Fox Tracks?

[bdosborn]

We found these tracks our backyard this morning and they're too big for any of our fur kids. What do you think, a fox maybe? Or a coyote? That's my foot at the bottom.



Bruce

[Wanna Be]

A big dog or a wolf would be my guess, 'Cause I cant see any size to relate to.

Most likely a wolf.



Wanna Be

P.S. Hold a ruler down next to the prints.

[bdosborn]

Not many wolves in Littleton.

Bruce

[alaska teardrop]

Bruce, My guess - Bobcat/Lynx. How deep is the snow? They can walk on the surface because of their large paws relative to their weight.

Fred

[bdosborn]

The snow was about an inch or so thick and we just got it yesterday. We have a 6' privacy fence around our backyard so its probably not a dog. Not many bobcats in Littleton either but it does kind of look like this one I found on the web:



I'm still leaning towards a Red Fox as I've seen them run through the neighborhood.

Bruce

[Verna]

Bruce, it looks light enough on it's feet to be a Red Fox. I live in the 'burbs of Indianapolis, and we've had foxes in our neighborhood for over 8 years. It's been that long since I've seen a rabbit in the neighborhood, and there's not too many chipmunks anymore, either (I wish they'd get an appetite for red squirrels!!). All of the houses in the neighborhood have approximately 1/2 acre, most have 42" chain link fences and/or 6' privacy fences. It's nothing for the foxes and coyotes to jump these fences to get into the back yards.

There's lots of sheds for the foxes to hide under, but they seem to prefer culverts to raise their kits. One pair of foxes did have 6 kits this spring on the next street.

I've seen more foxes around midnight than at any other time of the day/night, when I was working the 2nd shift. My sister has seen them frequently around dusk.

But anyway, I also know there are coyotes in the neighborhood, although with the one killed by a car 3 weeks ago, there's one less!!! A coyote is larger than the fox, and not as light on their feet. Coyotes are killing a lot of small dogs in the next town across the county line. I defnitely go outside with Sunny Day after dark and in the morning. She only weighs 11 lbs and she would just be a mouthful......YUCK!!!

Trust me, the foxes don't want to be around you any more than you want to be around them. They'll trot away quickly if you're lucky enough to see them!!

[tearhead]

Are they in a straight line? Can't tell. Would make fox more likely, right?

[Woodbutcher]

Pat , are you making some political humor here? I think all Foxes lean right don't they?

[S. Heisley]

We found these tracks our backyard this morning and they're too big for any of our fur kids. What do you think, a fox maybe? Or a coyote? That's my foot at the bottom.



Bruce

Judging/comparing the size of your shoe to the snow's imprint, maybe a young, skinny coyote. The imprint looks a bit big to be a fox(?)
Also, foxes usually crawl under fences; coyotes jump them and 6 feet is no problem. If you look along the fence line, you might be able to see if the access was under or over the fence....might give you a clue. Might've been a dog on the prowl, too. I've seen dogs climb fences taller than 6 feet, even flat wooden ones. (There used to be a little Shepard mix that visited my Boxer by climbing the fence when she thought I was at work.) Maybe somebody let one out late at night or dropped one in the neighborhood. If it's a drop, you'll probably find out soon enough.

[bdosborn]

Are they in a straight line? Can't tell. Would make fox more likely, right?

I went out a looked again and they are in a fairly straight line. I guess I'll vote for them then.....
Bruce

[bdosborn]

Judging/comparing the size of your shoe to the snow's imprint, maybe a young, skinny coyote. The imprint looks a bit big to be a fox(?)

Damn it. We had a neighbor that lost a dog to a coyote in their backyard. It jumped the fence, killed the dog and couldn't jump back over the fence with the dog, all though it was trying when the found it. We had a coyote kill one of our cats in our driveway.

I was hoping they wouldn't come in the backyard. How do you get rid of coyotes?

Bruce

[wagondude]

Lead poisoning works best. Live traps are an alternative, but you have to transport them a long way away to an area that has ample food or they will just work their way back (hopefully finding easy food before comeing all the way back). You may need to stay up late and get up early to watch for what you have coming in (game cameras are an option). Best to know for sure what you have. May not even be an issue.

[eamarquardt]

I've never been able to figure out if rabbits lean to the left or right. The just seem to change their
direction every few steps.

-Gus-

[tearhead]

Pat , are you making some political humor here? I think all Foxes lean right don't they?

Good one, Steve!

[S. Heisley]

Catch Coyotes buy luring them into a food-baited cage; then take them at least 100 miles away and drop them where they will have plenty of small wild animals to hunt for. If they are hunting domestic animals, they are pretty tame/trusting or possibly very hungry. You could call your state's Fish and Game Department and see what they do or suggest. They sometimes will have trapping cages that you can borrow or rent. If they trap and move them, they will probably mark/tag them before they are released so that, if they come back to your area, they will be able to identify them. If they come back, they may need to be "put down". (I'm thinking that you could do the same tagging by tranquilizing them and putting something like one of those hog rings or a cow tag in their ear, before you transport them; but, I don't know if that is legal. If it is, you'd need to be very sanitary about it, using rubbing alcohol, etc, so that the coyote didn't get an infection.) ...Just my thoughts.