They expand their home range in winter, to compensate for the sparse distribution of food during winter.Fur covers the bottom of the feet, keeping the most distal extremities warm.They use their long bushy tails as warm cover during sleep.The winter coat is much denser than its summer coat.A number of adaptations allow it to do so: While individuals of the north tend to be larger than their southern counterparts, the red fox’s physique is extremely slender throughout its range. The Arctic fox, with its rounder body, denser coat, and superior winter camouflage, replaces it in the tundra, but I would not expect the slim red fox to thrive even in the boreal forest of Canada. In fact, it ranges from the mid-western and eastern United States, up through northern Canada, as you can see in its range map here. For Vulpes vulpes, this includes the extreme cold. Like many other members of the dog family, foxes can adapt to a variety of environmental challenges. For tracking red fox in winter, let’s start with the winter adaptations of this species. How does it cope with winter conditions? What does it eat? Where does it take shelter? How does it move across the landscape? What animals predate upon it? Does it live in groups or singly? When does it breed? Answering these sorts of questions will help you determine where you are likely to find the animal, where you are unlikely to find it, what its tracks look like, what kinds of trail patterns it leaves behind, what its scat might look like, etc. The first step in tracking an animal is to learn a little about it’s behavior, ecology, anatomy, and physiology, and begin asking questions. I regularly use the following four books: Wherever you live, you should invest in one or two tracking field guides, plus a field guide to mammals. If you live close enough to Central Massachusetts, and you’re interested in tracking red fox in winter (and other species in winter), you might want to join me in one of my Wildlife Tracking Walks. Click here for my full affiliate disclosure. This post contains links to online shopping, which is a way for you to support One Acre Farm at no additional cost to you. You change your management in some way, and suddenly you can live amicably among your wild neighbors. Next time a fox makes off with a hen, you might find that vengeful impulse has given way to creative problem solving.
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A little bit of insight like that can soothe the psyche.
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Tracking during this season of leanness is an excellent way to develop empathy for Vulpes vulpes, and an appreciation for its intelligence, persistence, and adaptability. The snowscape comes to life with tracks and sign of this clever creature, providing a glimpse into its quiet, secret life. The rusty orange coat is beautiful against the subdued, seasonal whites and grays. But winter is still a superb time for observing fox. Catching a glimpse of rambunctious young cavorting amidst fresh spring growth, is certainly special.
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I once read that spring is the best time for fox watching. The red fox’s rusty coat is beautiful against the weathered wood of this barn.