Species authority page

Gray fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus · Furbearers

Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) can be identified as follows: Grizzled gray upperparts, rusty sides and a black stripe ending in a black tail tip distinguish it from red fox. This biological profile does not establish whether hunting or trapping is legal.

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Gray fox
Photo by Hunter Masters on Unsplash
Scientific name
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Family
Canidae
Range context
United States and southern Canada
Biology

How to identify it

Grizzled gray upperparts, rusty sides and a black stripe ending in a black tail tip distinguish it from red fox. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Gray fox from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Woodland and brushy habitat in the southern part of Canada and much of the United States. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

The only North American canid that climbs trees, using hooked claws to escape predators or reach food. [2][3]

Mainly nocturnal and solitary outside breeding and pup rearing. [2][3]

Dens in hollow trees and logs, rock crevices and burrows. [2][3]

Omnivorous: small mammals, insects, birds and fruit (apples, berries, wild grapes); caches surplus food. [2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

United States and southern Canada

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. BIOLOGICALGray fox

    Government of Ontario · reviewed 2026-09-20

    Government of Ontario

  2. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

  3. Carnegie Museum of Natural History · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Carnegie Museum of Natural History