trapping foxes

As feared, my urban foxes are becoming regular visitors in my garden. They created a major commotion last night. So I'm thinking of taking more direct action. I can't really bait them as I don't want to kill the local cats. So I was thinking of traps. I was looking on eBay. They are not cheap, but worth it if I can catch them. Question is, what do I do with him if I do catch them?

im not sure what you could do except a bin-bag in the bin and then to the dump, they are a real pain aroound my area, when i kept chickens i had 3 hens and he grabbed 2 of them but the other chickens basically pecked its eye out and it was dangling on the floor.

Hudgellboy

Hi Andy,

The answer to your simple question is, shot the sodding thing, It's vermin and as such should be treated like one!.

What is the point of spending all that money on a trap to let it go some where else for it to return to your garden to finish off your ducks and quails? Or you could take it down the road to that stupid woman who thinks they are sooooooooo cute and harmless, feeds it on best cooked chicken each night, and coo's over it.

Is there no pest control run by your council? get them out to trap it.You pay your poll tax, get something back for all the money you spend on that!

Derek.

I do wonder if people leave food out for them.

I'll give the council a ring later for advice. It's impossible to get thru sometimes. Harrow is one of the worse run councils. Hence my direct action to deal with the problem. I'm fed up with them frequenting my garden and making so much noise. Even before I kept birds they were bad, now it's just got too much. They've also tried to get into my neighbours' house thru the cat flap. Their cats are harrased and traumatised by them.

I wasn't thinking of releasing it somewhere else. I was thinking of destroying it humanely, but I don't have a gun. I'd wring it's neck, but I'd probably get bitten. I'm hoping the council can take it from me and kill it.

Wouldn't even make a decent coat as it's mangey thing

Hi Andy,

No gun?, well a dustbin full of water is the next best thing. It won't come back, but it's brothers/sisters might.

They are becoming so much of a problem now in the towns and cities, councils often just employ fox control officers, We have one near me called George, lol, he tells the fox lovers he's going to release them on an island in the middle of Windermere to live out their lives, silly fools belive him too.

I've heard foxes will kill cats over the food their owners leave out for them, they are ruthless killers and should be distroyed.

Derek.
Ps. I really do like foxes.......... stuffed and mounted!

Well I don't begrudge them a life somewhere, but alas there are too many of them and they live off our rubbish like rats. I thought things would improve with the new wheelie bins, but unfortunately some people are just filthy slobs and don't know how to use bins.

Perhaps I should move to that fabled island in the middle of Windermere

p.s. found a fox trap on eBay for £60 + £10 p/p. Was thinking it could also double as an isolation cage when introducing new birds into an aviary.

Hi Andy,

When the trap cage is not in use, you could also use it as a quarantine cage?, for when you bring in new birds As long as it's kept well away from your stock it will work out great.

I alway quarantine birds for at least 4 weeks before I introduce them to the breeding quarters.

Derek.

Had 4 visits from the fox yesterday and it took 4 birds. I actually saw it on 2 occasions but was too far away to throw my axe (only implement to hand) like a Red Indian with a tomahawk. I've got the electric fence on permanently and leave tasty presents out. Now have a fox trap on a regular run and am planning to get a gun at the weekend.

Local council is absolutely hopeless - too many foxes in the area for them to be interested (If you live in the country what can you expect....).

Nino

ok Derek, I'm sold!

I've bought my trap. So foxes come to my garden at their own risk

Hi Andy,

You know it makes sence, Good luck for your future trappings, I know a nice taxidermist, that'll give you a good deal,lol.

Derek.

oh, be careful Nino. Don't want you shooting yourself like that security guy in Israel Be careful with that axe too, you could take out a few toes with that!

Seen more than my fair share of guns, so I'll leave it to you guys to do the shooting. I'll stick to the water torture ... let them tell me where their brothers/sisters are hiding!

Eeek! stuffed dead animals. Never really got the point of doing that Derek, but I'll gladly post the carcass to anyone who wants it (as long as they don't send it back to me stuffed or otherwise).

I know that once you have caught a fox you can't let it go. so you have to kill it.

sam

I've never heard that one Sam. Why is that?

andoy wrote:I've never heard that one Sam. Why is that?

You can't release a grey squirrel if you trap it as they're vermin/non-native. I wonder if there's a similar law with foxes?

1). They won't be able to survive in the countryside.

