My Journey Dealing with the Non-Native Red Foxes in California

[R2elk]

Snares are also very effective.

The problem with snares is that they are indiscriminant. They will catch and kill whatever comes through whether it is the fox or your cat.

 

[sourland]

The problem with snares is that they are indiscriminant. They will catch and kill whatever comes through whether it is the fox or your cat.

I don't consider myself to be a trapper, but have worked with two different trappers who have trapped the exterior of the beagle club grounds. One year we snared 28 fox - generally got in the high teens each year. We also snared two dogs and one cat. Nothing killed itself; however, two deer did. Go figure.

 

[sourland]

Side story: I always joked with the trapper, "What do I do if we get a bear?" One day while checking snares I noted a large black animal in one of the snares. My mind went, "Oh, Crap." Turned out to be a large old black collie type dog - snare was around his muzzle. I talked to him, and he seemed to be quite mellow. Slowly remove the snare. He slowly walked about 50', stopped to urinate and then looked back at me. He turned around, walked back to me, sat down and offered me his paw. Thanked by a dog. I had never seen him prior to that, and have not seen him since. The other dog was not quite so pleasant nor was the cat.

 

[Kkoleckar]

For the last several years, we've lost one or two here and there, but in the last few weeks, we started losing at least one a day, and the day before yesterday, at least four were killed and at least two were injured. I say "at least" because those were the ones I found and it's possible some were carried off.

I've tried trapping, but no luck, so now I am gonna shoot it.

A few problems:

• I have no experience shooting a gun or rifle
• I don't own a gun or rifle
• I don't have a hunting license
• I don't have a depredation permit
• I don't know what sort of weapon I need to buy

Plan of attack:

• Get a CDFW GO ID card
• Take a hunter safety course
  • Registered for in-person
  • Online
• Get a hunting license
• Get a depredation permit
• Take a private firearms lesson
• Buy a rifle and accessories

Links I've found:

• 6 ‘Non-Native’ Species We Love to Hunt
• What is the best rifle for shooting foxes?
• Hunting blind
• Videos (warning, contains footage of foxes being shot)
  • Foxing With HIKMICRO Thermal
  • PHEASANT CHICKS AND EGG THIEF.
• West's Annotated California Codes. Fish and Game Code. Division 4. Birds and Mammals. Part 3. Mammals. Chapter 3. Nongame Mammals and Depredators
• Long Range Hunting Forum
• Local gun ranges
• California Hunter Education
• Today's Hunter
• Sierra Nevada Red Fox Identification
• The red fox - managing non-native species in California
• Gilroy Wildlife Removal
• Fox Removal and Control
• How to Get Rid of a Fox
• GILROY WILDLIFE CONTROL, ANIMAL TRAPPING & REMOVAL
• https://www.creaturecatchers.net/
• GILROY PEST ANIMAL REMOVAL: 408-550-6660
• Gilroy Wildlife Removal | Gilroy All Stars

Rifles:

• Hunting Rifles For Sale | Price Match Guaranteed​

• Rifles for Sale - Bolt Action, Lever/Pump, Single Shot​

• What's the best foxing calibre?​

Forums​

https://www.huntingpa.com/​

Videos

Long Range Foxing & Varminting in the UK | Element Optics Global Hunting, S1E3​

Thoughts? Advice?

I live in Bonny Doon and the foxes have been a terrible nuisance this year. They have significantly increased in numbers since last year. We have been live trapping and have gotten 2 so far. We lost a couple hens and one lost her eye because of an attack. It seems like something is always there . Our pyr is barking all night long. Shooting them is going to be incredibly difficult because they are so good at hiding. We’ll be outside and have had them try and take our bird right out from under us, we’ll turn our backs one way and they will hide the other way. If you end up finding something that works do share!

 

[Sally PB]

One good thing about hunting a fox... the animal is low to the ground. If you miss (and you will, at times), your bullet will (usually!) go into the ground.

This in no way means that you don't have to worry about where your bullet goes. It can also hit a rock and skip or ricochet.

I'm glad you're taking the responsibility seriously. Thank you. And good luck.

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

Get a pellet gun. You can kill the fox in season. Foxes are small. Trust me on this. My dad hunts, I know stuff about killing animals.
Can’t you call in a game warden? Or are they as useful as they are up here?

 

[casportpony]

Get a pellet gun. You can kill the fox in season. Foxes are small. Trust me on this. My dad hunts, I know stuff about killing animals.
Can’t you call in a game warden? Or are they as useful as they are up here?

Here in California, we can kill the fox without a permit if it causing "measurable losses"

https://outdoorcrazee.com/can-an-air-rifle-shoot-a-fox/

A friend of mine suggested a Ruger 10/22, so that's what I'm looking at getting.

 

[casportpony]

I live in Bonny Doon and the foxes have been a terrible nuisance this year. They have significantly increased in numbers since last year. We have been live trapping and have gotten 2 so far. We lost a couple hens and one lost her eye because of an attack. It seems like something is always there . Our pyr is barking all night long. Shooting them is going to be incredibly difficult because they are so good at hiding. We’ll be outside and have had them try and take our bird right out from under us, we’ll turn our backs one way and they will hide the other way. If you end up finding something that works do share!

What size trap are you using? And what are you baiting it with?

 

[R2elk]

Here in California, we can kill the fox without a permit if it causing "measurable losses"

View attachment 3866081
https://outdoorcrazee.com/can-an-air-rifle-shoot-a-fox/

A friend of mine suggested a Ruger 10/22, so that's what I'm looking at getting.

If you don't hit it perfectly, a .22 (or a pellet rifle) will not make a quick clean kill on a fox.

 

[Kkoleckar]

What size trap are you using? And what are you baiting it with?

I am using the largest one available. The one rated for raccoon. We just threw in dry dog food. A small amount outside the trap leading up to it and then a big pile behind the trip plate. And we Left one of the doors closed. We had footage of it on our camera so we set it on top of our kennel we use to put our babies in because it was hopping on top of it trying to find a way in and that’s how we caught the last one.