Millomite Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Lost 61 birds this morning to a fox. We dont know how it got in the pen. No holes, electric fence still on and snares all round. The weird thing is the fox got back out and we caught it in a snare. We cant work out how it got in and out, our guess is through the fox grids!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSA Shaun Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 (edited) Just a suggestion, are you sure that the fox was not attracted by commotion and was not the real culprit and got caught in the snare. Maybe it was a mink / stoat or such like? Sounds appaling anyways Edited July 8, 2008 by BSA Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millomite Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Poults were all buried in the pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulkyuk Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Bad news, but at least you got it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Unfortunate mate, dont loose heart though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I would get out with the lamp tonight if I were in your position, there may well be others, especially if the fox was a young one. Was there a dead poult near the snared fox? If not, you have more than one, as it would probably have been taking one away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSA Shaun Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 but at least you got it Absolutely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millomite Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Got a dog cub out lamping the same night less than 400 yards from the pen too. The one we got was a biggish vixen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Got a dog cub out lamping the same night less than 400 yards from the pen too. The one we got was a biggish vixen There's going to be more cubs, and without the vixen they are going to be hungry, get the lamp out! At least you got her, that's a result. I would put more snares down also, they probably know where your pen is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Don't know how many birds you started with but any shoot should always be prepared for some losses if not by foxes and other vermin then disease and simple stoopidity (on the part of the birds not you) as reared game will always find some way or another of dieing! I doubt there's a shoot in the country that hasn't had some problems with die off but catastrophe no...you can always buy in some more birds and the closer to the season the cheaper they get so every cloud has a silver lining! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poacher Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 There's going to be more cubs, and without the vixen they are going to be hungry, get the lamp out! At least you got her, that's a result. I would put more snares down also, they probably know where your pen is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millomite Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Don't know how many birds you started with but any shoot should always be prepared for some losses if not by foxes and other vermin then disease and simple stoopidity (on the part of the birds not you) as reared game will always find some way or another of dieing! I doubt there's a shoot in the country that hasn't had some problems with die off but catastrophe no...you can always buy in some more birds and the closer to the season the cheaper they get so every cloud has a silver lining! Out of 200 in that pen. We're a small shoot with a stretched budget as it is. We'll have to see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Sorry to hear that mate. I don't know what your policy is on pest control but one of my pest control permission's keepers don't want us to shoot fox - as that's "their thing". They don't bother with rabbit control which costs the farmer money and don't like the idea of me lamping (rabbits) there. The farm manager say's otherwise up till August. Point is they rarely get round to foxing because they are too busy. My feeling is that it's better for foxy to steer clear of somewhere it knows is dangerous rather than let it keep taking birds just so the keeper can nip out once a month in the hope he sees it. I have also been asked to stop leaving a bunny or two where the farmer will see it, perhaps Mr Gamekeeper thinks I'm baiting his fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Dave-G I've a similar thing on my main shoot the syndicate "keeper" hates the fact we're out controlling rabbits even though we do it sensibly ie staying away from pens etc when birds are down etc what he doesn't realise is the few K he pays for the game rights is nothing compared to losses rabbits can do, bearing in mind all my rabbiting is pretty much done with the farmer its not going to stop and the syndicate will be out before hand. As for this one you got a fox doesn't necessarily mean you got the one so best be on the lookout as if it was another then you'll get another visit from the one that did the damage. check the electric fence and maybe alter the height of it but these things do happen sadly its part of running a shoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulkyuk Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 There's going to be more cubs, and without the vixen they are going to be hungry, get the lamp out! At least you got her, that's a result. I would put more snares down also, they probably know where your pen is now. Very sound advise - we were out last night and shot a dog & vixen, tonight we will be out after the cubs it could be that a cub got in through your fox grids and the vixen was outside sniffing about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadkill Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 some gamekeepers are very funny like that on a large estate i shoot on , i can take pigeons all day long but were not to touch the foxes as there for him and yet he only goes out once in a blue moon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Poults were all buried in the pen find this to be worrying me most off all Out with the lamp for the next few nights at least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Poults were all buried in the pen find this to be worrying me most off all Out with the lamp for the next few nights at least The good news being that the cubs will squeek easily enough without the vixen in attendance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Poults were all buried in the pen find this to be worrying me most off all Out with the lamp for the next few nights at least The good news being that the cubs will squeek easily enough without the vixen in attendance. They will bob but never know a fox to Berry its kill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 They will bury food in times of plenty, as in this raid on a pen, it's known as caching, whether they remember where it is, is anybodies guess. I shot several Brent (on Licence) a few years back, the following morning most had been buried by a fox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 You live en learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 (edited) Very few farmers and farm managers can afford to let a keeper's reluctance to allow rabbit control to take precedence over the farming. The gross margin on cereals and OSR is pretty abysmal now, with fert and fuel costs going up by the day. Losing tens of thousands of pounds of wheat to the rabbits will infuriate the occupier more than anything, and may be enough to prompt him to tell the keeper to get back in his box. Mink also cache food (big problem with them in Essex), but Scott's prob definitely sounds like fox. Edited July 8, 2008 by Baldrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 You live en learn They don't do it that often, as there is not often an abundance of food, normally, as opportunists, they will eat what they find. If they buried one rabbit it would not be noticed. In cases like this, and especially if they are unbdisturbed, it's not uncommon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 ****** (Would be the first thing that i would say when i saw the mess.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quist Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Lost 61 birds this morning to a fox. We dont know how it got in the pen. No holes, electric fence still on and snares all round. The weird thing is the fox got back out and we caught it in a snare. We cant work out how it got in and out, our guess is through the fox grids!!!! Really sorry to read that. Its pretty gutting to put in all the work and then lose so many all at once. I suggest you re-bury some of them by your snares, then there's a chance of nailing a few more charlies with them. Foxes do bury and they're not above digging up each others caches so there's a chance to get a bit of use out of the dead birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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