6 Clues to Find/Identify a Fox Den in Your Woods

[@matthewlaverman999]

(Wife typing) Thank you for this video! Something caught my eye in the terracing of a farm field about half a mile away. We've had a fox terrorizing and picking off our poultry one by one over the years, but have never been able to locate his den. Until today! Without being there near it in person yet, it meets all the requirements you list here. Good to know what direction he/she is coming from. Thank you!

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Thanks, I'm glad you could use the information. Some more good information that ive learn is that some fox den locations can remain active for years, and some can change rather frequently. I suspect it has something to do with territory. I've seen multiple times where a fox dens pops up close to an existing older den, then the very next year that new den is abandoned. I have also seen dens (like the older one I was talking about in this video) that were active for a few years, abandoned maybe a year or 2, then active again for a while which means different foxes moved and made it their home. It sounds like that may be the case for you as well. I have chickens and turkeys as and have had pretty good luck keeping them safe from foxes (raccoons and fishers have been a different story). Good luck with your poultry!

[@catwilk8213]

Around Gravel pits are great places to find foxes

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.

[@MJF40]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors have a shed and the area behind it has all item #4. Behind that is a 50ft slope to the woods. I have a Blink camera on a tree and see the fox all the time. Last night I saw 4 pups too. Maybe that fox is closer than I thought.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

If the babies are very young, I'm sure the den is very close. In the first week or 2 that they emerge, they won't leave eyesight of the den hole. They grow very quickly so just by looking online at photos, you can age them relatively effectively.

[@matthewmccord9422]

I was pretty sure that I had a fox den 200 yards from my house in the woods behind my house, but a couple of days ago I was walking on the trail and one of the foxes came out of the den, I was so shocked I just stood motionless

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

That's awesome! Keep an eye out the little ones will be coming out in the next months. They hang around the outside of the den during the day sometimes.

[@MiketheratguyMultimedia]

I live in the middle of Illinois and we have both fox and coyote around the area. I just discovered a burrow entrance at the edge of my yard and have been going nuts trying to figure out exactly what's using it because we have local outdoor cats that I don't want getting killed. The opening to the burrow is roughly 34 inches around, or about 8-9 inches in diameter. That suggests a coyote den, as fox dens open larger. However right front the front, maybe half a foot in, I can see that the tunnel splits off it two different directions. They're roughly parallel to the ground (they don't appear to go down much more than the initial entrance, which is about a foot, before I can't see further in). The tunnel is dug at an angle into pretty flat earth, but there's a fence a few feet in front of it and on the other side of that fence is another hole, surrounded by a pile of excavated dirt several feet around, which is obviously used to get under the fence and through the tunnel opening on the other side. While the ground on my end of the tunnel is flat, the tunnel opening on the other side of the fence is at the top of a five-six foot slope that ends in railroad tracks. Someone help, lol.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

8-9 inches is too small for coyote. You'd know it, if it was a coyote den. They are huge. Most dens in the ground have at least 2 entrances/exits, sometimes more. That goes for most ground denning animals. Ground hog holes can be quite large if they are used over and over again. Are there any animal bones nearby? If not, you probably aren't dealing with a carnivore. The most full proof way to find out is to set a trail camera up on it. If you don't have any, you can pick some cheap ones up for 40-50 bucks that will do the trick (amzn.to/3d1G9jz) or borrow one.

[@MiketheratguyMultimedia]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors Thanks for the info. I've been reading so much contradictory information I wasn't sure exactly what to go by. You sound like you speak from experience.

[@kyle_medina]

Great video! I’ve come across a mother and two very young kits just by driving through a Wildlife preserve. How far from the den would they travel from their den if she had kits. The location I found her was at a base of a man made hill used to separate housing from the preserve. When I stopped to watch she darted up the hill and leaving the kids behind. Would saying with your best knowledge the den was very close? The rest the area is flat with no hills, except this area.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

It really depends on how late into spring/summer it was, and how old the kits were. Did you notice a large size difference between the kits and the mother or were they just a little bit smaller? The fact that the kits were hanging out very close to the mother suggests that it was likely still early spring. If it it was late May early June, I would say they were very close to the den. As you could see in this video, the kits really started venturing out more in mid June.

