The sly one. Or so we say. But then again, we are human and like to use our language to describe their behavior.

What I do know is that this mammal is hardly elusive and this past summer I witnessed it passing through our yard on an almost daily basis. Several times a day. And occasionally met it in the field, where it fled as soon as it spotted me.

Winter sightings have been rarer, but it’s still around. I know this by evidence . . . sign posts in the woods.

To whom am I referring? The Red Fox. And its prints are one of its most obvious signs. Because its feet are quite hairy, they are not always crystal clear prints, that being one give away as to identity.

Another clue, if visible–the chevron mark (think boomerang shape) in the metacarpal pad of the larger front foot, which carries the heavier load.

Can you see the Chevron in this cast of a hairy Fox foot?

And being a member of the canine family, the front toes are parallel, as are the side toes (remember that the Bobcat has a lead toe making the overall print asymmetrical), and you can spot an X between the four visible toes. There’s another toe, but its located farther up the heel, just like on your dog’s leg.

The toe nails are pointed and typically close together, but this cast was made with a frozen specimen (a la the Maine Master Naturalist Program–thank you, Dorcas Miller), so the nails are a bit more spread than normal.

The toes being close together is an important factor because these mammals need to keep the heat in since they don’t have a warm wood stove to return to after a dash in the woods.

As walkers/trotters, the Red Fox is like the Bobcat with Direct Registration where the hind foot on the left side lands in the same spot the front foot had just packed and the same for the right side, thus creating a rather zigzag line.

This track was actually that of two mammals traveling together in the same path, and only occasionally missing a beat. Eventually, they separated, perhaps on the hunt, and then came back together again. It’s always such fun to discover that what we may think of as one mammal crossing the landscape morphs into more than one.

I highly encourage you to watch this ten second video by clicking on the arrow. And at nine seconds slow it down and then play it back and forth so that you can see how the hind foot lands where the front foot was.

This is one of our resident Foxes: the Vixen.

And this is my attempt to demonstrate the same movement via a goauche painting.

Another sign that is often not only spotted but also sniffed in the winter air is that of Red Fox urine. I suspect this particular sample under the dried fern was deposited by a female who squatted to pee. Can you see all of her prints on the snow.

Mind you, the snow was over a foot deep at this point and she walked atop it. A Red Fox weighs between 8 and 15 pounds; its overall length is 20 – 26 inches; and its tail is 14 – 18 inches.

The male fox lifts its leg and projects the urine, as visible on this uprooted tree.

And so, for your viewing pleasure, I bring you a female fox peeing.

I’d left a bowl of water out for the critters and insects this past summer because we were experiencing a drought and I had to refill it each morning because so many made use of it. In fact, the Foxes visited throughout the day and night.

Anyway, click on the white arrow and watch her style.

And now I present to you one of her kits.

There is something very unique about this kit–he has a short tail. Rather like a Bobcat tail. I had been thinking he was born that way, but my friend Kate, who knows animals way better than I ever will, told me that something happened in Bob’s early life that caused the tail to be so short.

Yes, I gave him a name. Actually, it helps my neighbor and I to identify the creatures we see repeatedly. Oh, mind you, I don’t give all of them a name, but a few are worthy.

And now it’s time to click on the white arrow and take a look at Bob’s tail and then watch him pee.

So here’s something I learned this past summer/fall after all the peeing, because they did it repeatedly: I always thought that Fox urine only had that skunky musky scent during mating season in January and February. Not true. Some days it was quite strong when I approached the bowl in the summer and fall.

Then there’s the scat. Foxes, again like Bobcats (and Coyotes) tend to deposit their scat on high places in the center of our trails. And this one a spot that had been visited upon several occasions, so it obviously carried meaning for others: either this is my territory so stay out; or I’m 2 and handsome and healthy and ready for a date–how about you?

Fox scat is about the size of our pinky! And often twisted, with a blunt end and a tail.

Black or dark brown Fox scat usually indicates a fresh kill–blood and meat and organs made up that meal.

They are Omnivores and sometimes in the late summer/fall even fruitivores, if there is such a thing. When diets change, it becomes more difficult to determine the creator of the scat.

Their molars are a combination of sharp for grinding and flatter, and they tend to leave bigger bone chips in their scat when they’ve moved beyond the organ meat. And usually lots of hair. But again, that’s when they are eating rodents and not during berry season.

So, I have a few Red Fox stories to share. This one was most surprising for a bunch of Wild Turkeys were walking through our yard one day when a Fox happened along. I stood just inside the kitchen door, which acts as a perfect animal blind, and watched, suspecting the worst to happen, though some of you know that in my book of the world, the worst that I expected would have been quite incredible to witness. But . . . the Fox never gave much notice to the Turkeys and they all moved along without an incident. BUMMER.

Remember how I said the door is an animal blind. I took this photo about six years ago when we had a deck rather than a patio. And tada, there the Fox was, sniffing for a Chipmunk that had dashed under the deck after eating some bird seed.

One rainy spring day, a Vixen came along in search of a meal and she looked like she desperately needed one–probably for herself and her kits. She wasn’t successful at sneaking up on one of the other critters, since Squirrels and Chipmunks can outrun a Fox, so she, too, dined on some seeds.

After which she licked her chops.

I know it was frustrating for her, and really it was the Crows fault, for they often announced her presence to anyone who would listen.

The next day, just as she walked in front of the stones by the garden, I saw a flash of brown run across the flatter rock. The Fox jumped up, looked around, jumped down and gave chase. And was not successful.

But that didn’t stop her from returning and as we ate our lunches we heard a squeal. R.F. snuck up and lunged and nailed a Gray Squirrel that wasn’t paying attention. It was the Squirrel that squealed.

And the Fox that took a plump prize home.

Home can be a den such as this, with lots of dirt and stones in the door yard. Dens are used most often during breeding season and actually, there may be several in the Fox’s home range. But actually, they don’t always use these.

Often, they prefer to sleep in lays nearby. And somewhere I recall reading that a Red Fox sleeps for 15-25 seconds, checks the area for predators and sleep for another 15 – 25 seconds, unless under dense cover. Despite the “cat” naps, they can get up to ten hours of sleep in a 24-hour period.

And, in the winter, they prefer to curl up in a ball in the snow, which I’ve tried to illustrate. (Yes, I’ve been on a fox painting journey and you have no idea how many I won’t show you! Just be thankful.)

As I’ve said, Foxes are part of our landscape and I find that they like to stay closer to our homes. I watched this one as my neighbor and her dogs approached it. They were totally unaware of her presence, but she knew they were there. And then, in a flash, she ran the other way.

I’ve already mentioned Bob, but I wanted to share this video with you. Turn up the volume as you play it and listen to him in the last second.

I last captured Bob on another game camera in January and pray that he’s still on the prowl. After watching him grow all summer and fall, I became quite fond of him.

Unfortunately, his sibling wasn’t so successful. I found her dead in the field in mid to late August and told my neighbor because she has dogs. She worried that it might have been rabies, but by the scruff marks on the back, and the fact that a Barred Owl kept appearing that day, I think the Owl may have attacked the Kit and then dropped it for a later meal.

My neighbor did dispose of it because of the rabies fear, which was the right thing to do. Just not from the Owl’s point of view.

With all of that said, I’m honoring the Red Fox because I am so grateful for the fact that it has let me share in so many of its stories. Sly. Perhaps. But a teacher, for sure. And I look forward to more lessons from this clever critter.