# A fox in my yard! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 28, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838 "2007-05-28T23:54:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/1 "2007-05-28T23:54:03Z")
I saw a [red fox](http://www.mortalwombat.com/Special/fox.jpg) in my backyard! I’m not the only one: my local newspaper says that foxes are being sighted all over town. I hope the little guys are smart enough and fast enough to stay out of the jaws of my three doggies, who go out in the backyard to play almost every day. I have heard that the presence of foxes often means that there are a lot of rodents in the area. Since one of my dogs has killed two wild rats in the yard recently, I suspect that the rat population may have attracted the foxes. Although I am in an urban area, I live a stone’s throw from the Arkansas River, and the river has been rising because of heavy rains. I wonder if some fox dens got washed out, and the foxes are looking for higher ground. Does anyone have any fox tales? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/2 "2007-05-29T00:10:32Z")
They’re scavengers. The correlation with rodent populations may be true, but it’s probably because they’re both eating the same crap which we tend to leave lying around. When I was a student, the local takeaway places would be busy into the early hours, and the foxes had lost all timidity around people, wandering around picking up dropped and discarded food. ---
**Author:** ![toadbriar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@toadbriar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadbriar)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/3 "2007-05-29T02:14:52Z")
We have a pair who den somewhere across the road from our driveway. We’ve seen them and their cubs every so often. They have been very happy to feed on my neighbor’s chickens and ducks. My neighbor has three dogs, too. I would not worry about your foxes on that account! I get my fox fix courtesy of a flickr contact who takes the most wonderful photos of [his pal Freddy](http://flickr.com/photos/roblee/sets/773976/) . ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/4 "2007-05-29T09:43:20Z")
Where we lived in central Denver, foxes were common. Silvery-grey or red. You could smell their musky scent in the early morning or evening, hear them barking, and see them every now and then–it wasn’t that unusual at all. The only enemy they really had to deal with was cars. Then the coyotes moved in. One morning I was walking the dog and a fox came running directly toward us. The idea of rabies flashed through my mind. The fox saw us, barked, and veered off into the bushes. When we turned the corner, there was a coyote. I think those foxes’ easy life is now over. Interesting to hear about rodent population and foxes; Denver had had some fairly mild winters before we moved and I know we had more mice than usual. Have seen one grey fox in northern Florida, he was eating a bowl of cat food at the neighbor’s house. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/5 "2007-05-29T10:52:15Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] Does anyone have any fox tales? [/QUOTE] _Looks behind me_ No I don’t see one. Oh wait, that’s not what you meant. Well my only actual fox tale is my mom’s boyfriend who manged to get himself bitten by one in Princeton NJ of all places. Had to get rabis shot and all that. I’ve heard they bred a fox line that is more like a dog. Domesticated. I want one. To go with my polar bear and my meerkets. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/6 "2007-05-29T11:51:00Z")
I live in the Fox River Valley just a mile from the Fox River and in 19 years, I’ve only seen one Red Fox. They’re so cool looking! You’re lucky! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/7 "2007-05-29T12:01:08Z")
Coincidentally, I saw a large red fox today in my suburban neighborhood west of Washington, DC. We know there are some in the woods behind the condos, but this one was wandering across the circle that connects the parking lots of several of the condo buildings, trotting across blacktop and manicured lawns. He (or she) was so big I thought he was a dog or perhaps a coyote, but when he turned I got a good glimpse of the tail. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/8 "2007-05-29T13:17:38Z")
I sat on top of a permafrost heave one day off that was an arctic fox den and read a book for a couple of hours. Shy at first, the parents came out after awhile to enjoy the sun. A bit later, 5 or 6 [kits](http://picturealaska.org/akco/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/arctic%20fox%20kits.jpg) came out too. They were probably a month and a half old with full bellies and great big eyes and tackled and romped on each other unmercifully. They were so cute and I really hated to leave, having enjoyed their company so. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/9 "2007-05-29T13:35:19Z")
