As the clocks prepare to go back and gardens empty out for winter, residents across Clifton, Ruddington, Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave and Keyworth are starting to notice more fox activity — dug-up lawns, raided bins, and that unmistakable musky smell by the back fence. Foxes are around all year, but October is when they become impossible to ignore, and it is worth knowing why, and what actually helps.
Why foxes get bolder in October
Two things are happening at once this month. Natural food sources — worms, beetles and the leatherjacket grubs that surface as lawns get wetter — are starting to dwindle, so foxes turn to gardens, compost heaps and bins instead. At the same time, this year’s cubs are now fully grown and dispersing to find their own territory, which means more foxes moving through residential streets than in high summer. It is also the lead-up to the winter mating season: the loud, almost scream-like calls people start reporting on dark evenings from November onwards are vixens advertising for a mate, and the behaviour that leads to it — marking territory, scent-spraying, more night-time wandering — ramps up through October.
Clifton and Ruddington
Clifton’s mix of estate housing, generous back gardens and green corridors down towards the Trent gives foxes an easy, continuous route between gardens with very little open ground to cross. Ruddington’s older village plots, allotments near Manor Park, and the fields around the old RAF Ruddington site do the same thing from the countryside side — foxes den in hedgerows and field margins, then work their way into gardens and sheds as temperatures drop. We see a lot of den sites under raised decking and garden sheds in both areas at this time of year.
Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave and Keyworth
Radcliffe’s riverside gardens along the Trent give foxes cover and a reliable water source right on residents’ doorsteps, while Cotgrave’s former colliery land and surrounding fields, and Keyworth’s village-edge farmland, both sit on exactly the kind of rough, undisturbed ground foxes favour for den sites before they move into gardens for easier pickings. In all three, we are called out most often for foxes digging under sheds and outbuildings, or getting into insecurely stored bins and recycling.
Signs you have foxes visiting or denning nearby
- A strong, musky smell near sheds, decking, or garden boundaries
- Dark, tarry droppings left in prominent spots such as lawns or path edges
- Freshly dug holes or scrapes in lawns and flower beds (often looking for grubs and worms)
- Bin bags or food waste bins knocked over or chewed into overnight
- A larger, excavated hole under a shed, decking, or outbuilding, usually with scuffed, bare earth at the entrance
What you can do now
Most fox problems are solved by removing what is attracting them, rather than trying to remove the fox itself. Keep bins and food waste caddies properly lidded and, if they have been a target before, consider bin straps or a locking clip. Avoid leaving pet food, bird food scraps or bowls out overnight. If you compost, keep cooked food and meat scraps out of an open heap. Check sheds and decking now, before a fox has chosen them as a den for the winter — a small gap under a shed base or decking edge is often all it takes.
When it is worth calling a professional
Foxes are not typically removed in the way rodents or insects are — good fox control is almost always about humane deterrence and proofing rather than extermination. If a fox has already denned under your shed, decking or outbuilding, or you are dealing with repeated digging, bin raiding, or a den close to where children or pets play, we can assess the site, identify exactly where access is happening, and fit proper proofing — galvanised mesh skirting, secured gaps, and deterrent measures — so the problem does not simply return next winter.
If you are seeing fox activity around your home in Clifton, Ruddington, Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave or Keyworth and want it properly assessed, call NestBusters on 0742 984 9483 or visit nottinghampest.co.uk to book an inspection.
