We've not done red fox photos for a while. One of the most beautiful furbearers on the trapline. I usually go after them early with footholds, then switch entirely to snares as we get good snows. Pretty high proportion of cross phase foxes in this country, although I've only seen 1 "silver" in 15 years here in Idaho. Had pretty good numbers (about 5%) of silvers in Alaska.

This is a pup that was whelped on our place out of Fairbanks, Alaska.



This is a pup "cross" that was a littermate of the red shown above.



This is a typical cross phase from east central Idaho.



This is a typical red phase from east central Idaho. Not too good on the color (not cherry) but good, full pelts.



Once we have good snow cover, I switch from footholds to snares.



Here's a typical, straw-colored red. Handsome fellow!


What're your typical color phases?

Jack

Nice pictures

Here's what i see in my area of WI. Not too many at all, though. The coyotes here are rough on them.

Here's a couple, don't have many photos because I don't usually have my camera afield. I get a lot lately with heavily frosted rumps




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They are such beauties!

Heres a couple of a frosty rump.

Let me know where you are, and what % of reds, % of cross, and % of silvers. Have your populations changed much lately?

Jack

Absolutely love red fox fur. Of any colour. Great shots, everyone. If I recall , Boco has some amazing shots of very fluffy fox furs he processed himself.

Thank you, Jack, for such fun subjects .

Sharon I like the third drawing best , of him standing straight and tall! Very nice work

I used to target them quite a bit when I was younger but haven't specifically set for fox for a while.

Cool pics of a cool critter

A few fox from western Alaska. Color phases make up less than 1% of what I see in my catch.

That's a beautiful wall of fur there.

Summertime trail cam picture, Alaska Peninsula.

Not a red, but a blue phase arctic fox on Rootok Island

Chirikof Island

Headed above the water line with my trap basket.

Red fox looking at a meadow lark, all glass, my wife made.

I have never seen any silver or cross fox in ND. I did hear of someone catching a silver, but I never saw it. I heard of one a gray fox, why over on the east side along the Red River and one by Devils Lake.

Thanks for the great photos, Mark. What are you seeing as the color phases in NODAK?

Jack

This is what mine look like in southeast Texas.

Coyote killed this one.

We have a paler red in my area. As with most places they tend to be a little darker earlier in the fall. I always wonder why we don't see any cross in this area. At one time ND had a lot of fox. I know guys that took over 100 with two dozen traps in a season. I feel the lower population was due to mange and farming changes more than coyotes. According to Bob Young in the 1960's Montana had very few red and in the 1980's when I worked for Bob in the fur room at Pacific in Gt Falls we were buying as many reds as coyotes. The coyotes were always there and the fox population increased.

Gulo As usual another very informative post on the beauty of Mother Nature I live in South Central PA It has a healthy fox population Maybe some what smaller than 20 years ago due to the increase in the coyote expanding into the area Of course in the world of animal populations nothing remains the same for a very long time A large amount of our red fox are more closely yellow Our old time fur buyers referred to them as straw backs because they reminded them of the color of a bale of barley or wheat straw It is one of the many marvels of nature how much different two animals of the same species are so different in color from the same area I some times have 3 or 4 sets n close location to each other and catch foxes in those sets that are not even close to each other in coloration . Thanks for posting this I have always thought it is quite an interesting subject .

Some fox from this area.

Those are the fluffy foxes I wanted to see, Boco.

What a gorgeous hat. Really like the white tones for design. Do you have more shots of it , from the back too ?

Some early 1970s red fox and my son and I .

Very little color variations here. Plenty of reds and I’ve caught 3 that graded cross, but honestly I didn’t feel they were true cross.

Few more.

I made that hat a couple years ago for a trapper as a gift for his wife,it is the only pic I have of it.I made it with a snap on tail,with snaps in two different locations on the hat,one high and one low.You cannot see the snap tags under the thick fur.

Not all of our red foxes have the bright neon white throat patches but those that do are the nicest ones,

Wow look at all the pretty foxes. Great shots, everyone.

Boco .

IF you evah get another fox with those similar contrast tones, and if you feel like making another hat like that one, I'll take it ....

Love the white on the underside ear flaps too. As well as the white designing on the sides.

I'll put your request in my order book.

Thank you . Don't want to inconvenience you, or be a pest, but my motto for everything in life, is that it doesn't hurt to ask. That hat is way too pretty not to want one ...plus it will match my red hair perfectly.

No bother at all Sharon.
I'll send you a PM on here once I start sewing stuff.
Might be a little while though.

Wow!!!!

My one and only…so far!
Send in to FTA photo contest this year. Lots of emotions tied up in this one

Sounds great. No hurry. One thing I do know of artists, they do their best work when happy , inspired, and unhurried . Beautiful fur handling and sewing is a grand art talent I appreciate and wear proudly.

You really do a marvelous work with the fur you catch . As well as the quality fur in your area. A colourful hat from one of your foxes will top off my carefully gathered mini collection of fur hats . Right up there with my marten hat of many colours.

Thank you much, Boco.

JACK.......see what you did ???? This is all your fault .

[img]http://[/img] Most of our fox in North Central ND look like this.

Our numbers seem stable, but lower than the 70’s and 80’s.

I have only caught one cross fox, they seem to be a low percentage.

A hat and mitts made by Kyle Krebs from our fox.

I just spent a week travelling on Prince Edward Island and was seeing 4-8 foxes a day as the foxes were travelling across newly planted fields. Many were hunting for June beetles as they were emerging from prior potato fields. Every combination of colours of foxes was seen which amazed me. ( all viewing was back seat driving- so the numbers were probably higher)

When I was drumming the Alaska foxes they were 6-8 inches longer and much more fuller ( the bar code tags told where they were from)

I have saved the last especially since a certain artist gets the squireeees about fleas
95% of the foxes from the prairies have a fleas called the human flea on them. From 10 to 3500 count
so I have a special cord that hoop ties around their teeth and has a 2 inch cone just above where you carry it so the fleas can not get to a warm host as they are seeking it.

You just HAD to post that, didn't you, N40 ?

"Squireees" about fleas....that's a good word ! Id like to add "Sqishees" , too. As in squish them flat. So, how do trappers keep them from having the ultimate party in the trap shed ? In cold weather, the snared ones already seem to have had the varmints vacated before you get to the fur. I like that.

Everything...and I mean everything...needs to wear a flea collar....

Nice fox!!! Still have yet to catch one very nice results!

Sharon I did not move to Missouri to be on the 40th parallel but still on the 50th in Manitoba.
When snared animals the fleas still move inward to the warm area, only after they are disturbed by CO2 or vibrations do they actively search
the fleas most species can come back to life after freezing even after a blood meal

I am talking about riffle shot ones, as a good friend a provincial entomologist who ending up getting sick from a flea bite and he developed the cone idea ( bubonic plague)

I never thought you were in Missouri ... ok I thought you were trapping. Regardless, I'm glad you don't mind dealing with those bad crawly nasties ...

tax credit that I get per insect specimen really help
but the tax appraiser has developed a finer decorum in rare scotch lately on inspection day