How to Attract Foxes

If you enjoy wildlife-spotting, one of the coolest sights is a beautiful fox or even its young pups appearing for the first time in spring. Foxes live in a wide variety of environments, but they are well-known for showing up in backyards. Although people tend to give them a bad reputation, they are usually harmless, and you can attract them with the right bait. There are also ways you can improve the environment to make them more likely to show up. With a little bit of patience, you can make foxes a regular sight in your area.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Setting up a Lure

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1
Set out bait at night to increase your chances of seeing a fox. Foxes are most active at dusk or dawn. Prepare the lure right before dusk sets in, then move it outdoors for the foxes to find. Plan on setting it in a well-lit area so you are able to see any approaching foxes from a distance. Setting out your bait at night will also help stop daytime animals, like roaming pets, from getting to the food first.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Foxes are easiest to attract in winter when food is scarce, but they can be found during other seasons.
- Foxes are often active during the day, but they are a little skittish. If you live in a busy area, your best chance of seeing one is during a quieter part of the day.
- If you’re trying to attract foxes in the wild, try setting bait close to their tracks or den.
2
Select small portions of food 0.5 oz (14 g) or less. Keep your portion size small so that foxes don’t become dependent on you. If you use the right bait, such as a smelly piece of fish, this won’t be a problem. Use the same amount of food each time you attempt to lure in a fox. Place it in a small bowl or container you can set in your yard.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Foxes can forage for their own food. If they get all of their food from people, they become docile and stop hunting for themselves.
- Docile foxes may visit your yard all the time looking for food. They could be caught or harmed while they are wandering around your neighborhood.
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3
Choose meat, fish, and eggs to use as bait. The stronger the bait smells, the better it will be as a lure. One of the easiest ways to feed a fox is with a can of wet dog food or fishy-smelling cat food. You can use any type of raw meat or fish as well. Foxes often eat things like eggs, fruit, seeds, and some vegetables in the wild as well, but these may not be a great choice unless you’re certain a fox is going to find the bait.
- For example, foxes eat fruit like apples and blueberries, if they can find it.
- Try providing root veggies like yams and potatoes. They usually don’t go after gardens, but sometimes they can dig up these types of plants if you have them.
- Foxes eat a wide variety of things, including mushrooms, frogs, birds, and small rodents. They also enjoy salted peanuts and cheese.
4
Place the food away from your home. Find a clear spot close to the edges of your yard or garden. Make sure you have a good view of the lure even when you’re standing far away. Foxes often enter new areas at the corners, but they don’t mind walking along clear paths to get food as long as there isn’t anything there to scare them. If you leave the food out in the open, you will be able to get a good view of any approaching foxes.
- Watch out for any openings foxes may use to get in and out of enclosed areas. Look out for holes in fences, thick hedges, porches, and abandoned buildings. Move the food away from these spots so foxes can’t take it and run.
- If food is close to your home, a fox could get accustomed to your presence. They have been known to hide under porches or even go inside pet doors. It could attract other animals, such as mice, too.
5
Fill a bowl with fresh water to place next to the bait. Get a second bowl to place near the one that will hold the bait. Doing this is especially useful if you don’t have a pond or another source of fresh water nearby. Keep this bowl filled whenever you’re watching for foxes. Take it inside and clean it out when you’re not.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Keep the bowl clean to prevent the spread of disease. Refill it with fresh water every day.
6
Stand back at a distance while watching the bait. Foxes won’t approach bait if they know you’re close to it. Position yourself on your porch, for instance, or on the opposite side of your yard. Get as far away as you’re able to, stand still, and wait. If you happen to see a fox approaching, don’t do anything to alert it to your presence.
- If you wish to drive a fox away from your yard, just make loud noises. Yell, whistle, bang on something. Spraying them with water or throwing something soft, like a tennis ball, also works.
- Additionally, you can set up inexpensive water sprayers that activate when they sense movement. This is typically used for deer repellant, but it works for foxes as well.
- If a fox has gotten used to people feeding it, it may approach you. Don’t worry—it isn’t dangerous. However, don’t try to feed foxes yourself, since that teaches them to depend on people for food.
7
Remove leftover food and wash the bowl every day. Anything not eaten by foxes will draw in other animals. When you’re done fox-watching, take the bait back inside and throw it away. Scrub the bowl clean with dish soap and water to prevent the spread of disease.^{[4]XResearch source}
- If you end up attracting a fox (or another animal), remember to clean up any leftovers on the ground. They are easy to miss, but they can still lure unwanted guests into your yard.
- Mice and rats are the main animals drawn in by old bait, but you may also spot raccoons and other animals.
8
Place fresh bait out at the same time each night. Getting a reluctant fox to venture into your yard can take a while. Keep putting fresh food out. If they know it’s there, they will wait for it and start creeping in to check it out. With patience and persistence, you can attract a fox!
- It also depends on them detecting the food. If you know foxes are in the area and you put out food often, you will eventually lure one in.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Make a routine of it. Placing food at the same time each day helps ensure there isn’t anything left sitting around for other animals, particularly rats.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Improving Your Yard to Attract More Foxes

