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Post by Cohl44 on Dec 29, 2013 13:24:57 GMT -6
why are there hardly any gray fox in iowa? I understand that coyotes are hard on the reds but grays can climb trees and hang out in real thick stuff where yotes wont go. Anyone catch one this year? is there a possibility of the dnr trying to bring them back? just bored and curios.
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Post by trapperjdb on Dec 29, 2013 13:42:00 GMT -6
I didn't catch one this year, but my brother had one cross a road in front of him in Clinton IA. I haven't seen or heard of anyone catching one in my area for about 30 some years. If I did catch one I would release it.
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Post by blackhammer on Dec 29, 2013 14:01:58 GMT -6
I believe it's disease and I believe coyotes taking over they also spread parvo or whatever it is that grays are very sensetive to. I used to get at leasst a half dozen a year just in my coon 220 trails. Been ten years since I've caught one. Cool little animals I wish they would come back.
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Post by grinnergetter on Dec 29, 2013 15:37:19 GMT -6
Caught one here in easterner Boone county about 15 years ago and have not seen ore heard of one since then. I know i did not answer the question sorry I just don't know.
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Post by iayogi17 on Dec 29, 2013 19:21:09 GMT -6
habitat habitat habitat
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Post by bch on Dec 29, 2013 19:48:59 GMT -6
Simple Gray Fox are a timber animal and non of you go into the timbers and trap any more.
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Post by blackhammer on Dec 29, 2013 21:08:42 GMT -6
You could not have better gray fox habitat than we up here in se Mn bluff country. There on the edges were everyone traps. They ain't gray squirrels.
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gray fox
Dec 29, 2013 21:11:11 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by TRAPPERTOM on Dec 29, 2013 21:11:11 GMT -6
I caught one a couple years ago.....I have seen plenty down here.....all in the timber
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Post by blackhammer on Dec 29, 2013 21:29:41 GMT -6
I have caught at least 70,80 in my life and the same locations with the same ceder bluffs,hardwood forests, and rough unfarmed land now have none. It is much more than habitat.
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Post by iayogi17 on Dec 30, 2013 12:13:59 GMT -6
Gray Fox Gray fox harvests in Iowa have followed similar trends to those of red fox, although historically, populations have existed at significantly lower numbers (Figure 4.9). During the 1930s and 1940s, harvests averaged around 1,300. Gray fox harvests dropped to below 1,000 in the late 1940s and remained low until the early 1970s. Harvests steadily increased and during the 1979-80 season, reached a current, all-time high of 3,093. Where as red fox harvests remained high throughout the 1980s, gray fox harvests have since dramatically declined. Since 1996-97, gray fox harvests have remained below their long-term average of 866. In 2009-10, gray fox harvests reached an all-time low of 13 in Iowa. In 2012-13, the gray fox harvest was 56, which was lower than the previous season’s harvest and below the recent and long-term averages (Table 3.4). Trapping and hunting season dates (3 Nov-31 Jan), daily bag limits (no limit), and possession limits (no limit) remained similar to those in 2011-12 (Table 3.6). The average gray fox pelt price in Iowa was $27.01 ($15.00- 65.00), which was higher than the 2011-12 price ($15.04; Table 3.3). Trapping accounted for 80% of the total harvest (red and gray fox), which was an increase from the previous season (Table 3.5). The increase was likely due to increased trapper success resulting from mild winter conditions well into December. Hunting accounted for 20% of the total harvest (red and gray fox), which was a slight increase from the previous season. The 2012 Iowa Bowhunter Observation Survey indicated that populations in northern and central Iowa have remained stable and at relatively low numbers since 2004 (Figure 5.0). Observations in southeast Iowa showed trends similar to those of red fox and indicated that populations may have significantly decreased since the mid-2000s. Statewide, gray fox populations appeared highest in the south-central and southeastern regions and low in all other regions in 2011. Recent research has been initiated in the 8 Midwest to study the factors for the dramatic decline in gray fox numbers.
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Post by iayogi17 on Dec 30, 2013 12:16:20 GMT -6
I have caught at least 70,80 in my life and the same locations with the same ceder bluffs,hardwood forests, and rough unfarmed land now have none. It is much more than habitat. Yeah I could go with you on saying with wildlife mgmt. its always more then one hot button
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badger
Hyper-Active Trap Talker
Posts: 127
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Post by badger on Dec 30, 2013 16:21:55 GMT -6
Don't know what I would do if I caught one, release it or tan it???
