Apple Thief

[ustmd]

Well, I final caught the apple thief yesterday evening: Mr Fox. Saw him out the bedroom window snacking on an apple. He finished that one, trotted over, picked up another and headed down the hill.



What is surprising is that we have been out here for 15 years. Have seen all creatures great and small, but this is the first fox.

 

[stuckmotor]

Nice looking fox.

 

[oldballs]

Well, at least the humble little fox doesn't climb the tree like the ubiquitous squirrels do. Now they are a real nuisance. Nice picture.

 

[dickfoster]

Well, I final caught the apple thief yesterday evening: Mr Fox. Saw him out the bedroom window snacking on an apple. He finished that one, trotted over, picked up another and headed down the hill.

View attachment 471355

What is surprising is that we have been out here for 15 years. Have seen all creatures great and small, but this is the first fox.

You wouldn't think a fox would go for apples. Our main problem is deer. If the deer don't eat it the rabbits probably will, then comes the bears and what not. Black bears love apples and almost anything else that's edible. We can't even have roses because a rose is like candy bush to a deer.

 

[Threepoint]

Pretty little guy!

 

[oosik]

Here I've got the deer for low hanging fruit and raccoons for the stuff up in the tree. I've finally got enough fruit trees that I end up getting some in the fall. The coyotes will eat ANYTHING that fits in their mouth. I have a roll of paper towels out in the carport. They drug it down and ate half the roll before they determined it really wasn't that good.

 

[Ken45101]

What is surprising is that we have been out here for 15 years. Have seen all creatures great and small, but this is the first fox.

We have been here 14 years and only saw a fox once, in the first few years we were here. However, I recently installed a game camera on the driveway and it showed a fox a couple of times, including carrying a rabbit. The camera also picked up a coyote, and dozens of deer.

 

[dfh1977]

I have game cameras around farm and a fox will eat apples. A lot of them. Now a bob cat. He will eat the opossum that will also eat apples.

 

[k0ua]

You wouldn't think a fox would go for apples. Our main problem is deer. If the deer don't eat it the rabbits probably will, then comes the bears and what not. Black bears love apples and almost anything else that's edible. We can't even have roses because a rose is like candy bush to a deer.

Know what you mean, My wife asked me to pull up the last stunted little rose bush we had away from the house. The deer just would not leave it alone. The only roses we have left are right up against the house in the front. Candy bush is right!

 

[not2old]

You wouldn't think a fox would go for apples. Our main problem is deer. If the deer don't eat it the rabbits probably will, then comes the bears and what not. Black bears love apples and almost anything else that's edible. We can't even have roses because a rose is like candy bush to a deer.

Drape some of of the light black netting over the roses and the deer will leave them alone. It usually blends into the background and almost disappears.

 

[orezok]

Last year just as my apples ripened, they all "disappeared" over 2 days while we were gone. We planned to pick them when we got back. These were small trees, less than 8 feet tall. They were in a yard with 6' chain link fence and then in "cages" with chicken wire up the first couple of feet to deter the hares. Chicken wire was torn down!

Virtually every apple was gone except the ones at the very top. They must have partially climbed the trees. Lots of coyote prints and scat all over the yard.

Yup, coyotes will eat anything and do what ever is necessary to get at it.

This year I installed 2x4 mesh fencing up to 4'. Good luck at tearing that down.