The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

How can i trap or better, kill a fox?
Had a really bad night here: I woke up at around 2am this morning because the ducks were screaming out of the top of their lungs. Fell out of my bed, sleepwalked to the window and saw a fox sniffing around the duck house, testing the wire-mesh of the duck-run and the door for weak spots. I quickly grabbed my air-rifle and shot a pellet in its butt. It looked baffled, licked over its butt and continued to pull on the duck-run door, so i reloaded the air-rifle (break-barrel) and placed a second pellet into its shoulder. It looked around, saw me in the window and finally took off.
Now before you scold me for injuring a wild animal, i don't have any firearm nor do i know how to operate one, otherwise in would have had fox for breakfast, but i don't want my ducks to be eaten. If i can somehow trap the fox, the neighbors would gladly help to dispose it once and for all. (They all have poultry themselves here!)

 

[Canadian Wind]

I would suggest a live trap, the type that's a cage that closes when the animal goes in and steps on the pressure plate. Only problem with these is they sometimes catch something else! Like a greedy duck when I was trying to catch an escaped rabbit!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I would suggest a live trap, the type that's a cage that closes when the animal goes in and steps on the pressure plate. Only problem with these is they sometimes catch something else! Like a greedy duck when I was trying to catch an escaped rabbit!

I have a life trap for raccoons, but that's not large enough for a fox. Called all stores around here in a 50 mile radius and they all only have coon-traps…
One of the neighbors is willing to borrow me a rifle, but i am hesitant to discharge a firearm into the direction of the dux-house, having zero experience with such devices. The pellet from my air-rifle won't go through the wooden walls of the house, should i miss the fox, a rifle bullet will…

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would already have bought a couple of Muscovy Ducks would there be any seller selling sexed Muscovy ducklings!
Currently the duck-house is (more than) fully occupied with 47 ducks/drakes, it is build to house 45 birds. But i could add a set of roosts or shelves for the Muscovies, so that they can sleep upstairs. Pompom and Violeta Duck sleep on top of the cardboard-boxes already.

When I had all my ducks in one coop the Muscovy females roosted with the chicken the drake slept on the floor. My drake has never bothered the Runners and Buffs but I can’t say the same for my Runner drake he loves a good chase and the Muscovy run from him so the Muscovy have their own coop and during the worst of breeding season they are separated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did you try TSC for traps?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Did you try TSC for traps?

Yes, the two nearest stores in Belle and Teas Valley are out of traps at all. Not even rat-traps…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Looked up Fox-Trap on amazon.com and, well, expensive and confusing offers. A combined Raccoon/Fox life trap? Really?! A fox is twice the size of a 'coon at least.
I have a heavy wooden box, i will build a trap-door for it and try to make my own trap. it cannot be that difficult.
All i can buy here in the local stores are paw- and body-grip traps, those shark-jaw style which i really don't want to use.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Looked up Fox-Trap on amazon.com and, well, expensive and confusing offers. A combined Raccoon/Fox life trap? Really?! A fox is twice the size of a 'coon at least.
I have a heavy wooden box, i will build a trap-door for it and try to make my own trap. it cannot be that difficult.
All i can buy here in the local stores are paw- and body-grip traps, those shark-jaw style which i really don't want to use.

You must have small coons, or large foxes, because over here it's the opposite. Coons outweigh the foxes!

I can imagine you setting up a wooden box held up with a stick that is tied with a string, and waiting behind a rock or tree for a fox to come investigate, lol!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Looked up Fox-Trap on amazon.com and, well, expensive and confusing offers. A combined Raccoon/Fox life trap? Really?! A fox is twice the size of a 'coon at least.
I have a heavy wooden box, i will build a trap-door for it and try to make my own trap. it cannot be that difficult.
All i can buy here in the local stores are paw- and body-grip traps, those shark-jaw style which i really don't want to use.

Those are inhumane.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Looking through some of the photos I've taken, and am reminded of how different the look on a duck's face is compared to a chicken's. Ducks look like they're smiling, and the chooks look always ticked off. And it always makes me think of this: