UPDATE!caught on cam, coyote or fox or??? UPDATE w/ PIC Post #132!!!!!

[woodmort]

Quote:
You'd all lose that bet that way. Here's a pic from my cam:

And here is another same camera same possition:

And if you still think it's a coyote--it'll be a darn small one since here is my 12 lb cat--same camera same position:

PM me and I'll tell you where to send the money.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Well, I'd bet A LOT of money that the critter in OP's pic is a coyote! Sorry woodmort but your critter definitly look's fox and looks very different, at least to me, then the op's pic.

Edited to add: Oh, pm ME and I'll tell ya where to send the money, tee hee!

 

[woodmort]

Another point: OP lives in Ohio where coyotes are larger than foxes and those wimpy western coyotes you'd find in CA. The one in OP's pic is too small for an Eastern coyote.

Also catch the pic on this thread--it's a fox as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=395882

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
Hard to tell size accurately since there's not much in the pic to compare too. Coyotes out here may be smaller then their east coast cousins but they are much larger then foxes, they are often larger then my 30 pound Queensland mix dog. Our friend who hunts coyote has taken many in the upper 30's to 40 pound range including a male that was almost 50 pounds.

 

[desertdarlene]

The OP's first photo looks coyote to me, or a dog.

 

[woodmort]

http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/wildlife/pdf_files/outreach/fact_sheets/coyote.pdf I've seen both in the wild--eastern in NYS and western in Montana--there is no doubt to the size difference. I suspect a 50lb Western male probably added some weight after he was dead.

As far as the two game cam pics are concerned, you're right about it being hard to size but the focal distance is probably about the same. Also the fox in OP's pics is a red, in mine I know it is a grey which would be considerably smaller. We have a den of them below my house and see them with their pups frequently. Right now the area where I have the cam focused has choke cherries on the ground and they love them.
Also if you notice the way both animals carry their tail it is indicative of a fox. What OP has to do is reset the cam to take several pics at once to get one where the animal is standing still. Or, better still, a video.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
He was 47 pounds and some ounces on the scale, my camera went in the river or I'd post the pic. Probably unusual for sure but it can happen.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

I vote for dog with the deep barrel and wimpy tail. My husband votes for Old Pointy Nose because of the slender legs. Neither of us vote for fox.

What do the tracks look like? If the toes are more rounded, and the pad tracks are fairly small , it's a fox. If the pads are very, very different from front and back, and the toes are elongated, it's Old Pointy Nose. Front feet are larger than back on Old Pointy Nose and the toes on the outside are usually larger than the inside - this and the pad difference can help you see the difference between Old Pointy Nose and a domestic dog. If you come across jumps of six to ten feet, it's definitely Old Pointy Nose. If there are scratch marks around the scat, it's likely not a fox, although seeing a lot of fur in the scat is more likely fox of some sort in my personal opinion. If the tracks are in a 2x2 trot pattern (same foot in front in each pair of legs) it's probably Old Pointy Nose since they trot sideways a lot. Foxes will sometimes sideways trot; but they walk more than Old Point Nose who usually trots or lopes. Pointy trot strides are about a meter long (39"), red fox is next longest at about 32'. If it looks like domestic cat tracks, it is probably a kit fox.

Old Pointy Nose tracks and red fox tracks usually show claws; gray fox and kit fox frequently don't leave claw marks, in fact claw tracks are very rare with gray fox. Stride length is different, too.

The side ways trot pattern would look sort of like this:


X
X



X
X


not to be confused with a lope, which is like this:

X
X



X
X

Canids have a rotary lope, while equines have a lateral lope. The above is a rotary lope.

I hope you're not as confused as I am.

 

[racuda]

It is a coyote.

I have game cam pics of both coyotes and foxes.

Note how the coyote's legs are much longer than the foxes. Doesn't my coyote pic look a lot like the OP's?

 

[pw30]

The top one looks like a coyote but the bottom looks like a fox (see pointed ears).