Sad Day At The PeaPen...

[AugeredIn]

It's funny, no one has a problem with killing a mouse when they steal food or opposum or raccoon when it threatens an enclosure but when you get to an animal more rarely seen it somehow invokes more empathy. I quite frankly think foxes and bobcats are a couple of the most interesting and beautiful animals in the woods but if they threaten the yard, they gotta go. That fox ain't gonna remember your yard as the place it got its tail kicked and stay away. Keep it as a pet or do your flock and maybe someone else's a favor. Whatever you do don't relocate. Even if you got far enough away from other folks, you don't know what illnesses you might transport into another innocent population of animals.

 

[Yoda]

OK the game guy came back to see what I had done and told me the fox could not stay in the pen so I either had to let it go or kill it. I do not have a gun so I called the neighbor who owns the horse farm next door. I told him what had happened and he said he will take care of it for me. I also asked that he not tell me what choice he decided to take cause I did not want to know anymore. So the fox is gone and my neighbor cleaned everything up so I will never know if he shot it or released it. Lets just say he took out a few coyotes already from his field so I doubt he was returning the fox to the field as well, but I will never know the truth. Was thinking if the one I had was female - where's the male?

 

[zazouse]

I can't believe he just left it with you, seems like if it is a against the law to cage them that the Game warden would be responsable for removing it from your property after you captured it.. Just sayen
Glad everything turned out ok for you

 

[AParmer]

Here in Alabama, at least the part I'm in, the game and wildlife commission will give you a small reward for every coyote carcass you bring in. We have had so many issues in this area that they need help getting rid of some. As for foxes, I have no idea. I've only seen three or four in the 18 years I've been here. One of those was dead. It does seem very odd that he left the fox with you. Most of the time they offer to take and humanely kill predatory animals. You seem like a very caring person, but I would recommend getting yourself a gun to take care of any future problems.

I'm so, so sorry to hear of your losses. We lost three adult chickens a couple of months back. Borrowed some live traps and caught an opossum and an armadillo. We promptly killed both.

 

[zazouse]

Just curious why kill the Armadillo?

 

[chooks4life]

Regarding the skinny tail, some foxes get that in their summer coat, and some strains of fox just look plain mangy, not like the bushy tailed stereotype. It ould be a hybrid but it's probably just a bad specimen.

EDIT: many replies appeared, seems my reply is invalidated. Best wishes.

 

[AParmer]

They carry nasty diseases like leprosy, tapeworms, salmonella, and sometimes even rabies. I think they're adorable little critters; but my flock, dogs, and family could be at risk when they come into the yard. It had to fight hard to get himself through our fence, so he was after something. Trash maybe, but all the same, why endanger everything.

 

[Joe.G]

I lost my Roo and Turkey tom last week, Two nights ago I lost 14 Pheasants, I set up trap's, first night I caught a Cat, and last night a Racoon, The Cat I gave another chance too but Mr Coon well he will not be causing anymore damage here, I'll be trapping for a couple weeks now to try and lessen the load.

You should get a Gun, I Keep them in all of my outbuildings so they are close by and ready to go, I have caught all types of preds on the hunt here.

 

[Yoda]

Today (about noon) I talked to my neighbor and thanked him for getting rid of the fox for me. Well, he told me the fox was gone when he got home from work. He thoght I let it go. The door was open and everything was cleaned up. So he went home. I called the game warden and he told me he let the fox go. He came over and saw it in the pen and he had to release it. I told him the neighbor was going to take care of it for me because I did not want it coming back. He told me that fox was never coming back there cause he got beat up and caged.
Well then night falls and I forgot to turn on the backyard lights and guess what was in my pen? It cost me a rooster, chicken and a charcoal peahen. The fox was just sitting there. It had mange very very badly and stunk like a skunk. It was very very thin, ribcage was showing very badly. I think it was dying and it came back for me to end it's suffering. I took my stick and it just closed it's eyes and I knocked it out and then I ended it's life. The fox did not even try to run away from me, like it wanted and knew it was going to happen. Had the game warden left it alone, it would not have had to suffer almost 3 more weeks without food. While it was in th"jail" I had it in, it was being fed and it ate quite well. Had the guy left me alone the fox most likely would've been fine in the jail cell. Well now it is gone and I killed it. I know everyone says I had to but I never killed anything before and for that reason it is starting to bother me.

 

[zazouse]

WOW I thought that fox was gone a couple weeks ago, when did it get released?
I am sorry you had to deal with it,

but it was best for Mr Fox , so he did not suffer a slow death in the end .\

I learned along time ago when you need something done do it yourself if at all possible so you know it is done , I depend on no one to take care of things like this but I was raised that way, my own dad couldn't do what you did but I would have no problem putting my dogs on it if I couldn't get a clean shot, it is what it is, thank god they do keep critters at bay unless they stray into the safe area.