Frenchieboy Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I had a phone call from a farmer in the middle of last week saying that he had lost 3 (Free ranging) chickens in 3 evening running to a fox, and could I please try to sort this "rogue" out while he still has some chickens left. At that time (according to the farmer) the chickens had all been dissappearing between around 6:30 in the evening and 8:30 when he goes out to shut them in for the night, which suggested (At that time) that this fox was following a set pattern. I went there for three evenings running with a good friend with his tripple 2 while I took my shotgun and some Alphamax 46g AA cartridges. Each evening we settled down on the fairly flat roof of his tractor shed which gave us a good nearly all round view of the field where the chickens are while leaving us fairly well conceled, arriving at about 5:45 and staying till after the farmer had shut the chickens in for the night but "Charlie" refused to show - Plenty of rabbits but they were not the "target" at the time - That will be a job for the moderated .22LR at a later date! We have also had several "walk arounds" together with the rifle and shotgun during daylight hours both in the mornings and the afternoons. During one of these walk arounds we did see a fox in mid afternoon, a very big one in excellent condition (which I suspect was a dog fox) crossing a bridle way (Which disects this farmer's land). This bridle way has tall hedges and walls on both sides and is regularly used by horse riders so in the interest of safety a shot was out of the question as we did not have a clear enough view to ensure that there were no horse riders or ramblers around. It should be mentioned that this bridle way runs directly parallell with the field where the chickens have been dissappearing from. While I was out yesterday evening (getting a few rabbits with the .22LR for an elderly neighbour) my wife took a phone call from the farmer saying that he had spotted a large dog fox which was "struggling" to jump over the wall where the chickens are due to the size of the large chicken it had in it's mouth. He hastened to add that this was not one of his chickens, but from the description he gave it was almost certainly the same dog fox that we had seen but not been able to take the shot at during the previous afternoon. Gemma, (The farmer's wife) tells me that she had also spotted a fox of a very similar description in their back garden during the mid morning. This "suggests" to me that this dog fox is quite bold while being quite elusive to anyone with guns and is almost certainly feeding a vixen and cubs, and as such he is not following any set pattern (Times or routes) for his hunting forrays any longer and that he is going to continue to cause problems untill he is dealt with. I should maybe say at this stage (with a fair degree of certainty) that the earth is not on this farm but more likely on neighbouring land where I do not have permission to shoot. The problem we have (My mate and I) is that we simply can not afford the time to sit out all day every day in the hope that Charlie decides to show in a shootable position as this is just not practical or posible for either of us. The use of snares had crossed my mind but they have been ruled out as neither I nor the farmer are keen on them, and also because this old boy does not seem to be following any set route any more - Obviously he hasn't read the rule book. The farmer has loads of 8' x 4' sheets of "well weathered" galvanised 2 X 2 welded mesh and some light weight angle iron that he has said I can have along with the use of his mig welder to make up a few cage traps up but I believe that this old chap is too wise and experienced to get himself caught in a cage trap anyway, cage traps (In my opinion) seem to be more effective with young and naieve foxes rather than older and wiser ones. - However I might well take the farmer up on his offer and make a couple of large cage traps anyway for use when any cubs are about and starting to go out hunting on their own - which if I make then in the next week or so would give the traps time to "weather" ready for use. I would welcome any thought on how any of you "Wiser" or "More experienced" chpas might go about trying to sort this rogue out given the "brief" this I have given you in this post. Any thoughts or suggestions please guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim85 Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Have you tried baiting the area with some couple of couple of day old pigeons / rabbits / a chicken (anything smelly)? I take it you are using fox calls as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) Have you tried baiting the area with some couple of couple of day old pigeons / rabbits / a chicken (anything smelly)? I take it you are using fox calls as well? Have tried several fox calls and also tried baiting with a dead lamb which was cut open to release the "aroma"! Edit: We have also has an old sack soaked in some of last years boiled horse hoof which I can tell you is "pretty ripe" to say the least! Edited April 25, 2014 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I shoot a big chicken farm and last few weeks I've stopped with the call you have to seat and wait it out but I allways use some cat food the wet type which pulls them into a safe shot !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I shoot a big chicken farm and last few weeks I've stopped with the call you have to seat and wait it out but I allways use some cat food the wet type which pulls them into a safe shot !! I have to admit that we havent tried the wet cat food yet, Maybe that should be our next step and as you say just sit out for it for another evening or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim85 Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Cat food / Dog food maybe a good option! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonker Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Frenchieboy i had a troublesome one last night, I've had good success with a small scaffold tower up the end of a building , but not high enough to highlight yourself as it's movement they pick up on. Cover the outside with camo net, so your sat in the dark. Bait your killing zone, and then it's a matter of waiting it out, days can turn into weeks but eventually he'll make a mistake and you'll be there. Ps let them get used to the tower first before you start to use it ( a few days) Good luck!! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrshiretaxidermy Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 The earths on a neighbouring farm? Farmer and neighbour most likely are friends, farmer phones friend to request permission on your behalf to sit and wait on this fox bringing home the bacon. Bang, your dead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 The earths on a neighbouring farm? Farmer and neighbour most likely are friends, farmer phones friend to request permission on your behalf to sit and wait on this fox bringing home the bacon. Bang, your dead! Yes that would be the ideal thing and should get the problem sorted without any problems but the neighbouring landowner is a real pain in the neck and a bit of an "anti". He will not allow anyone permission to shoot on his land. The farmer has already tried speaking to the neighbouring farmer about the problem with foxes in the past but he will not have it and believes that foxes have as much right to live as any other pigeon/corvid, animal, pest or vermin species! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazle Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Yes that would be the ideal thing and should get the problem sorted without any problems but the neighbouring landowner is a real pain in the neck and a bit of an "anti". He will not allow anyone permission to shoot on his land. The farmer has already tried speaking to the neighbouring farmer about the problem with foxes in the past but he will not have it and believes that foxes have as much right to live as any other pigeon/corvid, animal, pest or vermin species! I can understand that a farmer wants to leave the foxes alone, if they control rabbits and he has no livestock himself. I also know a farmer with a phobia of snakes who likes foxes as he believes they kill them. Funny old lot, farmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I agree with you regarding traps - every fox I've had in a trap has been young (apart from the RSPCA released urbans, and they're virtually starving, so will go for any food at all). I'd want to bait a safe shooting area if possible. Torn open rabbit, wet cat/dog food or the like, do it for 3 or 4 days, and hopefully he'll get used to coming in for a free feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Forget the call, it will probably be more off putting to an old wise and well fed chicken thief. Smelly cat food or other will do if it is smeared liberally around the place and will occupy while you get the shot placement sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 its rare you find a proper farmer who wont let you on to deal with an actual current problem, though I suspect "proper" might not be the correct term in this case. I had it once, but they were not proper farmers both lft for real work in their best shirts shoes etc at 8;15 am! Situation as is I might personally be tempted to actually feed it butchers waste or the like just to give him an easy feed (diversion feeding) and get there as and when you can. Problem still stands kill the dog and the vixen is bound to come with those hungry mouths, with real luck she might move them? Never actually done (well not intentionally anyhow LOL) this but its got be worth a stab. Never used traps (prefer snares and I might even make a channelled pop hole for one to work) but if it will happily go in the hen house and pen just make a big one maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 A quick update: The farmer has just phoned me a short while ago to say that the large chicken did in fact turn out to be one of his that the fox took yesterday and that it was around 2:30 in the afternoon. By all accounts the fox has been back this afternoon (It has been pretty wet and rainy around here so I stayed home) This time the fox took one of the ducks just after 2:00 o'clock. The farmer saw it but was a little too late as the fox was on his way with his prize but it ran within about 30 feet of the farmer. He has noted the place where the fox left the field under the sheep wire fencing and the direction that the fox headed off in, which is roughly where we think the earth is on the neighbouring land. To travel to and frow to the poultry field (If he follows a set run) the fox will almost certainly be coming in along a gully which is only about 25 yards from a perfect cover and shooting spot. I have explained that I can not make tomorrow afternoon (And that the forecast says fairly heavy rain for Saturday afternoon) but I will be there on Sunday from 1:00 onwards and sit it out all afternoon if need be with a spot well baited with some of the smelliest cat food I can get my hands on scuffed into the ground where I would like to shoot the little tyke. Time will tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I'd seriously suggest pre-baiting with cat food for a few days before shooting over the bait. Foxes are pretty neophobic, and it's quite possible that the 'brand-new' smell of the cat food will make him more cautious. The older the fox, generally the more neophobic they get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 In the past we have tied a dead chicken on a long piece of string and dragged it round the field then left it where we wanted to shoot the fox,it worked a treat it was a bit of a wait though but job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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