Courtesy photo. The red fox is a skilled hunter.
Many of us have read stories about the cunning of a red fox trying to outwit his animal brothers and sisters. Despite their looks of long, thin faces and yellow eyes, contributing in part to their crafty reputations; in real life, red foxes are more concerned with finding food than with playing tricks on anyone.
The red fox is a lean and mean hunting machine that’s built for speed. The red fox has been referred to as "cat-like." Its long bushy tail with distinctive white tip provides balance for large jumps and complex movements. Its strong legs allow it to reach speeds of over 70 km/h (45 miles per hour), a great benefit to catching prey or evading predators.
About 3-4 feet in length, slinky and long-legged, they only weigh 9-15 pounds full grown. However, red foxes look a lot bigger because of their thick fur, which can range from deep brownish red to sandy blonde with black legs, feet and backs of their ears as well as a white belly, chest, and neck. Some have a dark brown “cross” across their backs.
Fox families each have their own clearly marked home ranges that they defend from intruders, but they don’t usually fight. A group chase or a “threat display”—charging, growling, etc.— this will generally do the trick. Foxes are excellent hunters, and not only because they’re fast. Their large, upright ears allow them to locate a rustling sound within a solitary degree of its true location. That is accuracy! Further, a red fox can hear a mouse squeal from 150 feet away. When hunting, they approach their prey slowly, creeping low to the ground and stretching their head high to spot the prey.
Then, they pounce on the mouse, rabbit, or other prey with their forefeet. Mice, especially meadow voles, are a popular food for red foxes, but their favorite dish is cottontail rabbit. They are not picky eaters though, and will eat berries and insects in the spring and summer, along with squirrels, songbirds, ducks, and pheasants. They’ll even clean up after us humans and eat garbage.
Nighttime is the right time for red foxes to be active. They do most of their hunting from two hours before sunset to about four hours after sunrise and travel up to 9 miles a night. When they aren’t hunting, foxes like to rest in forests, ravines or woodlots, curling their long bushy tails around themselves to keep warm.
Rough seas kept some boats docked
In the ocean, rough seas to 11 feet kept the majority of boats at the dock. The days of finding decent trolling fish are approaching to an end. There is talk of an early sailfish season this fall because they are hitting double digit numbers of sailfish in the Carolinas. Despite the cooler water temperatures there are good snapper catches being reported. Large Kingfish are being caught near the Party Grounds.
.jpg)
Courtesy photo. This 60# Kingfish was caught off Ponce Inlet last week.
Large Mackerel in the surf
On the piers and in the surf, there have been a lot of whiting and bluefish catches. Several large king mackerel have been caught. Also there are reports of large cobia hook-ups taking place as well as redfish and mangrove snapper catches. In Ponce inlet, large redfish are present and are biting.
This happens annually as these big guys come into the inlet near Labor Day. Other than the big reds, there has been nothing major occurring in the inlet.
Murky water not helping catch
In the Halifax River, there is still good snook action as well as redfish activity. In the lagoon and Indian River murky water has not helped the catch. The large schools had broken into smaller ones and can be caught using shrimp, pinfish, smaller pigfish and cut bait.
Children's fishing clinic at Sheriff's 'Battle of the Badges'
The mid-coast chapter of CCA will be teaching the children’s fishing clinic again this year at the Sheriff’s annual “Battle of the Badges” Family Fun Fest and Inshore Fishing Tournament for red and trout being held at the Brannon Center in New Smyrna on Sept. 18-19. For more information, please go on-line to www.badgebattle.com .
Update on manatee management plan
At the recent FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held in Crystal River heard an update on the management of Florida’s imperiled species and directed its staff to draft a rule to rewrite the imperiled species listing process for review in September’s meeting. During Wednesday’s session the commissioners also heard the update on the manatee management plan emphasizing the significant management tasks that are in progress. The FWC had approved the plan in December 2007. The FWC Division of Law Enforcement provided a report on its work plan regarding the harassment of manatees from human interaction.
