Trapping foxes.

[Muzzery]

Hi all. I've been very busy the last week or two, trying to catch and remove a fox, that has taken one of my chickens. He's quite bold, i've seen him at close range, but i don't have a firearm, or licence for one.. i wonder who has successfully dealt with them, and how? ( i can call in the local council guy, but i like a challenge.. I have started buying traps, calling whistle, looking at scents etc. etc.) i also have a really nice longbow..

[rangieman]

Hi all. I've been very busy the last week or two, trying to catch and remove a fox, that has taken one of my chickens. He's quite bold, i've seen him at close range, but i don't have a firearm, or licence for one.. i wonder who has successfully dealt with them, and how? ( i can call in the local council guy, but i like a challenge.. I have started buying traps, calling whistle, looking at scents etc. etc.) i also have a really nice longbow..
What sort of trap are you going to use , From past efforts ive seen you will need a cage type of trap , A snaire type will not be effetive as ive seen a fox chew his own leg off to get away:eek2:

Either bait no good if you have pets at home or near by or shoot it :rocket: is the best option

[Muzzery]

I have a soft catch trap, they have rubber jaws. the instuctions are very firm about regular checks to traps, to ensure the animal is ok. Especially seing as the fox was so humane to my CHICKEN..getting the trap to work is the drama though, the creatures are alledgedly very wiley.and clever too.

[Psimpson7]

A few years ago we had 4000 free range chickens on the farm.

We had a big problem with foxes.

In the end we got the majority of them.

With a cage trap, and or Shotgun/rifle.

Before anyone gives me a hard time, if the foxes had killed and taken say one chicken that would have been fine, but they don't. They kill say 100 and leave them all as they cant clear the fence with the weight of a kill.:mad:

With regard to traps you need to remove the smell of humans. Put them outside for a while to start with.

I think we got into the 20's over a couple of years...

Pete.

[cooter]

lead injection is the best way but i have used rabit blood on a rabbit trap to gain their attention gotta be quick though as they will chew their leg off to get away

[olmate]

Cooter is spot on - a lead injection is what is needed. I have a "fox trap" at home (pretty much a rabbit trap with two springs). I have used 4 or more rabbit traps in a circle before with a bait in the middle quite effectively; getting a couple of legs held and that stopped the bugger. Even if you use the single trap and it chews a leg off, it wont come back in a hurry.

[abaddonxi]

People have a problem with culling foxes?

Cheers
Simon

[tony]

Forget the traps, have some fun with your long bow, may take awhile but

you'll learn more about tracking, concealment,(your own) get fit or fitter'

and the meaning of Patience

just my 2 bobs worth

Tony

[long stroke]

Forget the traps, have some fun with your long bow, may take awhile but

you'll learn more about tracking, concealment,(your own) get fit or fitter'

and the meaning of Patience

just my 2 bobs worth

Tony

x2
Get a couple of really sharp arrows and have some fun!
Or buy a compound bow:twisted:

CHEERS TIM..

[LandyAndy]

A fox is no match for a good dog.
When we had foxes come in for the chooks on the farm I would outsmart the fox.We always new when one was hanging around the sheepdogs would try and tear the kennels down.After 3 or 4 nights the fox works out his arch enemy is safeley locked up in a cage and becomes quite brave.Big surprise Mr fox,Andy forgot to lock the dogs up,was presented with a dead fox,sometimes 2 and happy dogs every time.
The downside,mange,a wipe of Ivermectin on the dogs' belly skin cures that.
Andrew

[V8Landy]

x2
Get a couple of really sharp arrows and have some fun!
Or buy a compound bow:twisted:

CHEERS TIM..

x3 get out early and sit and wait try calling him up and put an arrow through him.:twisted:

[Bigbjorn]

You have a Landrover, get a pink coat, knee high boots, a black velvet helmet, some dogs, and the Aulro Maleny Hunt can ride the hills crying Tally Ho the fox.

There is precedent. A WWII RAF Hurricane squadron was commanded by a fanatical fox hunter and in North Africa he found desert foxes. So in full fig mounted on jeeps with a supply of Arab mongrel dogs whipped in by small arms fire, the squadron would to horse and away, Tally Ho!!

[Rad97]

Gday mate where are you located?

Maybe one of our licensed firearm holding members would like to help you out?

