Question

[Guest JohnGalway]

Take this situation. You have permission on a certain piece of land, farmer is losing lambs to foxes. He asks you to sort them out. But, you don't agree with shooting foxes at this time of year.

 

What do you do?

 

Reason I ask is I've seen this come up on another website. I'm not going to say what I think I just want to know what you all would do. Remember, you're putting yourself in the position that you don't shoot foxes at this time of year, but you've been asked to by the person who gave you permission.

 

Think about it before you reply

[SNAP SHOT 194]

This is the person who is allowing you to shoot on thier land, And if presented with a problem to which you could solve then i would take them out.

Even though i don't like too, i've done this recently and shot 1 dog fox and two vixens suckled.

i don't like too do it, but when faced with it. it has to be done.

So you should do the farmer the service he so needs at this time. If you don't someone else will be willing, so to keep the farmer happy and keep the right to keep on hunting the land i would sort the problem out.....

REMEMBER word will travel of the service done or not done................ I would prefer doing the service and keeping the rapour going with the local farmers, Who knows through doing it you may gain more permission As i did,

[Guest JohnGalway]

OK but that's what you would do, what I'm trying to do here is put different people into the mindset of another person and see the answers they come up with. It's an irritating question I know. But, in this scenario some hard facts need to be applied...

 

1, You do not shoot foxes this time of year.

2, The farmer who's given you permission is losing lambs and wants the foxes delt with.

 

So, going on that basis, and observing those two points to the letter, what do you do?

[Lewdan 17]

Take this situation. You have permission on a certain piece of land, farmer is losing lambs to foxes. He asks you to sort them out. But, you don't agree with shooting foxes at this time of year.

 

What do you do?

 

Reason I ask is I've seen this come up on another website. I'm not going to say what I think I just want to know what you all would do. Remember, you're putting yourself in the position that you don't shoot foxes at this time of year, but you've been asked to by the person who gave you permission.

 

Think about it before you reply

 

HI JOHN. Damned if you do & damned if you dont!! but i suppose from the land owners perspective he has given you permission to carry out vermin / pest control on his patch, so if he does not see results from yourself it is possible he would give permission to A. N. OTHER. I know it is against your grain to shoot foxes at this time of year, but if it takes one dead charlie to save permission then "so be it"

[SNAP SHOT 194]

i would get some-one willing to dispatch them for the farmer. then you would save face and the farmer would remain happy........

but namely some-one you could rely on.....

or feed the area so the foxes have enough to eat. with rabbits if possible and alot........that way the lambs should at least get a fighting chance.

[Guest JohnGalway]

Basically what I'm trying to achieve here is to transfer a certain persons either set of values or moral position onto who ever decides to reply to this topic. So, in effect, you will be using their judgement that shooting foxes at this time of year is unacceptable. Then, the question is how do you handle the farmer when he asks you to sort them out.

 

Everyone suitably confused

[Guest JohnGalway]

Cheers SS

[Guest lurcherboy2008]

if a farmer gives you permission and you do a good enough job throught the winter there shoudln't be any problems through the summer months, if there is you lay off for the summer enjoy your time off and the farmer has your number for any emergency call outs, if you say no to the call out then i guess you loose your permission and the farmer would find someone else who is more than happy to solve any kind of problems it be the hunting season or not

[Mr_Logic 5]

Empathising, I would swallow my ideals and shoot a few. Make a big deal out of one or two and lay off the rest. The permission would be too important.

 

Now, faced with the real me, I would shoot 'em and be done. Fundamentally, we shoot foxes for pest control, not for sport. If the farmer is losing lambs, then it's our job to deal with foxy, we don't have the liberty of morals.

[dicehorn 38]

if a farmer gives you permission and you do a good enough job throught the winter there shoudln't be any problems through the summer months,

 

Whilst I understand what you are saying lurcherboy2008, I would add that if you do a good job through the winter, another fox or indeed foxes will move into that vacant territory if it has a good food source and amongst the new arrivals may be an older fox previously pushed out by one of the younger foxes that you may have culled.

