Tips on photographing fox kits
Photographing Fox Kits
Den #1
Foxes are as many of us know, shy and mostly nocturunal. Most of us will only catch a fleeting glimpse of one as it crosses the road in front of our car at night. So as you can imagine photographing them can be daunting but also highly rewarding.
This year I was very lucky to find two active dens close to home. After spending some time with them I would like to share a few pointers so anyone can get up and close with these playfull creatures. These images are all from the first den, I will do another post in the future on den # 2.
Tips
- Drive back roads in the country during late evening and early morning during May when the kits are most likely to be out of the den. Many times active dens will be close to roads and foxes have been known to use drainage culverts as dens.
- Social media.. Social media..Social media!!! Social media is a great place to get a hot tip of a nearby fox den. Face it everyone loves little baby foxes and any one that knows where some are will plaster their page with pictures.
- Once you locate a den the hard work begins. You must first get permission from the property owner. Then always approach from downwind while working your way towards the den. Do not spook the foxes or momma will move them to backup dens she already has ready.
- Never feed foxes or get to close to them, you are merely an observer. If you are in any way changing their behavior you are to close or making them nervous and should move back or leave.
- Long lenses are must, 300mm is the shortest lens that I would recommend. These were all taken with an Olympus 40-150mm f 2.8 (80-300mm 35mm equivalent) with an 1.4x teleconverter.
- Fast lens are preferred (f 2.8-f 4) this will get you that creamy background that make images pop. This will also allow you to shoot at faster speeds during the lowlight when they are most active. This also means tripods are a must to get sharp images.
- Once you begin to shoot don't wait for the perfect shot, just shoot and shoot alot, then shot some more. Once home you can thin down the images that you like. Many times you wont believe how many keepers you have. The two photos below are not "keepers" in my opinion but they do help tell the story.
- Other useful items are blinds, camofaluge, extra batteries,bug spray and memory cards.
- Last but not least enjoy the time you spend with them, remember not many people will get this opportunity and make sure you respect them!
Hey there, grouse shots! Another good tip for foxes is to make a sound like an injured prey animal....
A distressed squeaking rodent, and squealing rabbit... Putting your lips against the back of your hand and making a kissy type noise while sucking. You can buy whistles online that simulate the noises quiet well, they are hunting whistles, but that is irrelevant to their effectiveness....
The foxes will hear the sound and come running thinking they are in for a free feed... If you whistle from a down wind position you can call them in close enough that you could fill the frame with a nifty 50.. Of course, if they get a wiff of you, they're gone...
Thanks for the great tip i will have to give that a try.
Oh, so lovely little foxes! Up and resteemed, and you have a new follower!
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed them.
You know, I love foxes! Especially little ones! There is an old Hungarian cartoon, which is one of my favourites, it's title is "Vuk", made upon the novel of Istvan Fekete, the great naturalist writer.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://www.hirado.hu/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2017/06/vuk.jpg)
Very interesting ,i have never heard of him. I love to read ill have to check him out.
Ahhhhh. I just love foxes! Beautiful shots. They always remind me of my dogs and here in Scotland the posh wankers hunt them for fun...
They definitely act like little puppies when they play. Its fun to watch!
Nice shots..
Deserves upvotes
Thank you!
good tips!
Thank you im glad you enjoyed them.