Fox problem

[POD]

I'm posting this question on Aulro because I know there are a lot of people here with broad experience in such matters who might be able to offer some solutions. Here's my situation:

I live on a rural property that is one of a row of 4-acre blocks carved off surrounding farmland about 40-50 years ago. I'm in about the middle of a row of such blocks. Behind my property is farmland but I don't share a boundary at the back; there's a disused road reserve that is pretty much scrub with a track against my back fence that I keep slashed for fire access, as do the neighbours either side.
Directly behind me, over this 'lane', there's a paddock of about 50 acres that is an absolute mess, storms about 20 years ago took down a lot of gum trees in that paddock and it has basically been left with fallen trees and uprooted stumps for all that time. That property is owned by a couple who are now probably in their 80s, had a successful local business and kept it as a 'hobby farm' until maybe 15 years ago when they began leasing it to local farmers who intermittently graze beef cattle in it. I have no real 'neighbour' relationship with this couple, their house fronts a different road at the other side of their property and as described above, we don't even share a back boundary.

We are being plagued by foxes that I believe are living and breeding in the unkempt block behind us. We have chooks that we like to allow to free range in the afternoons, but we're now having to keep them confined to the chook shed after losing more than one per day to foxes that I have observed- and tracked- making their way up into the block behind us. There's fox scat all over our place, including right up around the house. The other night I went outside at about 10pm to find three foxes skulking around my house.

I have a bit of a quandary in how to deal with these mongrel things. The property is too close to neighbours to really be shooting a rifle powerful enough to kill them (I bought a high-powered air rifle last spring to deal with an exploding rabbit population; I lay in wait and shot a fox in the face with it as he came through the fence a couple of nights ago; bugger flinched and ran off). Under Vic firearm law I would need approval from 2 neighbours each side (residences within 250 meters) to be at them with a shotgun; I'm not confident that they would all be on board.

I'm wanting to approach the property owner at the back with a request to do something about the fox sanctuary he is operating, but I want to be able to approach him with some suggestions that are viable, economical and likely to be effective. One thought is to suggest laying some 'canid pest ejector' baits in his block (can't do this in the 'lane' as neighbours walk their dogs) but these are not cheap. I'm hoping some of you blokes with knowledge and experience might be able to suggest some solutions that I can then suggest to the neighbour.

[Slunnie]

My unpopular opinion is that shooting vermin is really just for the pleasure of shooting vermin when in plague. In terms of vermin control in plague, its really just like teaspooning water out of a river - you can claim with conviction that it is helping the plague, but in reality it will make no difference to the safety of your chickens. But if you've just got a lot of local family foxes then you might have some luck shooting them.

What I did was drop a too many $ and proofed my fencing. All of mine is 900 hinge (square) mesh with 2 strands of barbed wire, but around the house I have overlayed with 1200mm netting. That seems to keep all of the small vermin out like foxes, hares, dogs etc assuming I shut the gates. Depending on how cunning the foxes are, you might need foot mesh on the outside of the fence if the foxes dig under - I've never had a fox dig under a netted fence, but thats not to say they wont.

[POD]

Totally agree that pinging the odd fox is not going to solve the problem, however much pleasure might be derived from it (since being here I've nailed two with a compound bow and chased another down and killed it with a stick- red letter days!). vermin-proof fencing around my entire property I think is financially out of reach as a self-funded retiree.

[Slunnie]

Yep, the netting isn't cheap.

[Don 130]

Do you have a service like our 'Local Land Service'. they can help and advise. Our young bloke here has shot over 80 foxes this month. It's a good time to try and trap the young ones. They're a bit stupid and more easily caught than the older ones.

https://youtu.be/QJKpgjezCII

Don.

[Hogarthde]

I have heard of an electronic gadget that emits light or perhaps sound that you can hang on the fence.
Perhaps check your local rural merchant.

[Don 130]

I have heard of an electronic gadget that emits light or perhaps sound that you can hang on the fence.
Perhaps check your local rural merchant.

We trialled fox lights some years ago here. Not successful
Don.

[DoubleChevron]

Why don't you ask your neighbours. They might be all in for shooting some foxes. If its done safely, I'm sure you could find many in your area that will help out if they can do some shooting legally in there area.

[350RRC]

In this neck of the woods foxes are always associated with rabbit populations.

Sure people shoot the foxes, but generally the results of an effective rabbit control program has the effect of greatly reducing fox numbers over time as well.

DL

[Tins]

We trialled fox lights some years ago here. Not successful
Don.
If they’re anything at all like possums then none of that stuff does anything except increase your power bill.

