Has anyone ever trapped a fox?

[Lelilamom]

We have a small gray fox stalking our chickens. I have a few traps baited, but I'm wondering if it's too smart for a trap and I need to sit in my tree stand with a rifle to take care of it.

Has anyone successfully gotten rid of a fox using a trap?

 

[Chipper Chicken]

Check @RonP member page, his avatar is a fox he trapped that was after his chickens. Other than reading his account, try an advanced search maybe? Sorry for your loss.

 

[varidgerunner]

There are lots of forums on trapping with a lot of available knowledge. More than you might find here. Grey fox are fairly easily trapped using basic methods, a 1 1/2 coilspring, boiled in walnut hulls solidly bedded and covered with sifted peat moss staked wit double 1/2 inch rebar 18 inches long in front of a tiny hole with a pea sized gob of bacon grease will work wonders. A red lensed light, a shotgun and a grey fox pup distress tape played at night will take them out,too.

 

[varidgerunner]

Not 1 in 100 grey fox are born stupid enough to enter a bare cage trap as an adult. Dumpster fox in the city will enter a little better. It can be done with the proper cage, camouflaged with sticks and grass, and much attention to odor control. The proper cage is not the green one from TSC.

 

[Lelilamom]

I wasn't relying on a have a heart trap, though I do have one out there. I have a kill trap baited and with raw turkey liver and camo'd.

 

[varidgerunner]

Those can get ugly in the wrong situation. Not every fox will commit to that type of set-up, either. They would usually prefer not to feel hemmed in or forced to do something.

 

[Lelilamom]

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. I'm thinking I need to sit out at dusk. That's when I see it the most. Time to get my camo out.

 

[RonP]

Trapping or killing a predator is only a short term solution at best.

Another will soon replace the one disposed...there will be many loses on both sides.

Are you prepared to sustain losses?

Best to evaluate your situation and beef up your defenses.

Then sleep like a baby with both eyes closed knowing all is well

 

[varidgerunner]

I prefer to wait until the weather gets a little cooler, and sustainably harvest renewable resources for the green clothing industry for monetary considerations, and feed the leftovers to my chickens, most of which sleep in a secure area. Happy hens prefer eating predators to the other way around.

 

[Lelilamom]

Trapping or killing a predator is only a short term solution at best.

Another will soon replace the one disposed...there will be many loses on both sides.

Are you prepared to sustain losses?

Best to evaluate your situation and beef up your defenses.

Then sleep like a baby with both eyes closed knowing all is well

We have a pretty secure coop - it's built like a house. 2x4 studding, 16"/c. Insulated, 8" off the ground 1.25" flooring, shingled roofing. Solid oak door with a lock. The backside is a heavy pop door on a rope which opens into an enclosed run. 1" chicken wire 18" buried into the ground. Our land is an old gravel bed so it's a bit hard to dig through. Roofing is 5/12 pitched steel sheeting over chicken wire so it's a bit hard to walk up. The whole set up is fenced in by 100 x 150 ft of 5ft chicken wire buried into the ground a few inches.

The issue is not so much the predators getting in - it's an occasional chicken flying out and wandering around the setup at dusk. Although nothing is foolproof. We're looking at electrifying.

I have a few traps out there and the past few nights I can hear our sly gray fox out there yipping. In the morning, the traps are not sprung and the bait is gone. Time to sit watch. I realize that once we rid ourselves of one, another may move in. That's ok by me. I have a box of shells and I could use the target practice.