Dealing with a suburban fox

[Bo Diddley]

Just buy a .22LR and use subs, job done, covert is the name of the game.

PS, I have an open ticket, permission to shoot land all around my house, but my neighbour is a Chris Packham desciple, I shoot loads of foxes from my attic window, it does have an overhanging roof that covers the balcony, I'm sure this helps with the noise, I use my .22Hornet mostly, and never at 9.30 pm when they walk the rescue greyhounds around the garden on leashes... no complaints... yet
I'm in the countryside, mind, village life...

 

[Rake Aboot]

Yup, sleekit is the name of the game

 

[Smellydog]

Get a crossbow....oh, did I say that out loud....

 

[crow killer]

Need ideas for dealing with a suburban fox getting into my garden, it's making an awful mess and the lawn stinks of fox among other mess that it makes.

Lots of cats about so I think a snare is out of the question unless people know of a snare that will let cats out but hold a fox?

Shooting with a rimmy with bags of sand is an option but unsure of the old bill's view on this - ticket is open if that helps.

Ideas?

I would just enjoy having it, its not doing any harm in a town, shoot it and another will probably soon come, fox smell only lasts a couple of hours, limited amount of fox ****, and digging, just feed it and watch and be happy,. Mind be a different story if it was in the countryside.

 

[25 Sharps]

I think you would be kissing goodbye to your license!

Why, if it was a safe shot it’s a safe shot.

Plenty of pest controllers do it in London without losing their licence, I’ve shot a fox in central London on 2 different occasions, not on a garden but on a commercial premises surrounded by houses, with centrefires. Still have my licence.

 

[Smellydog]

I would just enjoy having it, its not doing any harm in a town, shoot it and another will probably soon come, fox smell only lasts a couple of hours, limited amount of fox ****, and digging, just feed it and watch and be happy,. Mind be a different story if it was in the countryside.

Mange spreading to pets!

 

[kevtherev]

As all mentioned silenced .22 a fox trap correctly baited or one of those Hush power shotguns

 

[BenBhoy]

Having never trapped a fox, do they stay quiet once trapped?

Yep, until you approach following morning then they get but agitated.

 

[25 Sharps]

.17 HMR with a moderator will be fine for a trapped animal, the moderator will remove the muzzle report and the short distance travelled will mean limited sonic boom.

To be fair @JMikeyH if your garden isn't long the same will apply as the sonic crack will be so short lived it won't raise a lot of attention, conventional wisdom is that people don't hear, or at least don't recognise the sound of the first shot so it is only if they hear a second that they realise what the first was, so don't miss with the first!!

As long as the backstop is safe, crack on!

 

[Tim.243]

Having never trapped a fox, do they stay quiet once trapped?

Hope it is not the family vehicle! Get some air fresheners as you mentioned the stink on the lawn!

 

[Trickyd66]

Hope it is not the family vehicle! Get some air fresheners as you mentioned the stink on the lawn!

Thankfully not my issue but sound advice to the op.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Why, if it was a safe shot it’s a safe shot.

Plenty of pest controllers do it in London without losing their licence, I’ve shot a fox in central London on 2 different occasions, not on a garden but on a commercial premises surrounded by houses, with centrefires. Still have my licence.

I would guess most pest controllers in Central London would call it in?
Theres a world of difference sniping a fox in a back garden from an upstairs window with a .22 to shooting through a garage at ground level through a pedestrian doorway with limited view of the rest of the garden with an HMR.
Without seeing the OP’s garden none of us can say for sure how safe it could be.
Even if it was safe, an HMR in the confines of a garage is like a bomb going off so there’s the potential of a huge can of worms opening up, disturbing the peace, anti socal behaviour, neighbours feeling threatened etc that could result in a load of hassle and the chance of your guns being seized and questions asked later.
Then throw in the chance of a negligent discharge, or clipping the fox and it making off and bleeding out on next doors patio etc is it really worth that?
Too many if’s and but’s especially with an HMR in a domestic garden in my view.

 

[25 Sharps]

I would guess most pest controllers in Central London would call it in?
Theres a world of difference sniping a fox in a back garden from an upstairs window with a .22 to shooting through a garage at ground level through a pedestrian doorway with limited view of the rest of the garden with an HMR.
Without seeing the OP’s garden none of us can say for sure how safe it could be.
Even if it was safe, an HMR in the confines of a garage is like a bomb going off so there’s the potential of a huge can of worms opening up, disturbing the peace, anti socal behaviour, neighbours feeling threatened etc that could result in a load of hassle and the chance of your guns being seized and questions asked later.
Then throw in the chance of a negligent discharge, or clipping the fox and it making off and bleeding out on next doors patio etc is it really worth that?
Too many if’s and but’s especially with an HMR in a domestic garden in my view.

Even without a moderator it would never sound ‘like a bomb going off’ moderated with a decent moderator most of the sound signature would be from the flight of the bullet, which, if over a short distance (like a domestic garden) would be reduced.

As for the safety of the shot, if there is a suitable back stop, like sandbags behind a bait point (as the OP suggested) then a shot from the garage will be no more dangerous than a shot from a window.

Shoot it off of sticks in the head whilst its head is down feeding and you have the ground and the bags as backstop.

As long as that bullet goes into the brain the fox isn’t going anywhere to upset the neighbours. This should be a relatively easy shot at domestic garden distances, for anyone able to shoot well.

The one pest controller I know in London doesn’t call it in, the police have far more important things to worry about than someone safely going about their lawful business.

Sounds like you should stick to pellets.

 

[25 Sharps]

Decided to try a cage trap, and then I'll take it to farm metaphorically and physically

I would check the legalities of transporting a live, caged fox first

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Sounds like you should stick to pellets.

Thanks but i’ll stick to using the right tool for the circumstances, in this case the OP has voiced a concern over noise, having had to deal with an irate member of the public when using an HMR in a perfectly lawful and safe manner in past i definately wouldn’t recommend it in a garden with neighbours in close proximity.
You seem well up for it though, maybe offer to go round and sort it?

 

[Smellydog]

17 hmr in these circumstances, a presumed densely populated area is probably a safer bet than a 22!

 

[BenBhoy]

Folk are always saying cant get too dead - has OP not got a .270???

 

[Bo Diddley]

Folk are always saying cant get too dead - has OP not got a .270???

I was going to suggest. 308 subsonic....

 

[25 Sharps]

Thanks but i’ll stick to using the right tool for the circumstances, in this case the OP has voiced a concern over noise, having had to deal with an irate member of the public when using an HMR in a perfectly lawful and safe manner in past i definately wouldn’t recommend it in a garden with neighbours in close proximity.
You seem well up for it though, maybe offer to go round and sort it?

I’d be happy to do so.

The OP didn’t mention anything about noise, just the legalities of shooting a fox in his own garden whilst on an open ticket.

 

[shakey jake]

Thanks but i’ll stick to using the right tool for the circumstances, in this case the OP has voiced a concern over noise, having had to deal with an irate member of the public when using an HMR in a perfectly lawful and safe manner in past i definately wouldn’t recommend it in a garden with neighbours in close proximity.
You seem well up for it though, maybe offer to go round and sort it?

Have you done much urban fox control in gardens?