[@kyle_medina]

Noble Savage Outdoors thank you! Yes, they were very tiny and this was just last week when I ran across them.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Oh, I didn't realize you were talking about this year. Yeah I would say they were almost definitely right next to the den. There's some great footage/pictures to be taken there for a few weeks. Not to mention some decent social distancing entertainment. Great find!

[@franosbornblaschke3694]

Very informative! I have resident foxes on my small property in a small city. : )

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Thanks, glad I could help.

[@zzz7zzz9]

i found a similar-sized den, maybe slightly larger, but not much for sure. put a trailcam on it, expecting a canine of some sort. turned out that a squirrel and a rabbit were sharing it.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

That's unexpected.

[@zzz7zzz9]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors ya, it was pretty shocking. Especially being that it was originally a predator's den.

[@Dbone69420]

Bout to have a squirrel rabbit hybrid running around

[@princeherb9903]

Ooo I saw the exact same hole in my back yard I love nature and nature so I'm just going to let it be

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Maybe try putting a camera on it.

[@toinettepowell2832]

Do fox have a den by water I walk by a very small stream every morning to go to my auntie house and yesterday I saw this hole and it looked like a fox was in it just sitting there looking i was on my way home and I never paid any attention until yesterday evening and are they Dangerous

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

I've never heard of fox dens around water any more than other places. Foxes are less dangerous than say a coyote because of their size. They will stay clear of humans almost at all cost, and I wouldn't worry too much about pet dogs or cats. But they will definitely still grab a free meal of chickens or other defenseless penned up animals if given the chance. The only other thing that you should be aware of is diseases like rabies and mange. If the fox is acting strange during the daylight or is missing patches of hair steer clear and keep pets away.

[@toinettepowell2832]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors thank you so much

[@markfrost9005]

Thank you very informative 👍

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Thanks for watching.

[@annc8272]

Very informative video thank you !

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Thank you, glad I could help.

[@MyThoughtzAndOpinionz]

How do you find an owl?

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

That's a bit harder task, but I do have some quick tips for you. First, you are going to want to find a dense patch of woods. Then, go out near dusk and listen. Owls are very active hooting around dusk, that will be your first indication you are in the right area and can help pinpoint their location. Second, owls rarely moved during the day, so the best time to spot one would be at night with a portable spotlight or very powerful flashlight. When looking with a light at night, point up in the trees and watch for movement (an owl flying from one branch to another). Owls are high on the food chain and protected from people, so they are generally not spooked easily. I have walked within 10 yards directly underneath one, shining a light on it without it moving for at least 2 minutes. Lastly, you can search the forest floor for the pellets they regurgitate. I have only found a few while walking around the woods, but one instance I found around 8-10 at the base of a large pine tree. I never did end up returning at night to that location with a spotlight, but I would have to imagine an owl spent a great deal of time in one of the branches above. If you find something like that, it would be a great place to sit and watch for one. Those are all the tips I have for you, but I'm sure there is more information somewhere on the web. Do the research, and I'm sure you'll be able to find one. Thanks for watching, and hopefully I helped.

[@tammyfoular3073]

Great tips. Thank you so much.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Glad i could help. Thanks for watching!

[@benjamindecker2020]

Good job

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Thanks for watching.

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

I really appreciate the clues. Should be very useful and I will keep my eyes out for them. I enjoy watching the footage of the fox but I try so hard to rid my place of these dang pests that I keep wanting to set traps for them. Here in Mississippi they are on the nuisance animal list for which there is no closed season. Taking fox is allowed 24/7/365 because we have so many of them and the chicken farmers hate them.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Wow we don't have any kind of problem like that, I think they are actually pretty balanced with a healthy population here in PA. Most people don't understand how important keeping a healthy population of both predator and prey is, and if there are too many of one or the other they need managed.

