Very effective on any we see.
Fox control, is it effective?
- Thread starter captdavid
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IrishStalker
Well-Known Member
fox shooting is a must if your a game keeper, deer stalker or stock farmer i have a zero tolerance policy to foxes, i shoot them all year round any giving chance i'll take a fox if i see one....
Spot on
Hare numbers are through the roof since I got back to shooting any fox on sight. Impossible for me to quantify but since also getting back to shooting things like magpies, crows and even squirrels, the hedgerows seem more alive. Probably my imagination but every little helps. I cannot imagine how bad things will be if the general licence is withdrawn. It is impossible to even get close to shoot every corvid but stop shooting them and watch carnage follow.
Hounds controlling foxes is a myth hunting with hounds is just a sport. It has always been up to keepers to properly control foxes
scottski
Well-Known Member
10-15 years ago, a survey was done on a 10,000 acre ranch in south Texas. I read this when it was published, awhile ago. It was, essentially divided by a highway. A count was made of deer and coyotes, by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Over five years the coyotes on one side were shot when seen, but not particularly targeted. On the other side, none were shot. Deer were hunted an shot as normal. At the end of the five years, the population, of both was essentially the same.
In my 60yrs, in the 'great outdoors,' I have seen between 10-20 foxes, both red and grey, which are essentially the same. They are obviously not as common here, as in the UK. I think the coyotes keep the population down! I know it's not exactly the same. It seems that you in
A little off subject but, Our foxes, or coyotes for that matter, do very little damage, over all, to agriculture. They might, even in the long run, be a positive, by keeping the rodent population down. This is purely speculation on my point. I know that you raise a tremendous amount of semi-wild pheasants. What is the main food of the foxes?
capt david
In the UK we have many endangered ground nesting birds (curlew, lapwing, etc). The main areas where these birds are thriving are where there is a heavily controlled fox population with gamekeepers employed. These areas tend to be wild bird shoots, in particular grouse moors and their fringes. Stoats, weasels, rats and corvids are also controlled but it is the fox which does the most damage and a vixen with a litter of cubs would soon hoover up a large area of ground nesters.
Foxes are opportunists and will eat whatever is easiest to catch. A visit to a fox earth with a litter of grown cubs will give you an idea and I've seen many different animal species at an earth including lambs, geese, gamebirds, wading birds, moles, hares and even a turtle!
The RSPB are always ranting on about how predators will regulate themselves and how habitat is the be all and end all. Recently though its come to light that they are also stepping up their fox and predator culls on their reserves as their ground nesting bird populations plummet.
Not killed a fox in a year on my shoot and had our best ever season. Even had a bumper wild grey year ( albeit for a very low base). I also know very big full timed keepered shoots with a lot of foxes and they all have good seasons.
Some folk can get a bit too obsessive about foxes. They can be a problem but not always.
Some folk can get a bit too obsessive about foxes. They can be a problem but not always.
foxdropper
Well-Known Member
How many of you all year round dedicated fox shooters go out your way to deal with cubs when a wet vixen is shot .Honest answers please
landkeeper
Well-Known Member
Yes last litter took me 2 days of earth checking to locate ,dog fox was outside the earth with the cubs i watched for over an hour the dealt with them all .
Not a pleasant job but needed done
If I can see the cubs on the outside of the den then they are dealt with as any others....
Best tally was cub....dog, cub, cub, vixen bolted, cub.....vixen came back, barren vixen came back at last light with food.
Farmer moaned as he hit the pile with his topper!
Tim.243
Crosshair243
Well-Known Member
Yes- it’s pretty grim work but better than the thought of them starving.
But also, there could be another vixen feeding them.
If they’re still suckling then I dig them out.
If they’re on meat- it’s much easier. I often use the food the dog fox is leaving at the earth as bait until I catch up with him.
But also, there could be another vixen feeding them.
If they’re still suckling then I dig them out.
