area. i don't want to catch a pup, cat or a dog, but at the same time i don't want to pass up a chance at catching a fox either. if anything is caught other than game, i can release it. so should i set up in front or away from the holes? about 15-20 feet from the den there are 2 brush piles, its in the middle of a field, there are a few trees around the berm also. i know looks can be deceiving but this looks to good. thanks again for the info.