Foxxx!!!!!!!

[midget_farms]

About noon today my wife heard the chickens raising heck. We had been locking them up because we saw a coyote but I've had the live trap baited & set for about a week with nothing even sniffing the bait - so yesterday & today we let them free range.

Anyway - noon - DW sees the fox about 15 feet from the front door of the house with a hen in its mouth! She grabs the broom & goes out chasing the fox screaming at it. The fox dropped the hen but made a bee line for another hiding in the bushes. So DW keeps on chasing with the broom. She manages to wrangle all the hens back into the pen alive! One flew about 100 yards and over the fence into the pen. It was an aracauna & it was motovated! I didn't know they could go that far!

I called the IL DNR & requested a nuisance permit. Of course they are closed today for Presidents day. I'll call back tomorrow.

I guess they stay locked up until I can fix this little problem.


I've seen fox lots of times - but never had one gutsy enough to go for them right in front of us.


I need to teach DW how to shoot!

 

[foxnthehenhouse]

Permits? We dont need no stinking permits.

 

[Pinky]

Good thing your wife had a broom handy. Glad to hear the fox didn't get any.

 

[ColbyNTX]

You have to have a permit to kill a fox in IL? That's crazy! Here in Texas we can kill anything doing harm to your livestock. I hope you get the thing, they are real pests. We have comercial chicken houses all in our area so the foxes usually hang around there. People around here have had success trapping bobcats and foxes by putting the live traps in the coop or pen with an opening from the outside into the pen or coop and when they try to enter, they just go into the trap!

 

[KWAK]

I have a fox a round here eating ducks/chickens any thing he can catch...

he is to smart for us to shoot him and for traps...
HELP!

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
In NY you can't get a permit nor can you kill one outside of hunting/trapping season (Oct 25 to Feb 15)--even then you have to have a small game license. If one is bothering your livestock, you have to hire a licensed trapper.

BTW, I suspect the reason the foxes (and coyotes) are so bold this time of year is they are both hungry and gestating.

 

[country lady]

"One flew about 100 yards and over the fence into the pen. It was an aracauna & it was motovated! I didn't know they could go that far!"

I share your pain about predators after losing all my six ladies, but I had to laugh at your comment. That was funny! I didn't know araucanas could fly 100 yards either, and it definitely had motivation! (I can't get the quote feature to work so it is copy and paste!)

 

[Ranger 45]

If u need a permit take matters into your own hand. Its your property and your live stock so u have a right to protect em. So kill the darn thing and get over with and id advise u to not chase it cause if u conner it, it will turn on you and foxes are very suseptable to rabies, esp one that is out in daylight, that just aint right.

 

[midget_farms]

Quote:
Coyote's & coons get the 3s's. But fox are cute & cuddly & my neighbors may take offense when I make a loin cloth out of it & dance around in the yard.

In IL all I have to do is make 1 phone call & explain we saw it taking livestock & its an automatic permit to catch & "remove" so thats no big deal.

I set the trap last night with chicken gizzards & eggs. Caught a nice young opossum. I had to let him go though - he didn't do anything wrong & my chickens are safe at night.

I've moved the trap to the coop & reset.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Your legal advice isn't much better than your knowledge of wildlife. It is the owner's responsibility to protect his/her stock from predators by fencing or other passive means, the predators, on the other hand, are protected by game laws whose enforcement is done by the state or federal government. Just because a fox comes on to your land and takes your chickens does not automatically allowed you to kill it without following the proper laws. It is your responsibility to know and follow them. Unless your are knowledgeable in the game laws of IL, you really shouldn't be giving the OP advice on what should be done.
On the other hand, seeing wildlife, especially foxes, out hunting in the daytime is not the least bit unusual and doesn't not automatically classify them as rabid or diseased in any way. Especially this time of year when the days are short and game is scarce most predators extend their hunting hours as well.