Shooting fox vermin on our farm?

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  • 303_enfield

    Ultimate Member
    May 30, 2007
    4,651
    DelMarVa
    DNR will issue a nuisance animal permit. A .22lr will work fine. I use a Ruger 10/22 for egg eaters an chicken killers. If you see dens in the barn you don't need a gun. Get some locking snare traps.
    https://www.flemingoutdoors.com/snares.html

    Watch youtube about setting snare or foothold traps since you know where they are living.
     

    Dingo3

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 4, 2013
    2,777
    Fredneck
    The old line was Brighton Dam Rd and it wiggled up to I guess the Damascus area along New Hampshire?
    Not sure, had a friend on Long Corner and Brighton Dam Rd. who both could shoot under .25, shotgun, and hunt with shotgun, muzz, bow.
    I could google it... and YOU have to read it -
    The newly revised urban area (again, that portion of the County where the discharge of firearms is generally prohibited) is defined as “that part of the County within the following boundaries:

    Thank you for the research cause I’m lazy. That gave me a headache to picture the area in my head. We were well outside of the urban zone and far enough from those who would complain. “Neighbors” being the closest other farms, had no problem and did the same thing. MCPD never had a problem either. Only time they came out were when we called about poachers
     

    marko

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 28, 2009
    7,048
    After looking at that Map, I have determined that the FREE areas are in White -
    and enslaved areas in grey. SHeesh.
     

    marko

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 28, 2009
    7,048
    It is legal to Hunt for Deer with Bow with adequate space and permission, way BELOW the FIREARM line.
     

    cww

    Active Member
    Jan 28, 2010
    539
    It is legal to Hunt for Deer with Bow with adequate space and permission, way BELOW the FIREARM line.
    Yes, we shoot deer in silver spring and white oak areas all season. Need a lot of permissions from neighbors due to proximities
     

    cww

    Active Member
    Jan 28, 2010
    539
    A .22mag easily takes out foxes and groundhogs, ammo is not outrageous, low recoil. If there are den holes it shouldn’t be hard to take them out, just have to have the time and patience to sit on them
     

    303_enfield

    Ultimate Member
    May 30, 2007
    4,651
    DelMarVa
    A .22mag easily takes out foxes and groundhogs, ammo is not outrageous, low recoil. If there are den holes it shouldn’t be hard to take them out, just have to have the time and patience to sit on them

    The "dens" are in the barn. Trap them or smoke them out. The cheap TSC or Southern States smoke bombs will kill them or make them run out.Flooding them out can work also.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    You have to understand where you are in MoCo relative to the shooting restrictions. Some areas firearms discharge is prohibited. Some you have to publically notify law enforcement, even if you have a crop damage permit. Of course crossbows are not firearms. Do not poison foxes it can kill birds and other animals if you do it wrong.

    You need to lookup the restrictions on MoCo website and then first figure out where you are relative to those firearms discharge restrictions. Then you need to decide how to pursue a crop damage permit, or a nuisance animal permit. Armed with this info you can then choose the right, arms. Maybe crossbow, maybe rifle, it's impossible to say without more info. For a fox you will need something bigger than a .22lr. I have seen plenty of foxes taken with a bow though.



    Is that a real MoCo rule or did you make that up? It sounds pretty stupid so I am guessing it's a real rule. :sad20:

    No you don’t, a 22lr will handle cats and foxes just fine. Unless it is the world’s largest fox, a 22lr is fine for animals up to about 25lbs. Poachers use them all the time on deer. Not that I would.

    Use something highvelocity and expanding, like a mini mag or better yet stinger or velocitor. Or something segmented. I took one out using a segmented Quiet that was trying to get in to my chickens.

    Hunting laws apply unless they are harassing livestock. Fortunately or unfortunately I’ve got a really big un stalking my chickens lately. Just a matter of time before I get him or he manages to get in there.

    At 125 feet a shotgun would be fine. I’d use a 20ga with a tight choke and maybe #4 shot. Or #4 buckshot if you want to make sure you grease it.

    Neighbors rarely get up tight about a single gun shot. Maybe my part of HoCo is just the wild, Wild West, but is an honest to goodness neighborhood of 1-5 acre lots (a few larger ones) and I hear gun shots every once in awhile I am sure they are from neighbors taking care of a fox, raccoon, what have you. Hell I know my former across the street neighbor would shoot/shoot at foxes trying to get her chickens with a 20ga occasionally.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    The "dens" are in the barn. Trap them or smoke them out. The cheap TSC or Southern States smoke bombs will kill them or make them run out.Flooding them out can work also.

    Be careful with smoke bombs. I had a neighbor try that in their barn and it burned the whole thing to the ground (on the plus side, no more ground hogs living in holes in it).

