Well, damn. Fox sneaking around the run broad daylight

[microchick]

Our dogs don't run loose either. Two are 9 years old and rabbits are no longer threatened by them as the 2 border collie cross bred brother and sister tire of the chase pretty quickly now. They are only out with our supervision. We also have four Australian Cattle Dogs who are only out of their fenced in back yard when they are on a leash.

Ours have never taken off and stayed gone for any length of time but the two 9 year olds once slipped out through a gap in our fence and tried to take on the neighbor's truck. Luckily he was able to stop in time but the female of the pair got bumped and rolled, broken pelvis. She healed fine with the exception of arthritis now but that was the first use of our fence charger. We hotwired the front fence of our 29 acre hobby farm. Only took one or two touches for them to realize the err of their ways and stay in the yard.

Same thing here with the live trap. We have caught raccoons and possums. One cat and one dumped bunny...yes somebody did dump a pet rabbit on us. I keep wishing somebody would dump a milk cow or a fat steer, something we could actually use, but no such luck. The dumped kitty and bunny went to the neighbors and their umpteen kids as pets. The raccoon and possum went back to the 'lower forty' to feed the local vultures.

I don't go to the timber and harass or hunt the raccoons and possums and by golly in the same breath they aren't going to come up to the house and harass or go after our chickens.

 

[ChickyWhicky]

Foxes suck. We have them on our property, we see them on the trail cams often. Luckily, our dogs are outside full time and keep them at bay. My neighbors also have chain link as their chicken pen. They attach thin metal sheeting 1/2 way up the fence. It makes it hard for critters to climb, wish I had a picture to show. I know they also have their fence buried to help defend agaisnt digging. Foxes are slick little a-holes and if there is a way in they will find it. Definetly recommend some hot wire and/or trapping to get them off your property!

 

[Folly's place]

Actually we are glad that foxes and coyotes live here, as long as they avoid our critters. We'd be hip deep in rabbits otherwise! One year a vixen had her kits out in a pasture south of the house, and for a couple of weeks we saw them playing. Cute! Wish they could take out the groundhogs under our barn. And we have red squirrels in the attic. Again. Going to be taken care of this week, again.
No bears yet, but probably will be coming. And some sightings of cougars, another issue entirely.
Mary

 

[microchick]

We have a lot of rabbits also, @Folly's place. Here the owls, coyotes and the hawks clear them out along with the squirrels every winter. I am not a big squirrel fan.

After we retired we kept noticing that something was chewing on the edge of our oak steps on our back deck. Caught a squirrel at it one day. 25 acres of hardwood timber and those little so and so's (we call them tree rats) were coming up and chewing on our steps to wear down their teeth. Got so mad I laid out on the deck one Day with my scoped .17 rifle. End of problem but just to make sure we bought aluminum angle iron and edged all the steps.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm okay with the squirrels, although draw that line in the sand when they invade the house! It seems that this summer there are just huge numbers of the red squirrels, and no predators to get them. Guess it's going to be us...
Mary

 

[microchick]

I have a friend who has a recipe for crock pot bar b que squirrel. She says it's delicious.

I could probably eat it if I was really hungry and not thinking about what it was slapped between layers of hamburger bun.