Denning Season

It's denning season for the canids of Virginia.  That means that I'll be spending some time tracking fox, coyote, and other footprints through the mud and snow to help me find these dens.  When I find one, a camera will be going up.

Here's a good one that I found yesterday.  You can tell by the amount of footprints and kicked dirt around it that it is very active.

I used extreme care and caution not to get too close or disturb the animals that may be living in there.

Here's to hoping for pups or kits of fox or coyote this spring!

Most Likely a Fox, Right?

17 out of 19 people so far say that this young mammal is a fox.  The other 2 people say a young coyote in its summer coat.  These people are all wildlife biologists, wildlife conservation specialists, or outdoor park managers who have lots of experience with both animals, so I enjoy their input and find it very interesting.

Personally, I've got my money on it being a young fox.  The tail does seem to have darker edges and a dark tip, which is common of a coyote though.  An attempt to persuade me to calling it a coyote was made based on the size and shape of the ears, and how a coyote would be this skinny in summer due to it losing a lot of its winter coat, but I hold my ground and still call it a fox.

Whatever it is, its a skinny one and was captured on camera in Fairfax County, Virginia.  The camera was reset and is still at the exact same spot.

Do you agree with me and say that this animal is a fox? Or do lean towards it being a coyote?

Tracking Your Loudoun Coyotes

Why can't I get a good picture of a coyote coming out of or going inside this den?

Is this an abnormally large fox den or is it a coyote den that is inactive?

I'm going to keep the location of this den a secret but I can assure you that it is located in Loudoun County, Virginia.

The hole, as you can see is bigger in diameter than my backpack is in width.  The smell of carrion meat and carnivore urine bleeds out of this den.

I hope to have some answers as to what really lives in here, in a few weeks.  I already wasn't thinking when I put my backpack around it as I left some of my scent there.  As I have learned with coyotes, any human scent left at the scene is too much scent.  Way too much scent.  But here's to wishful thinking that this site will bring some good results.

I'll leave you with a picture of week old, rained on, smushed coyote scat that I found near this location.

My muddy boot for size reference as I forgot to bring a tape measure.