OMG I'm shaking!! Fox was just chasing my ducks!!

[Dances with Ducks]

Quote:
Now we do have the chain link, but I'm gonna put hardware cloth around the bottom two feet.
How do you deal with gaps around the gate?

 

[dmiravalle]

We use t-posts and place hardware cloth between the post and the gate. So when it closes, it is a flushed area. We have also used 2 x 6's to fill the gap.

 

[chickortreat]

Quote:
It was red, never heard of calling them before. Do you have a device that makes the rabbit sound or do you mimic it yourself?
My husband wants to trap it and take it somewhere.

I have several assorted rabbit distress calls as well as some predator call tapes such as woodpedker distress and fox pup distress. Reds are said to be much smarter than greys. As to trapping, it can be difficult to say the least, especially if you are inexperienced at it. There are many variables to take into consideration in trapping.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

What suggestions do you have for trapping the red fox Chickortreat? I don't know if we will try that but we have talked about it. Good to have the advice of someone who knows something about it.

 

[chickortreat]

You could try live traps, but I'm not sure how they would work for fox. I have only helped with coyote trapping (years ago), though the approach would be similar. You have to decide which type trap you wanted to use, as there are several variations on the market. Then you would have to settle on a bait/lure. The guy I trapped with used a paste he made in a blender of raw turkey scraps, then aged so it STANK. He was targeting coyotes, but occaionally caught fox or bobcat. There are a number of books available on the subject as well as a few videos. I have always enjoyed calling them in and so don't try trap them. Not only that, we have anywhere from three to eight cats at a time, and they'd stay in the traps. If you know of a spot he's traveling, such as a hole in a fence, etc, you could set a trap there and try to catch him in passing. Just dig out a hole large enough to contain the trap, set your trap down in it so the trigger pan is about level with the ground, and sift the soil back over it to conceal it. It's not really that complicated, but it's not overly simple either. Surely there are some trappers on here. Maybe they'll chime in.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Oh I see, the calling is for when you are going to shoot them, not trap. Hubby would only use a live trap. As BlackSheepCardigans pointed out this one was probably a youngster. Not very focused, he had time to get a duck if he had tried. Hopefully we might have luck luring a naive youngster into a trap. This might be worth further research.

I got the dog panels up, covered it with discarded chain link fencing a neighbor tossed into the vacant lot adjacent to ours. I still need to fasten up all the sections on top with wiring. I also raised the hotwires up to between five and seven feet so the ducks should be a lot safer now.