[Tins]

What you really need is to attract a couple of Gippsland’ legendary panthers. Of course, that might play havoc with the local livestock.

[laney]

Local council ask them to lay 1080 but be aware this will kill everything that comes into contact with it and anything that eats the contaminated animal.

[POD]

Certainly we have a larger than usual number of rabbits this year. Been working on those but of course they also are abundant on surrounding properties. The foxes turds are all full of christmas beetles and crickets so it appears they are on the famine food at present; I'm going to try trapping them whilst this is the case- the blackberries will be ripe soon so they will be spreading those seeds everywhere. Simple baiting with 1080 is problematic as we and several of the neighbours have dogs that we do not want to poison- foxes are known to dig up baits and cache them for later, so the baits can end up where you don't want them.
The local council are not interested in assisting with pest management- heck they can't even fix a hole in the road.

It occurred to me the other day that we are the only ones in our immediate vicinity for whom marauding foxes are an actual problem- there are no sheep in the area and we seem to be the only ones with poultry, so for everyone else in the area it is a 'so what?' issue. Thus it comes down to how much money I'm prepared to spend to enable my chooks to free-range.
I've been flat out with a daughter's renovation so have not yet approached the property owner behind us. When I get a chance I'll go and have a chat about maybe getting some shooters to visit.

[Tins]

Certainly we have a larger than usual number of rabbits this year. Been working on those but of course they also are abundant on surrounding properties. The foxes turds are all full of christmas beetles and crickets so it appears they are on the famine food at present; I'm going to try trapping them whilst this is the case- the blackberries will be ripe soon so they will be spreading those seeds everywhere. Simple baiting with 1080 is problematic as we and several of the neighbours have dogs that we do not want to poison- foxes are known to dig up baits and cache them for later, so the baits can end up where you don't want them.
The local council are not interested in assisting with pest management- heck they can't even fix a hole in the road.

It occurred to me the other day that we are the only ones in our immediate vicinity for whom marauding foxes are an actual problem- there are no sheep in the area and we seem to be the only ones with poultry, so for everyone else in the area it is a 'so what?' issue. Thus it comes down to how much money I'm prepared to spend to enable my chooks to free-range.
I've been flat out with a daughter's renovation so have not yet approached the property owner behind us. When I get a chance I'll go and have a chat about maybe getting some shooters to visit.

My son lives not far from you. I reckon he'd jump at the chance to let off a few if the occasion arises.

Otherwise, if it is, as it seems, left up to you then it would seem that fencing may be the only option. And, oh yeah, 1080 requires a permit, and good luck getting that in an area that has, as you say, domestic pets. Well, BawBaw might be easier than YarraRanges, but I reckon you'd spend ages trapped in red tape. All aside from your own concerns regarding these pets.

Whoever introduced foxes, not to mention rabbits, was an idiot, but the things are now here to stay. We have them here, but then we aren't allowed to keep more than a few chooks, so I guess they prey on natives. Wish the bloody things could climb trees and reduce the number of possums... .

Makes me laugh, when every morning I can see numbers of fallow deer on my 1/3 acre block. Speaking of introduced.

[Arapiles]

I'm in the very inner suburbs of Melbourne and I have free-ranging chooks. I was very aware that there are a heap of foxes in the inner City as I used to see them in Princes Park when I was running laps at night, wandering through the Uni and I've actually seen them trotting down my street in the late evening, coming up from Merri Creek. I have no doubt that they've been in my backyard as something knocked the lid off the pedal chook bin one night and ate the grain. However they don't appear to be around during the day or early evening, as they'd have to go through an off-leash dog park to get to our place, and with an auto-close door on the chook shed the chooks are safely tucked up in a fox proof shelter at sunset. Nonetheless I did lose one chook a couple of months ago that had its leg degloved and had to be euthanised (vet suggested it was a predator attack, which it must've just escaped) and another was recently injured (wing and leg) when we had them in a smaller shelter for a week. If I was on our farm I'd be out with a spotlight and gun but frustratingly that's not possible here, which leaves the local council and they don't engage in fox control at all.

