Fox?

[jc12551]

I was sitting here in my living room reading my devotional when I heard the distinct sound of dog food being eaten outside the window. Since the dog (rat terrier) is in the laundry room I assumed it was one of the chicken-killing neighborhood dogs. I turned off the living room light, grabbed the flashlight and peeked out the window. I spied a dog-like critter staring up at me. About the same height as my dog with gray markings and a bushy tail. It turned and ran before I could get a good look at it. I woke up hubby and we took the spotlight and gun outside. It had not run very far, instead it was hunkered down in the scrub on the edge of the garden watching us. It turned and trotted off. My initial feeling was coyote b/c of the coloring. But it did not run away "slinking" like the coyotes here do. And it was alone. My impression upon seeing it trot away was a fox. I didn't notice its ears or the markings on the tail. The close up view was partly blocked by the air conditioning unit and the Cozy Coupe.

The coloring was very odd. I know there are gray foxes and that they can climb trees (turkeys free range and are in a tree), but they are rare.

Does anyone have any info to share? Advice? Speculation? We didn't shoot it b/c we weren't sure of the laws regarding foxes here. And it was fairly close to the neighbors house.

 

[wvfoxhunter]

You probably have a fox, coyote or if you are really unlucky a coydog- mix between a coyote and feral dog. Most any of those animals will not be very scared of you. If you see it again and can get a good look or even a shot at it you should take it. If you kill it dig a whole somewhere and put it in it and just keep quiet about it. That gets rid of the problem and hopefully you dont't get in trouble.

 

[lleighmay]

If it was the size of your rat terrier it was a grey fox. They are grey with reddish markings, especially around the face and legs. They really aren't that rare, just rarely seen. I've got a pair that frequent my backyard/adjoining woods and I haven't had any problems with them, although my fencing is secure and the birds are locked up at night. They will hunt during daylight hours if they are feeding babies but so far my Jack Russells seem to have kept them away during the day. At the very least I would bring the dog food inside; if there is no ready food source the fox may stop coming around. Besides, outside food also attracts coons, possums, skunks, bears, etc. Check with your local laws regarding whether or not you can shoot it if you feel you must.

 

[jc12551]

I was looking at the game cam pic thread and I do believe it was a gray fox. I usually don't leave food out, but my dog didn't eat his dinner and I didn't think about picking it up! The coyotes here are NOT afraid of humans. I had three walk past me one evening while I was standing in the driveway talking on my phone. They just looked at me and kept on going. Predators are one reason why we keep our rat terrier inside at night (he is actually a wussy feist dog). Before someone ran over my pit/lab mix we didn't have problems with predators or neighborhood dogs. I need a new guard dog. We generally carry the .410 with us at night or the .22 rifle. The turkeys sleep in a tree inside the run. I worry that if the fox got inside the run he/she could climb right up that tree. I have been worried about owls and racoons and now along comes a tree climbing fox.

we are well versed on the three s principal of predator control

 

[SilkieBantams]

I'm thinking that it's a fox.