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

Agreed. Balance is the key to a healthy situation. The issue here in Mississippi is that our climate is just so sub-tropical and lush year round that we have way too many of every kind of creature! The prey critters reproduce prolifically which creates an endless food supply so the predators also reproduce heavily. That's how we went from less than 3,000 deer in our state 100 years ago to about 2 million today. And with the explosion of the deer herd, coyotes and similar predators also mushroomed to take advantage of the food supply. Same thing other types of prey and predators. All have exploded in their population numbers. So, when we get millions of any type of critters, including the deer, they all become nuisance animals. For the deer, we currently have so many that hunters are allowed to harvest 8 deer per season and we have a 4 1/2 month long season. Even so, hunters don't harvest enough deer to keep the population under control. A lot of policies are influenced here by the agricultural community who don't want deer eating their crops and who also don't want fox, coyotes, and similar predators eating their chickens or livestock. So as difficult as it may be for others to understand, the approach here in Mississippi pretty much has to be one of constantly trying to trap or kill enough predators and even prey animals to reduce the over abundant population. It's strange to nature lovers who think we should let the populations grow unchecked but in the long run that would only lead to starvation of all the animals that over populate. You have a great balance in Pennsylvania from what I understand and that's a very good thing.

[@TWISTERMUSIC]

I have a video mein a gravel pit and on edge of rock bed there's a hole

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Could be a fox den.

[@mohammedazizurrahman8348]

How do you find an Eagle in the woods or any birds

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

To find an eagle, ask around where a nest is. It is typically pretty common knowledge where the nests are, and they spend a lot of time hanging around in the trees close to the nests overlooking the land/water. They tend to build nests by some sort of water. As for other birds in general, it depends what you are looking for. For example, you do a lot different when looking for a turkey than say an owl.

[@mr.kishorjit9104]

Nice info i like to catch a fox to pet

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

To pet it or to have it as a pet? I've heard foxes don't make very good pets. Especially when you catch them straight from the wild even if you get them young.

[@mr.kishorjit9104]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors when i was kid my grandpa have a fox she is good she have great ability find out things that we hide

[@mr.kishorjit9104]

Can u make a vidio to catch them alive in easy way , specily how to catch baby fox

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

@@mr.kishorjit9104 Unfortunately, foxes are very weary, so there really is no easy way to go about it. Also there really isn't a way to target a baby fox in a trap. I have heard if you find a den, you can wait outside of it. At a certain point, the babies will start to venture outside the den, and people have been able to catch them by hand. Be aware, this is illegal in most places, as well as keeping wild animals as pets without a permit.

[@mr.kishorjit9104]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors thanks i got ur point

[@misshair]

A deer hide…?? How on earth could a fox hunt a deer…?

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Foxes cannot typically hunt full-grown deer, but they are known to hunt and kill young fawns in the spring. Some studies have shown that foxes are the 2nd or 3rd highest predator of deer fawns in Pennsylvania. However even more likely than that is the fact that foxes are scavengers and opportunists. They will tear off pieces to take back to the den from a carcass killed from something else like road kill, other predators, or even humans.

[@Techead100]

I have a fox last 2 years picking off my turkeys this video is gonna help me find his den.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Hopefully you find it!

[@stephiebsquare3510]

Cool 👍

[@KooChi1]

Thanks for this. Went on a fox hunt tonight as something is getting my chickens. Found scat with bones in it. Will go out tomorrow to try and find the den.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

No problem. Good luck.

[@trevormichaelmcgowan]

Don’t kill the fox they’re becoming endangered

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Depends where you are located. Some places they are threatened more than others. In my area, their population is doing fine. Local biologists work with conservation officers to determine how well the population is doing and what the laws on harvesting them should be each year.

[@ricksanford6485]

I'm not sure how fox friendly these comments are, but finding out about the dens is informative. I had a fox take off 3 roosters yesterda,, and if I find the mother and babies I'm getting rid of all of them. Between the fox and hawks scavenging, I have lost 10 chickens. I'm starting to get pissed.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

I am a trapper so my initial reason for learning this information was not so fox friendly either.

[@ricksanford6485]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors I remember as a young kid my mother had me trapping possums and taking them off to keep from killing. I want this fox and any offspring gone. No trapping, no taking down the road just shooting and getting rid of the problem at least for now.

[@justinentremont8421]

Pretty sure one got our rooster Thursday :( It sucks. I was able to track the trail of feathers to a location of thick cover that had some similar holes on a small embankment. Whatever it was tore and ate the head off Have you been recovering your lost chickens?

[@ricksanford6485]

@@justinentremont8421 no

[@FoxDaCosta]

Not sure if it's a good idea to teach people to find Fox dens. 😬

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Why's that?

[@FoxDaCosta]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors This kind of knowledge in the hands of the wrong people can be detrimental to wildlife. What are your thoughts about this?