I just saw one Friday night, about a quarter mile for my home. I was pretty excited to see it. I hope that they do well in my area and maybe reduce the groundhog population back down to a normal level. I assume they will be happy to wipe out the young groundhogs. It was a joy to see one close. As I have no chickens, and my cats remain indoors, do I have anything to worry about, if the fox population increases? Jim ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/10 "2007-05-29T15:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] I hope the little guys are smart enough and fast enough to stay out of the jaws of my three doggies [/QUOTE] Very likely. But, as Caprese notes, they don’t match up real well against coyotes. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/11 "2007-05-29T18:56:31Z")
I routinely get jumped by red foxes while out hunting. Once, one ran about 2 feet to my right as I sat a stand with my back to a large rock. Scared the willies out of me! I’ve also seen a rather mangey looking one at a golf course in Hyde Park (south of Boston). He ran in front of our golf cart as we were waiting for the party ahead of us to finish on the tee, chased a squirrel around the base of a tree, and walked off with his newly caught lunch! 😃 It was an amazing sight! ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/12 "2007-05-29T19:18:09Z")
I was living London (in Walthamstow, not city centre but not suburbs either - just outside the edge of Zone 2 on the tube) in a really cool house at the end of a terrace. Our back garden was bordered in part by a river, and on the other side of the river was a woodlot bordering a really big city park. I used to see foxes in the garden pretty regularly and my landlord told me that they’d been there before. It was really neat. But after a while I realized I hadn’t seen any in a while. So one day we were sitting in the garden and we heard a rustling from the trees across the river. Someone jokingly said “I bet it’s a guy with a gun!” to our amusement - imagine our surprise when out stepped a man with coveralls and wellies, holding **a gun**. He was less than fifty feet away from us. We were astonished. The first among us to find our voice said “what are you hunting?” “Foxes!” he said. So yes. We had foxes in the city, and then we had a hunter come and take them out. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Shake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@Master\_Shake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Shake)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/13 "2007-05-29T19:23:41Z")
We have some foxes living around the campus at school. And some furry red quadrupeds too. 🆒 They’ll run around the parking lots and outside the res halls at night. They’re not really afraid of the students as long as we don’t get too close, but not unafraid in the rabid sort of way. At least . . . I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/14 "2007-05-29T22:10:52Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] I saw a [red fox](http://www.mortalwombat.com/Special/fox.jpg) in my backyard! I’m not the only one: my local newspaper says that foxes are being sighted all over town. I hope the little guys are smart enough and fast enough to stay out of the jaws of my three doggies, who go out in the backyard to play almost every day. I have heard that the presence of foxes often means that there are a lot of rodents in the area. Since one of my dogs has killed two wild rats in the yard recently, I suspect that the rat population may have attracted the foxes. Although I am in an urban area, I live a stone’s throw from the Arkansas River, and the river has been rising because of heavy rains. I wonder if some fox dens got washed out, and the foxes are looking for higher ground. Does anyone have any fox tales? [/QUOTE] Ummm…wasn’t there Bubonic Plague found in a Zoo near you? Plague & a Rat outbreak…with the current Administration to cope with it? Oh dear… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/15 "2007-05-29T22:15:48Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Ummm…wasn’t there Bubonic Plague found in a Zoo near you? [/QUOTE] Depends on what you mean by “near.” The zoo plague was in Denver, Colorado. That’s about 700 miles from Tulsa. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/16 "2007-05-29T22:32:35Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] Depends on what you mean by “near.” The zoo plague was in Denver, Colorado. That’s about 700 miles from Tulsa. [/QUOTE] Sorry. End of the working day. a little tired. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fox-in-my-yard/405838/17 "2007-05-30T14:55:06Z")
One town over is now having trouble with large Eastern Coyotes. There have been two children bit and [one Chihuahua was killed yesterday](http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1180501666226860.xml&coll=1). The final paragraph of the story actually gave me an inappropriate laugh however. > [@](#): > > Coyotes migrated to New Jersey from the West about 70 years ago, growing into a larger and more \*\*wily \*\* **E** astern species. More than 3,000 populate the state, and the wild canines are found in all 21 counties, according to wildlife officials. So that would make them Wily E. Coyotes? Jim