How to trap a fox?

[TexasJ]

Might not want a snare trap then

 

[Howard E]

I don't trap......I keep them at bay with an electric fence.

But if you DID want to trap a fox, this is the best method I've seen to date......with video right here on BYC>

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-caught-my-fox-updated-now-with-the-video.677983/

Study the technique and what you will see is a tunnel being created........trap is covered so there is only one way in. Live bait used here, but it is said that KFC....original or Extra Crispy will work as well.

 

[Birdsonghill]

I would suggest a fishy smelling cat food or other meat like canned tuna or anchovies.

I have used canned jack mackerel as cheap stinky and effective bait, for most meat eating predators/pest for over 45 years! I was given that as a tip by an old trapper in the 1960's.

 

[Birdsonghill]

I don't trap......I keep them at bay with an electric fence.

But if you DID want to trap a fox, this is the best method I've seen to date......with video right here on BYC>

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-caught-my-fox-updated-now-with-the-video.677983/

Study the technique and what you will see is a tunnel being created........trap is covered so there is only one way in. Live bait used here, but it is said that KFC....original or Extra Crispy will work as well.

That "tunnel" method is the best method for sure for leg hold or snare traps! However with live trapping of large predators , I have had faster results with a modified tunnel that allows the animal to see all the way through it. I think maybe, because they need to enter the trap deeper for the live trap door to shut behind their butt! I got fewer misses, when the live trap was triggered but contained no animal.

 

[Birdsonghill]

I have caught a live fox using a live chicken for bait two days in a closed trap/cage, then removing the chicken and using no bait, caught the fox that first night with the trap set empty of bait,except for chicken droppings! Curiosity caught the fox, not fresh bait!

 

[GiddyUpGo]

A few days ago, my neighbor lost a few of his chickens to a fox. He said he caught fox in act, but could not catch it. I told him I would set our trap out by his coop (which backs up onto our side pasture), but do not know the best way to bait it. We have had great success using canned cat food to trap raccoons. Would this work for foxes?

I’m no expert but we just caught a fox last night with a cage trap baited with a can of tuna and our dead chicken’s feathers. When I put catfood in it the day before the fox didn’t take the bait, but the tuna worked. My neighbor who helped me with this also said raw chicken is a good bait.

 

[Iain Utah]

This thread is from years ago. The fox I referred to was dealt with by a neighbor catching it in the act and shooting it. A few years later, we had our own fox problem, and had no luck with traps. My husband was finally able to dispatch that fox with his gun, while catching it in the act.

I've seen some nifty videos of wily predators getting trapped if you have a coop with a small door opening, and can set up trap at the opening. But ultimately, when it comes to foxes, my conclusion about using live traps is that they are a decent way to lure the fox to a good spot for taking it out with a gun. Our preferred bait is fish-flavored cheap can cat food, but have used chicken carcasses as well when cat food doesn't work (or when we sadly lose one of our birds). Lots of restaurants will give you their rotisserie chicken carcasses, and they seem especially smelly.

 

[Birdsonghill]

They will usually respond to cheap canned Jack Mackerel as do almost all predators. But you may catch more coons, opossums,cats and dogs in the process. If they are stealing bait, just switch to a small can of sardines and punch holes in it and wire it to the trap or use peanut butter slathered on the trigger(one of the best rodent baits). Also you can put a chunk of mackerel in a piece of old hosiery( or peanut butter, fat, fish,whatever) , knot it up into a" bait ball" and make up several and freeze for use tied to your traps. I have pre baited with a live chicken for a night or two in a closed trap then removed the chicken and caught one in the empty trap, just being curious. I also have used part of a fresh dead chicken in a pre-baited (live chicken the first night) trap, successfully . The fastest way sometimes is a leg hold trap, properly set up. But I hate those now days and they are last resort for me. Too many pets get caught and everything that gets caught suffers terribly, until they chew a leg off or you kill them. Bunch of ways to catch a fox or you can set up a night watch with a gun. I have done both fairly well, for predators and when I was younger I might of actually enjoyed it or at least got job satisfaction... I tend to avoid killing these days, except to eat. I use boiled traps that are then thrown in a dirty corner of the shed or barn until they are "seasoned" dirty and never touch them with my bare hands. Using chicken blood, poop or dirty litter on and in the trap is good, no other bait needed sometimes! Whatever works for your situation is the best way that day.