IPR News

A second gray fox in southern Iowa propels research on a rare and threatened canine

Iowa Public Radio | By Rachel Cramer

Published December 23, 2024 at 10:11 AM CST

A man in a baseball cap and black fleece opens the door of a small cage to release a female gray fox. Snow and brown leaves cover the ground. — DNR furbearer biologist Vince Evelsizer releases GF2 back into the wild with a tracking collar to collect information about her habitat use and range. This, paired with disease testing and trail cameras around den sites, may help the researchers understand why gray fox numbers have dropped in Iowa. Other Corn Belt states have launched similar studies in recent years.

Fewer than 10 gray foxes have been confirmed in Iowa. State wildlife officials say a female they’re calling GF2 may reveal clues to understand the canines' decline and help the state come up with a recovery plan.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources furbearer biologist Vince Evelsizer said his team received a phone call in early December that a trapper found a live gray fox in southern Iowa. He rushed down with the state wildlife veterinarian and Dave Hoffman, a wildlife research technician, to find a healthy adult female.

Iowa listed the gray fox as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in 2015 based on 25 years of population decline. The DNR launched a multi-year study in 2022 to identify why numbers have dropped and better understand what could help the canine rebound.

After recording the gray fox's weight and collecting blood samples for disease testing and DNA analysis, they outfitted her with a tracking collar and released her where she was found.

“We’ve been tracking her since that time, thanks to some help from DNR staff and one or two private landowners down there,” Evelsizer said. “Everything is going well so far with tracking that second gray fox, which we're calling GF2.”

A woman with purple latex gloves inspects a bare spot on a gray fox while DNR technicians hold the fox still. — Rachel Ruden, Iowa DNR's state wildlife veterinarian, inspects the female gray fox and takes a blood sample to screen for diseases.

It started with GF1

The DNR collared its first gray fox, called GF1, in November of 2023. The GPS data from the healthy, 10-pound male revealed its preferred den sites and hunting grounds over a 2-by-2-mile range on the edge of Keokuk.

They installed trail cameras around the dens to learn about GF1’s behavior and discovered that he was often pushed out by other wildlife — raccoons, opossums, skunks, bobcats, coyotes.

“It seems like it's really a kind of a tough life out there for these little foxes with a lot of competition, and it's just really tough for them to thrive and survive here in Iowa,” Hoffman said.

While the collar stopped working after 10 months, Hoffman and Evelsizer believe GF1 is still alive.

The DNR’s trail cameras and a volunteer who helped the agency with tracking the gray fox spotted him several times in October and November. During one occasion, he was rolling around in deer scrape and barking at the volunteer, who was hunting in a tree stand.

Evelsizer said this kind of recreational behavior is a “sign that he’s feeling good and spunky.”

None of the trail cameras have picked up an image of a mate, which Evelsizer and Hoffman said is a concern. But they’re hopeful about an unmarked gray fox that’s been picked up by trail cameras near GF2.

Courtesy of Iowa DNR

Dave Hoffman, wildlife technician with the Iowa DNR, holds the female gray fox with thick gloves before her release back into the wild. Hoffman said he’s aware of only eight or nine gray foxes in Iowa. He hasn't seen any offspring in the last two years and said he knows of only one breeding pair.

Few foxes but lots of interest

Since launching the study last year and posting updates on social media, Hoffman said they’ve received an influx of gray fox sightings and interest from the public.

“More people are concerned about the fox; more people are aware and people want to protect their habitat,” he said.

Gray foxes prefer woodlands with a mix of young and mature trees, according to Evelsizer. To make habitat improvements, landowners can consult a DNR forester or licensed forestry management professional.

“The habitat for gray foxes can be good habitat for other species of wildlife. So good forestry management practices are always a good thing, not only for forest health, but for forest wildlife, as well,” Evelsizer said.

A black and white trail camera image shows a small fox peaking out of a den under some fallen trees covered in snow. A tracking collar around her neck looks like a bowtie. — The Iowa DNR's trail camera captures an image of GF2, a female gray fox with a tracking collar, as she peeks out of a den in southern Iowa. Gray foxes are one of the few canines in the world known to climb trees; their rotating forearms and semi-retractable claws help them scoot up trunks to hunt and escape predators.

Evelsizer and Hoffman are planning to install trail cameras in northeast Iowa in February and March to survey gray foxes and fishers, another woodland dweller.

Fishers started to show up in northeast Iowa in 2016, and unlike the gray fox, their numbers have grown slightly there, as well as in southeast Minnesota. Evelsizer said the trail camera data will help them understand where both species live on the landscape.