    On the permits, they appear to be nuisance animals and as mentioned by someone, contact DNR and they will likely give you a nuisance permit. If they won’t, your only courses of action (legally) are to get a fur bearer permit once it is hunting season ($5 and as a landowner you don’t also need a hunting license) or else get a couple of chickens and wait till the fox are harassing them. Those two scenarios a permit wouldn’t be required.
     

    babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    16,020
    Glenelg
    Friend lives off NH and 29 on a street named after a girl

    Yes, we shoot deer in silver spring and white oak areas all season. Need a lot of permissions from neighbors due to proximities

    There are tons of large deer there. He and a couple neighbors have done said stuff with bows.
     
    Thank you all for your replies, and your willingness to share your experiences and knowledge. It is very much appreciated.

    Regarding our location, we are definitely outside the Urban area according to the latest definition. We are North of Sundown road between Laytonsville and Georgia ave, Sundown road being the dividing line in the description and on the map: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/resources/files/pdf/weapons-law-brochure.pdf

    Thank you for the map marko.
     
    The "dens" are in the barn. Trap them or smoke them out. The cheap TSC or Southern States smoke bombs will kill them or make them run out.Flooding them out can work also.

    Thanks for that: https://www.southernstates.com/catalog/product/p-367-revenge-rodent-smoke-bomb-4pk

    We will try this to start to get them to go away for now. I assume, they will be returning soon though. By then we should be prepared to shoot them.

    There are dens all over the place around here. I will try smoking out all the dens on my property and try to get the neighbors to do it too. But I assume they will just build new dens.

    Does anyone here think Coyote urine is a good idea? I am thinking after I smoke them out, we can sprinkle the Coyote litter on the dens.
     
    Everything I have mentioned is for TARGET SHOOTING. ONLY.
    HUNTING LAWS are different!!!

    Understood.

    Thanks for the clear info. The rules seem pretty clear regarding the firearm itself: "Legal to discharge up to .25 NO FULL METAL JACKET."

    I am going to apply for a nuisance permit as others have suggested so I don't have to to wait for 'fox season'. It's always gonna be fox season at my house!
     

    Clovis

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 1, 2011
    1,408
    Centreville
    Sounds like you have a population level that has the whole neighborhood impacted/infested. I would suggest using rimfire rifles with scopes. .22 or if you prefer a .22 magnum should have lethal results at the ranges you're talking about (sounds like about 40 yards or so) or look at the .17machII or the .17 HMR. These would be quiet-er than a shotgun, easier to shoot and less expensive to feed ammo to practice. A bolt action should be sufficient fed from a detachable magazine or if you want, look at a Ruger 10-22 semi-auto.

    Curious as to how large your farm is?
     

    benton0311

    Active Member
    Feb 26, 2011
    358
    You know, one of those Savage .22/20 ga combos would be a perfect one-gun solution. United Gunshop in Rockville has one listed:
    https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=179463&page=291

    Top of post 2909. One gun to cover all of your vermin extermination needs and extremely simple for the inexperienced shooter. Already scoped. .22LR High Velocity and 20 gauge both would take care of foxes, plus you could use rat shot in the barn if you ever have a rodent problem and .22 shorts or .22 Quiets for noise free plinking of tin cans in the back yard.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    You know, one of those Savage .22/20 ga combos would be a perfect one-gun solution. United Gunshop in Rockville has one listed:
    https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=179463&page=291

    Top of post 2909. One gun to cover all of your vermin extermination needs and extremely simple for the inexperienced shooter. Already scoped. .22LR High Velocity and 20 gauge both would take care of foxes, plus you could use rat shot in the barn if you ever have a rodent problem and .22 shorts or .22 Quiets for noise free plinking of tin cans in the back yard.

    Depends. Yes, buttt IMHO a semi auto 22lr is probably your best bet. Not that a shotgun isn’t great, but a 22lr semiauto allows very fast followup shots. The combo allows you one 22lr and a follow up 20ga. You have something at 60yds and you get one single shot as a 20ga isn’t going to stretch.

    I would not choose a .17 rimfire. A .17WMR maybe, but that stuff is all generally designed for small light bodied animals like squirrels and rabbits. Yes it can work on a ground hog or fox, but I’d still go large diameter bullets and go with a 22lr (preferred) or a 22wmr (if I might have to stretch over about 80yds). If I was gunning for fox, I’d at least go 17WMR if I just had to get a .17 caliber rimfire.

    One other options if you want to try avoiding guns is get a bunch of ammonia and dump it down their dens.

    Predator urine is unlikely to scare them off. That stuff generally works as same species attractant. Doesn’t often scare things off as they can tell how fresh it is.
     

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