Red Foxes

dragoncjo

dragoncjo

Piney
Aug 12, 2005
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camden county
Just wondering if anyone in the cherry hill, haddonfield area has notice an increase in red foxes. The other day on the way to work I saw two dead ones on the on ramp for 295 in lawnside of warwick road. Also I saw two the other day crossing warwick road in haddonfield. I never have seen this many around my area, especially since there aren't alot of woods or meadows. Just wondering if anyone else has similar expieriences in there area.
Chris
 
I watched a fox do something I had never seen before a few weeks back. The vehicle I was in was parallelling a very large open field and a fox was running flat out across the field busting the flocks of feeding geese. As each group of geese would take to the sky he wouldn't slow down at all. Just kept running at top speed. It occured to me that he was probably hoping to come across an older or younger goose who couldn't move fast enough. In any event, it was a far cry from how I always imagined a fox would hunt ie, slow and stealthy. I was amazed at his stamina. Must have covered at least a half mile.
 
I was heading to work at 4:45AM a few weeks back, and had just crossed the bridge over the Cooper River on Cuthbert, and was turning left on Park drive, and one ran across the road in front of my car from the park to the dead end road that the underground house is on. It moved so fast that it was leaving the glare of my headlights before I realized what it was.

I live near Warwick and 295 and will keep an eye out.

King....Jessica and I saw one running across a plowed field in Hammonton, and it ran full speed across the field, crossed the road we were on, and crossed another field and into the woods before we even reached the location he crossed the road. They are so fast!

Guy
 
kingofthepines said:
I watched a fox do something I had never seen before a few weeks back. The vehicle I was in was parallelling a very large open field and a fox was running flat out across the field busting the flocks of feeding geese. As each group of geese would take to the sky he wouldn't slow down at all. Just kept running at top speed. It occured to me that he was probably hoping to come across an older or younger goose who couldn't move fast enough. In any event, it was a far cry from how I always imagined a fox would hunt ie, slow and stealthy. I was amazed at his stamina. Must have covered at least a half mile.
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That's neat! In 1975 I saw the identical behavior by a red fox and, independently, by a grey fox at the DeSoto Bend Wildlife Refuge along the Missouri River between Iowa and Nebraska. The "Bend" is a big cut-off horseshoe bend of the river and the associated refuge serves incredible numbers of migrating snow geese as a mid-latitude stop-over during migration. The geese glean the extensive corn and soybean fields that surround the refuge. The red fox behaved exactly as theone you described. He'd run into a mass of geese on the ground and try for a weak or injured one before it could get off the ground. Saw several repeated unsuccessful efforts by this fox before he finally got one. The grey fox we saw only once and that time his strategy was to dash from a dense cottonwood hedgerow in amongst a flock that was just settling - maybe 500 or 1000 were on the ground and that many or more were still in the process of landing - and he (she?) would leap up into the confused mass of birds that, at that moment, didn't know if they were coming or going! Saw him "help" one goose the last couple of feet to the ground amongst the corn stubble, then lost sight of him in the subsequent melee of frantic departing geese.

It sure sounds from these posts that the NJ fox population is waxing. It would be interesing to note as winter comes on and settles in how many of the foxes you see start to show mangy fur and rat-like bare tails. Reason I mention it is that as the population increases there's greater opportunity for direct and indirect inter-individual contact and transmission of the sarcoptic mange mite (and, incidentally, the virus of rabies, as well...) It is during such popuation peaks that both those diseases, as well as canine distemper and canine hepatitis (which causes encephalitis in foxes) can occur with far greater than normal frequency. Actually, my comments on the last two diseases may be only of historical significance, since almost all dogs - except for feral ones and coyotes - are vaccinated against both distemper and hepatitis. Rabies, of course, persists in such wildlife reservoirs as the raccoon (especially in the north-east) and the skunk.

Keep us posted on the fox situation.

Dave
 
Very interesting! The woods around me is full of fox (Lebanon SF) I notice a lot of dens along the sides of fire cuts (or clears). I can't say I have noticed an increase or decrease in the last few years though. I used to always see fox along Jackson road, the dirt Jackson road leading from Medford to Atco. Closer to the Medford side, there are a few very large rocks that were dumped there. I would often see them perched on these rocks at dusk.