[scarry]

I'm in the very inner suburbs of Melbourne and I have free-ranging chooks. I was very aware that there are a heap of foxes in the inner City as I used to see them in Princes Park when I was running laps at night, wandering through the Uni and I've actually seen them trotting down my street in the late evening, coming up from Merri Creek. I have no doubt that they've been in my backyard as something knocked the lid off the pedal chook bin one night and ate the grain. However they don't appear to be around during the day or early evening, as they'd have to go through an off-leash dog park to get to our place, and with an auto-close door on the chook shed the chooks are safely tucked up in a fox proof shelter at sunset. Nonetheless I did lose one chook a couple of months ago that had its leg degloved and had to be euthanised (vet suggested it was a predator attack, which it must've just escaped) and another was recently injured (wing and leg) when we had them in a smaller shelter for a week. If I was on our farm I'd be out with a spotlight and gun but frustratingly that's not possible here, which leaves the local council and they don't engage in fox control at all.

The auto close on the sons chook pen didn't work for a few days,and he had a fox kill 8 chickens,leave 5 with wounds and had to be euthanised,and run off with nothing.This happened just on dawn.
All caught on his security camera.He lives in the western Brisbane suburbs.
The council then set traps and caught 5 foxes.
He also has huge carpet snakes,they have never actually eaten a chicken,but have eaten the eggs.
Oh,and deer,they are another story.

On the property,when lambing,we had to poison the foxes,which also killed the wild cats.
Horrid stuff,but that was the only way to keep them fully under control,or we would lose quite a number of them,even in the paddock next to the house.
Once under control,losing a lamb to a fox or cat was very rare.
We used to shoot them as well,but that didn't put much of a dent in their numbers.

[POD]

Melbourne is notoriously riddled with foxes. There was a study done years ago that found that, anywhere in Melbourne, you are never more than a few hundred meters from a fox. City foxes are mainly scavengers.
We have had a dozen chooks killed by foxes on two occasions, one when I had been working on a fence and had forgotten to turn the electric fence unit back on- I have a wire around the chook yard at ankle height and another at chest height. Fox got in through a defect in the fence, killed all the hens and tried to drag the rooster out through the hole, we had a yard full of dead chooks and a dead rooster jammed in the fence. Another occasion was Christmas day, we were invited out to dinner after already letting the chooks out, went up to shut the yard when we got home and all the chooks were dead. This is in addition to the normal attrition of opportunistic attacks during the day when they are free-ranging. Never had as many foxes around as this year though.

[NavyDiver]

Counted over 100++ rabbits in tiny park the middle of a little country town at my mums place. Several foxes and seen while out running there as well. Your correct about even more in the city. Out this morning in the eastern suburbs I counted almost as many.

I chuckled about your comment about the council being unable to fix a pot hole. I need a big sticker. I am not drunk just avoiding the Victorian pot holes

Suspect most of the holes I tried to miss are on roads Vic Roads has neglected for almost a decade now not the local gov types. Can I send Vic roads the bill for my recent wheel alignment? [biggrin][biggrin][biggrin]

Back to council and Rabbits. The rabbits are on council property and breeding up like. The exasperated person in the council I spoke with mentioned the sand dune damage and many meetings over the issue. That was months ago and I estimated 10 times the number of rabbits now .

For real cool trivia in rabbits 'Eating the invaders' is well worth watching on the a

Eat The Invaders: Series 1 Episode 1 Rabbit : ABC iview (https://iview.abc.net.au/show/eat-the-invaders/series/1/video/DO2334S001S00)
The cane toad and Mud Marlin are cool time wasters if you have some spare. I put it on episode One for a 80+ PNG nun yesterday. She got all the way to the toads while I was filling up the rabbit holes in the front lawn [thumbsupbig]

[3toes]

Foxes like pigeons have moved their habitat from the country to the city. Pigeons used to live on cliffs what did man build

In the UK they say the majority of the fox population lives in the city not the countryside. Is all about availability of food and habitat. Much easier to live and scavenge in the city than hunt in the countryside

[Tombie]

My unpopular opinion is that shooting vermin is really just for the pleasure of shooting vermin when in plague. In terms of vermin control in plague, its really just like teaspooning water out of a river - you can claim with conviction that it is helping the plague, but in reality it will make no difference to the safety of your chickens. But if you've just got a lot of local family foxes then you might have some luck shooting them.

What I did was drop a too many $ and proofed my fencing. All of mine is 900 hinge (square) mesh with 2 strands of barbed wire, but around the house I have overlayed with 1200mm netting. That seems to keep all of the small vermin out like foxes, hares, dogs etc assuming I shut the gates. Depending on how cunning the foxes are, you might need foot mesh on the outside of the fence if the foxes dig under - I've never had a fox dig under a netted fence, but thats not to say they wont.

Wouldnt say its unpopular, just different thinking.

In plague, shooters need to be committed to working consistently to eradicate, not just plug the odd one here and there.

