Fox coming to the lawn

Hunter456

Have this fox coming to the lawn the last few months. I thought I had got it on a bait station a few nights ago but thought wrong. This fox comes at between 9-11 at night and 3-5 in the morning can't shoot it because I only have a 243 and to dangerous for a shot...anyone in limerick got a fox trap for a few weeks.

Bogwoppit

Try a snare.

Hunter456

Bogwoppit wrote: »

Try a snare.

Garden is to big for a snare and I'm not sure where exactly it's coming in. Plus a neighbor has a cat that roams.

Bogwoppit

I don’t see how a garden could be too big for a snare? I use them in fields.

Wouldn’t take much looking to figure out where it’s coming in and a cat is very unlikely to get caught in the snare, if it does just let it out.

Hunter456

Bogwoppit wrote: »

I don’t see how a garden could be too big for a snare? I use them in fields.

Wouldn’t take much looking to figure out where it’s coming in and a cat is very unlikely to get caught in the snare, if it does just let it out.

normally you'd set a snare on a fox run in a field not in the middle of a field and hope for the best, in this case i don't know where exactly his coming in from. i may have to set a trail cam to see, i don't feel comfortable setting a snare where i know there is people's cats roaming :rolleyes::rolleyes:

The pigeon man

Do you know anyone with a shotgun that could shoot it for you? Or a suppressed 22lr with a head shot if noise is a concern.

Mech1

I caught 2 by accident in a larsen trap. one of these: https://www.solwayfeeders.com/vermin-control/crow-magpie-traps/multi-larsen-trap-p1399-c426/

Not exactly cubs either big enough to fill the compartment so I was happy to find them early in the day and release.

Eddie B

Is there anything in your garden you are trying to protect, or what is in your garden that is drawing him in?

aaakev

Mech1 wrote: »

I caught 2 by accident in a larsen trap. one of these: https://www.solwayfeeders.com/vermin-control/crow-magpie-traps/multi-larsen-trap-p1399-c426/

Not exactly cubs either big enough to fill the compartment so I was happy to find them early in the day and release.

Why release them?

Hunter456

what i reckon is since the council replaced the street lighting around to led's now the whole place is lit up not complaining truly needed in rural places, so believe it or not the fox is coming on to the lawn and my neighbors lawn to pick worms as it can see them easily coming out the ground i watched this fox for hours one night, my worry is all 4 of my dogs are barking threw the night and its beginning to be very annoying. i have though of the shotgun route but there is 2 houses either side of me i don't think they would care but you don't want to be leaving off a shotgun at all hours of the night and causing bother. the only thing i can do is find exactly what fields its using and lie in and wait. the wife don't like me shooting foxes but this fox is getting under her skin

Mech1

aaakev wrote: »

Why release them?

I'm in a urban area no need for fox culling around here.

Eddie B

Hunter456 wrote: »

what i reckon is since the council replaced the street lighting around to led's now the whole place is lit up not complaining truly needed in rural places, so believe it or not the fox is coming on to the lawn and my neighbors lawn to pick worms as it can see them easily coming out the ground i watched this fox for hours one night, my worry is all 4 of my dogs are barking threw the night and its beginning to be very annoying. i have though of the shotgun route but there is 2 houses either side of me i don't think they would care but you don't want to be leaving off a shotgun at all hours of the night and causing bother. the only thing i can do is find exactly what fields its using and lie in and wait. the wife don't like me shooting foxes but this fox is getting under her skin

Yes that can be annoying to say the least. I have the same problem with cats

Hunter456

Eddie B wrote: »

Yes that can be annoying to say the least. I have the same problem with cats

Found its run came in early than usual last night lit it up in the field behind the house. have some bait set with a pir light over it as I dont have NV....

Hunter456

Finally got my chance and took it.

Bogwoppit

Hunter456 wrote: »

Finally got my chance and took it.

What chance did you take?

tayto lover

I hope you didn’t kill it. Lovely animals.

Eddie B

tayto lover wrote: »

I hope you didn’t kill it. Lovely animals.

This comes to mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upwR7zual2E

Hunter456

tayto lover wrote: »

I hope you didn’t kill it. Lovely animals.

i shot this fox last night coming back from an outing with a friend, i spotted the fox coming up the ditch and just about to come onto the lawn, followed it on to the field and sent a lead sleeping pill his way. guess what no dogs barking i had a great sleep last night after weeks of being woken up in the middle of the night because of this fox, i wasn't going to put up with it anymore. if i had of caught it and released it the fox would come back it would have never ended once it knew it had a good food source they always come back. it had to be taken out.

aaakev

tayto lover wrote: »

I hope you didn’t kill it. Lovely animals.

You do realise this is the hunting forum?

Wilfuler.