New rules on posession of wild fresh-water turtles
The Commission also approved the new rules regarding the taking and possession of wild freshwater turtles, eliminating commercial harvest. Additionally, it approved new regulations concerning the establishment and operation of game farms. Further, the FWC approved rules to regulate captive wildlife regarding permitting, caging, and other requirements for Classes I, II, and III, and to establish requirements and establish requirements for operation of wildlife sanctuaries. The FWC also adopted a new peregrine falcon management plan and approved the removal of the peregrine falcon from the enlisted species list in Florida.
Harvest season for Red Snapper changed
The FWC also took up marine fisheries and approved a rule to change the recreational harvest season for the Genuine Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico state waters from June 1 to Sept. 30 to June 1 through Aug, 14, which is consistent with the new federal regulations and is necessary because of recreation over-harvests of Gulf Red Snapper in 2008. Additionally the FWC approved new rules for Gulf Grouper, which are consistent with the new federal regulations and help reduce fishing pressure on Gulf Grouper. The new rules decrease the daily recreational aggregate for grouper from five fish to four fish per person in Gulf state waters except in Monroe County, and establish a Feb. 1 – March 31 closed spawning season for all recreational harvest of shallow-water grouper (gag, red, black, yellowfin, scamp, rock and red hind) in Gulf state waters, except for Monroe County.
Other provisions in the new grouper rules will reduce the commercial minimum size limit for Gulf red grouper, and for all importation and sale of red grouper, from 20 inches to 18 inches total length. This rule takes effect in August 2009. In other marine fisheries action, the FWC proposed draft rule amendments to clarify that it is unlawful to buy or sell snook taken within or without the state except as provided in the snook special activity license provisions, that no person shall harvest or possess any snook taken within or without the state during closed seasons.
Snook possessed on state waters, whether landed within or without state waters, must be in whole condition, and that anglers may temporarily possess snook only to determine compliance with size requirements. The rule amendments will take place early this month, unless a public hearing is requested.
In other FWC news:
# The FWC also proposed draft rule amendments that would automatically allow use of new designs of by-catch reduction and turtle exclusion devices in shrimp trawls in state waters, when new designs are certified for use in adjacent federal waters and make technical changes to turtle exclusion device rules. Two by-catch reduction devices currently allowed in state waters would continue to be legal. The FWC will hold a final public hearing on the proposed rule amendments this month.
# Additionally the FWC reviewed and discussed a recent red drum stock assessment and management of the bonefish fishery and considered various federal fisheries management issues. If you want to read the full agenda go online to www.myfwc.com/commission2009/comm_09_agenda.htm The next FWC meeting is set for Sept. 9-11 at Howey-in-the-Hills (which is in Lake County).
# The FWC ended its last session by voting to appoint Nick Wiley, the assistant executive director, to the position of executive director when Ken Haddad , current executive director, retires in December.
Coral reefs: Rainforests of the sea
One cannot but help envisioning images of red and purple coral with darting small blue and orange fish when thinking of our coral reefs. However, when we study the forecasts for this precious habitat – all images cease to be.
“The coral reefs are the sentinel for climate change,” said Paddy Glick, of the National Wildlife Federation and author of “Preparing for a Sea Change in Florida”.
Coral reefs are “the rain forests of the sea” because of the number of species they harbor. Covering only 0.07 percent of the ocean’s floor, they serve as home to one quarter of the world’s fish and marine species. Change is already being notices in the Caribbean as well as in Florida. The creation of a coral reef is a complicated process and takes thousands of years. However, with the increasing sea temperatures, coral bleaching could wipe them out by the end of the century. The corals get their color from the algae that feed the coral. The high temperatures create stress and the coral expels the algae. When this “bleaching effect occurs the coral loses its color and it means the coral is starving to death. Glick suggests that we urge our elected officials to pass laws and regulations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We can all do things to reduce pollution and when diving do not touch the coral. The most extensive coral reef in Florida is that in the Keys and serves as our first line of defense during storms and protecting our beaches from further erosion. Protection is a necessity if you wish to have your grandkids to enjoy it.
It has been written that “”Beyond every bend in a stream lies a new fishing challenge, for no pool, riffle, or rapids is just like the previous one.” So whether you charter, ride a head boat, run your own vessel, stay in the river, surf, or fish from shore or a bridge, there are fish to be caught. Fishing is not a matter of life and death, it is so much more important than that.
Tight lines, Capt. Budd