How Early

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Well publically,i bow to superior knowledge but secretly i know your all wrong lol.I stand by the fact ive never seen it .We must have have a very poor vulpine parent support group here in sunny Wilts either that or we are more efficient hunters and dogs are shot before parenting duties can start .

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

I have camped out on the hill many a night as a young keeper waiting for the dog to come in and I can guarentee you all this month there are young keepers freezin their tits off doing the same

Know what you are saying BUT how many of those waits resulted in a dog being shot ,not many ill wager .The vixen is the target for any keepers and any dog hanging about is a bonus .You cant tell me keepers wait up especially to get any dog fox .Regardless of whether the dog feeds a litter or not ,get the vixen and its game over ime or does the dog then pick up the feeding ,along with an aunt .I think a few have a case of tinted glasses on the subject but as always i wont force my opinion on anyone lol.Like i said ,this year i aim to set up 3 trail cams on litters to see if any other adults join in the feeding apart from vixens .

[MIK 4,756]

 

I have camped out on the hill many a night as a young keeper waiting for the dog to come in and I can guarentee you all this month there are young keepers freezin their tits off doing the same

Know what you are saying BUT how many of those waits resulted in a dog being shot ,not many ill wager .The vixen is the target for any keepers and any dog hanging about is a bonus .You cant tell me keepers wait up especially to get any dog fox .Regardless of whether the dog feeds a litter or not ,get the vixen and its game over ime or does the dog then pick up the feeding ,along with an aunt .I think a few have a case of tinted glasses on the subject but as always i wont force my opinion on anyone lol.Like i said ,this year i aim to set up 3 trail cams on litters to see if any other adults join in the feeding apart from vixens .

 

I would say nearly everytime you got the dog infact you were not allowed off the hill until you got him ...I have been out on the hill for 3-4 days and nights on many many occassions that was part of your job as a young hill keeper ....a lot easier now a days with all your warm clothing and thermal night vision ...Once a den was found there would be a few of us young keeper strategically placed with rifles ....and that was you spying ...the grouse and the waders even the ravens gave away his where abouts ...it can be quite eerie in pitch black with the vixen and dog calling to each other and you can hear him moving around you ....

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

There you go then ,definate proof that hill foxes are better parents than our Southern foxes .

 

 

I have camped out on the hill many a night as a young keeper waiting for the dog to come in and I can guarentee you all this month there are young keepers freezin their tits off doing the same

Know what you are saying BUT how many of those waits resulted in a dog being shot ,not many ill wager .The vixen is the target for any keepers and any dog hanging about is a bonus .You cant tell me keepers wait up especially to get any dog fox .Regardless of whether the dog feeds a litter or not ,get the vixen and its game over ime or does the dog then pick up the feeding ,along with an aunt .I think a few have a case of tinted glasses on the subject but as always i wont force my opinion on anyone lol.Like i said ,this year i aim to set up 3 trail cams on litters to see if any other adults join in the feeding apart from vixens .

Hill foxes the dog definitely plays a massive part in the rearing of them, alway try for the dog first as it's c**t afterwards, last year a neighboring estate they found Cubs and sat out the trainee got trigger happy and shot vixen at hole 9 nights of sitting split between 5 different keepers the dog was shot coming in, he was kept trying to come in could be seen miles out with thermal and waders were going wild

 

nate

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

I guess its two different worlds .Down here its sufficient to get the vic as the killing will stop on a large scale as no vic equals a litter to deal with .Im surprised though that with your thermal kit any foxes are allowed to reside long enough to birth a litter ,its not like you had much ground to cover lol.

[Haiddheliwr 1,911]

Perhaps someone can correct me on this but when the vixen is taken care of that is it for the cubs. I am certain the dog fox plays no further part and would be bery surprised if the barren vixen stayed on feeding!! Any thoughts??

[Haiddheliwr 1,911]

Sorry FD more work for you with the trailcam

[hjckcff 1,738]

 

Tripod. a local dog fox with one of his cubs at the earth. he was a cripple and still helped the vixen feed the cubs. along with a cub from the previous year. ive watch these foxes for generations and they work as a family for sure.

