Do Fox eat shrew?

[polaris]

I think I saw fox tracks on my first outing. Set some snares - and as I'm leaving I see this dark brown mouse/rat looking thing just appear from the snow and then dive into the snow and disappear.

Was this a shrew? I ask because if so then I might have an idea as to the food source for the fox.

[ub1243]

mice, voles, shrews, moles. they will eat them all.
redneck would know the difference. he's got to deal with them at work.
to me, they all look alike.

[redneck]

http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/redneckspride/100_2615.jpg
http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr114/redneckspride/TRAPPING_004.jpg

Top is a lg vole what I call meadow vole. (Also called snow moles) there is a pine vole about half the size. the Bottom is a eastern Mole never come above the ground, there is also a star nosed mole. the shrew is a black slate grey thing with a pointed nose. It is a insectivore. the fox will eat any and all of them but I have seen them play more with the shrew than eat it. the fox digs alot for the moles and really like the voles.

[ub1243]

i would of never thought a dollar bill would be used for bait.
you need to stop giving away trapping secrets.
:D

i can't catch whatever is making tunnels all over my yard. they like to get into the garden and eat the roots of my plants. i tried one of those spear traps, they don't work so good. unless it's a bad trapper setting it. might have to make a small snare, i know a little about those.

[redneck]

eating roots or plants will be voles. harpoon traps suckLOL sissor or no mole traps is what I use. but you can't catch voles in those you need to set snap traps where thecome out of the ground or down in the ground in the tunnels.

[polaris]

Nice picture, Looked exactly like the top picture, the vole. First time I saw one.

Checked my snares, no luck today. Tryin to see if I can snare without baiting. Only set 4, I'll set a few more tomorrow and see what happens.


Anybody recommend any DVD's or books that talk about the animal's habbits and where to set snares (other than just a visible run)?

[redneck]

If you call me I will help ya just alittle not to much though LOL

follow the tracks they go some where find another set of tracks and follow them. you will see patterns where edges or corners fall into the locations. you will see travel routs. you will soon start to see them with out tracks. remember point a to point b there will be a trail ok that's enough for now.

[mudmarlin70]

POlaris,
look for the areas of the red cane...wild raspberry. We've got lots of it. And the areas of wild grape vine....that thick scaly barked vines that go way up into the tree tops. Those vines kill the trees and they collapse. Once they collapse, the birds groundnest and nest low in that collapsed stuff. Your foxes will hunt those ground nesting birds in the snowpack..

On the food is where they will spend the majority of their time. You can catch em where they just travel. But I like trying where I know they're spending the most time.

[ub1243]

location is the hardest thing.
anyone can set snares or traps, there are little tricks. but the best made snare, won't catch if it's in the wrong location.

my down fall is when getting a new property, is flooding the place with sets. that was my crutch. i didn't know location, so i covered every location. then let the critters tell me where they like to travel. i spent a ton of time resetting deer knock downs. it's starting to click.

[redneck]

One of the problems when the populations are high in a area pr spot, is false location will catch critters, they go places where they may not go when pop is smaller because of competition for food. then when numbers crash the trapper plays hard to make a catch where they caught 10 the season before. we call it beginners luck but there is a reason for it. most of the trappers I know who make great catches the first year will decrease the 2 and or 3 season then the light bulb goes on and the catches come back.

Location is the key and it can't be taught it has to be learned. that is for every critter. I think location is the hardest for coon, because they will bounce around like a ball. if numbers are high then the trapper does not see this because there is a changing of the guard to speak they go and some come. but when the numbers drop there are dry spells or they walk 20 feet over rather than here.

looking and thinking. the four w's what when why where.

[polaris]

You guys are right about trial and error, + observing. Today I checked the line again and learned a bunch.

Looks like I set a snare in the right spot - the fox tracks went right towards it, BUT: they turned right back around!. He must have spotted the snare and changed his mind and then direction. I made the snare loop too small, 7". So today I made the loop much bigger - 8-10".

I saw more runs and higher trafficked areas. One odd thing was that there was a patch of land that had in inordinate amount of animal traffic. Can't figure out why - was a flat 12 X12 area. Maybe a fight/chase?

[fizz]

redneck knows his stuff but the best teacher i ever had was mother nature;she'll tell you what to do. pinch points to food has always done it for me :thup: swamps,creeks,phragbeds

[polaris]

Fizz:

When you say "Phragbed", you mean a reed bed? Why? - is it because they provide good runs and evidence of animal traffic, or do some animals actually eat the stuff?