Grey fox in N.Minn

[stickbowhntr]

Is there a decent population of the greys there in Northern Minn? Is this this guy just blowing smoke saying he catches a lot of them there , I thought they were few and far between in MINN?

[thorsmightyhammer]

Whats his definition of a lot.

There are some.

[trappnman]

how good a population do you have up by you steven?

here, we used to have fairly abundant greys- I'd take 5-6 a year as incidentals in coon sets.

over the past 10-12 years we had one year, 4 years ago, where we took 3- 2 at one location, and one at a different one- but none since.

and we have, you would think, perfect habitat for them- lots of brushy coulees, lots of sandstone and limestone ridges, etc

any thoughts from anyone, why the demise?

same with skunks- 40 years ago, the populations were 50/50 with good numbers of each.

still lots of striped skunks, but have never caught a civiT cat in 25 years of coyote trapping, and last saw one 15 years ago or more.

[guest]

Sept 27, 2011 11:00:22 GMT -6 trappnman said:

" . . . a civic cat in 25 years of coyote trapping, and last saw one 15 years ago or more.

I guess Honda is just down in production.

[trappnman]

that took me a minute.....LOL

[fishdaddy]

here in southern w.va we have a good population of grays but not very many skunks ive never caught one in w.va hardly any red fox in my area either..and the ground hogs are all but gone.possums are starting to pick back up.and the bobcat population is growing good.

[blackhammer]

Sept 27, 2011 11:00:22 GMT -6 trappnman said:

how good a population do you have up by you steven?

here, we used to have fairly abundant greys- I'd take 5-6 a year as incidentals in coon sets.

over the past 10-12 years we had one year, 4 years ago, where we took 3- 2 at one location, and one at a different one- but none since.

and we have, you would think, perfect habitat for them- lots of brushy coulees, lots of sandstone and limestone ridges, etc

any thoughts from anyone, why the demise?

same with skunks- 40 years ago, the populations were 50/50 with good numbers of each.

still lots of striped skunks, but have never caught a civiT cat in 25 years of coyote trapping, and last saw one 15 years ago or more.

Same with grays down here.I'm trapping in great gray habitat where in the past I would even conibear a half dozen a year.No more. If I was offered a thousand dollars to catch one I'm not sure I could.Disease maybe spread by coyotes is my only guess.Civet cats it is insectside used for corn bores I think.

[fishdaddy]

whats the difference between a civit cat and a skunk?

[trappnman]

fishdaddy- just a colloquial name for a spotted skunk-

blackhammer- my guess was some insecticide as well- any ideas on why striped skunks are less affected?

[TRay]

The spotted skunk population has been in a steady decline here in SD for the past 20 years, though there seems to be a increase in eastern part of the state in the past couple of years. I have always suspected insecticides as the culprit, but I think there have been habitat changes in that time also.

I know that guys here who are targeting them have put up some very good numbers, usually trapping around old building sites. Rally also caught quit a few doing his nest trapping work, so they are still around.

I see some of the guys on the West coast catch quit a few, I wonder if the two populations are the same or not?

[Rally Hess]

There are plenty of Greys here. I caught the first one here about 11 years ago, infact I had it mounted and is above my puter now. It seems the greys came into the brushy areas as the timbers pushed the coyotes out. Now the reds are out in the open and the greys are in the brush.
My experience in SD showed me that alot of the traps, particularly coyotes traps with any pan tension at all, will allow a civet to walk all over them without being caught, and the same for a 220 with trigger wires. The civets are just that small and lightweight. I caught all of my civets when I went to a pan on my 220's, and then when I turned the pan so it was facing outward, not inward like most use them. With the pans facing out, the civets stepped on the leading edge of the pan, which had the most mechanical advantage. When my pans were pointing in, they stepped again on the leading edge of the pan, which was directly above the dog and then hopped into the box, not touching the pan anywhere else. I got the idea when I started seing muddy prints on my pans with no catches. Reversed the direction they were pointing and stopped getting misses, and caught gophers, rats, and civets consistantly.
Steve,
I rented a pheasant farm when I was in SD. The owner farmed and hunted his place most of his life and stated he had not seen a civet in over 20 years. I took 11 off his place. LOL

[trappincoyotes39]

yes the eastern part has more of them a co worker in Pierre and East of there has caught his share of them, all those years in Western SD not a one did I catch, could be pan tension but think they are very rare out that way. I caught 2 swift fox yet no spotted skunks out there go figure?

Looking foeard to some grays once again down this way, when in NE iowa in the 80's I caught alot of them many area where 50/50 greys and reds, I once had a quad catch on grays that was neat.

[blackhammer]

As far as spotted skunks the population here is so low I see at our local USDA farm service agency They have a poster and a number to contact if you have seen a spotted skunk.I have never caught one or seen one in my 40 years or so trapping,hunting, and farming.I have heard many stories from old timers about them.I'm guessing by the 70s they started to disappear.Grays seem to really decline by the 2000s.80s and early 90s they where quite common.Really like those pretty foxes.Next one I catch is going to be mounted or at least tanned.

[thorsmightyhammer]

Sept 27, 2011 11:00:22 GMT -6 trappnman said:

how good a population do you have up by you steven?

here, we used to have fairly abundant greys- I'd take 5-6 a year as incidentals in coon sets.

At home, not so many, the further east of me you go there seems to be more like around rally.

[trappnman]

and the sad thing is for me- when I did get grey fox, they had little value.

one of those 3 last taken was loris so we got that one tanned. Sure are pretty little things.