Hunter456 wrote: »

i shot this fox last night coming back from an outing with a friend, i spotted the fox coming up the ditch and just about to come onto the lawn, followed it on to the field and sent a lead sleeping pill his way. guess what no dogs barking i had a great sleep last night after weeks of being woken up in the middle of the night because of this fox, i wasn't going to put up with it anymore. if i had of caught it and released it the fox would come back it would have never ended once it knew it had a good food source they always come back. it had to be taken out.

Hope you sleep better tonight you deserve it

JlMMY

aaakev wrote: »

I can see how it may sound to a someone on the outside who is not a hunter.

On the healthier population I can give an example from an area I shoot. When I started in this area it had no one shooting anywhere near and the foxes were plentiful. I shot loads who were mangey and loads who were skinny and sick. There was too many foxes in the area competing for resources and they suffered because of it. There was also an issue with them taking chickens from gardens, breaking into bins and killing lambs. A few years later and the foxes I see in the area are bigger, healthier and not causing hassle to near the same extent as before because they are not competing with as many other for resources.

Apart from old foxes missing some teeth iv not seen an unhealthy one in years

Thank you, that sounds reasonable - and makes perfect sense.

tayto lover

aaakev wrote: »

I can see how it may sound to a someone on the outside who is not a hunter.

On the healthier population I can give an example from an area I shoot. When I started in this area it had no one shooting anywhere near and the foxes were plentiful. I shot loads who were mangey and loads who were skinny and sick. There was too many foxes in the area competing for resources and they suffered because of it. There was also an issue with them taking chickens from gardens, breaking into bins and killing lambs. A few years later and the foxes I see in the area are bigger, healthier and not causing hassle to near the same extent as before because they are not competing with as many other for resources.

Apart from old foxes missing some teeth iv not seen an unhealthy one in years

What about young cubs who might starve to death if their mother is shot while searching for food? Very slow death for them.

aaakev

tayto lover wrote: »

What about young cubs who might starve to death if their mother is shot while searching for food? Very slow death for them.

At times when there are Cubs you have 2 options.

1. Don't shoot for this reason
2. Shoot the mother and the cubs

I do both, depending on where it is and what the farmer wants. Some want them controlled, some need them all gone, all depends on the farm.

This is something we have discussed loads of times in the hunting forum over the years and is something hunters think about too. Same with injured animals, lads will feel terrible if they make a bad shot and often spend a long time looking for it to put it out of its misery as quickly as possible. No one, especially the man pulling the trigger want an animal to suffer

s7ryf3925pivug

I shot a really great video of a fox eating my dog's leftovers on our kitchen window sill last month. The light was on in the garden and it was dark in the kitchen so I managed to go right up beside her without scaring her away. Shot her a couple of other times where I got stills rummaging in a woodpile out the front.

I tell my dog to be quiet when she starts barking at night. It works. Neighbours both sides have dogs too, at least two of which sleep outside. No problem with noise.

Do foxes really cause problems for farmers? Controlling pests would be good I'd have thought. They can't get through chicken wire or an intact wall.

The farms right here just have cows anyway.

Seamai

We have a fox who comes into our garden several times a day, It looks like it takes the same path everyday and is on the way somewhere, if it sees our dog it speeds up, the dog obviously doesn't feel too threatened, he might let out one bark and that's it. Personally I like seeing Fantastic Mr Fox around (that's what we call it). It's never given me any problems.

Sparks

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Hunter456

Shooting foxes is a must in the country to minimize competition between them for food other wise you will have sick and foxes in bad condition and it's not pretty watching foxes going around in a horrible state.. when I first started foxes were in some state skinny and mangy looking now days They are in fantastic condition how a fox should look in the country side. But some of people from the front page dont get y they need to be controlled. Next month and February I'll be out most nights on a sheep farm as lambs will be dropping and that's a serious time for fox control. As fare as Cubs go i only shoot on sheep farms during the breeding season but if I was to shoot a milky vixen I do my up most to find the earth and dispatch the Cubs. I know where most of the earths are around my area foxes tend to use the same earth every year.

The pigeon man

As foxes have no natural predator in Ireland it is necessary to cull them to keep them at a sustainable level.

By culling foxes on agricultural land we can reduce the population to a more acceptable level. This means that the remaining foxes have a plentiful supply food, are less desperate so less lively to interfere with young lambs and poultry.

Generally foxes are shot with small calibre centrefire rifles. These high velocity bullets cause instant lack of consciousness and swift death.

For alot of people foxes do appear to be harmless animals but they can cause serious problems where there is poultry. Often they are so smart they will find their way under or around most fencing if given enough time.

Also foxes pose a risk to young lambs. The corpse of a young lamb after being savaged by a fox is not pretty.

By culling foxes we can keep their numbers at a stainable level, reduce competition for food for the remaining foxes. This leads to happier farmers, safer livestock and healthier foxes.