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

I think the same thing can be said about a lot of knowledge. I do not believe just because it can be used incorrectly, this knowledge should not it be shared. It also can be used for a lot of good and benefit to wildlife.

[@FoxDaCosta]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors I agree. I am just trying to protect vulnerable wildlife from "unconscious" people.

[@giverny28]

Thanks for this. We are having heavy fox predation right now. We never have had issues, but recently we are losing animals right and left. After seeing this video, I can relate the patterns you talk about with our experiences here (and my neighbors who are having their animals picked off as well). Since it's so hot, we were allowing our flock to free range in a small patch of woods near their run. I guess everyone likes the shade. Lol They are just getting picked off one by one day and night. Luckily nothing has broken into their run or coop, so that's a plus. I learned that one woman near us has been feeding a den for years now, celebrating each new litter. So I assume the fox we are seeing now are her male kits establishing new dens. I love animals and don't feel I should totally control wild animals, I am furious at her ignorance. So today, i'm going on a den hunt. I'm not so nieve to think i can eliminate away predator pressures, but at least, I can make a more educated approach when setting up paddocks for our animals. Thanks again.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

No problem. Glad I could help. One thing to think about though is that just as your neighbor was ignorant to feed wild life in an attempt to keep predators alive that upsets a delicate balance, most humans are ignorant to the fact that we have completely disrupted nature's balance. Which is why endless conservation studies have been and continue to be conducted and laws created to manage our impact on wildlife. Can we completely control wildlife? Absolutely not, but it is necessary to intervene to steer things back towards the balance we have so effectively destroyed.

[@giverny28]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors Thanks for the response. I think we almost see eye to eye. However I don't think it's rational to think, "The 100 acre farm/ ranch was sold and made into a housing development. So, it's my personal duty to make a home for the displaced wildlife in my neighborhood. To hell with my neighbors. I disagree with their lifestyles anyway. (Even though i'm a meat & plant eater, dairy drinker and pet owner myself.)" People feed deer because they think it's cute or that they're doing them a favor. Those deer are stuck by cars causing absolute destruction to both animals and people. The numbers of chronic waste are rampant, over population spells disaster for all wild animals. Loss of habitat or not. Balance is key! Certain animals carry mange, rabies, and disease (like fox and coyote) ... aside from preying on livestock or other native species. Don't encourage them to live where pets live or where they aren't as suited. Allow there to be a gradual rebalancing when habitat changes. The consequences can be just as detrimental as the loss of habitat itself. And when you share a space with others, consider how your choices could impact them. We think just because there's a property line or fence that eliminates blame. But that isn't how nature works. We are rigid. She is fluid. I always take into account that some of my crops and livestock WILL perish for whatever reason, but if someone's dog came into my property and killed them all, over and over. We'd be in court and i'd win every time. I'm not a fanatic to say anything threatening my personal property must be eliminated, but once a limit it crossed, it's time to act. I am choosing first to learn about fox habits and if I can work with their natural habits to keep everyone alive and safe. I do the same with snakes, possums, birds, wild plants, water shed ect. But i'm not against getting my .22 either. Don't relocate. Don't feed. Let wild be wild.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

@@giverny28 Very well put. I actually completely agree and would even go so far as to say because the 100 farm is now a housing development, the habitat for certain animals is now gone In my eyes, not only should we not encourage certain types of wildlife to live in that area anymore, we should actively attempt to manage the wildlife in that area so it can reach a healthy balance faster. In PA my opinion is supported by studies completed by biologists working for and advising the Game Commission/DCNR. A perfect example is 2 similar size Wildlife Management Units in different locations have drastically different doe permits available. This year one just outside of Pittsburgh (2B) has 54,000 available and one in rural Northern Central PA (2H) has 6,000 available. It's all in an effort to return balance (or manage an ever increasing imbalance) where humans have disrupted it.

[@thedogman7846]

Or you could keep your birds inside instead of letting them out into the woods in predator country?

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Everywhere is predator country.

