Are YOU "ALLOWED" to shoot fox that is after your chickens??

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
The USPS tip the fox off , you got the permit !!!!!

Seriously! We had that fox on the game-cam EVERY NIGHT until the night of the day the permit came. I think they have a source at the Game & Fish!

Additionally, we have not had a single predator loss since we put the electric fence around all the yards. It works great. Not just as a protectant, but as a deterrent. We don't get any activity on the game-cams now. Seems it doesn't take too many shocks to get the message out.

 

[Smmcdn]

Get a dog . I have 5 black labs and nothing gets around my chicken
house..

 

[redhen]

Quote:
not working for me...all the predators MUST know my dogs are sissys or something...

 

[SandraChick]

I didn't read all 9pages of posts...so excuse me if someone already mentioned it.

In California- you cannot move a fox if you trap it (or a skunk, or a coon)- it's against the law. So.....no trapping and letting it go in the woods somewhere (which is cruel anyway--don't get me started).

It really is best to talk to your local DNR or fish and game. Log the conversation, date, time, and who you spoke to incase the sherriff comes by wondering what the shot was from!

Sandra

 

[chilling in muscadine]

We recently had to shoot two foxes about a month apart. I have some of my birds that free range full time and my hens were disapearing during the night sitting on biddies. I lost quite a lot of birds. We were not sure what was getting the birds but knew it had to be big because all that would be found were a few feathers. Well finally one early morning the chickens were raising all kinds of racket. Snakeman eased the backdoor open and sure enough there was a fox trying to sneak up on my chickens but the fox had five game roos trying to block her path. Brave birds, my games. Anyway Snakeman took the shot from inside my house, at the backdoor with a 12 guage shoutgun with turkey chock and killed the fox.

I myself would have rather trapped the fox but there was no time. Snakeman also told me that since she was a female there would be another one and he was right. About a month or so later the chickens are raising cain again around daybreak so he eases the back door open again and almost in the same exact spot was another fox with the same five game roos trying to block the path. He took the shot from inside the house again. Talk about Alabama redneck hunting. Hopefully they didn't have any offspring we will have to worry about. I don't know if he broke any laws but most likely the game warden would side with us on this matter since they were feasting on my birds.

Good luck solving your problem. I just wish we had figured it out before I lost so many chickens. I can't kill anything myself but Snakeman doesn't have any problem at all doing it.

 

[Swamp Roo]

Here in FL the laws are pretty cut and dry. If it is harassing livestock, it's toast and the definition of harass is pretty broad here. If the neighbor's dog looks at your animals funny you have the legal right to shoot it (not saying I would...). Raptors, comorants etc. you need a permit, but I hear it is pretty straight forward. Not sure about panther, that is a touchy subject in FL.

Me, considering where I live (not illegal to shoot guns), I'd shoot the sucker and skin it out (I hate waste). The rest gets fried or fed to the gators (no, I'm not kidding, I have everything from 1' to 14'-16'ers). Then I'd shut my mouth. If I were in an area where discharge of a firearm is not legal, I'd call up animal control (not game and fish) and tell them you have a fox, and it is acting really funny. Tell them it is coming out during the day, and is not afraid of people at all. Animal Control will probably show up at your door in in about 30 seconds flat, they don't like rabid foxes for some reason. Play dumb, don't tell them you think it is rabid, just tell them you are afraid you (kids) might get bitten, you've had to whack it with a broom already. If you just tell them you have a fox that is eating chickens, they will want you to hire a trapper. I caught a coral snake a few years ago before I moved out here, and called up Animal Control. I had a truck in the drive 10 minutes later. The Control officer told me dispatch told him to get his butt to me quick, the city was afraid of the liability issue. On the discharging a firearm thing, if you use a gun to commit a crime here in FL, a warning shot for example is against the law, there is a 15yr MANDATORY (as in no parole) jail sentence to go with it. Check your local and state laws, a fox is not worth 15yrs of my time. BTW if you take game illegally with a firearm, that won't get you the 15 yrs, it's where you shoot the gun that will.

Swamp

 

[warmfuzzies]

eeeeewwww swampoo you would eat a fox????

That would have to go on the thread about 'strangest things I'v ever eaten'!!

 

[Swamp Roo]

Quote:
Never had the opportunity. Not sure I will/would eat fox per say, but I would in principle, I guess it would depend on the mood I'm in. Armadillo tastes just fine... I'll kill to eat or protect, preferable to protect and eat/harvest hide/provide food for other animals etc.. I always hate shooting a critter just for causing damage (or about to), but the cold hard reality is that is part of the equation out in the woods/swamp. Needless to say I don't free range my birds much. While I very much enjoy the process of hunting, I don't kill for the "fun of it". If I want to shoot something for fun, I'll kill paper, cans, or clay birds.

Swamp

 

[warmfuzzies]

I know what your sayin' I jut thought it was funny. I agree with you but I dont know it id have the guts to eat fox.....

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
Never had the opportunity. Not sure I will/would eat fox per say, but I would in principle, I guess it would depend on the mood I'm in. Armadillo tastes just fine... I'll kill to eat or protect, preferable to protect and eat/harvest hide/provide food for other animals etc.. I always hate shooting a critter just for causing damage (or about to), but the cold hard reality is that is part of the equation out in the woods/swamp. Needless to say I don't free range my birds much. While I very much enjoy the process of hunting, I don't kill for the "fun of it". If I want to shoot something for fun, I'll kill paper, cans, or clay birds.

Swamp

Ohhhh the horror, those poor paper plates, tin cans, and clay birds...

I am all for not letting food go to waste but a fox is to many times a carrier of disease like rabies or distemper. I would not even pick one up unless using a shovel...