 

he also fed the vixen when she was with the cubs

 

these are townies though.

 

 

 

 

tripod / earth/ vixen.

 

 

 

 

[MIK 4,756]

 

There you go then ,definate proof that hill foxes are better parents than our Southern foxes .

 

 

I have camped out on the hill many a night as a young keeper waiting for the dog to come in and I can guarentee you all this month there are young keepers freezin their tits off doing the same

Know what you are saying BUT how many of those waits resulted in a dog being shot ,not many ill wager .The vixen is the target for any keepers and any dog hanging about is a bonus .You cant tell me keepers wait up especially to get any dog fox .Regardless of whether the dog feeds a litter or not ,get the vixen and its game over ime or does the dog then pick up the feeding ,along with an aunt .I think a few have a case of tinted glasses on the subject but as always i wont force my opinion on anyone lol.Like i said ,this year i aim to set up 3 trail cams on litters to see if any other adults join in the feeding apart from vixens .

 

 

Hill foxes the dog definitely plays a massive part in the rearing of them, alway try for the dog first as it's c**t afterwards, last year a neighboring estate they found Cubs and sat out the trainee got trigger happy and shot vixen at hole 9 nights of sitting split between 5 different keepers the dog was shot coming in, he was kept trying to come in could be seen miles out with thermal and waders were going wild

 

nate

 

 

 

 

Thinking about it now I did my yts on a pheasant estate and can't remember ever getting the dog if the vixen and cubs were dealt with headkeeper was happy! But looking back he wasn't bothered with vermin control, to a grouse keeper vermin control is everything

 

It happens on the low ground as well ...just last season a keepr gave me a shout to check some holes with a terrier...Im not a fan of it and will only do it for friends ....the place was on a steep bank and they had been there for a while the cover was all flattened and grass was burnt with piss and there was ome amount of dead gear scattered about ....terrier maked the holes they were in he was not entered ....so we sat out ....infact now that I think about it we shot they foxes from another county as we were on the other side of a river that is the boundary for Tayside and Grampian ....long story short ....the dog was shot by myself that night and 2 big cubs and the vixen and another cub the next night ...3 years ago I was dealing with a litter for another keeper mate and the dog actually came in just as it was getting dark and we were tidying things up ....he was less than 100yards away barking away at us and circleing around us

[Haiddheliwr 1,911]

What I can gather by reading the other posts the vixen does not tolerate the dog fox when they are new born up to a certain age and then has him on board as the cubs get older. Makes sense!

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

IMG_0248.JPG

 

Tripod. a local dog fox with one of his cubs at the earth. he was a cripple and still helped the vixen feed the cubs. along with a cub from the previous year. ive watch these foxes for generations and they work as a family for sure.

 

he also fed the vixen when she was with the cubs

 

these are townies though.

 

IMG_0248.JPG

 

IMG_0215.JPG

 

tripod.jpg

 

tripod / earth/ vixen.

 

Lol that's the same fox ,different angle ,same foliage .Not to be pedantic of course .Have to do better than that .

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

..he was less than 100yards away barking away at us and circleing around us

Think you'll find that was the vixen .Dog only vocal in the rut that I do know for certain .

[Haiddheliwr 1,911]

Did you take out the vixen and cubs Mik?

[hjckcff 1,738]

 

IMG_0248.JPG

 

Tripod. a local dog fox with one of his cubs at the earth. he was a cripple and still helped the vixen feed the cubs. along with a cub from the previous year. ive watch these foxes for generations and they work as a family for sure.

 

he also fed the vixen when she was with the cubs

 

these are townies though.

 

IMG_0248.JPG

 

IMG_0215.JPG

 

tripod.jpg

 

tripod / earth/ vixen.

Lol that's the same fox ,different angle ,same foliage .Not to be pedantic of course .Have to do better than that .

 

same foliage same earth different foxes. this family can be seen from my window. tripod is dead now but there are three adults at the same earth this year. there was four last year.

 

 

the old dog fox was easily recognisable due to his gait. even my old eye's aint that bad.

[foxbolter 447]

If the cubs can eat the dog fox will rear them if the vixen gets killed. didn't you know that foxdropper. Are u on drugs