I have found the summer and early fall months the best time to locate the haunts of the fox, as they are sure to use the same territory in the winter season. While on one of my recent investigating tours, a few days after a rain, I observed some facts that will be interesting.
I struck an old road running through a farm, and readily noticed some fox tracks. Naturally I followed on and found they led under a wheat harvester, which had been recently left in the road and on under an iron gate, into the pasture beyond. All know that a harvester is largely constructed of iron and steel. Now if the fox is so afraid of this metal, as is supposed, does it seem reasonable that he would walk under such a mass of iron, or under an iron gate?
In fox trapping the smoking and smearing process is advocated as well as the handling with gloves and concealing under the ground. In the light of my observations, are all these precautions absolutely necessary? On this same trip, in question, I noticed a fox track, and as usual followed it. To my surprise the animal went within a hair's breadth of a plow, passing right on, seemingly not either to care for red paint or iron construction.
How is it, fox trappers? Does the iron and steel used in farm implements differ from that used in steel traps, so that the latter must be handled with such care as is advocated by many of the trapper's profession? Or is it the covering of the trap with earth that arouses suspicion?
A red or grey fox will cross through or under a wire fence over the public highway at night, although the roads are continually traversed by the iron bound shoes of the horse. Even the tracks of man are visible here yet we, when trapping, brush out our tracks with great care.
I have known a fox to follow where a plow has been dragged and have seen his tracks in the iron marked groove, just made by the locked wheel of a wagon.
Considering these facts, does it seem possible that the fox has so great an antipathy to iron and to the human scent as supposed? (We believe that the conditions under which these are found have much to do with the foxes shrewdness. A wagon wheel or binder never caught a fox, but the scent coming from a trap--well that is different. Coming down to this would appear that the fox has some reasoning power or intellect.--Editor.)