Fox living on Spirit Island???

Was up on Mille Lacs this past weekend fishing smallmouth around Spirit Island and saw this! If you know how far off shore Spirit Island is, there no way this could have swam that whole way is there? He must have been out there since ice out I’m thinking? Crazy. That island has tons of birds on it usually, but there were none this weekend. I’m sure it fed off birds nests and dead fish washing up. That would make for some cold nights out on the big lake! I just hope all the birds that next there haven’t flown south, otherwise this guy is gonna be hurting for food. I tried to get close enough to see if he’d swim to me so I could get him off the lake, but he was too scared. Should the DNR know about this? Maybe they already do and I’m late to the party. Anyway, the video is below if you care to watch it!

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That’s really cool! King of the island!

Curious how he got out there as well. Hopefully someone didn’t trap it and release it there. Maybe hung out there over winter stealing whatever food the fishermen left out, then stayed a little too long after iceout? I can’t imagine a fox would want to swim 2 miles, but I guess anything is possible. He looks mostly healthy, maybe slightly skinny for before winter. Hopefully others will be able to keep track of it and post their findings over the next couple months as well.

Great Video.
Wilson…. I’m sorry..,
Hopefully he will fill his belly on commorants!!!

Could be the DNR put him there to clean the birds up.

With all the dead walleyes floating around mille lacs, he should have plenty to eat

Ya I have no clue how it got out there. I do know there is usually tons of birds stacked up on that island, and I didn’t see a single bird on Sunday. He did look pretty healthy in person. Moves well. He’s sure in for some ice cold and windy nights before that lake freezes.

If there is food he will survive the winter. He isn’t a house fox.

Dutchboy wrote:

If there is food he will survive the winter. He isn’t a house fox.

Hahaha!

munchy wrote:

That’s really cool! King of the island!

Curious how he got out there as well. Hopefully someone didn’t trap it and release it there. Maybe hung out there over winter stealing whatever food the fishermen left out, then stayed a little too long after iceout? I can’t imagine a fox would want to swim 2 miles, but I guess anything is possible. He looks mostly healthy, maybe slightly skinny for before winter. Hopefully others will be able to keep track of it and post their findings over the next couple months as well.

Ya, that would be interesting to see if others spot him as well!

daddy wrote:

I can’t imagine a fox would want to swim 2 miles, but I guess anything is possible

I would assume he swam out there. Highly doubt he has been there since ice out. Fished near the island several times over the summer and that rock pile was littered with birds. That and if he were there all summer, he would have made the front page of the Messenger by now….. Cool video!

-J.

Maybe the fox community in the area uses the island like humans used to use Alcatraz? Did you ask him what he was in for? Did you get close enough to see any prison tats, interested to see his affiliations.

Jon Jordan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>daddy wrote:</div>
I can’t imagine a fox would want to swim 2 miles, but I guess anything is possible

I would assume he swam out there. Highly doubt he has been there since ice out. Fished near the island several times over the summer and that rock pile was littered with birds. That and if he were there all summer, he would have made the front page of the Messenger by now….. Cool video!

-J.

If it did swim out there, that’s crazy to think about. Obviously that lake can be rough. And he must have been there before. You can barely see that island from shore!

404 ERROR wrote:

Maybe the fox community in the area uses the island like humans used to use Alcatraz? Did you ask him what he was in for? Did you get close enough to see any prison tats, interested to see his affiliations.

hahahahahah! Now that I think about it, I did see a coupled face tats, and he did have a little shiv tucked behind his left ear.

I wonder if a muskie would ever take a swipe at a meal that big?

That tail might look awfully enticing!

UPDATE! Almost 30 days later, this fox is still living on Spirit Island.
In this video you can see him trying to pounce on a little bird. We ended up tossing him some sucker minnows, which he quickly gobbled up!

He doesn’t look unhealthy, but I can’t help but feel a little concerned for him. He’s probably been making a good living off of waterfowl, seagulls, etc that don’t expect any predators out there. That food supply will start migrating and get a little thin. Hopfully he’ll be ok until he can walk off the island on the ice.

Grouse

daddy wrote:

In this video you can see him trying to pounce on a little bird. We ended up tossing him some sucker minnows, which he quickly gobbled up!

Sooooo……..What does the fox say???

Pailofperch wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>daddy wrote:</div>
In this video you can see him trying to pounce on a little bird. We ended up tossing him some sucker minnows, which he quickly gobbled up!

Sooooo……..What does the fox say???

Pailofperch wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>daddy wrote:</div>
In this video you can see him trying to pounce on a little bird. We ended up tossing him some sucker minnows, which he quickly gobbled up!

Sooooo……..What does the fox say???

fox responce: A minnow? Really?
Fox asked: wutch ya gonna do with that thar musky in your live well?

Disclaimer.
The previous message was only an attempt at humor.

Sinker doesn’t have young kids

Ok! So many places I can go with that. Why are your kids in the live well?

Ok! So many places I can go with that. Why are your kids in the live well?

edited

I definitely found your humor funny, I was reffering to a popular song nowadays for the kiddos, at least in my family. It gets stuck in your head for some reason, I highly recommend not even listening.

nhamm wrote:

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I definitely found your humor funny, I was reffering to a popular song nowadays for the kiddos, at least in my family. It gets stuck in your head for some reason, I highly recommend not even listening.

You bugger, I could not stop laughing and I could not shut it off till 3/4 through. Your evil.

@daddy
Thanks for sharing.I may lay light of things but I am grateful of your account on the fox.

HAHAHAH! We all could use a good laugh! Thats great!

1hl&sinker wrote:

@daddy
Thanks for sharing.I may lay light of things but I am grateful of your account on the fox.

My wife is more likely to let me go “check on the fox” rather than “go check on the smallmouth”

Dutchboy wrote:

If there is food he will survive the winter. He isn’t a house fox.

Im sure that fox will be just fine.