[@scottnoble1076]

Hi there nearly subscribe to yourself I came across your child by typing in KZbin how to identify a fox and badger den and yours came up for the first one perhaps you've got the same surname as me me lol anyway your video is really useful and helpful as today I came across several badger dens in more or less the same area what looks like with the trees and the set-up there but I am in the UK Yorkshire. Hope to hear from you soon kind regards

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Thanks for commenting, from all the way over in the UK too! I live in Pennsylvania in the US, which (in my area) doesn't have badgers, so I don't have much experience with badgers vs fox dens. What I do know is that badgers tend to bury their food where fox will bring it back to the den to share with the baby kits outside the hole. I would imagine a badger den would have less evidence of dead animals/scraps right outside the den, as opposed to all the scraps outside typical fox dens. That's about the extent of my badger knowledge though sorry. My last name is not Noble I just like the juxtaposition of "Noble" and "Savage" and the literary definition meaning a man who is untouched and uncorrupted by society and civilization. Glad I could help and nice chatting with someone so far away, hope everyone is staying safe over there.

[@scottnoble1076]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors hi there again First way thank you you very much for replying to my post on here. Pennsylvania and speaking to someone in the us is cool. Me and my family are all well and my friends to with this coronavirus we're still in lock down here although away just slightly coming out now. You seem to have great knowledge I have a big field and wildlife which is really interesting and knowledgeable with your advice and a great channel Since this lockdown I have have been more and more into nature and the outdoors and fact all things Outdoors including bushcraft wildlife photography camping and all the cool things that comes with it it so cold the great outdoors and I have not learnt as much over this lockdown with different things and how how the animals live so this is really nice I did buy 3 wildlife cams a couple of weeks ago and set them up to try and get some foxes roe deer and badgers if possible and only today I came across a what I believe fox then and with your knowledge on here I think it is definitely a fox Den so I will have to let you know in fact my Forest Woods near where I live looks more or less exactly the same as on your video. Do you have a Facebook page as well well or another means to keep in contact as well as on here. Hope to hear from you soon again take care kind regards Scott.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

The outdoors are truly amazing. Thank you for the complements. One of the best things about nature and the outdoors is that no matter how much you think you know, it will humble you and there is always more to learn. Yes I do, you can find me on Facebook or Instagram by searching Noble Savage Outdoors. I post a few different things on those that I may not be able to make into a video for KZbin.

[@topwaffler8169]

there is a fox den underneath my shed ttrying to eat my rabbits

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

If they are that used to humans, they shouldn't be too difficult to catch. You may even be able to catch them in a live trap. Just make sure you disguise it pretty well and cover the bottom of the cage with leaves or dirt so they don't feel the wire on their feet. I like to put the cages right near a hole where they are entering a shed or coup or going under something and make it look as close to what they are used to doing already. Good luck!

[@kelliesharpe1067]

Foxes get blamed for every dead chicken when hawks are the number one killer of chickens that aren't in houses or pens.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Most people don't have free roaming chickens without a coup or pen, so that statistic doesn't apply to them. Not sure, but I would bet foxes or raccoons are the number one killer of chickens with a coup or pen.

[@ryang2573]

The best solutions are proactive rather than reactive. Going around wiping out chicken thieves takes a whole lot more work and is far less reliable than building a proper coop and enclosure with dig guards.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Don't know where you got the idea that anyone is going around wiping out predators for the sake of saving chickens, but according to your logic, that would actually be a good solution because it is proactive... Maybe there's more to finding good solutions than making assumptions and sweeping generalizations.

[@robertmclean9737]

If you go near a wild canine den they will move their pups and abandon the Den.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

The trail camera videos show that is not true.

[@robertmclean9737]

@@NobleSavageOutdoors Thirty years a professional predator trapper says they do. Have witnessed Fox moving several times, well known fact they do. Don't know about Wolves, but coyotes and foxes do.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

I know it can happen, but I also know that just because you go near a den does not mean they "will" move their pups. There are a ton of different factors that would dictate whether or not the adults feel threatened enough to move. This example with trail camera footage proves that they don't do it every time.

[@robertmclean9737]

@@NobleSavageOutdoorslike being in a pen.

[@vickicomer9106]

Foxes aren't canine; they're vulpine.

[@NobleSavageOutdoors]

Foxes are part of the Canine family. They are also part of the Vulpine tribe which is a taxonomy rank in between family and genus.

[@outdoorBE]

Yes they are canine

[@kevinturner5857]

I ❤ foxes but, not the human sort