Fox Territory

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Foxyboy43

Foxyboy43

Well-Known Member
I have shot problem foxes for many years but this last two years has seen a significant increase in the number I have accounted for to the extent that I am starting to think that their recorded distribution requires a significant rethink. If you read what is available the average fox domain varies between 2-5 square miles in food-rich areas through 5-8 square miles where food is harder to come by right up to very many square miles in high ground where food is scarce. Fine, great, super.
Then this year I have three new permissions - all rural with very little by way of prey species (rabbit/hare/birds etc.) and all three have two fields within them totalling perhaps 5-6 acres which have produced 14; 14 and 15 foxes respectively.
Of course some of these were cubs but the vast bulk were adults in full pelage - the latest being last night - an adult dog (number 15) plus two others seen from less than 200 yards away from where it was shot. Reading the many posts on SD it is clear that similar densities are common across the UK - sooo the big two part question for me is - are the reported fox density numbers utter rubbish and if so where the hell are they all coming from?
As an afterthought - is the advent of thermal spotters in common usage telling us things we never even suspected?
Be good to hear your thoughts, chaps.
🦊🦊
 
Foxy, years ago the Game Conservancy had a territory during the breeding season at about 1 square mile, maybe less now at about 1 sq K. Foxes do not become truly territorial till mating, usually Dec-Jan, and particularly once the vixen starts digging earths. The cubs can be supported by barren vixens also. This time of year is completely different, dogs will travel long distances to pair with vixens, cubs are dispersed by the vixen/ A lot of immigrants looking for territories, You may also be unlucky & have a town nearby, there is an inexhaustible supply there. Good luck, & keep at them.
 
Mr Tree said:
Foxy, years ago the Game Conservancy had a territory during the breeding season at about 1 square mile, maybe less now at about 1 sq K. Foxes do not become truly territorial till mating, usually Dec-Jan, and particularly once the vixen starts digging earths. The cubs can be supported by barren vixens also. This time of year is completely different, dogs will travel long distances to pair with vixens, cubs are dispersed by the vixen/ A lot of immigrants looking for territories, You may also be unlucky & have a town nearby, there is an inexhaustible supply there. Good luck, & keep at them.
Click to expand...
Interesting thank you Mr T - the only common factor is that all three are primarily sheep rearing but I have never seen a dead sheep left out (more so the pity). The nearest habitation is 6 miles away - well within fox range I guess, no quiet releasing of RTAs “repairs” but the density in these small areas is puzzling.
🦊🦊
 
Where I am theres plenty of folk out after the foxes. I hear from the farmers that neighbour one another who's shot what and when. I think more get shot now with the advances in night vision but, its similar numbers year on year. My conclusion is they must be constantly be on the move to fill the vacuum created.
 
Thermal has been a game changer - where we would be out for a few hours - and on the move disturbing things i now sit and watch
I have had 2 years of 130 ish from 300 acres - this year so far only 33 - so we can make a difference - just got to keep on going
We have a large village very close and a council "nature reserve" - and they love the local industrial units and the railway and motorway banks
Densities are far far higher than was once understood - of that there can be no doubt
 
Bit of a long post here, but Ill try to keep it simple. 25 years ago, the GCT did a lot of research on fox movement by radio tracking. Their research was based mainly on predation of wild birds, partridges in particular & did not necessarily apply to reared birds. In short, their research showed that killing foxes at this time of year was basically a waste of time, for 2 reasons. There were so many foxes about that it didn't matter there would be another one soon enough, & also wild birds particularly partridges are well capable of looking after themselves. However.. there research showed that the crucial time for fox control was January to March, when vixens are pregnant, accompanied by dogs & are establishing territories. Foxes in the surrounding areas are doing the same, if you take them out then, than the gap is less likely to be filled, as other foxes in the area have territories too. There will always be a case later on when a vixen will move her cubs in to a vacant area, I have had them move them from over a mile away, but its not usual, unless she senses extreme danger.
So, on my farm 100 hectares, I have a good chance of a pair of breeding foxes. Plus the surrounding 4 sq hectares, I then have a further 4 pairs. Thats 10 foxes plus say a couple more 12-15 foxes. I have 3 months to get rid of them before cubbing & the crops getting too tall.
Heres what happened on my farm. In the first lockdown I invested in NV & a Thermal, the first 2 years I shot 165 foxes, the third year I shot 30, last year I shot 2, this spring time from feb till start September I only saw 3 foxes, I shot 2 of them, old Longarse I left alone, & he leaves me alone, who knows he might even be keeping other dogs away. I shot 9 since harvest, mainly cubs & 2 vixens. Haven't seen one since. It can be done, my nearest town is 3 miles away, & I have a river on one side. Maybe other farmers now are doing there bit, but Ive not heard anything. Also I dont keep stock anymore, lambing & calving time is a fox magnet, they come from far & wide. Hare numbers are now approaching ridiculous, partridge pheasant plovers skylarks are up too. Probably none of this applies if you got poults that need protection in the summer & autumn. the bottom line is .. if you got foxes breeding on or near your patch, you left it too late, stop them & it makes a hell of a difference. I been doing this for half a century but I feel I turned a corner now. It would be good to hear others experiences too. Good luck
 
