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The moral dilemma of fox control


WelshMike
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Both very true, but if not you are stuffed.

 

What I do not understand if this feeling that if I do not shoot them someone else will, that is not always true is it?

 

I will add some effort should be made to find the cubs, so there are badgers on the ground, so what ? Do not go near the setts, the cubs could be anywhere, possibly in a sett, but equally possible that they are not. Got to look.

Im afraid it is very true if you dont shoot what ever the problem vermin may be the landowner will get someone that will shoot it then you have lost your permission to shoot

Edited by Rim Fire
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I'd love to know just how much fox shooting you do for sheep/poultry farms. Care to enlighten us ?

 

None. Well on my upland stalking ground the shepherd appreciates it if we level any foxes we see, and I do in the right circumstances, but not for his sheep, for the few remaining black grouse on the ground.

 

I also shoot foxes on my own game shoot, mainly when the poults are to pen and again late winter after shooting season but also check out any holes with terriers around the same time. But this is not really for the pheasants although they do benefit, they are put and take, all my vermin control is aimed at protecting the grey partridges.

 

Mikes subsequent posts explains the situation better, any likely places are off his ground and inaccessible, which is perfectly acceptable. My point was if you shoot a milky vixen then some effort should be made to find the cubs, sometimes it is feasible, sometimes not, but an attempt needs to made if possible.

 

Shooting the vixen and thinking well the cubs will be dead in a day or two, they are stinking vermin anyway, and the farmer made me do it etc etc, is not on IMO, not that I am saying in any way that this is Mikes attitude. But some folk do think like that.

Edited by scolopax
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I'm not keen on killing foxes at any time of year to be honest, simply because I think they're such bonny creatures. But the fact is I do, along with rabbits, corvids and all other pest species; because I cherish my shooting and want to keep the land I have.

We can't blame the fox, or the pigeon, or the crow etc, they're just doing what they do to survive. It's just life, and life in the wild is unbelievably harsh and often painfully short I'm afraid.

 

Interestingly along my feeling a lot of the time - I struggle to see how people can 'hate' any animal - they are all there for the same reason as any of us. To hate something for killing to survive is fairly hippocratic for a human.

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Well done Mike :good: good write up bud. Iv'e had 3 vixens this week 1 not in pup other 2 milky one's, they where call out from farm losing lambs so got shot. :yes: atb T

Cheers Terry. Glad you to see you are keeping up the good work. I hope the sofa isnt missing you to much buddy :lol:

 

Thanks for everybody else's comments as well. In some ways posting a title like the one for this post was likely to cause a bit of discussion. I love shooting and try and act responsibly and in a manner that I can reconcile in my own mind. I know that this is true of many others. Sometimes it is all to easy to avoid posting pics that cause discussion but I think it is better to post them and see what happens as a lot of interesting comments come out.

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nice one pal,this is the time of year i get all the phone calls,if i be honest every one i shoot i hope its not a milky vixen,but it does happen from time to time,but i am a fox controller and have been for the last 30 years

+1

 

Out again tonight for another lamb killer .....wish they would behave themselves.

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nice one pal,this is the time of year i get all the phone calls,if i be honest every one i shoot i hope its not a milky vixen,but it does happen from time to time,but i am a fox controller and have been for the last 30 years

 

The fact you posted this and then discussed openly speaks volumes Mike, well done.

Cheers gents

 

+1

 

Out again tonight for another lamb killer .....wish they would behave themselves.

Naughty little blighters arent they.

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I've lost too many lambs this year to fox, now dead I'm glad to report. As for the cubs, tough. Better they die than me loose a further potential £1200.00.

Well said sir, I only keep pigs, so as yet don't have a problem with the fox.

But I do shoot two free range units, and they want every fox shot any time of year. If I let anything go no matter what age or sex it was I'd be out on my ear!!

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That vixen's belly looks well furred. Was she actually suckling or is it just that she had been suckling Cubs which are now weaned?

Either way, she would have killed whatever wildlife she could have got hold of. Well done in stopping her from doing so.

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Seems to me that it's the same dilemma for any vermin control really, some vermin look 'cuter' than others but on moral grounds the species doesn't matter. The fact that some vermin enter the food chain doesn't deal with the moral issue of leaving orphaned young behind. The problem is, as Mike points out, you can't tell until it's too late.

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Thanks again gents for all the comments. I was out again last week on one of my regular pieces of ground and had a chance to shoot a fox but I declined. Not a difficult shot but I wanted to see if I could confirm if the fox was using a set of holes about 600 yards from where I was. The fox headed off back to the holes thus confirming my suspicion. Given that the lambs on this piece of ground are older and thus larger the fox is not likely to cause an issue so I will leave them alone for the time being unless I get a call in which case I will regret my decision. Hopefully I will not get a call and I can go and deal with the entire family in about 8 weeks when the cubs are above ground.

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Its strange really, i know people who will not shoot cubs, yet say next july /August will happily shoot said cubs at a year or so old. I can see where they are coming from in there opinion and comments. Just a little strange how within a year that fox becomes shootable

I totally agree. Also the argument about it not being "sporting" to kill cubs. It isnt sporting to creep up on an animal with NV kit and shoot it, in fact it isnt sporting to kill things at all. In reality foxes have the potential to cause a lot of damage to livestock and as such as long as they have a humane death I dont have any issues with size.

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No moral dilema at all, shot on sight!

That's about it 🤗

Any vermin

 

 

Also drive by road kill without a thought along with the rest of the population

Never see anyone get out and look to see if it was milky then form a search party to look for the set to sort the Cubs

Just a thought 🙃

 

So recon I'm a bad man to 😉

 

All the best

Of

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That's about it

Any vermin

 

 

Also drive by road kill without a thought along with the rest of the population

Never see anyone get out and look to see if it was milky then form a search party to look for the set to sort the Cubs

Just a thought

 

So recon I'm a bad man to

 

All the best

Of

Sorry Old Farrier I didnt directly answer your question...Yes I think you are a bad man, If I hit an animal I always spare a thought for how I am going to get the mess off my truck :lol:

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Sorry Old Farrier I didnt directly answer your question...Yes I think you are a bad man, If I hit an animal I always spare a thought for how I am going to get the mess off my truck :lol:

Yes they do make a mess lol my last outing tonight a big pig is visiting our bait points and keeping others away so he goes tonight mabe hahha

Edited by Rim Fire
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