Do you like foxes living near your house.......

[DaveNJ]

Nice little Woods ***** you have there Moss Road.

 

[ovrszd]

I used to believe that too, but more and more studies show eastern coyotes have a percentage of eastern grey wolf and dog in their DNA based on analysis of their scat. I've been hiking, hunting and camping over most of the US and my personal observation is that the few eastern coyotes that I've actually seen appear larger than the Midwest and western ones.

There are huge differences in the size of Whitetail Deer throughout the U.S. would you attribute that to cross breeding?

 

[DaveNJ]

There are huge differences in the size of Whitetail Deer throughout the U.S. would you attribute that to cross breeding?

Crossbreeding with what? With whitetale I agree that it's solely environmental. Even here in NJ, pine barrens deer are pretty scrawny while less than 100 miles away in NW Jersey and Pa. they get almost as big as the ones you Midwest guys have.

 

[davesl708]

I love the fox in by backyard. They eat squirrels by the dozen every year. I don't have pets but they never seem to bother the neighbors pets. They do a good job of keeping the squirrels in check.

 

[Sysop]

Don't see any fox, coyotes, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, possums, squirrel, chipmunks, or the likes in the yard around the houses. All have been seen in great abundance in the woods surrounding my meadows. I do occasionally have some moles try to make residence in the yard, but the cats keep those in check, along with the field mice that venture out from the meadows. My meadows surround the houses and most of the forest areas are a good distance away. We have a lot of hawks, eagles, and owls around that keep the small stuff from venturing out across the meadows and into the yard. My main problem is groundhogs trying to make residence under my barn and sheds, and deer in my apple orchard; but the BIGGEST yard invaders by far have been:

 

[buickanddeere]

I've also read that inter breeding between coyotes and dogs is a myth, but don't know this for a fact.

The western coyote and the eastern red wolf have cross bred in Eastern Ontario. The result is a larger stronger faster , smarter, fearless predator that hunts in packs.

 

[buickanddeere]

My Mother live traps stunks then gives them swimming lessons.

 

[dragoneggs]

I've also read that inter breeding between coyotes and dogs is a myth, but don't know this for a fact.

No myth... had one as a family member (pet) we rescued from the wild at about 6 months and she was with us for about 12 years.

 

[ovrszd]

Crossbreeding with what? With whitetale I agree that it's solely environmental. Even here in NJ, pine barrens deer are pretty scrawny while less than 100 miles away in NW Jersey and Pa. they get almost as big as the ones you Midwest guys have.

I don't think they are crossbreeding with anything. I don't know that coyotes are either. Just making a point that location can contribute dramatically to a species size and health.

 

[Toyboy]

We used to have problems with chipmunks and field mice.....then a pair of Grey Foxes moved into the woods around us and bingo, don't have those problems anymore. They had 3-4 kits one summer, cute little guys.
Greys can climb and one day we're sitting on the back deck and there goes a Grey up one of our far apple trees, grab an apple and get back down with it and head to the woods.
In the winter I get a bag of Ol' Roy and put about a cup out at dusk. They love the stuff.
We don't have pets or any other kind of critter so we're very happy to have our yard & woods in their territory.
Bears are what we have to be aware of here. They'll come wandering through any time of day or nite. Bears will kill you if they're having a bad day.