| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| touchwood |
Fox trapIn the space of 1 hour yesterday evening a fox managed to get in and despatch all our table birds (14) so my live and let live philosphy has just gone out the window and I'm gunning for it before it has the rest of the birds and the rabbits.
Can anyone recommend a good trap (there seem to be so many to choose from) and offer any tips. I don't have a gun myself but I know people that do and the way I feel at the moment I'll be quite happy to pull the trigger if I can just trap it. |
||||
| Brownbear |
Don't use one of those garbage-quality Trapman ones with the sliding door. The door jams and they're flimsy things.
I use the ones below, and they're effective, long-lasting and tough. http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/foxdog-trap I usually bait with a bit of roast chicken attached to the string that causes the trap to fall, and also I use cat food as ground bait. They don't respond to dog food for some reason, but cat food has them coming in like nobody's business. |
||||
| touchwood |
Cheers Brownbear, was hoping you'd help out on this one 
|
||||
| welsh veg grower |
Oh thats a shame, we had fox problems on Anglesey and hubby tried with a trap but only ever caught our cat who would go in there for the chicken we put in. Never tried with cat food (that really would have caught our cat) its worth a try, we resorted to calling in shooters and that worked well. | ||||
| touchwood |
Foxes beware, I've just ordered the trap that you recommeded Brown Bear. | ||||
| lottie |
We've caught 2 foxes with this particular trap but a few times it's been sprung ,the bait taken and the perp. escaped. I notice the traps they have started selling at our local feedstuff place is slightly longer and I think less chance of a tail stopping the gate closing fully perhaps--or not?. We've caught foxes,polecats,feral kittens and our neighbours dog in ours---it came out wagging it's tail happy as larry  ---but I've never met a nasty golden retriever
|
||||
| Brownbear |
The lock bar that drops behind the gate would stop it being opened, and a fox would lump forward if it felt pressure behind. I suspect that it's either rats or stoats, eating the bait and pulling the trigger string. They could squeeze out through the bars. |
||||
| dpack |
by the feathers crows can eat ,spring and squeeze out of my one and if puss eats any more of nat's ducks it will not be catch and release | ||||
| lottie |
Polecats can't squeeze through---but they are very very angry at being caught much more than the foxes the trap was set for.
|
||||
| KILLITnGRILLIT |
Prefer wires myself, but only in a rural environment.
. |
||||
| king rat |
I use this type, very effective. I had a fox visit in the afternoon and do two of my hens, she paid the price that night though
|
||||
| misty07 |
that is the best picture iv seen in a while well done and hope you give it its just deserts | ||||
| Bebo |
I hope he killed it as quickly and painlessly as possible. I'm no bunny-hugger, but hate seeing the poor bloody thing cowering in that trap. |
||||
| king rat |
It was killed very humanely and quickly, it only cowered in the trap when it saw me, until then it was happilly eating the chicken I had used for bait | ||||
| chez |
Flipping things - they are so beautiful and so destructive 
|
||||
| Brownbear |
That's one of the reasons I prefer the rifle where possible. Dead before it hits the ground. |
||||
| Bebo |
I would have expected nothing less. Glad you got rid of your pest and hope your chickens are safe from now on. |
||||
| king rat |
Indeed, it's only crime was killing my chooks, had it not done so it would still be running around. Unfortunately once they know where thay are they will return. I live on a housing estate where foxes have very little fear of man, and despite me being around and having three dogs that have a free run of the garden it still came in the middle of the afternoon. | ||||
| Bebo |
That's what our neighbour does when he sees one hanging around too much or his chickens start to disappear. |
||||
| king rat |
Trouble is BB, the neighbours are a bit jittery, if I let off the .222 in the middle of the afternoon they might not send me a xmas card
Totally agree though, best method of fox control by a mile. Shot 3 the other night in the lamp and they would not have heard the bang. |
||||
| bagzi |
This Trap has a bar running from the back with a bait hook, as the bait is pulled the door drops and a locking bar drops down in front of the door. Usual bait bones road-kill Rabbit and in this case a Cockeral that 1 of the Dogs took a dislike to.
|
||||
| Brownbear |
I don't use the centrefires in cities or towns; I attract them and then head-shoot them in the middle of the lawn, using the grass as a backstop, from an upper window with a moderated .22. |
||||
| king rat |
Spot on mate, I am in a really well populated area and so over looked it would be virtually impossible to shoot them free range. The foxes here are just unbelievable, you can look out the window at night and see three or four out on the road. I have a silenced high powered 22 air rifle that I shoot them in the trap with and I could not go any higher than that. I reckon I could catch a fox a night if I set a trap in the garden they are so prolific
Bagzi, I have a similar trap but I have tied the bar to the roof of the trap. I just tie a bait to the hook and rely on the fox pulling the bait to loose the door. I am a professional pest controller of many years and have trapped a lot of foxes in my time. I love your piccie, guilty as charged
|
||||
| matt_hooks |
Sorry fella, but what exactly is a "high powered air rifle" ? Do you mean an FAC version? If so you should say so, as I'd not really trust a sub legal limit air rifle to dispatch a fox, even at very very short ranges, and wouldn't want someone to try it and end up with an angry, injured fox! I'd use moderated .22 with subs to do the job. If you get the right angle you have several thousand miles of rock as backstop when in the trap, just make sure to miss the bars! |