found the fox's den...now what?! Hunters, help!

[magicpigeon]

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x2

You might have to wait a while before it decides to enter the trap though. I once read about lacing the food with tranquillisers or alcohol. It worked with a crow I was trapping and "re-homing". Just food for thought

 

[mxpres]

Get someone that is experienced with guns and traps to do the job for you,you may catch a young fox in a trap but the older ones are much too smart to enter a trap,A 22 or 17 is plenty enough firepower in the hands of an experienced hunter,I agree on not using the airgun,they can do a job on smaller rodents and small animals such as rabbits and squirrels and large game with the more highpowered airguns but it takes an experienced hunter and shooter to be able to do this,I have taken many foxes,raccoons and other predators with the 22,22 mag and the 17 caliber..shot placement is very critical..the idea of removing the den is another good point,as long as you have chickens the predators will be around looking for an easy meal

 

[Diamond Wire Farms]

You can also try a bobcat sized live trap. Sometimes trap-shy animals will enter a larger trap. But you need to double check the trip-pan to make sure a lighter animal can still trigger the door.

You can try calling your county Ag office to get the local federal trappers number. They are a great resource, but seem to be dwindling in these times. They are not available in every county anymore.

 

[aprophet]

depends on what type of fox it is with a trap that is large enough bobcats and grey fox go in to a cage trap pretty easy red fox and coyotes are much harder to get in to cage traps steel traps work much better for them a lot quicker catching them In a coil spring or double long spring I use steel traps constantly and never have broken bones that is a common misconception about traps a lot of ill informed folks have fostered about them they are not bad they are just WRONG !!! google dirt hole set or flat set and catch the fox.

 

[darkmatter]

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I used bad eggs:

 

[Stevo]

I have a fox den in the woods 50yds from my coop. I actually saw his (or her's) tracks around the coop this morning in the snow. My fox has never bothered my chickens. I have seen it walk right past them while they were out ranging in the yard. I am not saying a fox wont take a chicken just saying be sure it is him before you try to get rid of him. Mine takes care of all the rodents around the farm. And I like watching him try to catch field mice in the front field threw the snow.

 

[mkearsley]

Before you strike out to rid the world of foxes, make sure with your local fish & game that you can legally kill the critter. I know you're allowed to kill animals that are attacking your animals, but if you don't catch it in the act and a neighbor reports that you have killed a fox, you could be in major trouble. Most fish & game offices have a trapper who is hired to manage pesky fur-bearing critter like foxes & coyotes. I think that if you clean out the shed, and make it as "human" as possible, the problem will disappear (or at least become less of a problem). Most animals prefer to eat close to home & whatever is the easiest. So, clean up the shed and secure the coop & see what happens. (Although this is coming from someone who has never seen a fox and thinks that they get a bad rap.... so take it with a grain of salt

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

If you are after the bigger grey foxes, get a LARGE raccoon trap, or a coyote trap

A Grey Fox is much smaller than an adult Red Fox.

The one in your trap is a juvenile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fox

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australasia, where it is considered harmful to native mammal and bird populations.​

 

[Tala]

Quote:
A Grey Fox is much smaller than an adult Red Fox.

The one in your trap is a juvenile

Not in our neck of the woods. Foxes about that size raise pups (if that's what you call them). My grandpa had some in his barn once, watched the mama all the time.

They greyer looking ones look more like small coyotes to me. Lots of animals are smaller in the south (like deer) so it wouldn't surprise me none if yours are bigger.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
A Grey Fox is much smaller than an adult Red Fox.

The one in your trap is a juvenile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fox

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australasia, where it is considered harmful to native mammal and bird populations.
​

Same way here the greys run 7-12 pounds the reds here are 14-20 pounds grown yotes are a bit bigger then the reds yotes start at about 16/18 go up to 25/30 on average here