Red. Well I finally got the call from Gobbler 
to get out hunting. Ricco spotted him off in the distance and it didn’t take long for him to move in. We were our looking for yotes but none showed up. The reason I say this is my last is they’re just to beautiful for me to pull the trigger on again and I’ll let them walk next time. Now, bring on some yotes! Thanks Gobbler for a succesful night!
I was so pumped for you to break the ice. Congrats and great shot. I don’t know if i could pass one up but, i will continue to “mouth call” for you any time if you continue to shoot like that. Now it’s time to get a Yote’. Later
congrats on the red… I’ve been trying to get a fox for the last several years but no chances. I missed a grey 3 seasons ago and have been kicking myself since. I would just like one red and one grey to tan, then let the rest pass… very cool critters
I REMEMBER MY LAST ONE. I USED TO HUNT IN NORTH DAKOTA IN THE DAY WHEN YOU COULD GO OUT AND SEE 35 REDS IN THE MORNING BEFORE NOON. WE SHOT ALOT. MY LAST ONE I PUT THE SNEAK ON AND GOT WITH-IN ABOUT 150 YARDS. FROM MY VANTAGE POINT I WATCHED HIM PLAY AND MOUSE IN THE HAYFIELD FOR ALMOST 30 MINUTES. HE STOOD STILL JUST TOO LONG. I GOT HIM. THAT WAS THE LAST DAY OF THE TRIP. THE FOLLOWING YEAR ALL THE REDS GOT THE MANGE AND WERE REDUCED TO VERY FEW. I JUST QUIT SHOOTING THEM! I SEE THEM OFTEN BUT NOT LIKE THEY USED TO BE. UNTIL THEY ARE AND NEED CONTROLLING I LET-EM WALK AND ENCOURAGE HUNTERS TO DO THE SAME.NOW WE HAVE COYOTES AFTER THE REDS. I FEEL UNTIL WE REDUCE THE COYOTES TO AN REASONABLE NUMBER THE REDS JUST CAN’T WITHSTAND ANY MORE PRESSURE. LET-EM WALK!!!
Congrats Randy..Ive been shooting a red or a grey every year latley bow hunting….Ive seen them go after the Grouse and pheasant so I always take a shot when I can…This last year I got 2 Greys…I always pelt them out and get them tanned as they are good looking but they get a lot of birds so they always get an arrow flung at em..Jay
ACTUALLY OWLS AND HAWKS GET WAY MORE PHEASANTS AND GROUSE THAN FOX. THATS AN OLD WIVES TALE MADE UP BY AN OLD WIFE I SUSPECT. FOX FEED MAINLY ON MICE AND RATS.
I do know that hawks get many game birds but hate to tell you fox do as well…Im not saying they kill more then animal x, y, or z, but each year in the stand I watch fox attack pheasant as they fly from the corn fields..
THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE STUDY ON GAME BIRD MORTALITY AT THE WILDLIFE RESEARCH STATION IN MADELIA MN. THEY EVEN WENT SO FAR AS COMPAREING 2 TYPES OF WETLANDS. ONE WITH DEAD TREES (DUTCH ELM TREES) AND ONE WITHOUT. THE WETLAND WITHOUT HAD OVER TWICE THE PRODUCTION RATE THAN THE ONES WITH TREES. THE CULPRIT OWLS AND HAWKS. ONCE THE DEAD AND DIEING TREES FELL DOWN PRODUCTION RETURNED TO AVERAGE LEVELS. DENNIS SIMON HEAD RESEARCHER AT THE RESEARCH STATION , THAT HEADED THIS STUDY,CONCLUDED AFTER 5 YEARS THAT THE BIGGEST ENEMY OF UPLAND GAME BIRDS ARE #1OWLS #2HAWKS #3FARM CATS #4 SKUNKS #5RACOONS #6 WEATHER SO…… I LOVE HUNTING FOX AND HAVE PROBABLY HARVESTED MORE THAN MOST BUT WHEN IT COMES TO BLAME I HAVE TO BELIEVE A WILDLIFE RESEARCHER NOT OLD WIVES TALES. IT STANDS TO REASON THAT WHEN THE FOX HAD THE MANGE AND WERE ALMOST EXTINCT HERE THE PHEASANTS WOULD OF HAD A POPULATION EXPLOSION. NOT! TOO MANY OTHERS TO BLAME.
Congrats CT! 
Congrats Coppertop – they sure are beautiful animals (I wouldn’t mind having one mounted in my trophy room)! 
Hi Norse, I think your CAPS LOCK IS STUCK! 
