Red fox and a pup in the back yard

Ponch said:

You can't trap them right now either, DNR has a pretty limited season on when you can hunt or trap them.

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True, and it's even more limited as to when the fur is right. Often, the fur is not fully filled out (prime) at the very beginning of the season and we almost never trapped the last couple weeks because they "rub" their fur as mating season begins in January and the sun will also scorch the tips of the guard hairs in the fur after they've worn it awhile. They aren't worth much prime, let alone damaged, same reason you don't normally shoot foxes for fur.

SCV/SAR Patriot said:

I don’t think people are hunting them like back in the day when a hide scored around $75 in the 80’s-early 90’s. Plus I believe the DNR requires a furbearers license now.

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It is only a $5 license. This year I finally decided to get one as I've run across 3 fox in 2 seasons and every one of them was a shooter. Both I HAD a shot, but also their pelt looked like it was in good shape. I missed #4 this season which showed up and planted itself under some trees with squirrels in it probably scaring off the deer. After an hour I missed just over its head because my rifle was sighted to 200yds, not the 100 it was at and I aimed right between it's eyes instead of aiming for its neck (I figured a .308 wouldn't leave much of a pelt if I aimed for its body).

Oh well.

I am not aware of a restriction though if they are harassing livestock.

My neighbors have been complaining about a fox that might be living in a den in my other neighbor's backyard. It took out their entire flock in a day. Well, almost. Took down 5 out of 6 chickens over the course of an hour as my neighbor's wife kept trying to chase it off and get the other birds in to the hen house, which they wouldn't do.

I just got chickens and built a fairly resistant coop and hen house at the back of my property. Night #2 the pullets got put out there (they are about 10 weeks old) the fox came out and was trying to get in. My son chased it off literally as I was about to take care of it. Put my kids to bed and as I walked by my kitchen window the damn fox ran full tilt in to the screening for the coop. It was out there for a bit trying to find a way to get in.

Not sure if a segmented quiet took care of it or not, but it took off like a bat out of hell. No trail and it wasn't around my property or my neighbors that I could find it that night or the next day, but its den (what we think is its den) is only about 70yds away, so it might have run back in there and died. So I may have missed, but neither I or my neighbors have seen it in a week. 35yds is pushing it though on being accurate with quiets.

I'll take it having decided to go mess with someone else's chickens somewhere else. Though my neighbor and I are setting up trail cams soon probably.

welder516 said:

Sanford jumps for joy .

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I initially had to do a double take

lazarus said:

...Not sure if a segmented quiet took care of it or not, but it took off like a bat out of hell. No trail and it wasn't around my property or my neighbors that I could find it that night or the next day, but its den (what we think is its den) is only about 70yds away, so it might have run back in there and died. So I may have missed, but neither I or my neighbors have seen it in a week. 35yds is pushing it though on being accurate with quiets.....

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I killed a bunch them in the yard with .22 subsonics and 75-100 yards is about what they'd run on a double lung shot.

E.Shell said:

I killed a bunch them in the yard with .22 subsonics and 75-100 yards is about what they'd run on a double lung shot.

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Ever leave much blood? I am used to deer. I’d earlier taken the quiets to the range and they seem to drop about 3” at 35yds with my POA for a 50yd zero with minimags. So I was aiming just over it’s back over it’s front leg.

At least measuring on my Maine Coon which is about the same size that should have been solidly in to the lungs (my wife was a little horrified with me holding my range target in front of our cat).

Which doesn’t mean the round didn’t go high, or I pulled it, but I am pretty confident it was a good shot, sitting, supported in my knee and a x4 scope, but no signs.

Though looking at some videos of the segmented quiets it is unlikely it would have exited.

I guess I should borrow my neighbors trail cam or get off my butt and buy one finally and set it up to know if it is gone or if it just moved fully nocturnal. No sign of sitting around the wire...so that’s something. Chickens were terrified as hell when it was out there trying to get in.

SCV/SAR Patriot said:

Plus I believe the DNR requires a furbearers license now.

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All of one $5 Starbucks coffee. Most likely decline in foxes, is habitat decline and where possible Coyote presence.
AFAIC I wont kill a fox, but Coyotes are fair game.

IronEye said:

The rivers are full of crocodile nasties
and He who made kittens put snakes in the grass.
He's a lover of life but a player of pawns ---
yes, the King on His sunset lies waiting for dawn
to light up His Jungle
as play is resumed.
The monkeys seem willing to strike up the tune.

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Henceforth on MDS, you will also be known as Ian Anderson.

lazarus said:

Ever leave much blood?...

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Hardly any. The fur is pretty thick and absorptive, and I think most of it collects in the bottom of their lungs anyway.

E.Shell said:

Hardly any. The fur is pretty thick and absorptive, and I think most of it collects in the bottom of their lungs anyway.

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It is sort of what I was assuming, but having proof I’d stopped the chicken killer for good would have been nice. Thanks

lazarus said:

It is sort of what I was assuming, but having proof I’d stopped the chicken killer for good would have been nice. Thanks

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Did you try giving his hole a good sniff?

lazarus said:

I am not aware of a restriction though if they are harassing livestock.

