Learning to hunt red foxes really means learning about red fox behavior. If you know the animal, you will be better equipped to - sorry - outfox him when you are hunting him.

First the basics: The red fox is a small member of the canine family that includes wolves, jackals, coyotes, other foxes and, of course, your family Poodle or Labrador. Their range is large and their habitat are varied. They exist from Alaska in the north to the gulf coast in the south. They are found from the east coast to the west coast in one form or another. Red foxes come in various color phases from the beautiful silver in Alaska and Canada to a deep red in the Midwest and east to a faded yellow in some central locales.

This is all well and good but it's information that you can get out of any encyclopedia or library. Following is some information that will help you hunt them more effectively.

First, and maybe most importantly, the red fox is a predatory animal. Unlike a coyote or gray fox, a red fox will have a diet almost exclusively made up of meat. What kind of meat will depend on your region of the country.

In most areas, mice or other small rodents will make up the majority of it's diet. Day after day, month in and month out, a fox will eat more mice than any other animal. In Minnesota where I live, a fox will eat a lot of insects during the summer time but will not pass up a mouse no matter what the season. They eat larger rodents as well. Cottontail rabbits are fairly common in their diet but around here, jackrabbits tend to be a rare meal for a fox based on the difficulty in catching them and their relative size(they can weigh as much as a fox). Foxes tend to be opportunists and will not pass up a jack if it's slow or stupid enough but would rather fill up on mice as they come upon many of them each day while out wandering around.

Of course, a fox will eat any small animal that it can come across. I've heard stories of foxes killing house cats but I really doubt it happens very often at all. I've seen cats doing battle with seventy five pound dogs and the dogs often have their hands full. I really doubt a fox, that will generally only out weigh a cat by a few pounds, will get hungry enough to go after a house cat.

So, knowing that foxes are almost entirely carnivorous, what does this mean to us as hunters? Simply that we need to hunt for foxes where foxes hunt for their supper.

In this part of Minnesota, most fields are covered by one to several feet of snow during the months when I do my hunting. That snow-covered field is now a sanctuary for the mice that live there year round. If the snow is not too deep, the foxes will still be able to catch a few mice in those fields but it's going to be tough. For a fox to eat during these months he is going to have to leave those fields and relocate to areas where he can successfully hunt for his dinner.

In the harsh winter time, food species tend to become concentrated in areas that provide cover for them. This includes cattail swamps, fence lines, woodlots and any other cover that doesn't become thickly covered with snow. In these areas, a fox will find mice, rabbits, pheasants and other meaty little taste treats. And in these areas a hunter will find the fox. Finding the fox is about half the battle.

Foxes are territorial. I have no hard and fast statistics on how big territories tend to be for an individual fox but my guess is that it varies from region to region and most likely depends on what kind of food supply is available in those areas.

Editor's note: One source says that paired foxes will "occupy a territory of 3 to 8 sq km (1.5 to 3 sq mi)."

When food is plentiful, foxes will be more widely spread out. When times get tough, foxes will often be found close to one another.

Foxes tend to be solitary animals at all times of the year except for during the breeding season of the first two months of the year. While it's possible to call in two foxes at once at any time of the year, they seldom come running together except for January and February. When you are able to call in a double in December, for example, it's likely that you called a fox from one territory and his neighbor from another territory. When breeding time comes around, foxes will come running shoulder to shoulder.

Foxes are like largemouth bass. A dominant fox will take over the best territory that an area has to offer. If it's a good one with lots of food and cover, and you shoot the fox that lives there, another fox will move in within a very short time. That's why we have certain spots that produce fox after fox all winter long. It will pay to hunt the best places more than once over the course of a hunting season.

Foxes are small. I've heard from many people who claimed to kill huge foxes. I don't want to call anyone a liar but I've weighed some of my bigger ones and about fifteen pounds is the best I can come up with. I've read and heard about foxes weighing up to twenty eight pounds. I have never seen one close to that big or even a picture. But, I'd love to.

Red foxes have a bunch of fur. They are fluffy as all get out. If you ever skin your foxes, you are most likely surprised at how small they are without that fur. Generally from top of back to bottom of chest, they tend to be about eight inches deep. Side to side they are about five inches wide. What this means is that you are going to have to be fairly certain about how and where you hit them. An accurate gun will be an asset.

They are not the biggest or meanest predator on the face of the earth. They know it and they act it. Foxes are skittish beasts. They often run at the drop of a hat. If they hear you walk into an area or slow down your vehicle, you can bet they will hightail it for the next township. I've seen coyotes stand and look at you while you are walking in or driving past them. They are curious about what you are and what you are doing. A fox is not like that. He doesn't care what you are or what you are doing. He just wants to get out of town. Stealth is your friend when hunting foxes.

In areas where foxes and coyotes share the same area, the fox knows that if it's not careful it could end up as a dessert for the coyote. When I go calling in North and South Dakota where both foxes and coyotes are plentiful, we shoot a fair number of foxes but the locals there are always surprised by that. They are under the impression that we are masters of the art because they find foxes to be so skittish around coyotes that they will seldom come to the call. We enjoy not knowing what is going to come to the call so do a lot of hunting in those areas but if we were wanting to hunt more bold foxes, we'd concentrate on areas where there were few coyotes. It also makes sense that when we want to shoot a fox, we don't use our coyote howlers. That's a sure way to ensure that a fox will not be coming to the call.

Foxes are not as forgiving to human intrusion as a coyote can be either. We are hearing more and more stories of coyotes living in suburban areas of western towns. There is some research that indicates that foxes have been found living in or around cities but it's a rare thing. Even in farm land, you can bet that a foxes' home will be far away from any human activity. Barking dogs, kids and tractors all upset the delicate balance a fox calls his nervous system.

When looking for tracks in the snow, we often find them nearly anywhere in a section. But chances are good those tracks were made at night when the fox was out hunting and felt fairly safe from human harassment. During the day, if you want to consistently shoot foxes, you have to head for the middle of a section where the fox feels safest.

During the cold winter months, a fox will worship the sun. They are a hardy breed and are frequently seen laying on top of the snow soaking in the sun's warmth. As much as they like the sun, they seem to hate the wind. When looking for a sleeping fox, you should always check the down wind side of a snowbank or fenceline. When there is no wind, it's likely that you will find foxes sleeping just about anywhere, even out in the middle of a field far from any cover.

Foxes are fairly curious. Of course anything out of the ordinary will send them running but enough of something different will help in your cause. I am often surprised that when a fox is coming in to my call and stops and I raise my gun, he often sees that movement and comes racing in.

Foxes are great little creatures. They are one of the more beautiful predators we have to hunt. Because of their smaller size, the same given area can hold more foxes than it can coyotes or bobcats which gives us more hunting opportunities.

These are a few of my observations on red foxes. Knowing your quarry will help put more fur on the boards this winter. Hopefully this has given you a bit more info so you can be more successful in your upcoming hunts.

Randy Buker