I would have to say i dont think i will ever pass up an oppertunity on a nice red fox 
. Unless of course its out of season or during a time of year the fur is junk. About the bird eating deal. I have heard a story from a family member who knew a guy many years ago that dug up a fox den and recovered over 35 pheasant carcasses out of it 
. So to me fox do put a hit on our pheasant population. 
Congrats coppertop! 
I here ya in regard to being the last… they are such a beautiful animal to observe in the wild and they seem so harmless.
Nice red! I have still yet to get my first red but iam going to keep trying. great job.
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THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE STUDY ON GAME BIRD MORTALITY AT THE WILDLIFE RESEARCH STATION IN MADELIA MN. THEY EVEN WENT SO FAR AS COMPAREING 2 TYPES OF WETLANDS. ONE WITH DEAD TREES (DUTCH ELM TREES) AND ONE WITHOUT. THE WETLAND WITHOUT HAD OVER TWICE THE PRODUCTION RATE THAN THE ONES WITH TREES. THE CULPRIT OWLS AND HAWKS. ONCE THE DEAD AND DIEING TREES FELL DOWN PRODUCTION RETURNED TO AVERAGE LEVELS. DENNIS SIMON HEAD RESEARCHER AT THE RESEARCH STATION , THAT HEADED THIS STUDY,CONCLUDED AFTER 5 YEARS THAT THE BIGGEST ENEMY OF UPLAND GAME BIRDS ARE #1OWLS #2HAWKS #3FARM CATS #4 SKUNKS #5RACOONS #6 WEATHER SO…… I LOVE HUNTING FOX AND HAVE PROBABLY HARVESTED MORE THAN MOST BUT WHEN IT COMES TO BLAME I HAVE TO BELIEVE A WILDLIFE RESEARCHER NOT OLD WIVES TALES. IT STANDS TO REASON THAT WHEN THE FOX HAD THE MANGE AND WERE ALMOST EXTINCT HERE THE PHEASANTS WOULD OF HAD A POPULATION EXPLOSION. NOT! TOO MANY OTHERS TO BLAME.
One must always remember that studies are subject to conditions. Any good ol’ boy with time on his hands can pick two areas, monitor it for 5yrs and conclude a trend or percentage of things observed. However, do we know that fox populate all areas equally? Of course not and we know it’s not so. If one hunter’s area is low on owls and hawks but high on 4 legged predators, the percentage of who does what is going to change. Skunks and coons are egg stealers vs attack predators like a fox or coyote. The impact is going to be different simply because the quarry is a whole different game. Lower the coon and skunk numbers in an area and again the percentages change.
You can conclude concrete belief in studies or realize that studies are mostly indicators and are often less than 100% accurate in application to all areas. On one hand we have a hunter witnessing predation and using that as justification for his decision. It really doesn’t matter if an owl or hawk is harder on game birds, fact is, it happened.
Would you believe a bald eagle will eat carrion? How about snatch a gossling from it’s nest with a parent present? I witnessed both events within 3 months of a study “proving” that fish dependent eagles, such as the bald eagle, must have productive, sustained fisheries in order to survive. Without the availability of fish, these eagles will inevitably die, simply because they eat nothing else. Well……..a bald eagle, pecking and ripping away on deer carcus is certainly uncommon to see…..but that bird was breaking the rules! Watching a soaring bald eagle drop on a Canadian Goose nest and spring out of it with a gossling in it’s talons has never been shown on any film or documentary I’ve ever seen…..but it shows evidence that the “fish eagles” aren’t helpless and can be resourceful.
The fact is that regardless of a study, the action was witnessed to exist, therefore disqualifying it as an old wives tale.
THE WIVES TALE I’M TALKING ABOUT IS THE ONE WHERE SOMEONES NEIGHBORS SONS UNCLE DUG UP 35 PHEASANT CARCASE’S IN A FOX DEN.I THINK THE VIKINGS WOULD WIN THE SUPERBOWL BEFORE I’D SEE THAT! I’M JUST TRYING TO POINT OUT THAT BECAUSE FOX MAY BE ONE OF THE GAME BIRD PREDATORS, (A MINOR ONE) ITS NOT A VIABLE REASON TO COMPLETELY EXTERMINATE THEM.WE AS HUNTERS AND CONSERVATIONALISTS NEED TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER HARVEST AN ANIMAL THATS BEEN TRYING TO SURVIVE THE MANAGE. COYOTES MOVING IN TO AN AREA THAT THE FOX HAD TO THEIRSELVES FOR CENTURIES, AND OVERHARVEST BY MAN. MAYBE SOME AREAS HAVE ENOUGH TO WARRANT A HARVEST BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT WE ARE WILDLIFES ONLY STEWARDS FOR THE FUTURE.
