Views On Shooting Foxes When Cubs Are About?

[Ideation 8,216]

No need to apologise buddy I understand your frustration. I've just never seen one physically kill one. I absolutely love lambs and think they are a beautiful playful animal. It isn't nice having things killed I had chickens killed at my brother's farm, and the kids last year hand fed some lambs at my brother's only to go the following day and 2 were in pieces They were heartbroken. It is a hard fact of life but a lot of the time I think foxes are often blamed for killing lambs when sometimes their is a lame or sick lamb that has been an easy meal for charlie as I'm sure you know this is the case a lot of the time. Don't get me wrong I know as well as any that foxes need to be culled and I admit I love culling them lol

 

One thing, is that foxes often get blamed for badger kills. Both are as bad as each other.

 

You are right though, they do pick up the sick and the weak. But they also DO take healthy lambs.

 

It's obviously far worse if you lamb outside like me. A newborn lamb an hour old can't even run, so it stands no chance. Whereas one lambed in and turned out after a few days, stands a good chance!

 

I never had much issue with foxes, I only killed them because I enjoyed the hunt. Now? If I had a chance to flatten one with the car, in my area. . . . I'd have a good go! Soon as something starts taking / breaking whats yours, you soon lose any sentiment for it. If it's bothering the sheep, I couldn't give two shits if its got young, my sheep have young, and its trying to kill them. . . . so fair, is very much fair!

[shropshire dan 467]

Completely agree. I still shoot foxes on most of my perms knowing they will have young. And give it a couple of weeks when the young come out I will be deliberately targeting them.

[Malt 379]

Went to a farm looking for ferreting permission once, farmers mrs told us at the front door they could do with someone to sort the foxes out because they were coming into the sheds after the afterbirths when her cows were calfing. She reckoned the foxes weren't a danger to the calves themselves, but the cows were going mental in the stalls and endangering them that way. The lad driving said he'd come back with his guns and have a go for her if she liked, and left his number.

 

 

Anyway, she took the number and we left. Seen her husband on the way back up the farm track and told him we'd just had a word with his mrs and would help. He took one look at us (4 lads 2 lurchers and 3 terriers all packed into a clio ) and very firmly declined on the very edge of politeness saying he didnt have a problem! Farmers eh!

[shropshire dan 467]

Haha lol.

[DeerhoundLurcherMan 997]

Me and my shooting buddy have shot 117 since September. Averaging 5 each night and have never blanked. We shoot chicken farms, sheep farms and arable crop...There is no end to them!

 

Farmers wife phoned us two weeks ago, she found a half eaten lamb in the middle of her field but it was one from next door. We pulled up in the field that night and within a minute our fox came through a hedge and made a bee line straight to the lamb, he didn't make it. Also saw a fox laying down 10 yards away from a group of sheep and some young lambs the week before but it was not on permission...

 

A bit off topic, but we have had a few interesting ones over the winter, one was halfway through a rat on a chicken farm, and we have had two while they have been digging out mice, one with a foot missing but in good health..Seen some chasing mice through the wheat too. They don't pay the lamp as much attention when they are occupied...

[shropshire dan 467]

I've had them with front legs missing, although I blame the 50g vmax superformance lol