essexfluke Posted September 23, 2014 Report Share Posted September 23, 2014 As Title says completely gutted checked one of the release pens today to find all 40 pheasants dead about half missing heads. Looks like a fox has managed to dig under electric fence and mesh, they didn't have a chance as the pen is netted due to marsh harrier and buzzards. This is really gutting as they were going to be released in the morning. Luckily we only had 40 in with the rest if our birds safe, but this is still a big loss as we only had 340 to start with. Still to late to get replacement's now will have to concentrate on what's left, will have to get a trap in the morning to see if I can catch it do you think baiting it with some of the dead birds is best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordripon Posted September 23, 2014 Report Share Posted September 23, 2014 sorry to hear that chap....I know that gutted feeling well . I would have walked away leaving the pen as I found it ...returning at dusk with the big gun he should return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisheruk Posted September 23, 2014 Report Share Posted September 23, 2014 sorry to hear that chap....I know that gutted feeling well . I would have walked away leaving the pen as I found it ...returning at dusk with the big gun he should return. I agree. Bound to return. Is it a safe place to shoot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Very annoying. Our landowner suggested putting mesh over our pen to stop the birds getting out and the Buzzards/Owls getting in. We told him that to do that the pen would have to be bombproof, which ours isn't. There are some very determined Badgers out there. Thankfully he came round to our way of thinking. Give Hy-Fly a bell, they may be able to help, but like you say, it's probably a bit late in the year now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Leave the hole open and set a snare either side And be in attendance before first light with a rifle Best of luck with it Luke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexfluke Posted September 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Thanks for the comments, I have set snares and will be out tonight with the rifle. Making a few calls today in hope of getting some replacements, but still really gutted have had these from day olds they were doing well he even got the white one so he will be fined when I catch him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Thanks for the comments, I have set snares and will be out tonight with the rifle. Making a few calls today in hope of getting some replacements, but still really gutted have had these from day olds they were doing well he even got the white one so he will be fined when I catch him. Disappointing for you. Your humour will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 As Title says completely gutted checked one of the release pens today to find all 40 pheasants dead about half missing heads. Looks like a fox has managed to dig under electric fence and mesh, they didn't have a chance as the pen is netted due to marsh harrier and buzzards. This is really gutting as they were going to be released in the morning. Luckily we only had 40 in with the rest if our birds safe, but this is still a big loss as we only had 340 to start with. Still to late to get replacement's now will have to concentrate on what's left, will have to get a trap in the morning to see if I can catch it do you think baiting it with some of the dead birds is best? Thats hard at this time of year. Are you certain its Charlie? Locally to me a shoot with netted release pen lost all their birds under similair circumstances but they were blaming mink. Once had the same thing happen with a modest pen of 25 birds, fox cub was dead in the snare but the pheasants wiped out with bodies inside pen and heads outside, I still cant get my head around that one- unless there were two or more cubs. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted September 25, 2014 Report Share Posted September 25, 2014 We had a fox in one of our pens last season, about 120 birds in the pen the loss unfortunately kept mounting as we would discover dead birds buried either in the pen or not far from it. We had no mesh on top so hoped a lot of birds got out. At first we guessed about maybe 20 or 30 birds were dead and the rest around the wood, but after we had dogged in the small wood we had about 40 back in the pen. We were lucky a large shoot near use had some late birds still in pens and we managed to buy another 90 birds for the shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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