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gray fox
Dec 30, 2013 16:56:30 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by rugersinglesix on Dec 30, 2013 16:56:30 GMT -6
I had the only one ive ever caught mounted. Glad i did, haven't seen another one since
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Post by blackhammer on Dec 30, 2013 18:54:24 GMT -6
I have caught at least 70,80 in my life and the same locations with the same ceder bluffs,hardwood forests, and rough unfarmed land now have none. It is much more than habitat. Yeah I could go with you on saying with wildlife mgmt. its always more then one hot button Good info! Wow 56 taken in the whole state last season We have none here in the south but I understand northern Mn has a good population in some areas. It's a mystery. We have many more otter up here than gray fox and for you Iowa guys more bobcat than grays. Twenty years ago that was inconceiveable..
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Post by lil griz on Dec 30, 2013 19:00:51 GMT -6
maybe we should try to do something about this they brought back the otters why not the gray fox
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Post by fenderbass70 on Dec 30, 2013 22:33:19 GMT -6
Here a re two from the Cedar Rapids Area 220d in he avy cover.
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Post by fenderbass70 on Dec 30, 2013 22:36:12 GMT -6
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Post by fenderbass70 on Dec 30, 2013 22:48:14 GMT -6
messed that ALL up..... Well at least you can see em. I find these guys in small family groups in thicker cover- I dont think they disperse far like Reds. They seem to be in isolated pockets of cover to small to support coyotes. Timber,rock and bramble patches seem to be the theme. They are very scattered and ussualy taken in thick grass tunnels on a coon trail. I seem to get 1 or 2 every year out of the same locations so they must be holding their own.
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gray fox
Dec 31, 2013 4:40:41 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by blaine on Dec 31, 2013 4:40:41 GMT -6
Nice looking gray's your fortunate to have some around I can remember catching one as a kid 25yrs ago but haven't caught or seen one since.
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Post by TRapper on Dec 31, 2013 15:40:22 GMT -6
fenderbass70...where you from?
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Post by marshman on Dec 31, 2013 19:07:06 GMT -6
i think got 1 around 20 yrs. back,are they very abundant in southern states? i would really like to see a bobcat out running around here,not sure if hardly any or not,probly a few
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Post by iayogi17 on Dec 31, 2013 19:23:24 GMT -6
this last summer I trapped 3 on two days the male and 2 pups (I know the area very well) and relocated them the female and the other 2 pups moved on me. a month later the female was spotted ... they're out there
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Post by fenderbass70 on Dec 31, 2013 19:50:35 GMT -6
fenderbass70...where you from? Cedar Rapids
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Post by Scott W. on Jan 1, 2014 8:47:13 GMT -6
The only thing I've seen change in my area, where I used to catch a couple when I was a kid, is much less corn planting on the river bottoms right next to the banks. Folks are putting in riparian zone tree plantations. That being said, I don't trap like I used to either. No 220's in random trails, so my possum, red fox and grey fox catch is not there. That doesn't account for the drop state wide.
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Post by imissed on Jan 3, 2014 16:40:36 GMT -6
I seen one in NE Iowa about 10 yrs. ago. I was spring turkey hunting and had stood up to give my knees a break and it came out of the brush and thought I was a tree. When it started to lift its leg on me I yelled.
Talk about a surprise to him. I think it did a #2 on its way out. I think I scared the crap out of it.
Not sure if it was shedding or had mange. It was rough looking.
Brad
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Post by arcman on Jan 3, 2014 21:46:31 GMT -6
Here's one I caught back in 1987. My first and only gray fox. I snared him in a grassy trail coming out of a corn field along the Maple River in western Iowa. I have not seen any since.
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Post by millertime on Jan 5, 2014 0:10:14 GMT -6
Caught my first one this year in a coyote dirt hole set back in Nov. Hadn't seen one in the area for 15 yrs. Caught it in a large dredge ditch area that has lots of coyotes. He will be hanging in the house. Hope there are more where he came from.
Webster County.
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Post by cat4fish on Jan 5, 2014 6:11:53 GMT -6
Took pic's of a couple of grays this summer and fall, this is one of my favorites. Trapped grays there in the past and each spring a pair move back in.
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Post by cat4fish on Jan 5, 2014 8:28:39 GMT -6
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Post by cat4fish on Jan 5, 2014 8:46:26 GMT -6
gray fox , New to this !
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