Foxes!!!

[dancingbear]

Quote:
I just call my best friend Mr. Remington to come over and he always brings his two girlfriends , Hollow Point and High Velocity

Yeah, just do that. Not as simple or easy as it sounds. First, you have to actually get a chance to shoot at the darn thing!

My DH, an excellent shot, spent the better part of one summer trying to get a shot at a fox that was raiding us. They're fast, they're wary, and they are smart enough to wait until you turn your back to dash through and snatch a bird. Then, if you're good enough to hit a very fast moving target, you can shoot it.

He finally got it, but we lost 17 birds before he did. That was with only letting them out when we were going to be working outside, and could keep an eye on the birds, and with 3 dogs out there with us.

Setting traps would be better. The problem is trapping the fox, and not your kitty cat, or some other non-target critter.

Or a guardian dog of some sort. Or a donkey or a mule. I hear emus are good, but I also hear they'll attack the other birds themselves.

You might talk to the folks at the county extension office, and see if they have any suggestions. Maybe they'll come up with something none of us have thought of.

I know there's a way to make a fox trap with a piece of stovepipe, where it tips, and the fox will be stuck head-in, and won't be able to turn around to get out. But I don't remember the details. An Amish friend told me about it years ago. I'm nowhere near where he lives, anymore, or I'd go ask him how to make one.

 

[mmwb]

The stove pipe trap may work, but I'm dubious as to how often.

Young red fox will go into a cage trap, adults will be more hesitant. Gray fox adults seem more willing to go into a cage trap. Footholds would probably be the most efficient. Unlike coyotes, fox are not particularly strong and you can use a trap of the size that it wouldn't do damage to the feet of a domestic cat. The cat, however will be in an ornery mood when you go to release it and will tear you to shreds if you don't do it right.

Snares could be effective as well if you know travel routes, but needs to be the right size and set the right height off the trail. I strongly recommend you find a trapper in your area to either trap the animals or give you some instructions how. Trapping is not difficult, but you need to know what you are doing if you want positive results.

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

Quote:
I just call my best friend Mr. Remington to come over and he always brings his two girlfriends , Hollow Point and High Velocity

LOL love that!
I like shooting with a camera, but that was great!


I guess I would talk to the county or Fish and Wildlife and see if they wanted to trap them........

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
I can see your points. I haven't trapped foxes, I just know that first, not all of us are crack shots, nor can all of us aim and fire quickly enough to actually kill a fox, and second, you can lose a lot of birds waiting for a chance to shoot one.
They don't just stand still and wait for you to get off a round or two.

I was drawing on my experience with raccoons, who are surprisingly easy to trap.

You said, "The stove pipe trap may work, but I'm dubious as to how often." The stove pipe trap only has to work once per fox, because once you catch it, you kill it. At least I would, I wouldn't turn him loose, to need to trap him again!

We have a good dog now, that will run a fox down in the woods, and chew him up some. She's not big enough to kill them, though. But she's still a great asset, around here.

 

[cmom]

I live in the country and have several acres. I still have my birds fenced in. A neighborhood mutt killed one of my birds and others around that have had chickens, have lost their entire flocks to predators. I'd rather have them fenced in. I even put up an electric fence. Since I put up my electric fence, I have had no problems. I know some critters have been zapped because I heard them scream out. 6000-8000 volts. They won't be back.