In mythic systems from other parts of the world, the fox may guide a young person from one phase of life to another.

~Martin Wallen

One of my favorite animal species to see in winter is the red fox. They are masters of mousing and I have a goal of getting some good photos or videos of one doing that in deep snow. But this winter is not cooperating as we are way below normal snow levels in much of the park. We did have an early snow back at the end of October and we took a road trip down to Hayden Valley right before the roads to the interior closed for the winter season (typically the first of November through some time in April depending on snow levels). Visitation is down that time of year but there were some die-hard wildlife watchers in pursuit of great gray owls and ermine that had been seen in recent days in that region. We also looked for great grays and got lucky the next evening as I posted back in November.

As we were driving near Mud Volcano, we spotted a red fox out in the sage and grasses of a roadside meadow. It was slowly going along listening and hunting. There was only about 2 to 3 inches of snow on the ground so no classic head dive jumps were in order, but we pulled over to watch anyway.

The fox walked slowly and stopped, head tilting a bit from side to side. It saw or heard something just ahead.

That leap was a miss. We continued watching as the fox meandered around the meadow. It did catch a small rodent on the next leap but it was in some taller sagebrush so we couldn’t tell what it was for sure.

We had parked on a side road leading to a picnic area. I was out of the car watching the fox when it disappeared behind a line of trees between me and the meadow. Suddenly the fox appeared close and was walking straight toward us. I crouched and the fox continued on, crossing some deadfall along the drive.

It turned and walked down the road a bit and then hunkered and deposited some scat in the road (perhaps making some statement about our proximity?). Well, it’s not often you get to look at fresh scat so after the fox trotted away we walked over and, of course, took a photo (don’t worry, we usually don’t have this on the itinerary for guests).

It turns out they usually deposit scat at trail intersections or other prominent spots to mark their territory so maybe he just wanted us to know this meadow was his. The fox wandered back into the field and then came back towards the main road walking along a fallen log and pausing to look around.

After crossing the main road the fox had another successful leap that was hidden from our view by trees. Next thing we know it comes trotting down the main road carrying a rodent.

Then it did something that we felt privileged to witness…it cached this prize in the shallow snow right next to road about 25 yards from us. After dropping the rodent, the fox stuck its nose in the snow in a couple of places and then pushed snow aside, picked up the prey and dropped it in place. It then pushed snow over it with its nose and trotted off down the road.

We debated for a second and then decided to go check it out. We wanted to know what the fox had caught. After looking at the general area where we thought the prey was cached, we started lightly digging in the snow (it was only a few inches deep) and Melissa found it. It looked like a montane vole, probably one of the most abundant rodents in the park and a very important prey item for all sorts of predators from canids to weasels to raptors.

Voles are active year round and have tunnels beneath the snow (the subnivean zone) where they travel and feed. This year’s unusually shallow snow depths probably puts them at a disadvantage both in terns of risk from predators and extremes of temperature (the normal snow depth has an insulating effect and their subnivean habitat is maintained at a relatively constant 32 degrees). We reburied the vole in the same spot and drove home. The next day we drove back and decided to check and see if the fox had returned for its prize. I have been curious as to how long they might leave a cache and if they generally find all of them. After a little searching we found the vole still buried. I had to wonder if our scent might deter the fox from returning or did it just not come back. We’ll never know.

I’ve had a couple of other encounters with foxes this winter so here are a few more photos of these small elegant carnivores.

On a January trip into the interior via snow coach our group spotted a red fox in Hayden Valley. The first glance was of it doing an impressive leap and head-first dive into the snow after a rodent (most in our coach saw it but I was in the back and missed that). We stopped and got out and watched as the fox continued on in a sea of snow, its fluid form jumping off the white canvas. This is the essence of the fox, a delicate ghost that adds a splash of color and mystery to a beautiful winter scene.