Backyard Fox

[DrunkUncles]

I smacked this girl in the backyard last night....

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/cperreault/Deer/fox.jpg

[Tconfo]

Nice fox!

[BeltBuckle]

very pretty & nice shootin! what was the range?

If it were my backyard, and I weren't raising chickens I'd be tempted to feed her for a while and see if she'd bring some kits around in the spring. I like foxes. they eat squirrels.

[STSCM]

That'll make a nice looking pelt, the ones around here are kinda mangey.

[montoya32]

I smacked this girl in the backyard last night....

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/cperreault/Deer/fox.jpg

Just curious why you shot it? Was it messing with something or do you have pets? Not busting your chops, just curious.

[DrunkUncles]

Range 25yrds, I shot it because it would not leave... I have kids and dogs (so do my neighbors).
My neighbor and I tried several times to scare it away and it would not go. We were both worried it might be sick. So I pulled out the bow and quick and quiet....

[BeltBuckle]

Range 25yrds, I shot it because it would not leave... I have kids and dogs (so do my neighbors).
My neighbor and I tried several times to scare it away and it would not go. We were both worried it might be sick. So I pulled out the bow and quick and quiet....

That is definitely not normal behavior, and in these parts that too often means rabies. You took the prudent course of action. :thumbsup: I hope you were very careful when you skinned it. I would have sent the skull/spine/skinned carcass to the DOH for a rabies test...

[wlc]

If it were my backyard, and I weren't raising chickens I'd be tempted to feed her for a while and see if she'd bring some kits around in the spring. I like foxes. they eat squirrels.

ditto - also helps to keep mouse population under control

but the behavior the OP mentioned is odd for a fox - they are usually very shy
The ones in our yard keep to the tree line during the day and also at night if the dog is out

[VNVGUNNER]

Nice shot, you might want to post date that picture a few days, just kidding.

[DrunkUncles]

Yeah I would have rather not had to shot her... But that was some pretty strange fox behavior. As far as the rabies, I warned my taxidermist (who just happens to be my cousin) so he could take all the proper precautions.

I'm gonna get her mounted in the Mantle style... Was thinking about getting the skull camo dipped but I have not made up my mind.

[VNVGUNNER]

Yeah I would have rather not had to shot her... But that was some pretty strange fox behavior. As far as the rabies, I warned my taxidermist (who just happens to be my cousin) so he could take all the proper precautions.

I'm gonna get her mounted in the Mantle style... Was thinking about getting the skull camo dipped but I have not made up my mind.

I would have shot it also, strange to see them like that.

[K Train]

I had to dispatch a fox a few years ago who exhibited the same behavior. I called Dept of Fish and Wildlife and they told me to bury the bloody thing and they don't bother with the tests for rabies.

[DrunkUncles]

My neighbor called Animal Control once for a similar issue, they said they only deal in domesticated animals call DNR... DNR basically said big whoop... We can call the cops for you or you can do it yourself but they weren't gonna do anything. So now a couple of the neighbors call me Robin of the Hood to bust my chops but love it when I share the deer I harvest and help fill their freezers!

[QuebecoisWolf]

My neighbor called Animal Control once for a similar issue, they said they only deal in domesticated animals call DNR... DNR basically said big whoop... We can call the cops for you or you can do it yourself but they weren't gonna do anything. So now a couple of the neighbors call me Robin of the Hood to bust my chops but love it when I share the deer I harvest and help fill their freezers!

That's how they bust your chops? Robin of the Hood is a very badass nickname for a bowhunter. I can't even imagine what they call you when they're giving you complements.

[Echo Victor]

good call on shooting the fox. nice shot

[rickyp]

That may not be so strange behaver for the fox if people are feeding it or has been raised around people. Animals loose fear of people very quickly when people feed them, they start to see people as a source for food. and this can be dangerous and the animal will be come a nuisance.

IT was not a bad call to shoot the fox.

BeltBuckle and wlc if you're worried about mice and squirrels a few outside cats will take care of that and you can even pet them with little worries about being attacked

[VNVGUNNER]

I have seen more fox this year.

[boss66tcode]

I smacked this girl in the backyard last night....

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/cperreault/Deer/fox.jpg

Nice shot.

I read your headline, and I'm glad you weren't wearing a wife beater and that it didn't result in a call for the county po-po :lol::lol::lol:

[BigSteve57]

We had a backyard Fox this past summer too. We first noticed it going after our neighbor's berry bushes. He'd skulk around the berry bushes and then poke his head through our Leyland Cypress and stare at us sitting on our patio.