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THE WIVES TALE I’M TALKING ABOUT IS THE ONE WHERE SOMEONES NEIGHBORS SONS UNCLE DUG UP 35 PHEASANT CARCASE’S IN A FOX DEN.I THINK THE VIKINGS WOULD WIN THE SUPERBOWL BEFORE I’D SEE THAT!
But you have got to remember that this happened a long time ago. Like when there was a hell of alot more pheasants around then there is today. So yes maybe its not true but it sure can be also. When there was a pheasant at every fence post in the ditch there is no dought in my mind that a fox can steal quite a bit of them.
AND THE VIKINGS CAN WIN THE SUPERBOWL!
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AND THE VIKINGS CAN WIN THE SUPERBOWL!
Perhaps if there’s any legitimacy to recruiting Kurt Warner for ’09, who’s publicist has announced wants to play another year and is not bound to Arizona. Depending on what Arizona does, the logical choice would appear to be MN. Mix a top rated defense with a proven QB??? Maybe I just want a SB so bad I’m willing to hijack a thread!
Thanks for the clarification norseman, but exterminate? I value your input, you’re obviously conscientious and try to stay well informed but isn’t that a bit overkill? 
My thought is this….if you see fox, particularly a red, during daylight hours, chances are that your local numbers are healthy. Reds are primarily a nocturnal predator, much like raccoons. They tend to den up during the day and come out at night. So, in rvrat’s example, where he’s bowhunting, I’m not sure he’s causing enough damage to raise too much concern.
I know the DNR isn’t the most accurate agency in the world but I truly believe they’re better than I am on statewide issues. If the overall red fox population was in jeopardy, they’d shut down the harvesting. I might have a good clue on my specific area and thus practice what I feel are the best possible ethics but I have to put some trust in what the agency reflects and consider that my observation is not necessarily someone else’s.
LIKE THE DNR DID A FINE JOB PROTECTING THE WEASEL,CIVIT CAT,FISHER,MARTIN ECT. THE DNR ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR CASH COWS. DEER, TURKEYS WATERFOWL. IF THEY DON’T SELL A LICENSE THEN THEIR WORRIED!WHEN THE FOX GOT THE MANGE THE DNR DIDN’T EVEN DO A THING!NOW THEIR STARTING TO MAKE A COMEBACK I PERSONALLY LET EM WALK! IN THE 60’S YOU COULD DRIVE AROUND IN THE MORNING AND SEE 15-20 FOX! THERE WERE ALOT OF PHEASANTS THEN TOO! YOU’D BE LUCKY TO SEE 20 FOX NOW IF YA DROVE 1000 MILES. YA KNOW WHY? THERE ARNEN’T MANY OF THEM.AND LEGALLY YOU COULD SHOOT ALL 20. YA THINK THE DNR ARE WORRIED? NOT! IN THE 60’S THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF JACKRABBITS TOO.EXTERMANATED! GROUPS OF HUNTERS WOULD SURROUND SECTIONS OF LAND AND VIRTUALLY SHOOT-EM ALL. DNR DO ANYTHING? NOT. IN THE 90″S WINTER STORMS ALL BUT EXTERMANATED THE DEER BECAUSE OF HEAVY SNOWS AND THE MINNESOTA DEER HUNTERS ASSN WAS ALL SET TO IMPLAMATE A EMERGANCY FEEDING PROGRAMS. DNR WAITED TO LONG! SOME AREAS HAD A REAL HEAVY MORTALITY. WHAT DID THE DNR DO? NOTHING! I GET OUT PREDATOR HUNTING ALOT! HAVEN’T SEEN A BFOX THIS YEAR YET. THERE WAS 1 DEN EAST OF TOWN AND A BUNCH OF KIDS WENT OUT AND SHOT THEM! HAVEN’T SEEN ONE SINCE.NO TRACKS! NADDA! I’LL LET EM WALK.
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I GET OUT PREDATOR HUNTING ALOT! HAVEN’T SEEN A BFOX THIS YEAR YET.
So do i and this year i believe i seen over 30 fox and i think 5 coyotes so there is no shortage of fox in our area. So to me i guess until i see that there is no fox around i will keep on after them and harvest them till i see a major decline.
Congrats Randy. Deer are beautiful too ya know. Don’t get too sissy on us now.
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Congrats Randy. Deer are beautiful too ya know. Don’t get too sissy on us now.
One way fox can get pheasants also, is eggs from the nest. Where I used to live, I had a pheasant nesting in the ditch across the road…. it had quite a few eggs in the nest, not sure exactly, I didn’t touch em or get too close. After awhile I noticed not seeing the birds around anymore, but did see a red fox over there. I went to check the nest and it was empty. 
big G 
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