If it was close I would jump at the chance to get my rifles out for a hunting session.

Shot one fox from a farm house window once while having breakfast the bugger thought he was afe walking over to the chicken coup not like with a 12Gauge close by and handy.

thanks Ralph.

[EchiDna]

I'd kill anything feral to protect our native wildlife...
between foxes and cats, they kill hundreds of natives each every year...

[long stroke]

Don't get me started on bloody cats:twisted:

[spudboy]

If you enjoy the idea of actually hunting the fox then that is fine, but you will waste many an hour waiting. Then, when it does turn up you can shoot and miss (gun or arrow), so you have to start all over again. It is fun, but not at all productive.

One of my neighbours knows how to whistle a fox, but I never seem to be able to do that.

We have had the most luck with traps and baits. You need a permit but we used to do 1080 (?). Traps and baits work all day/night to the extent that they work.... If you do use something like 1080 you've gotta make sure your dogs can't get into the poisoned area of course.

Good luck with it. We have temporarily given up, after losing over 30 chooks and 15 geese. Very disheartening to wake up and find yet more dead birds.

Cheers
David

[Jeff]

Foxes are meant to be smart but they are easily outsmarted if you know their weakness. They like food ( dont we all), especially an easy feed, like a wounded rabbit or the like. Fox whistles mimic wounded rabbit noises and the fox is irresistably drawn to it. With his mind on his stomach he is an easy target. They will often be drawn by the sound of gun shots too as they think there will be wounded rabbits, but thats a different thing.

Jeff

:rocket:

[460cixy]

we use rabit traps to trap them but boil them first and lay them very carefull the boiling removes any scent thats not natrual ie human. maybe lay some scraps out lamb/pork fat chicken carcas in the one spot often and get him comeing in often then nail him with your bow but remember if you take a shot and miss you wont ever get another shot they learn very fast if his been wistled before and shot at a wistle wont work on that fox again some foxes when wistled will just about land in your lap you have to yell stop so they dont come right up to you . if you were closer i would gladly fix your problem fox i have a good colection of skins and make hats :)

[Muzzery]

Well, it was rather unsporting of me, i admit, but, disposal of said fox is the agenda. i caught him in a foot trap thismorning, and an arrow through the heart made a quick end. i was amazed, at myself, for being able to get him in a trap. i just set it at the edge of the chicken coop. he was obviously to busy thinking of "chicken tonight" to smell the trap... it's still being rusted, as recommended by the trap website, and then i have to boil it in logwood dye, then wax! i will now start setting traps around the property, as i guess he has a family here, we live on 80 acres of rainforest and bramble. thanks everyone for your comments. PS still waiting for the u beaut fox whistle in the mail.

[Rosco]

........a good collection of skins and make hats :)

Reminds me of the old one about Charles talking to Liz and telling her he was off the Oooorstraliaa. Her response was .... "Where the fox hat"

BOOM BOOM
:p:angel::wasntme:

[460cixy]

well done mate sounds like you found a young/dumb one or one with very little human contact

[disco2hse]

What with all the flamin' rats, stoats, ferrits, magpies, ferral cats, stray dogs, and (sorry guys) opossums. Thank goodness we don't have those damned foxes.

Good luck with the eradication programme.

Alan

[JohnE]

One less bit of vermin,
? waiting for your fox whistle to arrive
obviously your not getting one of the tried and true aussie ones,
the best whistle for foxes is the yankee coyote whistle that mimics the jackrabbit,
had a mate send me some a few years ago, they are brilliant the first time we tried it had 10 foxes circling us.
They are very inquisitive to the sound of something that represents food.

I normally use OO close up.



john

[crash]

I use to trap foxes every winter back in Canada.
Once in a leg hold trap you can walk up and give them a wack to the back of the head with a bat or thick dowelling to kill them.
In my experience, they only chew their leg off if they have been in the trap for a very long time - use to check them twice aday and never loss a fox to chewing its leg off.
As mentioned before you need to get rid of all traces of human sent - boiling and waxing the traps. Three to four traps around a bait, and have the traps buried - some cotten or moss under the trigger will prevent the wait of the dirt setting them off.
You can make a could sent by keeping the urine and poo from the already trapped foxes to spread around the trap sight.
I found that coyotes were alot harder to trap and were alot smarter and had a more sensitive nose for detecting humans than the fox.