[Tombie]

I'm posting this question on Aulro because I know there are a lot of people here with broad experience in such matters who might be able to offer some solutions. Here's my situation:

I live on a rural property that is one of a row of 4-acre blocks carved off surrounding farmland about 40-50 years ago. I'm in about the middle of a row of such blocks. Behind my property is farmland but I don't share a boundary at the back; there's a disused road reserve that is pretty much scrub with a track against my back fence that I keep slashed for fire access, as do the neighbours either side.
Directly behind me, over this 'lane', there's a paddock of about 50 acres that is an absolute mess, storms about 20 years ago took down a lot of gum trees in that paddock and it has basically been left with fallen trees and uprooted stumps for all that time. That property is owned by a couple who are now probably in their 80s, had a successful local business and kept it as a 'hobby farm' until maybe 15 years ago when they began leasing it to local farmers who intermittently graze beef cattle in it. I have no real 'neighbour' relationship with this couple, their house fronts a different road at the other side of their property and as described above, we don't even share a back boundary.

We are being plagued by foxes that I believe are living and breeding in the unkempt block behind us. We have chooks that we like to allow to free range in the afternoons, but we're now having to keep them confined to the chook shed after losing more than one per day to foxes that I have observed- and tracked- making their way up into the block behind us. There's fox scat all over our place, including right up around the house. The other night I went outside at about 10pm to find three foxes skulking around my house.

I have a bit of a quandary in how to deal with these mongrel things. The property is too close to neighbours to really be shooting a rifle powerful enough to kill them (I bought a high-powered air rifle last spring to deal with an exploding rabbit population; I lay in wait and shot a fox in the face with it as he came through the fence a couple of nights ago; bugger flinched and ran off). Under Vic firearm law I would need approval from 2 neighbours each side (residences within 250 meters) to be at them with a shotgun; I'm not confident that they would all be on board.

I'm wanting to approach the property owner at the back with a request to do something about the fox sanctuary he is operating, but I want to be able to approach him with some suggestions that are viable, economical and likely to be effective. One thought is to suggest laying some 'canid pest ejector' baits in his block (can't do this in the 'lane' as neighbours walk their dogs) but these are not cheap. I'm hoping some of you blokes with knowledge and experience might be able to suggest some solutions that I can then suggest to the neighbour.

What High powered Air rifle wouldnt do in a Fox? When you say High Powered are you talking a break action unit?

Go for a nice PCP in something 25 to 30 cal. Add a Thermal scope and your problem will be gone!

[scarry]

What High powered Air rifle wouldnt do in a Fox? When you say High Powered are you talking a break action unit?

Go for a nice PCP in something 25 to 30 cal. Add a Thermal scope and your problem will be gone!

Our inherited 50yr old .222 Remington,with a 4 to 12X scope is a very good fox and cat rifle,that is if you dont want to keep the fox skin.
It would have dropped thousands over the years,the majority at night using a spotlight.
My father used it when doing fox research in the Toowoomba and surrounding areas many years ago,as well.

A mate uses a .22 magnum,not bad at closer range,but the .222 was the best all rounder,and also not bad on the occasional pig.

Reports are thermal scopes are amazing but i am yet to use one.

[RANDLOVER]

Foxes like pigeons have moved their habitat from the country to the city. Pigeons used to live on cliffs what did man build

In the UK they say the majority of the fox population lives in the city not the countryside. Is all about availability of food and habitat. Much easier to live and scavenge in the city than hunt in the countryside

I saw a doco that showed pigeons in London catching the Train from station to station to eat food scraps on the platforms, they can also recognise different human faces.

[V8Ian]

I saw a doco that showed pigeons in London catching the Train from station to station to eat food scraps on the platforms, they can also recognise different human faces.
Inside or outside of the carriage? I'd like to see a ticket inspector chasing a pigeon. [bigrolf]

[Old Farang]

Inside or outside of the carriage? I'd like to see a ticket inspector chasing a pigeon. [bigrolf]
The program that I saw were thinning them out with a fancy looking air rifle from where they were roosting under the roof. Ticket or not, they cleaned them out!

[RANDLOVER]

Inside or outside of the carriage? I'd like to see a ticket inspector chasing a pigeon. [bigrolf]

Inside and as they can recognise faces, they'd probably just wait for the next train if they see an inspector that usually chases them.

[Arapiles]

I saw a doco that showed pigeons in London catching the Train from station to station to eat food scraps on the platforms, they can also recognise different human faces.

I saw a pigeon in Sydney get on the airport train and go a few stops. It wasn't lost or panicking, it was catching the train.

[Arapiles]

What High powered Air rifle wouldnt do in a Fox? When you say High Powered are you talking a break action unit?