Mr Tree said:
Bit of a long post here, but Ill try to keep it simple. 25 years ago, the GCT did a lot of research on fox movement by radio tracking. Their research was based mainly on predation of wild birds, partridges in particular & did not necessarily apply to reared birds. In short, their research showed that killing foxes at this time of year was basically a waste of time, for 2 reasons. There were so many foxes about that it didn't matter there would be another one soon enough, & also wild birds particularly partridges are well capable of looking after themselves. However.. there research showed that the crucial time for fox control was January to March, when vixens are pregnant, accompanied by dogs & are establishing territories. Foxes in the surrounding areas are doing the same, if you take them out then, than the gap is less likely to be filled, as other foxes in the area have territories too. There will always be a case later on when a vixen will move her cubs in to a vacant area, I have had them move them from over a mile away, but its not usual, unless she senses extreme danger.
So, on my farm 100 hectares, I have a good chance of a pair of breeding foxes. Plus the surrounding 4 sq hectares, I then have a further 4 pairs. Thats 10 foxes plus say a couple more 12-15 foxes. I have 3 months to get rid of them before cubbing & the crops getting too tall.
Heres what happened on my farm. In the first lockdown I invested in NV & a Thermal, the first 2 years I shot 165 foxes, the third year I shot 30, last year I shot 2, this spring time from feb till start September I only saw 3 foxes, I shot 2 of them, old Longarse I left alone, & he leaves me alone, who knows he might even be keeping other dogs away. I shot 9 since harvest, mainly cubs & 2 vixens. Haven't seen one since. It can be done, my nearest town is 3 miles away, & I have a river on one side. Maybe other farmers now are doing there bit, but Ive not heard anything. Also I dont keep stock anymore, lambing & calving time is a fox magnet, they come from far & wide. Hare numbers are now approaching ridiculous, partridge pheasant plovers skylarks are up too. Probably none of this applies if you got poults that need protection in the summer & autumn. the bottom line is .. if you got foxes breeding on or near your patch, you left it too late, stop them & it makes a hell of a difference. I been doing this for half a century but I feel I turned a corner now. It would be good to hear others experiences too. Good luck
Click to expand...
Seen similar patterns but relax a year and you are back square one!
 
We have more foxes thanever so far this year! I have put our local increase in population down to "city dwellers" who have moved in and set up Glamping sites locally, in fact even if they have a shed its tarted up and used as rustic camping.. Their business flyers and FaceBook ads, say come and feed the foxes and badgers...!
 
Plummer said:
We have more foxes thanever so far this year! I have put our local increase in population down to "city dwellers" who have moved in and set up Glamping sites locally, in fact even if they have a shed its tarted up and used as rustic camping.. Their business flyers and FaceBook ads, say come and feed the foxes and badgers...!
Click to expand...
I had exactly the same thing, 9 foxes all came from my neighbours camping & caravan park this autumn.
 
If you keep at 'em you can collapse a local population of foxes, they aren't prolific breeders in comparison to rats... I've even collapsed the rat population on the two pig units I shoot, but you have to keep at them, they do build up a little over the summer as the undergrowth and short nights make it difficult, but when I start up properly on the rat shootin' I don't see the same quantity as when I started on these units.
 
Mr Tree said:
Bit of a long post here, but Ill try to keep it simple. 25 years ago, the GCT did a lot of research on fox movement by radio tracking. Their research was based mainly on predation of wild birds, partridges in particular & did not necessarily apply to reared birds. In short, their research showed that killing foxes at this time of year was basically a waste of time, for 2 reasons. There were so many foxes about that it didn't matter there would be another one soon enough, & also wild birds particularly partridges are well capable of looking after themselves. However.. there research showed that the crucial time for fox control was January to March, when vixens are pregnant, accompanied by dogs & are establishing territories. Foxes in the surrounding areas are doing the same, if you take them out then, than the gap is less likely to be filled, as other foxes in the area have territories too. There will always be a case later on when a vixen will move her cubs in to a vacant area, I have had them move them from over a mile away, but its not usual, unless she senses extreme danger.
So, on my farm 100 hectares, I have a good chance of a pair of breeding foxes. Plus the surrounding 4 sq hectares, I then have a further 4 pairs. Thats 10 foxes plus say a couple more 12-15 foxes. I have 3 months to get rid of them before cubbing & the crops getting too tall.
Heres what happened on my farm. In the first lockdown I invested in NV & a Thermal, the first 2 years I shot 165 foxes, the third year I shot 30, last year I shot 2, this spring time from feb till start September I only saw 3 foxes, I shot 2 of them, old Longarse I left alone, & he leaves me alone, who knows he might even be keeping other dogs away. I shot 9 since harvest, mainly cubs & 2 vixens. Haven't seen one since. It can be done, my nearest town is 3 miles away, & I have a river on one side. Maybe other farmers now are doing there bit, but Ive not heard anything. Also I dont keep stock anymore, lambing & calving time is a fox magnet, they come from far & wide. Hare numbers are now approaching ridiculous, partridge pheasant plovers skylarks are up too. Probably none of this applies if you got poults that need protection in the summer & autumn. the bottom line is .. if you got foxes breeding on or near your patch, you left it too late, stop them & it makes a hell of a difference. I been doing this for half a century but I feel I turned a corner now. It would be good to hear others experiences too. Good luck
Click to expand...
Wow! What an infestation and a great example of what can be achieved over a relatively short period. A great pity our “conservationist friends” won’t read this and perhaps learn something from it…
🦊🦊
 
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