I never witnessed this hunting method described above. Sounds like something to behold. I will have to keep my eyes open. BTW, fox hunters with their hounds and trucks are still pretty common around my area. Good to know the tradition is still healthy!!

Jeff
 
Teegate, the two dead foxes I saw were on the on ramp on the 295 entrance down the street from tavistock swim club(they should still be there one looked like a yearling the other an adult). I live across the street from tavistock c.c. and know that the members brought in some red foxes to cut down on the canadian goose population. In fact while playing golf I have seen them and they are very friendly, they will literally almost walk up to you. I have been told that they have left the golf course and maybe this is the reason why they are turning up throughout the area. But to see two dead ones in two consecutive days, and to see two crossing warwick road by hutchinson ave. is weird. Especially since I've never seen one in my previous 23 years of living in haddonfield. Also my sister saw one along 295 in haddon heights, maybe they are following along the sound proof walls on 295.
 
dragoncjo said:
Teegate, the two dead foxes I saw were on the on ramp on the 295 entrance down the street from tavistock swim club(they should still be there one looked like a yearling the other an adult). I live across the street from tavistock c.c. and know that the members brought in some red foxes to cut down on the canadian goose population. In fact while playing golf I have seen them and they are very friendly, they will literally almost walk up to you. I have been told that they have left the golf course and maybe this is the reason why they are turning up throughout the area. But to see two dead ones in two consecutive days, and to see two crossing warwick road by hutchinson ave. is weird. Especially since I've never seen one in my previous 23 years of living in haddonfield. Also my sister saw one along 295 in haddon heights, maybe they are following along the sound proof walls on 295.
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I took today off from work and will be getting on 295 there, so I will check for them.

Did you see the deer dead on 295 along the sound walls in Cherry Hill last week? They get stuck in between them and the outcome is always unpleasant.

Thanks for the info

Guy
 
dragoncjo said:
Teegate, the two dead foxes I saw were on the on ramp on the 295 entrance down the street from tavistock swim club(they should still be there one looked like a yearling the other an adult).
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I saw the one today at the bottom of the ramp just before entering 295. I did not see the other one, but I had forgotten to look.

Guy
 
A number of years ago I was driving thru Island Beach SP and there were fox waiting along the road looking for hand outs. They were mangy and unhealthy. I remember reading an article shortly after about the situation. In more recent years I have not seen them there, although I have seen their tracks so that is a good sign.

It is always a pathetic shame to see wild animals becoming dependant on, or intregrating with humans. I feel the same way about deer wandering about suburbia and bear raiding garbage cans.

Jeff
 
I saw another dead Red Fox on 70 near Springdale road yesterday morning.

Guy
 
We have a Fox family with mange along the Cooper River on the Somerdale/Voorhees border. They usually die, one at a time, in our yard, and I place their bodies in the woods. I am wondering if there is any remedy/control/help for this family? I spoke with NJDEP and Camden County and Animal Control. There is no interest.
 
A raccoon or skunk might, but they are about the same size. We use Ivermectin on our dogs and horses, it is also a wormer. Better read the label for others like cats. If you can find the den then you can target the fox better.
 
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Chewing tobacco is a good de-wormer too. I have been chewing Beech Nut and Red Man for over thirty years and I've been completely worm free !
Seriously, tobacco can be actually is used as a de-wormer. My dog has eaten my discarded loose leaf plugs more than once.

Dogs are attracted to the sweet smell of chewing tobacco and in limited quantities, it won't hurt them and it does kill internal parasites.
I would think it would have little effect on the mites that cause mange though since you would have to maintain elevated levels of toxic nicotine in the blood for an extended period.
 
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It isn't going to help mange, sorry to say. But you are right, one of the biggest selling insecticides for crops and pets is derived from tobacco-imidacloprid. It's not active against acarines (spiders, mites, ticks, etc) at all, just insects.
 
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RednekF350 said:
Chewing tobacco is a good de-wormer too. I have been chewing Beech Nut and Red Man for over thirty years and I've been completely worm free !
Seriously, tobacco can be actually is used as a de-wormer. My dog has eaten my discarded loose leaf plugs more than once.

Dogs are attracted to the sweet smell of chewing tobacco and in limited quantities, it won't hurt them and it does kill internal parasites.
I would think it would have little effect on the mites that cause mange though since you would have to maintain elevated levels of toxic nicotine in the blood for an extended period.
Click to expand...
I am so glad your worm free
 
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