Foxes.

[baker]

Hey i was wondering if anyone here have any good plans to get rid of some foxes round our yard?
We have already lost 3 chickens from them coming in and tacking them. Was almost four at one stage but i luckily managed to hear something and go out in time to scare it off. We have a large hollow log that we suspect to be a den because of dead kokaburras and other little animals around it.
So what sort of ideas do you have to get rid of some? We have tried traps last year but we had no luck in catching anything other than our old cat.
Thanks in advance Cameron.

 

[snakeynewbie]

Got any friends who can shoot? Easiest way I have found is just to make the chooks more secure. My chook pen is fort knox, our neighbours lost all of their 12 chooks recently from a fox breaking into the pen and I've never even had a fox come close.

 

[baker]

we have the chooks looked up mega securely aswell now after those instances, thinking we might have to go down with our bows and a big spot light to check down the back of hollow log to see if its there before we shoot up it.
i know for sure they are hear because we heard them last yelling out.

 

[Beard]

Get some soft jawed traps and make up a mix of fresh blood and peanut butter. Foxes love it. Sent all around the trap with the mix. Quick wack between the ears with the back of an axe.

 

[snakeynewbie]

And keep your cat inside or you'll be dragging the cat out of the trap again

 

[baker]

dont worry we had to put him down early this year because he was getting to sick in his old age, the new one is strictly inside unless he is given a run with the chickens.
will try that idea, thanks beard.

 

[Fuscus]

Get a carpet python!

 

[baker]

hahaha fucus, i wouldnt mind seeing that happen to a fox, makes me wonder if there is abig enough carpet roaming our backyard to eat atleast a small fox.

 

[Bluetongue1]

!080 poison baits for foxes. These are strips of meat placed several feet above he ground. You can give them a trial with no poison in them which will help overcome bait shyness. 1080 completely biodegrades rapidly in soil and water. Because it occurs naturally in mant native pants, especially gastrolobium peas, native animals have varing levels of resistence to it. However, dogs and introduced stock do not.

Blue

 

[Jay84]

You would know if they were using the hollow log as a den, it would STINK! fox dens have a very distinct smell about them.

 

[snakeynewbie]

Native animals over here don't have any resistance to it bluetongue, it only occurs naturally in the west and eastern critters haven't developed resistance.

 

[Beard]

I find that either a .270 or a 6.5x55 SE is usually pretty effective medicine for a fox.

 

[baker]

im not going to use baits at all incase our dog decideds to eat them. dont really want to have a vet trip aswell.

 

[solar 17]

IMO...you get to kill that or those foxes in or around your fowl house and you get my vote as a trapper/hunter, they would have to be the most frustrating animal on this continent to kill short of using poison (1080 etc.).
..........solar 17 (baden)

 

[baker]

yer we have found already that they are really hard to trap. we had traps going for atleasr 2 months last year, and in several different postions with no luck of catching one.

 

[slim6y]

Native animals over here don't have any resistance to it bluetongue, it only occurs naturally in the west and eastern critters haven't developed resistance.

Which is why NZ is very lucky to have received possums from the east - not the west otherwise 1080 would be useless!

 

[snakeynewbie]

They don't say 'cunning as a fox' for no reason, they are very cluey about traps hence why shooting or baiting work better.

 

[Beard]

They don't say 'cunning as a fox' for no reason, they are very cluey about traps hence why shooting or baiting work better.

With a fox though you often only get one shot. Whistle them up, get the spotlight on them and if you miss they get to know the game and will usually go to ground when they see a light or hear a whistle in the future.

 

[slim6y]

With a fox though you often only get one shot. Whistle them up, get the spotlight on them and if you miss they get to know the game and will usually go to ground when they see a light or hear a whistle in the future.

Move to grenades then...

Would prefer (personally) to see the animals shot so they don't suffer needlessly.

It's good that you've shown an interest in dispatching them without poison. Hearing a dog suffering from 1080 poisoning is highly unpleasant to say the least.

 

[Beard]

Move to grenades then...

Would prefer (personally) to see the animals shot so they don't suffer needlessly.

It's good that you've shown an interest in dispatching them without poison. Hearing a dog suffering from 1080 poisoning is highly unpleasant to say the least.

Ya. I don't like poisons. Pest controll IMO should be in the form of trapping and a quick Euth or shooting (providing the shooter has reliable bullet placement). The hills around here are literally laced with 1080 and warfarin (sp) to knock out dogs, foxes, pigs and cats.