Nice you had a camera to capture the moment! I never seem to have mine when I see such things.
We drove down to our cabin in Central TX on Saturday and as we entered the gate and were driving down the access lane (we're set way back of the C.R.), a red fox (quite a bit redder than the one in your photo) emerged from the side grass, walked right in front of our car and proceeded to "escort" us around 1/4 mile to the bend to our cabin. He veered into the trees along the fence at the bend in the road to head to the cabin.
Now we know what has dug the sizeable den underneath the cabin steps. We also think that's what happened to the gopher(s) that had a ton of tunnels and mounds dug up in the front cabin yard, that have diminished over the last 2 months. Almost no gopher mounds were visible on Saturday. I don't miss the gopher, as he has damaged some shrubs I planted down there.
