I Have a Fox Problem

[bruceha2000]

Maybe trapping a specific known predator under the guidance of the F&W is legit there? I'm guessing the no trapping law is meant more for people who might be trapping for the fur rather than to protect their animals.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Read the links. She already stated she only checked her local county website. It’s legal.

 

[JDN]

You cannot trap a fox. Illegal. Store bought coop Mistake #1 ( made this mistake also). How did it get in?? Did you bury the wire 18 inches out from your enclosure? Did it get under the fence? I have fox and it just watched my girls, it found out it was WAY too much trouble to try to get in. I have an enclosed 12x 24ft garden, their coop is inside, the fence is 6ft high, I have hardware cloth around the perimeter and buried 18 inches out. I've had Chickens going on 3 yrs, not ONE predator death. After my first year I realized I was in OVER my head, I studied and built my own coop.

Kindly refrain from spreading patently false information.

In Wisconsin the recreational trapping season for Foxes is four months long.

If your livestock is being harassed by them you can often get a permit to get rid of them outside the trapping season.

In practical terms I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble for killing predators that are harassing their livestock unless its something like the grey wolf.

 

[Sea Wolf]

That is easier when your run is something like 10'x20', not so easy if it is a fenced acre. No one is going to come up with that much 1/2" hardware cloth

Yep. A fenced acre is not a run. No one would use hardware cloth for that. Electric fence, a sharp eye, cover for the birds to hide in for safety and expect some losses anyway because they are still exposed.

 

[bruceha2000]

I don't think there is any cover to hide from foxes, though it is good for aerial predators.

 

[Cindy in PA]

It is NOT illegal to trap/kill a fox IF they are a threat to your livestock!

That entirely depends on your location. Some places protecting livestock only applies if you make your livelihood off said livestock. 10 backyard pet chickens might or might not count. YMMV

 

[JennyFromTheBawk]

This is a real surprise to me, trapping illegal in Alberta. We had a fox attach last year (and again this year yesterday) and we called fish and wildlife to verify what predator was involved. Fish and wildlife told us it was a fox and said out racoon trap would be fine, but also loaned us a 2nd larger trap. Would they recommend a trap if it were illegal? P.S. they also said to call them again if we caught anything- we didn't catch it.

We don’t have a license to trap so apparently without a license it is illegal to trap. At least that is what I understand from what I’ve read. Perhaps trapping to relocate and not kill is okay and that’s why Fish and Wildlife suggested it?

 

[bruceha2000]

That is bizarre, kill them anytime you like but need a license to trap and only during trapping season? So if you want fox pelts, shoot as many as you like that way you don't need to pay for a license or wait for the proper time of year.

 

[Biddybot]

I would like to think that nobody, but nobody would be stupid enough to shoot a bunch of foxes for their pelts when it's the 'wrong time' of the year and the folks who wrote those regulations in the excerpt just above likely assume the same thing, so... The whole point of trapping at the 'proper time of year' and trapping at all versus shooting is that you get to harvest a beautiful, prime, dense WINTER pelt that doesn't have bullet holes or other mars in it! Plus which, licensed trappers get to sell their pelts and make money off them...not very much money anymore nowadays, alas, but it's still a viable source of income for some.

 

[JDN]

We don’t have a license to trap so apparently without a license it is illegal to trap. At least that is what I understand from what I’ve read. Perhaps trapping to relocate and not kill is okay and that’s why Fish and Wildlife suggested it?

Two thoughts...from a practical standpoint, for a species that is of no concern regarding its populations (and Foxes are plenty healthy from a population standpoint and do just fine in suburbia, deep woods, the prairies, etc,) I can't imagine any flack for eliminating a fox getting after your chickens.

Second thought, call the local Game Wardens. Your states Fish and Wildlife will have their information to do that. Talk to them and see what they say.