Mischief In The Drain Pipe Down The Road

The Red Fox

Making a really deep den for their kits,

Gulping down their prey,

Sneaking up behind rabbits so they can eat,

Running away when it's hunting season,

Looking out for the family when the hunters come,

Bellowing when they get caught in traps.

I AM THE RED FOX!

By R.W.
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One morning last week on my way to work, just down the road from my house, I saw a young red fox dead on the side of the road. It lay just a couple feet away from where the drain pipe goes under one of the field entrance road. I knew that meant there probably was a litter of red fox calling that pipe home.

Later that afternoon returning home from work, the dead fox was gone. As I drove by the drain pipe, I saw three young fox wrestling around. Early that evening, on a drive back to town, I saw the little fox up on the road playing. My horn hook sent them scurrying for the drain pipe hole.

It's been a few years since I'd seen fox using that hole for their den. During that summer the surrounding area was over populated with fox. At that time there were an abundance of rabbits around my pine trees and living under the shed. The rabbits rapidly disappeared and then we started seeing fox with mange. Since then, spotting a fox became a rare sight.

This year the rabbits are fat and plentiful. A few months ago the coyotes were howling at night about 20 yards from the back of the house. Now the fox are starting to be seen regularly. It's another cycle of nature that you get to see living in the country -- if you pay a small amount of attention to the wildlife in your neighborhood.

I continued to see the fox in the morning, afternoon and early evening, whenever I drove by. However, for the past few days, I have not seen them. My guess is they have moved off to a new home.

Read more about red fox.