Wierd red fox story.

[Dan Thiem]

This is going to be unbeleiveable for most people, but here you go.

We live in rural Zumbro Falls, (S.E. bluff country). This year I have noticed more red fox than ever. I know of one spot that during spring field work a family of them little ones and adults.

Here's the wierd part, my neighbor down the road went to his mailbox (during the day) and one came towards him growling and charging at him. He's a grown man and it scared him right up on to his mail box. No kidding! Then after a while it left back the way it came. So he returns to the house to fetch his gun and as soon as he came back out there it was, still mean and aggressive. He yelled at it, and it turned, then he shot it and killed it.

I went over to his house and looked at it, and from what I could tell it didn't look as if it had any diseases. I really don't know what mange and rabies are, only that the mange they look like their hair is all falling out and rabies the got foam around their mouth. I didn't see either of those on this thing.

So far we have lost 5 chickens and 2 ducks. No doubt what happened.

Some times our dogs will go crazy running around all alert and peeing all over the place, is there maybe a fox close by then?

Is there any reason I should keep the kids from playing in and around the woods?

Is there a way I can shoot them? I just worry about another aggressive one going after someone else. Is there any advantages to tip the scale my way into seeing one in my sights? I have shotguns and a .22 but no high power rifle.

True story, believe it or not.

[big drift]

Contact your local CO asap and let him know what is happening. Rabies is not always exhibited by the foaming but you do have a right to protect yourself, property and loved ones.

Let us know what happened, if your friend kept it or has access to it still ya might want to have it checked out.

good luck,

big drift

[jlm]

I would agree, this is VERY unusual for a fox. I suspect rabies as well and like the other poster stated, you will not always see the typical signs like foaming at the mouth. Aggressive behavior in usually timid animals itself is a symptom of rabies. If your friend had any contact with the animal by touching it, he better get checked out ASAP. Have the animal tested, that is the best bet! Good luck.

[Dan Thiem]

Good idea, I never even thought about calling the DNR.

This happened on Thursday July 28th. Do you think they can tell anything. It might be kind of rotten.

I don't know what he did with it, but I'll ask him and let everyone know.

[FOOT]

Dan, tell your neighbor to contact the health dept right away. Hopefully he still has the fox. If so they will take the head and test for rabies if it hasn't been too long.

Until you know for sure whether the fox was rabid or not I would warn your children to be very carefull. Most wild animals have a built in fear of humans. If they come across a fox that is overly friendly or agressive they should leave the area immediately and get inside.

Your best bet to dispatch a fox would be your shotgun unless they are out of range. Your .22 should be ok out to about 100 yards, if you're a good shot.

As far as your dogs going crazy, the fox probably marked their territory and the dogs were re-marking their territory.

Be careful Dan, I hear those rabies shots are not fun.

A little side bar - I was hunting ducks in ND with my Lab a few years ago. I was set up between 2 ponds and the ducks were traveling between. I had 2 down, on land, when a large flock tried to settle in to one pond. As my Lab and I huddled near a fence post and a small bush we heard a noise behind us only to turn and see a fox making off with one of the ducks I had down but hadn't retreived yet. Too far for me to get a shot so the score was -

Duck - 0

Hunter - 0

Dog - 0

Fox - 1

[kc0myy]

My hunters safty teacher. Said he has shot a few fox when the hair off the tail is falling out. This is caused by a flea. What happends is 1 fox gets the flea then go back to the den and all the other foxs get the flea. so I am guessing that there is more than 1 fox with this problem.

[The Grebe]

Dan...distemper is another ailment that animals get...if it were rabies, I don't believe the fox would have backed off of the attack?

But, a fox that is being driven crazy by the mange mites, gets pretty short tempered! When I used to trap, I would sometimes get a fox in the first stages of the mange and they would growl, snap, lunge at me and make weird noises, you have to know what to look for in the initial stages.

A healthy fox usually cowers and will run away from a human at the first chance, so there was definately something wrong?

Once the infestation becomes bad, they get slow and listless and look awful, it is hard to look at and it is unimaginable how they are suffering! I have caught some that had more skin showing then fur! The mange is one of the main reasons I quit trapping.

Still, although rabies are not as common in this state as it is down south, we still have reported cases now and then. Alot of skunks and bats carry the virus, so it is always best to err on the side of caution where rabies is suspect!

[Lights]

Hi Dan, Sounds like you need me to come down and do a little Fox calling.

Lights

[Dan Thiem]

Hi Mark, it's been a while since sucker fishing and river dogs eh?

If you want to come and shoot them sonsabeaches give me a call. 507-753-2771

[Lights]

I'll be calling ya.

Thanks,

Mark

[Dan Thiem]

Thanks Mark! Now we need to get the rest of them chicken thieves.

[Lights]

Dan, Let me say thanks for letting me come down and do some calling. I really enjoyed taking your son out with me. He is one nice young man.

Lights

[Chris_Wallace]

Not much for hair loss on that one, looks more like lead poisoning! Get them pheasant stealing pieces of junk out of their.

You could get a Great Pyrannese, its a dog about the size of a small horse, it can walk over and look into a conversion van window without standing up.

I was up to see the family in Wild Rose, and he was just a little furball, came back a few months later, rather than wake the family up, we slept in the car, woke up to the dog's nose in the window. Talk about a wake up call.

This dog took care of coyotes on their property, it had a territory about 5 square miles. It would eventually run the coyote to the point that the coyote would turn around and fight it, which never ended well for the coyote. Dog would bring it all the way back to the porch, and go find another trail.

It was really cool, your sitting down for dinner, this dog gets up and stretches, and just starts walking to the woods, no bark or nothing, just went off on his own, wake up in the morning to three bodies and the dog still ain't back yet, the farmer goes, must be a good night, dog comes back dragging two more, eyes are all blood shot, drops the carcasses, get a rub down from his owner and than passess out for 8 or 9 hours and does it again. I thought it was really cool.