Fox and weasel

[scolopax]

Went down to the pheasant pen this morning as normal, walking down the track through the wood to the pen and there's a fox walking towards me from the direction of the pen. I'll admit I gave it a barrel from too far away, probably 45 yards, too far for sixes anyways, it bit more thought and I should have left him be but it was a 'reaction shot', span him round and then he was off. Not a good result. Walked the remaining 100 yards to the pen and not a pheasant to be seen, luckily they were all tucked under cover so I guess Charlie had been having a snoop around the wire.

 

On going back to the car after tending to the birds I approached a tree a with a tunnel trap at the base. Ten yards away I hear the trap go off followed a couple of seconds later by some squealing. On taking the lid off the box I see a weasel caught around the neck with his teeth clamped around the steel jaw of the fenn trap. I took the trap and weasel out but felt a bit sorry for the little fella, so I nipped him by the scruff of the neck and opened up the trap to release him. He was a bit groggy when I put him on the ground but was soon off into the hedge bottom quick enough, my good deed for the day. I set Fenns for rats, squirrels and stoats, anything else is 'collateral' damage.

[ollie]

Why are you distinguising between stoats and weasels, both are equally as ruthless when it comes to killing pheasant poults. If I was you I would have put him out of his misery, as you may well regret letting him go if you come down some morning and he has broke into your pen. Do you not have snares set around the pen for Charlie?

[scolopax]

Never had a weasel touch poults, nor stoats, not in the pen anyway, although weasels in particular could just walk straight through the wire.

 

Would not want a weasel in a rearing shed though, but most time the kills are by rats, underated but big time killers, puts a smile on my face every time I take a rat out of a fenn.