It's breeding season for Maine's red foxes, and the most likely time of year to hear their vocalizations as they establish territories and communicate with potential mates. Red foxes emit a wide variety of sounds including barks, yips, howls, and most famously, the "vixen scream". The vixen scream is an unusual and notoriously unsettling sound after dark, frequently mistaken for the call of a fisher, or even a woman crying out in distress. But recognizing this call as the beginning of a pair bon