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1
Plant thick shrubs so foxes have a place to hide. Thick shrubs and bushes provide cover for visiting foxes. If you have a few along the perimeter of your yard, you will be much more likely to attract any foxes in the area. They sometimes burrow under overgrown bushes to set up their dens. If you don’t already have bushes, install a few to make your yard more inviting.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Foxes enjoy areas that have a variety of different natural elements, but bushy plants are among the most important.
- Fruit bushes, such as blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes, are great choices since they also produce sweet fruit foxes enjoy.
2
Set up a compost pile to dispose of old food. Compost piles hold organic scraps to turn them into fertilizer for plants. Compost piles smell pretty terrible due to the rotting food, like fruit and vegetable scraps. The strong smell draws in all sorts of animals, including foxes, who treat it like it’s a normal part of their environment. It can also bring in rats and field mice foxes hunt.
- To set up a compost pile, include equal amounts of wet material like food scraps and dry material like leaves. While meat can be composted, it isn’t great since it smells rancid and draws in maggots.
- Remember to keep compost piles away from your home! Position it at least 12 in (30 cm) away, and check local regulations for more information.
3
Stack wood into piles to serve as a shelter. Find a dry, breezy spot 6 to 9 m (20 to 30 ft) away from your home. To keep the wood dry, place a log rack or a wood pallet there. Then, stack firewood logs next to and on top of one another to build an even stack. Top the pile with a firewood cover to keep it dry. If the wood is spaced well enough, it can be a place for a fox to hide or even live, but it’s mainly to make your yard feel more like the woods.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Wood piles add a natural element to your yard, but foxes sometimes live in or burrow under logs. If you have a large property with plenty of trees, you could leave old logs or branches in the hopes of drawing in foxes.
- Wood piles also serve as shelters for other creatures, including mice and rats, so be sure to keep them far from your home.
4
Place bird feeders to attract birds and scatter seeds. Position a few standing feeders about 3 m (9.8 ft) from your home. If you have trees, you can also hang some feeders on the branches. Foxes eat seeds in the wild, so anything dropped by the birds could become a food source for ones wandering through the area.
- Foxes eat birds as well, so be prepared for that possibility if you let both into your yard at the same time.
- Leftover bird seed also attracts other animals, particularly rats and mice, so keep the feeders away from your home and sweep up every week.
5
Plant fruit trees if you have room for them in your yard. You might not expect it, but foxes love sweet treats. They are particularly fond of apples and other fruit that tastes best in the fall. You can get some fruit trees or bushes at your local plant nursery. Space trees apart and keep them away from nearby structures so their roots don’t cause problems.^{[8]XResearch source}
- Cherries, persimmons, and plums are a few other examples of fruit foxes like to eat. They get the fruit when it drops on the ground, but you can also harvest it and set it out for them.
- Don’t overlook fruit bushes. Foxes love raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. They also eat grapes.
6
Create a small pond filled with fresh water. Animals go where the water is, so a pond is great if you’re not too close to a lake or stream. If you have room in your yard, dig out a small area and install a pond liner. You can then install a filter to keep it clean and line its edges with rocks for decoration. Keep it filled with either rainwater or water from a hose so the foxes have something to drink.^{[9]XResearch source}
- In general, if you’re within 1 to 2 mi (1.6 to 3.2 km) of a freshwater source, you have a chance of attracting a fox to your yard. Having one closer means more animals are likely to show up.
- You could also keep fish in your pond. If you’re protective of your pond, this won’t be a good idea since foxes will stop by to catch dinner.

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Will foxes attack if you approach them?
WildAnimalGirl
Community Answer
Foxes are not dangerous and do not attack humans, except when they are rabid, which is very rare, or when they are captured and handled. Even then, a fox's natural tendency is to flee rather than fight.
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Tips

Use a scent repellent to keep foxes away from your home, garden, and any other areas you don’t want them to visit. They don’t like strong scents, including citronella or pet urine, and you can also use water sprinklers or ultrasonic traps to keep them away.^{[10]XResearch source}
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If you suspect a fox is a threat to you, call your local animal control office. Foxes are fairly harmless and rarely carry rabies, but they can go after small animals.^{[11]XResearch source}
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Foxes have been known to dig through trash, so keep your trash bags in wheelie bins or heavy-lidded cans. This will also prevent other animals from showing up.
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Warnings

Foxes generally don’t attack people, but they can prey on small animals. Keep your pets leashed when foxes are around, and lock them up at night.^{[12]XResearch source}
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