If they’re on meat- it’s much easier. I often use the food the dog fox is leaving at the earth as bait until I catch up with him.
cookingfat
Well-Known Member
Brilliant job done Crosshair by your self,Yes- it’s pretty grim work but better than the thought of them starving.
But also, there could be another vixen feeding them.
If they’re still suckling then I dig them out.
If they’re on meat- it’s much easier. I often use the food the dog fox is leaving at the earth as bait until I catch up with him.
there are far to many people shooting vixens that are still nursing without locating there earth and sorting the cubs,
I have seen cubs that have been forced to the surface because of this and its a pitiful sight
well done to all that do this work
If the earth is on ground I have access to, the cubs are dealt with. If not, the word is passed to neighbours that a wet vixen has been shot.
To be blunt, a vixen will kill the curlews and other ground nesting birds I am keen to protect if I don’t shoot her and in any case, if I didn’t shoot them the landowners would have someone else doing it anyway.
No...not wounding...more "maimed to be left to die horrible deaths" were, I recall, the actual or similar words. Not to forget the risk causes to public safety by such "indiscriminate use of high powered rifles" or so the houndsport lobby nonsense ran...
foxdropper
Well-Known Member
Yes- it’s pretty grim work but better than the thought of them starving.
But also, there could be another vixen feeding them.
If they’re still suckling then I dig them out.
If they’re on meat- it’s much easier. I often use the food the dog fox is leaving at the earth as bait until I catch up with him.
Me too mate ,got to do your best to account for them
If I can, then I will. Myself (and the other 2 regular fox shooters in the area) know most of the earths, we know and get on with each other, and it's a job that needs doing.
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
I like to try find any earths and check to see if they’re in use. I know where most of them are on my permissions. My shooting mate has a terrier along with other lads a phone call away.
It’s only right to do your best to find dependant cubs and dispatch them.
| The quote below was copied from Wildlives site. While they understand fox biology they show an utter lack of self awareness and ignorance of wider human impact. They seem to think humans are mere spectators in a natural theme park. We're part of it and we've changed it irrevocably and that comes with some hard responsibilities. The bit I copied repeats the usual mantra that nature is self-regulating and doesn't need any input from human beings who are just killing things for fun because they're vile and cruel. What it fails to mention, or probably understand at all, is that nothing in the UK is natural. There is no wilderness. Our landscape is almost entirely artificial and what natural balance there might once have been was interfered with and upset long ago. Farmland isn't natural. Intensive game rearing does not exist in nature. Towns and cities are anti-natural and gardens are entirely artificial. Every habitat, ecosystem and food chain has been modified by man and animals have adapted to those changes and many have evolved to be dependent on them. The balance of these modified environments cannot be maintained unless mankind continues to accept the role an responsibilities which we created for ourselves by our intervention. We have introduced species that should not be here and exterminated other large predators that competed with us. we've driven some species to the point of extinction and allowed others to reach near plague proportions. Standing back and doing nothing in this altered landscape is simply not an option. We've already removed the natural balance long ago and we've all done that collectively by our sheer numbers. It's not farmers, hunters or any one sector of the human community that has done this, it's all 70 million of us living in our concrete boxes. Having pushed nature out of balance we need to take on the role of regulator ourselves. The only way we can do nothing is to leave entirely and allow the landscape to revert to primary wilderness. How many urban anthropomorphising tree huggers and antis are prepared to do that? Facts and Issues 
Issues… This self-regulation means that there is no point killing 'unwanted' foxes - or in capturing them and releasing them elsewhere. If there is a sufficient food supply, another fox will move onto the territory to fill the gap vacated by the fox removed. Although there are methods of deterrence (see the Foxes as Pests page), and our links page anyone who tells you that they can solve your fox problem by killing or removing the fox is fooling you. | |
| Similarly, proponents of fox hunting claim that fox populations need to be 'managed' in order to maintain the balance between over-population - which would inconvenience farmers and large landowners - and under-population which, at worst, would endanger the species as a whole. This is, in a word, rubbish. The old addage applies: 'if it 'ain't broke, don't fix it'. Fox populations are controlled by nature, and it is the height of all arrogance to suggest that nature, operating freely, needs a helping hand |
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Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
The height of arrogance is declaring that we as shooters, farmers and land managers. Don’t know how population control affects the fox or it’s prey.
