Iowa's Red Fox

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Sketches 1-3.
Horizontal line is a ridgline or other ground structure, that offers a [wind break area].
Oval dot is a bedded canine, arrows off to the sides of the canine. Is the direction they typically face. Having their backside or shoulder. Against the prevailing wind. No matter how slight.
Blue arrow is wind direction.
Red arrows are the direction/[10:00 or 2:00]. I stalk in on a bedded predator.

Sketch 4.
Indicates a timber. Canine is bedded on the down-wind side of a tree/bush. Hilly timber, they use the hills & any groundcover available. To assist in blocking the wind off of their body.

Flat terrain, no groundcover or structure. Bedded canines[Red Fox & coyote]. Put their backside or shoulder against the wind. Samo...samo.
 
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Red Fox as well as coyotes. They both will use terrain[hills, valleys/waterways, fencelines, ect] as they travel to & fro. These land features cut the wind from blowing directly onto their body, specifically onto their face.

As they typically either hunt/travel cross-wind, or angled to the wind. When I hunt or make a call stand. I typically expect them to be on the down-wind.

A "theory" I believe to be true is. Another [reason], why canines angle, neander & or zig-zag as they hunt/travel. Is they are then able to scent. More area as they move along that area.

Say, a "straight line" of 50'. Take that same 50' distance, then zig-zag/saw tooth pattern it's total length. Well what you have done then is. You've covered more distance/area in that same 50' straight line length.
 
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Yeah they are cool, Tim. I do enjoy taking live pics.

Last Winter, seen where a number of Reds were actively useing culvert tubes. For hard shelter, during harsh weather. Seen where a couple of coyotes did as well. The locals know where the hard shelters are, no doubt.

edit; Culvert pics above, were at the mouth of an active farm's driveway.
 
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Come Winter snowfly, I'll get many more pics of some Reds. I haven't stalked one in 18-20yrs or so. But I plan too this coming Winter. Going to whop one with my new pistol. We get a deep fluff snow I'll get close enough to hit one with a brick
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Great pics! Those young reds are just beauties!
Is that a rabbit or a cat (prey item) laying in the culvert with the fox?
 
Remnants of a coon in that culvert. Reds really like coon & skunk. I seen another eaten coon carcass in another culvert. The Reds tagged this last springtime.
 
i see $$ bills. nice pics Kirby Dogg. have only seen 2 active fox dens this summer. but i have'nt been out a whole lot either. have shot 12 coyotes so far though
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Yeah borkon the last 3yrs the Reds have really flourished. Most days the Reds are sleeping in culvert tubes in Winter. You ever hunt culverts? Their easy, they hold real still for a shot. Even a blind man can do it LOL
 
oh yeah Kirby. culverts are my specialty
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tools of choice is a 30 foot stanley tape measure. no smoke bombs for me. they can take allot of noise/smoke without coming out but bump em with stanley and....
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There is a guy around where I grew up in MN that used to(and I think he still does) roll bowling balls down culverts to spook out the varmints. Obviously only when it can be retrieved I would guess.
 
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