 

John in answer to your question - which of course is a tough one. It is not all foxes that take live lambs, generally its an older fox that has lost the edge for hunting. I have watched foxes with night vision and seen them eating the afterbirth but showing no signs of attacking a lamb.

 

Generally at lambing time its the dog fox that will take a lamb or indeed a still born one to feed the vixen/cubs. If the dog is shot, the vixen will have to forage for food herself and if she has been fed on a diet of lamb, she will in turn make for the lambing field as her condition after feeding cubs will be poor and new born lambs are easier to take than rabbits or rats.

 

Someone mentioned leaving out dead rabbits which theoretically has its merits, but as we have seen from this year, you only need three days of rain to prevent shooting any rabbits - will a fox that has been taking lambs hang around that long and more to the point will the sheep farmer?

 

I average over 200 fox per year. I only shoot foxes by invitation (never go out just for the sport) These invitations are from commercial shoots, poultry and sheep farmers. So my answer John is that whilst I would prefer not to shoot foxes at this time of the year, when a poultry or sheep farmer's livelihood is being compromised it becomes an unsavoury task that has to be carried out.

 

If someone is not prepared to do this, then the farmer has to be informed so that he can get someone else in if the problem persists.

 

Peter

[daz 0]

the farmer has gave you permission. so i would take them. if you dont someone else will.

[SportingShooter 0]

To be honest, correct me if im wrong John, the person concerned wouldnt really be that interested in permission, his decision would be based on moral grounds rather than greed.

The most obvious reason I can assume this person is against shooting foxes at this time of year is because the vixen is likely to be harbouring cubs and the dog is hunting, trying to feed them.

The most morally acceptable thing would be to find the den and make sure that all the foxes were despatched, not just the vixen or dog.

If the person concerned is not capable of using dogs underground, then I would find someone who could and deal with it that way.

The shooting of foxes at this time of year is a thorny subject and personally I see the shooting of foxes at this time of year as pure pest control which is essential to me, this person obviously sees it in another light.

Regards

SS

[Deker 3,478]

OK..here we go...to the point and easy.......

 

There is no debate as you are talking 2 different things and 2 different people!

 

If you are a Game and Vermin Controller you have NO problems shooting fox at any time of year so no question to answer!

 

If you shoot for fun and have your own views then you either do what you are told and swallow you personal views, or risk loosing your land which you shoot on for fun.

 

Anyone who has to think about this question should consider another hobby!

 

Personally I find the notion of shooting fox for fun totally alien, they are a menace in many environments and need controlling, but there is still satisfaction in a job well done!

 

[garyw 0]

Take this situation. You have permission on a certain piece of land, farmer is losing lambs to foxes. He asks you to sort them out. But, you don't agree with shooting foxes at this time of year.

 

What do you do?

 

Reason I ask is I've seen this come up on another website. I'm not going to say what I think I just want to know what you all would do. Remember, you're putting yourself in the position that you don't shoot foxes at this time of year, but you've been asked to by the person who gave you permission.

 

Think about it before you reply

good question john my reply is this-iv been shooting foxes now for a lot of years and from day one i told myself if a farmer/land agent/keeper asked me to sort out a fox then i would regardless of wether its the wrong time of year or not.if a vixen is shot and she has cubs and i dont know where they are then thats tough!she could easily get run over ,snared ,poisened,lamped by the dog men chased by a very angry squirrell thats life.

a lot of folk on here would disagree with that ,well thats fine we all have our crosses to bare,some folk on here also say things like"those cubs are our summer sport" well shooting foxes aint no sport ! its pest control so the quicker folk realise this the better.also a cub is a fox from day 1 nothing else.

i stand by my convictions.discuss!

[Guest JohnGalway]

Cheers Gary,

 

Just a note to all to remember to discuss in an adult manner I know this is an emotive subject that can raise tempers but it's just a question

 

All the best,

 

John