The quote below was copied from Wildlives site.
While they understand fox biology they show an utter lack of self awareness and ignorance of wider human impact. They seem to think humans are mere spectators in a natural theme park. We're part of it and we've changed it irrevocably and that comes with some hard responsibilities.
The bit I copied repeats the usual mantra that nature is self-regulating and doesn't need any input from human beings who are just killing things for fun because they're vile and cruel. What it fails to mention, or probably understand at all, is that nothing in the UK is natural. There is no wilderness. Our landscape is almost entirely artificial and what natural balance there might once have been was interfered with and upset long ago.
Farmland isn't natural. Intensive game rearing does not exist in nature. Towns and cities are anti-natural and gardens are entirely artificial. Every habitat, ecosystem and food chain has been modified by man and animals have adapted to those changes and many have evolved to be dependent on them. The balance of these modified environments cannot be maintained unless mankind continues to accept the role an responsibilities which we created for ourselves by our intervention.
We have introduced species that should not be here and exterminated other large predators that competed with us. we've driven some species to the point of extinction and allowed others to reach near plague proportions. Standing back and doing nothing in this altered landscape is simply not an option. We've already removed the natural balance long ago and we've all done that collectively by our sheer numbers. It's not farmers, hunters or any one sector of the human community that has done this, it's all 70 million of us living in our concrete boxes. Having pushed nature out of balance we need to take on the role of regulator ourselves. The only way we can do nothing is to leave entirely and allow the landscape to revert to primary wilderness. How many urban anthropomorphising tree huggers and antis are prepared to do that?
Facts and Issues
Issues… This self-regulation means that there is no point killing 'unwanted' foxes - or in capturing them and releasing them elsewhere. If there is a sufficient food supply, another fox will move onto the territory to fill the gap vacated by the fox removed. Although there are methods of deterrence (see the Foxes as Pests page), and our links page anyone who tells you that they can solve your fox problem by killing or removing the fox is fooling you.Similarly, proponents of fox hunting claim that fox populations need to be 'managed' in order to maintain the balance between over-population - which would inconvenience farmers and large landowners - and under-population which, at worst, would endanger the species as a whole. This is, in a word, rubbish. The old addage applies: 'if it 'ain't broke, don't fix it'. Fox populations are controlled by nature, and it is the height of all arrogance to suggest that nature, operating freely, needs a helping hand
Would they as animal lovers prefer the kind of death documented by Professor Steven Harris. Who studied foxes in Bristol for years (his bias against us is not relevant in this case). The jist of it was that the foxes got to saturation point they then got mange. Dying as a result in a horrible way. Lovely attitude from supposed animal lovers wishing starvation and disease as the cause of death.
I think I would rather a bullet if it were me.
jp vanden weghe
Well-Known Member
We used to have no foxes at all untill 1999, a new Green Minister banned the hunting of foxes.
And we had no foxes!!!!
Since that time the Anti's have released foxes and now we have them everywhere.
But nowdays we have to go to the Zoo to show our grandchildren a pheasant…..
And we had no foxes!!!!
Since that time the Anti's have released foxes and now we have them everywhere.
But nowdays we have to go to the Zoo to show our grandchildren a pheasant…..
Interesting to hear the way that different people choose to manage them.
I hit them hard from immediately after harvest all the way through to end January. If any have managed to survive the onslaught I let them be to bring up their cubs in peace and don't hit them again until after harvest.
We get a lot of wild broods of pheasant, duck and partridge and the hare population is very impressive so I'm happy the policy works.
I hit them hard from immediately after harvest all the way through to end January. If any have managed to survive the onslaught I let them be to bring up their cubs in peace and don't hit them again until after harvest.
We get a lot of wild broods of pheasant, duck and partridge and the hare population is very impressive so I'm happy the policy works.
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