Coyote hunting is a great off-season hunting experience. The cold crisp days of winter, cause canines (fox and coyote) to look for sunny and protected exposures out of the wind. Dogs love sunshine and will curl up in protected areas. They are particularly vulnerable to hunting during winter. As with all types of hunting, the hunter who learns all he can about his quarry will be the most successful. In Illinois, there are two kinds of fox, the red and the gray, as well as coyotes. Gray foxes are less widespread and tend to be more nocturnal. Hunters are less likely to encounter them. Grays are probably only about 20 percent of the total fox population.
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Your chance of seeing a Red fox is more likely. They possess a well developed sense of smell, hearing and eyesight. Their senses help them to locate food as well as provide protection from other predators.
Coyotes range throughout the state in ever increasing numbers. Often mistaken for the domestic dog, they are really easily distinguished. Domestic dogs run with their tails in the air. Coyotes always have their tail pointing toward the ground.
Coyotes are the largest of Illinois dog population with the red fox second and the gray fox the smallest.
The wild members of the dog family feed on small rodents, rabbits, birds and eggs. They will also eat fruit, berries and other vegetation as well as carrion to survive.
The fact that they love sunny exposures, in sheltered places out of the wind, is an established fact. Fox hate the wind. It makes them nervous and they will leave a sunny area is the wind becomes a factor. Continue reading….
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