Go for a nice PCP in something 25 to 30 cal. Add a Thermal scope and your problem will be gone!

That's what I was thinking. If the PCPs can cleanly take rabbits at over 100 metres (check Edge of the Outback on Youtube) then they should be fine for a fox at up to 50m. The old break barrel airguns are only about 12 foot pounds, the new PCP ones are way more than that and can approch what a 22LR puts out.

[Arapiles]

That's what I was thinking. If the PCPs can cleanly take rabbits at over 100 metres (check Edge of the Outback on Youtube) then they should be fine for a fox at up to 50m. The old break barrel airguns are only about 12 foot pounds, the new PCP ones are way more than that and can approch what a 22LR puts out.

Actually, then found videos from Edge of the Outback knocking over foxes with a PCP out to 7o metres.

[Tombie]

Actually, then found videos from Edge of the Outback knocking over foxes with a PCP out to 7o metres.

Go up to a 30 cal version [emoji851]

[V8Ian]

IEDs randomly and generously placed throughout the property. [bigwhistle]

[RANDLOVER]

Go up to a 30 cal version [emoji851]

For those that believe bigger is better, go to .50 cal as then even if you miss the fox it'll still die from pneumonia caused by the wind as the bullet goes by.

[Tombie]

For those that believe bigger is better, go to .50 cal as then even if you miss the fox it'll still die from pneumonia caused by the wind as the bullet goes by.

I've got a mate shooting a 50cal PCP over in the states - they hunt pigs with it.

[austastar]

Instant bacon!

Cheers

[scarry]

I've got a mate shooting a 50cal PCP over in the states - they hunt pigs with it.

Thats not a long way off a 12 guage slug,we used to dispose of pigs with them just for something different.

They had a trajectory similar to a Puma 2.4L torque curve......

Although they maybe closer to .75,from memory.

[RANDLOVER]

Instant bacon!

Cheers

More like bacon bits.

[4bee]

For those that believe bigger is better, go to .50 cal as then even if you miss the fox it'll still die from pneumonia caused by the wind as the bullet goes by.


Will the same happen to your next doors assuming you do that?. It could be a Funeral Directors Paradise/Bonanza around your way once the Cops/ Murder Squads get through the nocturnal noise complaints.

[bigrolf][biggrin]

" I can see the headlines, " Local suburb disappears under sustained shooting by Land Rover Fox Eliminating Gangstas. ". (LRFEG) It is understood that if this method is not effective Trip Wire Clay- Mines will be trialed next according to the Lead Armorer of this project, MR I. Shot.

******Kiddies do not try these methods at home.

TiC.

[Arapiles]

If you google/You tube "spud gun" you get videos of home-made cannons that definitely aren't what I would call a spud gun - they shoot whole potatoes for starters - but supposedly they're legal and they'd definitely give a fox at least a scare.

[Don 130]

If you google/You tube "spud gun" you get videos of home-made cannons that definitely aren't what I would call a spud gun - they shoot whole potatoes for starters - but supposedly they're legal and they'd definitely give a fox at least a scare.

many years ago I watched my brother use a spud gun to shoot a frozen lemon through a car door. Foxie loxie better watch out if that deterrent is employed
Don

[RANDLOVER]

Will the same happen to your next doors assuming you do that?. It could be a Funeral Directors Paradise/Bonanza around your way once the Cops/ Murder Squads get through the nocturnal noise complaints.

[bigrolf][biggrin]

" I can see the headlines, " Local suburb disappears under sustained shooting by Land Rover Fox Eliminating Gangstas. ". (LRFEG) It is understood that if this method is not effective Trip Wire Clay- Mines will be trialed next according to the Lead Armorer of this project, MR I. Shot.

******Kiddies do not try these methods at home.

TiC.

Exactly which is why a 50 call should always be used judiciously.

[4bee]

Exactly which is a 50 call should always be used judiciously.





......& a 25 PDR even more so. [bigrolf]

[Tombie]

......& a 25 PDR even more so. [bigrolf]

Showing your age now!

[ramblingboy42]

when I was a digger, sometimes we were given our "rum entitlement" in the form of a 26oz bottle of bundy. it was affectionately referred to as a 25pounder and fitted nicely in a 84mm ammunition shoulder carrier and was distributed at the platoon sgt's liesure.

nothing to do with foxes that I used to shoot with .222 Husky , skin 'em , salt em and sell them to a local chiller for $25 undressed or $35 dressed. Back in the late 60's early 70's one could make himself several hundred dollars in a nights work.