Sly fox wasn't so sly last night.

[frigginchi]

So this guy was prowling my coop and terrorizing my birds. So I got a $20 trap from Harbor Freight. Stuck one of my coturnix quail in a wooden box with a mesh side at the end of the trap and this was the result in the morning. He got yelled at and squirted with a little water from a squirt bottle (my version of water boarding) and let go in another part of the property. This will be his first and last warning.

 

[possumcottage]

To all advocating releasing animals far from where you catch them- it is a somewhat tricky thing to do right, and is usually a death sentence for the animal. I kill any animal I catch, as my belief is that dispatching them swiftly is the most humane thing to do.

 

[americana-lover]

I'm glad you caught him! I'm also so thankful that you used a humane trap!

 

[Shellz]

He'll be back! It will only delay his plans for a while. Poultry is just so tempting for these varmints. I get them every spring, and getting tired of the losses! They come back later in the season to teach their kits to hunt & that's when I lose even more! They have a knack for killing & leaving behind your favorite bird too, which is weird. I'm now licensed and ready to shoot them on sight! Pretty varmints gets old fast when they're eating your food! Relocating is stressful on wild animals. They have to fight for new territory. A well placed shot is IMO, a humane solution.

 

[redsoxs]

Nice catch. If he does come back you might consider relocating him a little further down the road - like a few miles down the road. Hope he stays away!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

He will be back. I am also convinced it will be his last encounter with box traps. After what in a foxes' mind is being abducted by an alien space craft (the trap) and inseminated with Martian DNA (the water pistol) it'll be a cold day in you know where before your likely to trap that fox again.

Not only is it inhuman and often illegal to relocate wildlife, the practice can also result in the spread of diseases deadly to both foxes and humans. Then there are all the other foxes that are killed or injured by the foxes that relocated foxes displaced. It could run into the hundreds or even thousands of foxes that are adversely affected by us humans' misplace sense of compassion and the relocation of just one territorial animal.

Originally Posted by Shellz

... They have a knack for killing & leaving behind your favorite bird... Relocating is stressful on wild animals. They have to fight for new territory. A well placed shot is IMO, a humane solution.

Foxes and owls only kill a hen or rooster after they read the wing or leg band numbers to see if it's a "good" bird.

 

[XavCas]

I am glad he got caught.! I do not like foxes. I was out of town once, and a fox attacked, killed, and took my Buff Orpington, Pasta, that was sitting on eggs. Luckily, 2 eggs.. out of the 6 that were originally there.. hatched. A boy and a girl. I still have them and they are the only thing I have left of her :/

 

[Shellz]

My birds have no bands, lol! I've read stories how this has happened to others. Just luck of the draw I guess! I enjoy my birds, but non are irreplaceable, anymore! Hope I can keep saying that after my new spring chick order.

 

[Shellz]

I hope this works for you frigginchi! I really do. I meant no offense, just stating what I know of others who have tried to relocate critters. Some taken 20 miles away, & still find their way back. However, the water trick might just work. Never heard of anyone doing it. So best of luck to you!

 

[Pullet Surprise]

It is my understanding that a fox's territorial range is about ten miles....and now he knows not to get near a trap. He will be back. Hope your coop is beefed up and preditor proofed.