2). They carry disease.

3). People don't really want to have them on there land

I think i am right, but i might be wrong.Its just something my uncle once said. So he might be wrong. but i know he shoots them once he as caught them.

sam

have you caught any yet, i would hate to have your job of killing them

Hudgellboy

there are people who can do it for you

sam

I'm still waiting for my trap to arrive hudgellboy. I ordered it on eBay the other day. I went thru all the pain of calling him to give my credit card info (damn PayPal verified system won't let me pay via my credit card at the mo). Then he tells me it's currently "on order" and will be dispatched in 3 weeks! So I'm a bit annoyed, because he didn't mention on the eBay listing that there will be a delay.

Don't mind doing the deed myself, just want to make sure the kill is clean and quick. Don't want any unnecessary suffering. Might get the council to do it, as I'm sure the guys can do a better job than I.

The councils legally dont have to deal with fox and the majority dont, most only deal with insects and rodents. "i work for a county council but highways based"

I use to work in Harrow for a utilty contractor and i belive they dont do foxes, depending where you are in Harrow i do remember one area a lady use to feed a fox in the green outside her house.

Please be careful what you write on here about how to destroy a fox as one mentioned way is highly illegal and also will attract un wanted attention to this site.

Unfortunately as much as a fox can be a pest it must be culled humanely if you cant humanely cull it leave it alone.

sammyboy wrote:I know that once you have caught a fox you can't let it go. so you have to kill it.

sam

Not true im 100% sure of this.

wow, thats why i hate spending alot of money on ebay because my mums credit card got scammed once i was so annoyed. my mum killled me lol

Hudgellboy

That is a good point Gavins. So I've been checking on the legalities. The main point of reference is "Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996".

If, save as permitted by this Act, any person mutilates, kicks, beats, nails or otherwise impales, stabs, burns, stones, crushes, drowns, drags or asphyxiates any wild mammal with intent to inflict unnecessary suffering he shall be guilty of an offence.

Just some of the exceptions to above (paraphrased for brevity):
a) mercy for seriously disabled where there is no reasonable chance of its recovering, provided it is not injured unlawfully.
b) the killing in a reasonably swift and humane manner in the course of either lawful shooting, hunting, coursing or pest control activity.
c) doing anything which is authorised by or under any enactment (presumably special decree/permission).
d) any act made unlawful by section 1 if the act was done by means of any snare, trap, dog, or bird lawfully used for the purpose of killing or
taking any wild mammal.
e) the lawful use of any poisonous or noxious substance on any wild mammal.

I guess "exception c" are provision for mass culling of things like badgers for TB and such like
and "exception d & e" are provissions for using snares, traps and poison for; rats, mice and perhaps a few other things (but not foxes).

I knew someone who drove a fox he trapped to a distant forest. I don't think this is terribly humane either;

Although trapping might appear to be a humane solution, as the fox is not killed but simply relocated, it is also cruel as well as ineffective. Cruel because the fox is a territorial animal and to dump it in the middle of an alien area will be extremely distressing for the animal. It will struggle to find food, will be challenged by resident foxes and be more prone to being killed on unknown roads.

I have found over the years that if you get rid of a fox it wont be long before another one takes over his "patch" so if you are sucessful in trapping a fox, and sucsesful in getting "rid" of it. You will have plenty of practice because it will only cure the problem for a short while.

Out of interest how were you goin to do the dirty deed, once you have managed to catch one?

a fox can life in the country side if its released there altho ur not alowed to release it once captured al p.m you a link andy as dont no if i can post links to other forums on here

I understand that it may only be a temporary measure arsenalo9, but at least I'm hoping to get rid of the more brazen foxes that don't seem to be scared of humans. Some of them must be hand fed or food left out for them by people. I've had them scratching on my kitchen door once or twice. The neighbours caught one trying to get into the cat flap. I imagine before now, if that happened, I would have instinctively got a hammer to it and gotten into all sorts of trouble.

You could make the same argument for rats and mice being replaced to fill a niche. Another one will take it's place if there is food available for it, but I would still want to get rid of the rats and mice I could.

Well I'm still hoping the council will still take it off my hands. I still haven't been able to get thru to them. I don't want to get in trouble because some methods are seen as inhumane for foxes, but not for mice and rats.

p.s. how many did you catch arsenalo9? what did you do with them?