Vicki Fox > Guests > OK Foxes > May 1999

Oklahoma Foxes - May 1999

NOTICE: All photographs are the property (copyright) of John Martin. If you wish to use these pictures, you must make arrangements with John Martin.

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In this frame, I tripped the shutter as the male began to choke on a piece of stale bread some neighbors had thrown out. The poor little fellow gagged for what seemed like a minute. I soon began to wonder how one would go about applying the Heimlich maneuver to a fox. But he soon coughed it up and was no more the worse for wear.

Usually, when I first walk out into the meadow, I'll toss around a few bits of boneless chicken breast, or some apple slices. The foxes simply love them. Then I'll walk back to my chair and wait for the show to begin. After the area's been baited, it's usually not very long before the actions starts.

This picture shows the male hoovering around, as he follows a trail of small chicken bits I had laid down for him. He'd already eaten most of the bigger pieces and was trying to find more. You can't see the vixen, but she's off hiding behind the hill waiting on her dinner. Every now and then, she's poke her head up to see what was taking the male so long.

This is the male as he looked about two weeks ago. The foxes are all looking pretty moth eaten since they blew they're winter coats. But this little guy seems to be having a more difficult time of it. I'm pretty certain that he's got a touch of mange on the back of his neck. Sure hope he doesn't spread it to the others. The ticks are partly to blame, as they've been thick out in the south meadow this spring. The little guy's appetite seems to be pretty good, so he'll probably do okay. I watched him run a full grown raccoon up a tree a few days before this picture was taken.

In this picture, the male had just finished up his supper, and decided to come over to check me out. Usually, he'll walk to within 20 feet of me, and begin sniffing around to see if I've tossed out any treats on the ground for him. He usually travels with a vixen, who is an extremely shy little girl. Unfortunately, I've never been able to win her confidence.

After the male finishes eating, he'll stuff his mouth full of food, and bring it over to his vixen. I've never seen him leave without going through this sharing ritual. While she eats in the shade of some distant cedars, her favorite spot to be, he generally takes the opportunity to cache a few morsels here and there. I've never tried to crowd the vixen, so maybe she'll decide to visit the feeding area on her own someday. One can only hope.

On this day we had tossed out some table scraps for the foxes. Here the male is seen picking out the best pieces for himself and his vixen. (Yes, he does share the good stuff with her.)

It's interesting to watch him picking through the dish of food to get at the best morsels. I think he was after some weenies and pancakes on this day. Don't get me wrong, we don't just feed the foxes garbage. They do get a balanced diet of high protein pelletized feed most of the time.

Well, what can I say? The little guy finishes up his feed, and whizzes right in the bowl. I had hoped I was a better cook than that.

In this picture, the male is posing for me as if to say, "I hope you get my best side." Actually, the little fellow stood there for quite a while, allowing me to carefully focus in on him.

It was pretty obvious that the shutter noise really bothered him during my first attempts, but as time passed, he got more comfortable with it, and me. Now he's a real ham, as he will walk right up and begin to nose around for food. But we do have an unwritten contract...no goodies, no pictures.

This picture was shot a few minutes before the little male got choked on the piece of bread. If you'll notice, the area on the back of his neck is almost devoid of hair. He looks a far sight different in this picture than he did in some of his earlier shots. Not nearly as healthy if you ask me.

The red foxes down here in Oklahoma are really pretty small, as compared to some of the northern foxes. I doubt if this little guy weighs 5 pounds soaking wet. On several occasions, I've seen him stand not three feet away from a small house cat that regularly comes in to feed. And I swear that fox is only two-thirds the size of the cat.

Here the male is sniffing around where another fox had previously scentmarked. He's not raising his leg, as it looks like, but instead he'd been limping around all afternoon. When I came back the next day to check on him, he seemed to be fine. I suspect he probably got into a squabble with another fox, or maybe a raccoon. Both species do feed together on occasion. But surprisingly, they seem to get along rather well, considering the cramped nature of their habitat.

This is one of the first pictures I took of the foxes when I got my new telephoto lens. Here, the male is seen trotting across the clearing in the south meadow. He would first head towards the west, then he'd cut back around to the north and come back to the feeding area from that direction.

This picture was taken around the 1st of March. I know, because I had to send my old camera back to the factory for an overhaul, as the mirror began slapping. The foxes didn't seem to appreciate that loud chirping noise every time I'd release the shutter.

On this day we had tossed out some table scraps for the foxes. Here the male is seen picking out the best pieces for himself and his vixen. (Yes, he does share the good stuff with her.)

It's interesting to watch him picking through the dish of food to get at the best morsels. I think he was after some weenies and pancakes on this day. Don't get me wrong, we don't just feed the foxes garbage. They do get a balanced diet of high protein pelletized feed most of the time.

Here's a picture of the old dog fox enjoying some leftover chicken breast. We always try and save back a few tidbits for the foxes.