The red fox is considered the most widely distributed carnivore in the world. New York and Pennsylvania both have large populations, and they are found in almost every county in both states. 

Red foxes are named for their beautiful reddish-orange fur. They are small and quite slender with long legs. Adults weigh between 10-15 pounds. They are between 48-57 inches long, although almost half of that is their big, bushy tail (which they wrap around themselves in the Winter to keep warm).

Females are called vixens while the males are called dogs. Foxes dig dens in the ground (hence the term “foxhole”). They dig dens themselves but will sometimes take over old woodchuck holes. Their dens usually have several entrances. Foxes usually have multiple dens to relocate pups away from danger.

Although predominantly a carnivore, a fox will sometimes supplement its diet with fruits and berries in addition to the usual small mammals, birds, eggs, amphibians and reptiles. 

Red foxes will often cache food to eat later during times of scarcity. They use a distinct behavior called “mousing” when hunting. They stare at the location of potential prey and tip their heads from side to side to precisely locate the animal with their keen hearing. They then leap into the air and pounce on it head first.

Breeding season runs from December through March. Red foxes tend to mate for life and be monogamous unless one dies. After a 52-day gestation period, 3-6 pups are born blind and covered with dark fur that is replaced by red fur after about 3 weeks.

The pups emerge from the den after 4-5 weeks and are weaned and start catching their own prey after 12 weeks or so. The parents teach them to hunt. The pups are able to breed at 10 months.

The primary predators of red fox are coyotes. They compete for the same food sources. The overpopulation of coyotes has pressured red fox to move closer to people and urban areas. The main diseases that fox can suffer from are rabies and sarcoptic mange.

The shrill call from a red fox is often confused with that of humans in distress. It’s pretty bad, but in my opinion a bobcat wins that prize. 

A fun fact is that red foxes have been shown to use the Earth’s magnetic field to hunt. Magnetoreception helps the fox judge distance to prey. When hunting along the north-east magnetic axis which the foxes prefer to use, they are successful 73 percent of the time. If not properly aligned, they are only able to catch prey 18 percent of the time. Isn’t nature amazing?

Let’s all enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van Etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.