My neighbors have been complaining about a fox that might be living in a den in my other neighbor's backyard. It took out their entire flock in a day. Well, almost. Took down 5 out of 6 chickens over the course of an hour as my neighbor's wife kept trying to chase it off and get the other birds in to the hen house, which they wouldn't do.

I just got chickens and built a fairly resistant coop and hen house at the back of my property.

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My birds free range during the day so I've lost more than a few to foxes over the yrs. Two I've shot with a .22 have run off and died elsewhere, I've found their remains months later. The ones I've shot with the .223 have mostly dropped within yds of where they were shot. I've killed 3 this spring alone, 2 with birds in their mouth, the last one stalking. He ran about 40 yds down through the pasture before piling up.

Oh My

E.Shell said:

Did you try giving his hole a good sniff?

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My sense of humor just went Rampant

newmuzzleloader said:

My birds free range during the day so I've lost more than a few to foxes over the yrs. Two I've shot with a .22 have run off and died elsewhere, I've found their remains months later. The ones I've shot with the .223 have mostly dropped within yds of where they were shot. I've killed 3 this spring alone, 2 with birds in their mouth, the last one stalking. He ran about 40 yds down through the pasture before piling up.

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Good to know.

I’d use a .223, but no safe way to use anything other than a shotgun with shot or something very low velocity where I am. Nothing other than someone else’s shed is directly behind my coop (about 30yds further away), but go about 200yds and you’d get to someone’s house in that direction. I am quiet confident a quiet isn’t going to go through shed, or even go 200yds unless I am arcing it WAY up, but a .223...not going to chance it.

And 35yds is pretty far for #4. Plus I don’t really want to pepper my coop.

lazarus said:

... I am quiet confident a quiet isn’t going to go through shed, or even go 200yds unless I am arcing it WAY up, but a .223...not going to chance it.

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The box says they are "Dangerous up to 1 mile" and I believe that.

I shoot subsonic .22s to 400 yards with surprising accuracy. They travel way better than most people suspect. Because they are subsonic to begin with, they aren't subjected to the huge air resistance and velocity losses supersonic ammo has when crossing the transonic zone and they will lose very little velocity out to a few hundred yards.

At 200 yards, your drop is only 4 feet below your 75 yard zero and velocity still exceeds 800 fps, energy is still 58 ft/lb. Energy is only 97 ft/lbs at the muzzle.

The drop at 400 yards with.22 target ammo is around 70-75 moa and they will fully penetrate a domestic turkey at that range. Velocity is still 650 fps and energy is over 38 ft/lbs. They did the turkey testing over at SnipersHide a few years ago.

And 35yds is pretty far for #4. Plus I don’t really want to pepper my coop.

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A heavy 12 gauge load of good quality #4s through a full choke will typically crush a fox at 35 yards.

hobiecat590 said:

Noisy too. Like to party all night. Might have to make some loud noises to get them to vacate the creek.

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They do this during mating season at night. Very disturbing, especially if you don't know what it is.

Can you bring a fox to my yard? I'm sick of my dogs eating all of the rabbit crap!

Fox screams are rally cries to mate or pups

E.Shell said:

The box says they are "Dangerous up to 1 mile" and I believe that.

I shoot subsonic .22s to 400 yards with surprising accuracy. They travel way better than most people suspect. Because they are subsonic to begin with, they aren't subjected to the huge air resistance and velocity losses supersonic ammo has when crossing the transonic zone and they will lose very little velocity out to a few hundred yards.

At 200 yards, your drop is only 4 feet below your 75 yard zero and velocity still exceeds 800 fps, energy is still 58 ft/lb. Energy is only 97 ft/lbs at the muzzle.

The drop at 400 yards with.22 target ammo is around 70-75 moa and they will fully penetrate a domestic turkey at that range. Velocity is still 650 fps and energy is over 38 ft/lbs. They did the turkey testing over at SnipersHide a few years ago. A heavy 12 gauge load of good quality #4s through a full choke will typically crush a fox at 35 yards.

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I am using quiets though and those start out at 770fps. Drops a lot more and lower energy. Also why I am shooting segmented. Those hit the ground and they should break apart. A lot less dangerous down range if any of it does ricochet instead of piling up in the dirt. Not saying there is zero risk, but I doubt it could punch through two layers of 3/4” plywood and still be dangerous if for some reason I missed about 3 feet high. Anything less than that and it’ll hit dirt before it even gets to the shed. And actually, because if the distance I’d probably have to miss 4 feet high as it’d probably drop a foot from POA at 75yds.

I’d just take my 12 or 20ga with #4 to a fox, but I don’t want to catch my coop in the spread...and a little more intrusive with the neighbors. The relevant ones are aware and fine with the fox mitigation...but that doesn’t mean one a few houses down isn’t going to make a stink about it.

kyserthehun said:

Can you bring a fox to my yard? I'm sick of my dogs eating all of the rabbit crap!

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The fox left a big pile right in front of the door to my garden the night before I out paid to him.

No problem with killing foxes, but if you have to do it this time of year, find the den and kill the kits too.