Tracking a fox requires a blend of traditional field skills and modern technology to understand its presence, movements, and behavior. Adaptable canids, such as the Red Fox and the Gray Fox, leave subtle yet discernible evidence of their passage across various landscapes. Effective tracking involves careful observation and monitoring of these signs while minimizing disturbance to the animal.
Interpreting Physical Signs
The most immediate method for tracking a fox involves recognizing the tangible evidence left on the ground, starting with their tracks. Fox paw prints are typically narrower and more elongated than those of a domestic dog, often presenting a distinct diamond shape. The fox’s gait is energy-efficient, characterized by a direct register trot where the hind foot lands in or very near the print left by the front foot. This action creates a straight, nearly single-track line in soft substrates like snow or mud.
Another highly specific sign is the scat, or droppings, which foxes frequently use for territorial marking. Fox scat is usually thin, twisted, and pointed at one end, often measuring two to three inches long. Analyzing the contents reveals their diet, which often includes undigested animal hair, small bone fragments, and seasonal seeds from berries and fruit. Scat is intentionally deposited in prominent locations, such as on rocks, logs, or raised mounds.
Evidence of feeding provides insight into a fox’s hunting and foraging habits. Foxes, being omnivores, leave behind small prey remains, such as scattered feathers or gnawed bones from rodents. They are known to dig small, conical holes in the ground when searching for subsurface prey like insects or grubs. Foxes also cache excess food by burying it for later retrieval, creating small mounds of disturbed earth that indicate recent activity.
Locating Dens and Activity Patterns
Successful tracking depends on understanding the fox’s routine use of its environment, particularly its den sites. Fox dens are often found in secluded areas, including dense brush, under rocky outcrops, or beneath human structures like sheds or porches. An active den entrance is typically an oval hole, about 8 to 12 inches wide, and is surrounded by key indicators.
These indicators include a “throw mound” of freshly excavated earth and a strong, musky odor from urine and glandular secretions lingering near the entrance. Active dens, especially those used for raising young, show signs of frequent use, such as flattened vegetation and worn paths extending outward. These worn paths, or runways, are established routes foxes use to move efficiently between their den and feeding areas. Runways often appear as narrow, low-lying trails through tall grass or along fence lines.
Tracking efforts must align with the fox’s natural rhythm, which is predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal. Foxes are most active during the low-light periods of dusk and dawn. The highest peaks of activity often occur shortly after sunset and just before sunrise. When attempting observation, approaching from downwind is important to prevent the fox’s acute sense of smell from detecting human presence.
Employing Remote Monitoring Tools
When direct observation is impractical, remote monitoring tools allow for continuous, non-invasive tracking of fox movements and behavior. Trail cameras, also known as camera traps, use Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors to detect a combination of motion and body heat. For effective monitoring, cameras should be mounted low, typically one to two feet off the ground, and aimed along established runways or near den entrances.
Adjusting the camera’s PIR sensitivity is important to ensure the relatively small heat signature of a fox is captured without triggering false alerts from wind-blown vegetation. Since foxes are most active at night, camera settings must be optimized for nocturnal capture, often utilizing an infrared flash that is invisible to the fox. The resulting timestamped images provide precise data on travel routes and activity times.
Acoustic monitoring offers another method, focusing on the fox’s wide range of vocalizations. Specialized audio recorders can capture high-pitched barks used for territorial communication or the eerie, drawn-out screams associated with the female (vixen) during the winter mating season. Analyzing these recordings helps pinpoint general locations and provides insight into social interactions occurring out of sight.
For real-time, short-range observation during active hours, thermal imaging devices are highly effective. These handheld units detect the fox’s body heat, creating a bright signature against a cooler background. This allows for rapid scanning of large areas without the need for visible light, confirming the fox’s presence and location from a distance.