Local photographer wins prize for fox picture

A photograph by Aaron Horrell, owner of The Painted Wren art gallery in Cape Girardeau, recently was awarded the best-in-show ribbon at the 10th annual Pictures by the People competition hosted by the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

The image also won the purchase award from the Friends of Margaret Harwell Art Museum,

Horrell, who writes the "Through the Woods" column that appears each Sunday in the Southeast Missourian, explained the story behind the photograph, titled "Fox and Vine."

"Red foxes have raised young in a den near my home for many years," he said. "Raccoons also frequent the property. I was hoping to get a good photo of a raccoon on a grapevine and devised a plan. Each time we had chicken for dinner, I would go to the grapevine and put a chicken bone or two on the vine.

"I had a nice vantage point to watch the vine from about 40 feet away," Horrell said. "The chicken bones would disappear, but I could not tell what was taking them.

"Imagine my surprise when one day, as I was headed to the vine with fresh bones, a red fox was standing on the vine. It spooked," he said. "I placed the bones on the vine and left. The next day, I stayed at the vantage point, watching and waiting with my camera.

"Two hours passed, producing nothing. Then, at about the 2 1/2 hour mark, the fox appeared. He jumped up onto the grapevine and surveyed the area. I was rewarded with the photo ...," Horrell said, adding, "I feel blessed that God sent a red fox and not a fat raccoon."