Nick ,first up and I guess this is the hardest bit try and find an earth. The only real way you can do that is time spent in the field searching . Bud i've just spent a good few weeks trying to find just that . I have a triangle of old railway line close by know the foxes are there but finding them hasn't been easy. I can't quite access the earth as it's on active BR property,but I know it's there ,foxes bring stuff home. In my case the site is slightly surreal big knuckle bones evrywhere,but you'll find bird wings bones etc often around an active set/earth /den. Also that smell which you will know from birding. In my personal case that is about as far as i've got. i'm making very tenative visits at the moment,spacing them out. I can see the foxes from a road,they are there every evening I half suspect they have little ones. I'm being really cautious Nick as if I disturb them too much the vixen might move the cubs if they are there that is. Logically I can't see why not,but that would be cras and I'd kick myself if I caused them to move . The adults i'm trying to get a handle on are super wary, and the site is not blessed with much cover. So I'm essentially at the stage of trying to work out just how to tackle it. I tried a bit of net in front of me,in full camo everything covered,the vixen spooked half a field away when she saw it ,so i'm scratching me head a bit as to my next move.
Nick once you are in and have a site really I suspect every thing is going to be governed by how the adults react to you and what choices you want to make,you might want to feed might be utterly against that. I feel from here on you need help from some of the other folks here,who have been sucessful but put in the hours and get to stage one IE a regular spot where you know they are
all the luck mate not easy if you are dealing with really scatty rural foxes their senses are so sharp
stu
