foxes taking roe fawns

Mungo

Well-Known Member
I'd be very interested to hear people's thoughts on this:

How much of a threat do people think foxes are to roe deer fawns?

I have to admit that until recently, I hadn't thought of them as much of a threat at all, but then came across a Scandinavian study that found that foxes were taking about 40% of fawns under 40 days old.

Thoughts?
 
I don't see why not if they take lambs and hares regularly but to be honest I had never even thought about it before
 
They certainly do take them. I've seen it happen a couple of times.

The does can get extremely aggressive towards foxes when they have new kids, I think that speaks for itself.
 
Came across a fox den a good few years ago while out with Belgian clients. We found 14 seperate remains of roe calves there. One of the clients took photo's and wrote an article for their hunting press as it was thought, by their conservationists ,that foxes did not take calves. Those were those that we found. How many more were there ?? John
 
Thats amazing, have you got a link to that study? could be a useful one for future 'discussions'
 
I too have seen them try and also the spirited fight the Doe puts up to defend them. I watched one fox circle the Doe with twins for 20 minutes making repeated efforts to grab a kid and be chased away each time by a stamping mother. David
 
The reference is Jarnemo et al. 2004 Can. J. Zool 82:416-422.

I can't link the whole paper, but here is the abstract:

Abstract:Mortality in radio-marked European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus(Linnaeus, 1758)) neonates was studied
during 14 years in a mixed forest–agricultural landscape in Sweden. A total of 233 fawns were marked. Births were
synchronized, with 79% occurring during 25 days and a peak between 25 May and 7 June encompassing 62% of the
births. Overall mortality was 42%, but in three single years, it exceeded 85%. Predation by red fox (Vulpes vulpes
Desmarest, 1820) accounted for 81% of total mortality. The effects of age, sex, and time of birth on the vulnerability
to predation were analysed. Fawns born just after the birth peak had the lowest predation risk. Predation rate was high-est for the fawns that had the very earliest or the very latest birth dates. Predation thereby seems to strengthen the
birth synchrony in roe deer. Contrary to earlier published findings, there was no difference in susceptibility to predation
between the sexes. Also differing from earlier findings was that predation rate was highest during the first week of life
and declined thereafter almost linearly. The majority of the fawns (85%) were killed before 30 days of age and 98%
before 40 days. Different types of landscapes may explain the discrepancies between our study and earlier findings.
 
Another one which may be of interest: Jarnemo 2004 Predation processes: behavioural interactions between red fox and roe deer during the fawning season. J. of Ethology 22:167-173.

Abstract: Predation by red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most important mortality cause for neonatal roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Scandinavia. With the objective of investigating how the fox finds fawns and how antipredatory behaviour of roe deer females influences choice of hunting method, I analysed observations of interactions between red fox and roe deer females. The observations were collected over 14 years in a mixed forest/agricultural landscape in Sweden. Of 49 fox-doe encounters, the doe attacked the fox in 59%. In 90% of these attacks the fox was successfully deterred. In two observations a doe saved a fawn attacked by a fox. Two hunting methods used by the fox were discerned. In 28 cases foxes searched the ground, and in 18 cases they surveyed open areas, often from a forest edge. The latter behaviour seemed more directed at fawns and was seen leading to a capture attempt. Searching seemed less efficient and also difficult to conduct due to the aggressiveness of does. A surveying sit-and-wait type of hunting method thus appeared as the most successful. The possibility to use this method could explain why roe deer fawns are more vulnerable to fox predation in open habitats.
 
Back in the 80s in Sweden there was an outbreak of scab in the fox population causing the fox population to crash. As the fox declined the roe deer population rose to record levels.
Now the fox is back to good numbers and the roe population has declined. Still plenty of roe about though.
 
Yes certainly, have found the remains at dens, of course its hard to say how many they killed and how many they picked up already dead natural mortality can be high in Roe kids.
 
A purely unscientific comparison of course, but... I shoot over 2 golf courses. On one, the greens keeper has a zero tolerance policy on foxes, and I've managed to more or less keep a lid on them. On the other, they prefer the foxes left alone, and there are at least 7 adults permanently resident. Courses similar for most other variables. On the fox free course, the roe have successfully recruited 6 over the last 2 years. The other has managed just one. That's what set me thinking.
 
Someone once posted a video on the site with the doe chasing a fox away from the fawn. I have shot a number of foxes that were trying to pick off newly born lambs so fawns would be no different!
 
I imagine so used to help my father keeper a shoot on a farm with sheep and seen them take lambs and kill the pregnant uwes when they roll over in the frost. Also watched a fox kill a muntjac fawn last november. I didnt realise until it was too late then i could not shoot as it was on a neighbours ground where i did not have permission.
 
Here's one I shot a year or two ago,and the kid was still warm.The fox had a job to drag it through the grass,it looked like it was limping badly as I watched it come out of the long grass and then it became obvious as to why he was struggling...........

IMG_0560-1.jpg


Martin
 
I have in the past seen a Doe with twins of reasonable age watch a fox walk straight past without showing very much concern. I would expect the fawns that end up as fox food or either very newly born, or fawns that are hidden by their mothers, but their mother has been frightened off by dogs or something else so the fawn has become weak, or its fawn that is caught up againsty a fence / brambles etc. I would have thought a healthy fawn can out run most foxes. There was a research study 20 odd years ago that showed that the vast majority of dead lambs, including those taken by preditors have empty stomachs and have either a) never fed as in the case of newborns, or b) have become separated from their mothers and become very weak. Undoubtedly foxes do take lambs and fawns but would suggest that most lambs / fawns that are eaten or either dead from cold and lack of food or pretty much going that way.
 
I have in the past seen a Doe with twins of reasonable age watch a fox walk straight past without showing very much concern. I would expect the fawns that end up as fox food or either very newly born, or fawns that are hidden by their mothers, but their mother has been frightened off by dogs or something else so the fawn has become weak, or its fawn that is caught up againsty a fence / brambles etc. I would have thought a healthy fawn can out run most foxes. There was a research study 20 odd years ago that showed that the vast majority of dead lambs, including those taken by preditors have empty stomachs and have either a) never fed as in the case of newborns, or b) have become separated from their mothers and become very weak. Undoubtedly foxes do take lambs and fawns but would suggest that most lambs / fawns that are eaten or either dead from cold and lack of food or pretty much going that way.

A fox is an opportunist and will take what he can get, of course he picks up dead lambs, they will also readily kill live lambs often one of twins as its much more difficult for her to guard two.


If you had spent day after day looking for a den, and having to deal with an irate shepherd who each morning has found another lamb is missing, you would have no doubt that they kill lambs.

A lot depends on the environment low ground foxes with a plentiful food supply may rear a litter of cubs in near proximity to sheep without the farmer loosing a lamb.

A Highland situation is completely different ,while a lone fox could dine well enough on odd meal he can catch supplemented by carrion, to find enough to feed a growing family in this situation is much harder.


In the Highlands cubbing time coincides with lambing time, and lambs provide an easy source of food for an increasingly hungry growing family of cubs.
 
if you consider how much of the fawns early days are spent unaccompanied I would say they are probably an easier target than any your mammals of a similar size that spends its time with one or other parent

​roe will chase predators but they need to be in the same vicinity to do so
 
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