After a while, he would come through the bushes and just sit and look at my wife and I as we sat on the patio with drinks or dinner. He often fell asleep, woke up and stretched, then went back to sleep. He appeared quite tame, showing up at almost the exact same time in the evening almost every day. One day he brought a lady friend who sat behind him who watched him watch us!!!

Once I was asleep in a patio chair and awoke to find him about 5 feet away, sitting there, ears up just like a pet dog, just looking at me. I woke up startled, which startled him, and he then ran away.

He did not ever appear at all sick or rabid; I've seen what that looks like in raccoons & dogs both in the wild and as pets.

He'd never let us approach him, however. If we did, he'd run away but be back either in a couple of hours or the next day.

One friend of mine has raccoons so tame they come up on his deck and poke him in the leg with their noses so he'll give them a cat treat. He says the female raccoons even bring their brood around. And this in in Baltimore City!!! I keep telling him that's potentially very dangerous; I've seen coons in the wild fight each other and with dogs. I wouldn't want to get near a female coon with young.

What I think is happening is that these are social animals who are becoming accustomed to the suburbs and are feeding on either handouts and/or backyard pet dishes. My hope is that people don't over react. (not saying the OP did).

Here's our "pet" Fox. My neighbor's berry bushes are just on the other side of the Leyland Cypress behind the Fox.

[BigSteve57]

I have seen more fox this year.

According to MD DNR Coyote is on the rise and will reduce Red Fox populations. I'm not sure I like that trade-off but whatcha gonna do? Go against Mother Nature?

REF:

(http://www.dnr.state.md.us/mydnr/askanexpert/coyote_issues.asp)

[Yoshi]

I was on a picnic with a girl I used to date when I looked up to see a Fox running towards us. We got up and he slowed down and stopped about 25yds from us. He was a beautiful specimen. We sat back down and turned our picnic towards him so we could watch. All he did was "watch" back. We did this for about 15-20mins and then he lost interest and took off.

To say it was a cool event is an understatement.

[VNVGUNNER]

According to MD DNR Coyote is on the rise and will reduce Red Fox populations. I'm not sure I like that trade-off but whatcha gonna do? Go against Mother Nature?

REF:

(http://www.dnr.state.md.us/mydnr/askanexpert/coyote_issues.asp)

Yotes are showing up here on the shore.

[foxtrapper]

If you shoot a nuisance fox out of season you are supposed to get a permit to take it to a taxidermist, otherwise season opens nov 1 in the counties west of the bay excepting Charles, and you must have a furbearer permit ( 5.00 add on to hunting lisc). Just so you all know...( eastern shore opens nov 15 excepting Dorchester)

I had some guy from PA last year call me about mounting a fox he shot. I asked him if he had a furtaker lisc and he said he thought you didn't need one for fox and coyote. He was right on coyotes, but wrong on foxes. I didn't want that fox anywhere near here. DNR officer told me about a taxidermist who had a MD bobcat that a customer had shot- I'm not sure of wether they fined him or just confiscated it and gave him a warning ticket.

You CAN pick up a roadkill furbearer during the open season, and bring it to a taxidermist, no permit required, except for otter, which must be tagged by someone from the DNR.

[gtodave]

I smacked this girl in the backyard last night....

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/cperreault/Deer/fox.jpg

What is your draw length? That arrow looks long as hell

[DrunkUncles]

65lbs, 29in draw.... I've got long monkey arms....

[chris12138]

Range 25yrds, I shot it because it would not leave... I have kids and dogs (so do my neighbors).
My neighbor and I tried several times to scare it away and it would not go. We were both worried it might be sick. So I pulled out the bow and quick and quiet....

Good call :thumbsup: Risking injury to pets or children isn't worth sparing a nosey critter, there's plenty more like him around. Just wish I could get a 1 on 1 chance with this pesky skunk of mine again.

[PGTMG]

I smacked this girl in the backyard last night....

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/cperreault/Deer/fox.jpg

I not getting in your business but what did it die from? Your shot was six inchs low:D

[CEK]

That may not be so strange behaver for the fox if people are feeding it or has been raised around people. Animals loose fear of people very quickly when people feed them, they start to see people as a source for food. and this can be dangerous and the animal will be come a nuisance.

IT was not a bad call to shoot the fox.

