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03/03/08, 03:59 PM
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Milk Maid
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Northern Missouri
Posts: 2,635
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Is it a fox? Track/scat photos
We've found these tracks quite often in our backyard. Last night whatever it was dug through the weed cloth we stapled on the bottom of the raised bed boxes we built on Saturday.
We put rabbit feed bags under the boxes but ran out, so we used an empty cat food bag in one section. Whatever it was got the scent of that and dug through the cloth to pull the bag out.
I'm pretty sure I've seen a fox in our front yard before, but it was dark out and I may be wrong. The last photo is where whatever it was appears to have jumped up and over the six foot fence (wood.) I used a quarter for size reference.
Although we live in suburbia we also have raccoons in the area and I've seen a coyote cross our main road. We live about 2 blocks from a bicycle path that runs alongside a canal in an open-land area.
Do you think it's a fox, and can a fox jump a fence like that?
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“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
~ William Wilberforce
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03/03/08, 04:15 PM
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Furry Without A Clue
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,236
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Could be a fox, but not sure. I thought some foxes were able to retract their claws like cats...Dunno if that's all foxes or just a certain type. For sure not coon or possum.
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03/03/08, 06:25 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UT
Posts: 3,840
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the slightly oval shape & the claws showing, it's definitely canine. by their size i would say an exceptionally large red or a smallish coyote. too big for grey and WAY to big for kit/swift.
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03/03/08, 06:33 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 11,249
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Look at the pattern of tracks, not just the tracks themselves. A red fox, when walking, places one foot in front of the other like a cat, leaving an almost straight line of dainty tracks with the claws showing. They cannot retract their claws. We don't have any other foxes here in Ontario so I can't comment on grey or kit foxes. Those tracks look on the large side to me to be red fox. They do look canine though... I'd guess coyote or dog. As for the scat... I can't make out enough detail to even guess.
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03/03/08, 09:05 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Ohio -west central
Posts: 1,525
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fox track???
Looks like dog as Maggie said. Look for hair in scat ,if has some good chance is fox as dog, unless feral, 9 out of 10 will not have.
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03/03/08, 11:21 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: VA
Posts: 284
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Now, I ain't sayin it is... and I ain't sayin it ain't, but.....
look at how the two back toes fall completely behind the front two toes. If you draw a line across the tops of the back toes the line will just touch the bottoms of the top toes. A sure sign of fox. All the claws are going in the same direction. a sure sign of fox. Dogs have splayed claws and the tips of their back toes fall about the middle of their front toes. All toes seem to be about the same size. Coyote rear toes are noticibly smaller than their front toes. So, being forced to guess from the pics alone I would say probably fox. Yes they can jump much higher than you would think. Keep your eyes open. Chances are good you will see this fox. It seems if you spend a lot of time trying to figure out tracks the maker of them will often show up. I have had a tracking class that i was teaching follow foxes for most of the day only to have the fox show up just as we were getting ready to leave. Animals can be such smart alecs. I know that you would like for me to say yeah, no problem, that is a fox. But if you spend much time tracking animals you will learn that you will rarely say anything for sure, cause if you do, you will undoubtedly be wrong.
Scats do not look much like fox. Last set of tracks don't look like fox.(this may be because he is jumping, well whatever it is is jumping)
Maggie is right. normal fox walking leaves dainty line of tracks. I am assuming that the pic was taken of as many tracks together as you could get, and given the activity you say he was engaged in, he wasn't walking at that spot. Tom Brown says that foxes direct register (place the rear foot precisely in the track of the front foot) , but he was tracking foxes mostly in the pine barrens. My experience has been that they often do not although this may be a regional difference.
My two ducats...
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03/04/08, 12:38 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 3,414
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Rabbit! 
Big bun.
No canine large center pad.
No individual toe pattern for coon.
Back feet flat to heel with long pad.
Rabbit food bag smells yummy!
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My site.
Last edited by RiverPines; 03/04/08 at 12:47 AM.
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03/04/08, 01:02 AM
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Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 82
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I have no idea what made the tracks, but pictures 2 and 3 just made me laugh. When my kids were young I used to tell them to never put their money in their mouths because money is dirty and you never knew where it had been before you got it. Now I have proof. 
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03/04/08, 05:58 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 19,349
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By looking at the actions of the critter (jumping/climbing the fence) and the little bit I found on line about tracks and scat, I vote for fox too.
Grey Foxes have semi-retractable claws. The scat is fresh so hair would not be apparent in this sample, yet. Unless you want to take it apart and play with it.... wear rubber gloves and wash you hands afterward.
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03/04/08, 05:59 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,037
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Grey foxes can and do climb trees but they don't have retractable claws (not aware of any North American canine that does). Don't know if Red's climb. Unless you are on the Eastern plains, doubt you have Swift's there. A six foot wooden fence would be a walk in the park for a Grey. Scat doesn't look like fox but who knows....it's been a long cold winter.
Tracks appear canine and size is right for a fox.
Last pic is deceiving- looks to large for a fox but it's moving quick and with the disturbed snow it's not definitive.
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03/04/08, 06:07 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Middle of NC
Posts: 1,434
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Find a place where it was traveling in a straight line.
A fox track is in alighnment. * * * * *
Other canine are offset.
* * *
* * *
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03/04/08, 07:04 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 11,249
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This is a British site, but their red foxes are the same species as ours... and there is a wealth of information here, including info on tracks.
http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/red_fox.html
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03/04/08, 08:21 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 428
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I have foxes here. Scat around and looks to me like dog. They do not bury it like a coon does. Coons leave long claw marks. These foxes here some are red and some look grey to me. Maybe they turn red later. They can dig and tear up things bad. Urban foxes here. They carry off things. Foxes are out in the day time here. If the town puts up a 5 foot fence here it may not stop them. I hope it does. They like cat food and any food. They carry off stuff and carry in stuff. They like cats to eat too.
Canals sound like Grand Valley. Foxes are bad on my place.
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03/04/08, 06:11 PM
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Milk Maid
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Northern Missouri
Posts: 2,635
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Thank you for all the responses, even the humorous ones and Keri I'm glad to have supplied you proof for your kids, LOL!
The scat was drier today and there was definitely hair visible in it, but I broke it apart anyway and here's what it looked like:
(and yes, I washed my hands very well afterwards! LOL!)
About that last track print, it was taken just before the fence, so I'm assuming he sat back on his haunches to jump up and that's why that track looks so weird.
Also, the tracks across our yard were in more of a straight line than what I've seen dogs do, but I couldn't go back and check because the kids "tracked" the animal after I'd told them about it and then I had more human tracks than animal, LOL.
Whatever the animal it stays to the bottom of our garden and hasn't come near the house yet where we keep the rabbits (and now chickens) but I'm not taking chances and will keep them locked up tight at night.
Wildcrofthollow, I think it would be pretty neat if we got to see the animal!
Thanks again everyone! 
__________________
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
~ William Wilberforce
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03/07/08, 09:22 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Roughly where IA, NE and SD come together, on the plains near some loess hills on the Mo River
Posts: 496
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Also, if this guy or gal fox likes pet food, it would seem reasonable that, in suburbia, finding pet food outside would not be too hard.
Also, if this guy or gal fox happens to like pets themselves ... the scat would have hair it it.
Oh they are NIMBLE! A six-foot fence? May as well lay a stick on the ground, just as easy for these canids.
We have them here and they are Very Shy! Omnivorous, too, heh.
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