Gray Fox eating my preps !

[minimus]

Part of my preps is my local wild rabbit and squirrel populations. At one time they were thriving, I would pick up a sack of feed once a month for my feed lots. It was better than the work and worry over managing domestic rabbits but the populations started to crash this spring. The biggest reason besides drought is Gray Fox.

I went out to the shop this morning 5::30, and was confronted by a large Gray Fox. Most of the time they are very shy but this one stood its ground and made low growls at me as I stood there. He/she took off around the other side of my shop heading towards the woods behind my property. I cut him/her off by walking behind the garage. The fox saw me and froze there, I stopped and stared it down. Again, the growls. I slowly walked to my shack cutting it off from the woods and it circled back around the front of the shop. I had just enough time to grab the 10/22 Ruger and take a shot at her from my doorstep and missed.

I'm sure this is the reason my rabbit population has crash and I'm willing to bet she has a den in the back of my property.

When I finally tag her ass I'll post the pic here ....

[gliddenralston]

Grey Fox just went on the menu?

[Rusty Shackelford]

"Food plots" that concentrate animals that you want create food plots for animals that you don't want.

[jogslvr]

Grey fox are pretty easy to trap with a inch and a half Victor single spring trap. Your problem is a natural one. The more food available for fox (your rabbits), the bigger the litters will be and grey fox have up to 8 kitts per litter. Red fox have only about 3 to the litter and is why the grey has pretty much taken over.

If you can find den, you can snipe most of them pretty fast. Dens are usually on sandy hillsides fairly close to water source.

Watch out for the growler. That's pretty unusual unless cornered.

[minimus]

Grey fox are pretty easy to trap with a inch and a half Victor single spring trap. Your problem is a natural one. The more food available for fox (your rabbits), the bigger the litters will be and grey fox have up to 8 kitts per litter. Red fox have only about 3 to the litter and is why the grey has pretty much taken over.

If you can find den, you can snipe most of them pretty fast. Dens are usually on sandy hillsides fairly close to water source.

Watch out for the growler. That's pretty unusual unless cornered.

She wasn't cornered, I cut her off from her den. I haven't found the den yet but I'm sure that's what its about.

[SilverCity]

Foxes (and skunks) are the main carriers of rabies around here.

My sole encounter with one was face-to-face about six years back. The fox and I met while I was walking back to the house from my back yard. We were going in opposite directions and he/she just stopped and stared at me through some thin underbrush some ten yards away. We stood there for maybe 10 seconds, then I waved my wife over to look. The fox just turned and casually trotted off.

I found out six months later when one of my cats went missing that there was two of them living underneath my neighbors shed. The neighbor reported them to the Animal Control Dept. because one of them began acting "weird". Traps were set, both were caught and taken away for good. Since then, the jackrabbit population has increased at least five-fold.

I agree with those that are saying an abundance of game inevitably leads to predators. Some people around here like to feed the wildlife (deer, javelina, turkey, migratory birds) then freak-out when the foxes, coyotes, mountain lions and bears show up. And folks here live too close to each other to consider "do-it-yourself" wildlife management.

Good luck to ya.

SC

[electric-amish]

I would like to see a pic of the Growling Fox when you get him.

Post those Pics

E-A

[Sport]

Keep an eye out for more then one den. We have foxes at the property where I work and they move around between three different places. A game camera would be good for narrowing down where they are.

[ttazzman]

.....got the same problem......cept its owls, bobcats,hawks and coyotes......after my rabbits, turkeys,squirrels, and fawns........the fawns are getting past the venerable stage but the wild turkey chicks are still in play......the only thing in season currently is the coyotes...they cleaned out the geese earlier this spring (seems like the coyotes came and went with the geese since i havent seen them lately)