Fox numbers

Markhor

I have been reading the thread on ''Pheasant numbers down'' and found it both interesting and informative.

Personally I believe fox predation accounts for most pheasant egg, chick and poult losses.

From what I have seen there are vast numbers of foxes throughout the county, so I am just curious to know what number of foxes are being shot to contain their predation on pheasants etc.

A colleague and myself shot the following for the last three years:

2016 = 142 foxes
2015 = 112 ''
2014 = 264 ''

blackpearl

Markhor wrote: »

I have been reading the thread on ''Pheasant numbers down'' and found it both interesting and informative.

Personally I believe fox predation accounts for most pheasant egg, chick and poult losses.

From what I have seen there are vast numbers of foxes throughout the county, so I am just curious to know what number of foxes are being shot to contain their predation on pheasants etc.

A colleague and myself shot the following for the last three years:

2016 = 142 foxes
2015 = 112 ''
2014 = 264 ''

Thats good going their is also foxes that is light shy a vixen will have between 3 and 5 cubs every year once while digging we came on 7 cubs that was a once off,but if you ease of on the hunting of them within a few years the numbers will climb big time .

Half-cocked

I'd imagine the succession of mild winters we've had has meant more young animals surviving and leading to a larger population.

dodderangler

On two of permissions I have more luck shooting en during the day. Due to the amount of idiots poaching at night with lamps and dogs the foxes are quite lamp shy.
I've actually **** more last year with the shotgun during the day than rifle at night because of lampshy.

sniperman

dodderangler wrote: »

On two of permissions I have more luck shooting en during the day. Due to the amount of idiots poaching at night with lamps and dogs the foxes are quite lamp shy.
I've actually **** more last year with the shotgun during the day than rifle at night because of lampshy.

i never knew lamping with dogs at night was poaching(unless they are after protected wild animals)......ps 3 fox so far this year

Cass

He is not saying lamping is illegal, its confusion caused by the structure of the sentence.

What he was saying was foxes are becoming shy due to lads that are out poaching with lamps and dogs.

dodderangler

sniperman wrote: »

i never knew lamping with dogs at night was poaching(unless they are after protected wild animals)......ps 3 fox so far this year

The fellas I'm referring to are the scrotes who have no permission or authority to enter these lands. These are same type of people who give everyone else a bad name.

ligertigon

Not meaning to throw a spanner in the works here. ( I had several fowl taken 2 weeks ago by foxes and managed to nail one that was 60m from my pen which is electrified!).

But you have to be careful not to equate fox numbers shot, as a function of their abundance out there.... i.e. if you look for them, you'll find them.

cavan shooter

You cant beat Nat Geo Wild, a class documentary a few years back proposed that the fox was a top class survivalist. The harder you hunt the Fox the harder they breed and more cubs there are.

My Father who grew up in the 30's and 40's and worked a large farm into his early 20's always said the farmers never wanted all foxes removed and prefered that you get rid of younger foxes and leave older males.

The older (Alpha)male will keep out the young pretenders so to speak. A farmer back then knew what fox was about and actually used them to there advantage. The more foxes you kill in an area the more trouble you would have balance was key.

Foxes would be pulled into that area due to a vacuum caused by no alpha male. Then so to speak all hell would be caused.
He would often chastise me that controlling foxes is that; control and beating a few covers was essential as was a bit of lamping. However in his eyes it was never a sport in its own right. Now this man used to make more money on the fox than his wages all with a shotgun and during the day.

Now grey crows and magpies, that's where war was declared. Himself and my older brother had a larsen trap in the back garden the size of a small avery with elaborate entrance trips. He trapped well into his 70s

blackpearl

a scorched earth attack on foxes is the only way .

cavan shooter

blackpearl wrote:

a scorched earth attack on foxes is the only way .

With that in mind how are you finding the type A tactical nukes available in cabellas apparently great at getting rid of troublesome foxes.

blackpearl

dont like the nukes like to stick with naplam overseas shipping to dear for nukes.

cavan shooter

blackpearl wrote:

dont like the nukes like to stick with naplam overseas shipping to dear for nukes.

Might go that way myself had a couple of runners with the last batch.

Birdnuts

Don't forget too that there used to be a good home-grown demand for fox pelts since up to the late 60's they were a popular female fashion accessary. Indeed any photos from that era of weddings and the like had most of the females decked out in fox fur

Heavy handed

We've hit them so hard in the last two years to the extent that the shooting is poor so far this year. In saying that the pheasant numbers where up this season so there some reward for the effort.

cookimonster

[QUOTE=cavan shooter;102596235]......... farmers never wanted all foxes removed and prefered that you get rid of younger foxes and leave older males.

The older (Alpha)male will keep out the young pretenders so to speak. A farmer back then knew what fox was about and actually used them to there advantage. The more foxes you kill in an area the more trouble you would have balance was key.

Foxes would be pulled into that area due to a vacuum caused by no alpha male. Then so to speak all hell would be caused........[/QUOTE]

I used to shoot rabbits in the off season on a big pheasant shoot where the game keeper was of the same mind set. Keep the numbers down but leave one or two around the area. This was a big shoot with 1000's of acres.

blackpearl

total clean out, it only lasts for a short time.