BeltBuckle and wlc if you're worried about mice and squirrels a few outside cats will take care of that and you can even pet them with little worries about being attacked

I had an outside cat to take care of the mice and other vermin...till a fox got the cat.

[Maryland Hunter]

A few weeks ago, I went and drug the deer I shot to the stream where I gut them. I went up the hill to get my stand, and when I came back, there was a fox standing on my deer. It was pitch black out, so I couldn't shoot, but I got within 8 ft of him before he reluctantly moved off. He stayed about 12 ft away the whole time I was gutting the deer. The property owner says that he has had the same type of encounters, and wants the fox gone. I like seeing them in the woods, it lets me know that my setup is good, scent-wise. Getting too close though, makes me think that something's wrong.

MH

[Neot]

I'm just down the road in Edgewater as well...no foxes lately (seen a few before) but groundhogs are on the extermination list here. Fortunately my dogs handle that business :)

[jtb81100]

Nice fox. They've definatly been getting pushed out some by coyotes. We just started getting them back out here after dealing with a yote issue a few years ago. Had one mouse hunting 20-25 feet from my blind the other day and had 4 out going for the geese that land in my field a few mornings the past month. Two are kind of mangy looking, but the other two are very nice looking. Can't wait for Nov.

[Naptown34]

Had a family of five under my shed last spring. They grew up and left. Fun to watch from our deck. We kept the cats inside for a while.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k214/66Conv200/Foxes%20May%202011/IMG_6338.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k214/66Conv200/Foxes%20May%202011/IMG_6347.jpg

[Half-cocked]

Sighting report: Eldersburg, tonight at 8pm, crossing Londontown Blvd from the undeveloped lot into the business park. Big fox, at least one of the largest I've seen.

[sykesville]

Yeah, we like watching fox from our kitchen window. They're really hansom animals. But I'd also like to get a full mount at some point for my cave.

[stevekaw]

Driving down Woodstock Road from Route 99 in Howard County last week, saw a large red fox pulling on a deer carcass by the roadside that was apparently hit by a car the evening before. Interesting sight in a suburban area...

[sailskidrive]

Driving down Woodstock Road from Route 99 in Howard County last week, saw a large red fox pulling on a deer carcass by the roadside that was apparently hit by a car the evening before. Interesting sight in a suburban area...

Foxes are all over the place in Howard and Anne Arundel. I spot them running across route 32 between Linden Church Rd and Burntwood Rd about once a month.

[George]

I go fishing out North Point State Forrest in Baltimore County. About 4 years ago I would go every Sunday. While there one Sunday I happen to see a young fox so I gave it one of the peelers I had left over. After that that same fox would come back to where I parked every Sunday at the same time. So I fed it every Sunday and eventually it would come and take the peeler right out of my hand but any time I had someone else with me he would stay back 15 feet. So every Sunday it would come at the same time and get a peeler. I thought it was pretty cool, eventually it grew up and stopped coming. They are really smart animals and have a really well built in time clock.

[kohburn]

i used to have foxes come into my back yard to eat my hens, they have been replaced by a coyote

[phor]

How are you going to cook it?

[EL1227]

My neighbor called Animal Control once for a similar issue, they said they only deal in domesticated animals call DNR... DNR basically said big whoop... We can call the cops for you or you can do it yourself but they weren't gonna do anything. So now a couple of the neighbors call me Robin of the Hood to bust my chops but love it when I share the deer I harvest and help fill their freezers!

We had a fox hit by a car and badly injured a while back. It crawled into my front yard. I called the police, who told me to call animal control, who told me to call DNR. DNR showed up 2 hours later and proceeded to empty a M&P 40 magazine from 5 yards away, only hitting the immobile animal twice.

I told the officer that I could have done it with my own M&P ... with a single round at no greater than 3 foot, but some nosey neighbor would have called the cops for illegal discharge. ;)

[RichB]

Seen a fox hanging out around my backyard lately. Mostly at dusk/dawn and only around the edges. I'm in Essex and my backyard is right up against the elementary school, so he's got a large amount of ground to run around in.

I'll leave him alone unless I see him close to the house/dogs.

[llkoolkeg]

I thought foxes were legal during deer season and required no additional permit?!? When bow hunting for deer this past November, I had one run right past my ground blind through the middle of a cut corn field and had it paused for even a moment, I would have taken the shot. It so caught me by surprise that I didn't even think to whistle or anything else to "stop" it and just tracked it with my sight towards, through and then past me(getting as close as perhaps 25 yards).