Fox signs

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I often have trouble spotting where foxes are entering fields. The land here is very rough. A lot of creeping gorse, rushes, bracken, yellow flag iris, lots of rock, stone walls and water logged land. Just after shooting a problem fox, and I'm disappointed I couldn't find a good spot to snare him. We found some hair on barbed wire where he was going under a fence and set a wire there. Only caught fresh air. I looked around the perimeter of the field he was using the most and found lots of places he could come in but I couldn't say in all honesty there was a fox going in any of them. Mate thought he found a spot where he was coming into that field under a fence, that was after I had him shot. I rarely find paw prints, there tends to be a lot of rough grass cover, or it's eaten down bare as can be. I look for hair on fences and for scat. After that I'm running out of ideas

 

Any pointers for me from our experts? It'd be an awful lot easier I think if we had soft lush grassy fields, but we're not blessed in that way

[OldTrapCollector 377]

John

 

Think fox!

 

They won't barge through thick cover unnuecessarily, they will follow the path of least resistence - cart/wheel tracks, sheep trods, whatever. I doubt whether any paddock fails to produce something of that ilk, no matter how remote.

 

If they are too hard to spot them make some with the 4x4

 

OTC

[Rolfe 2]

Jonh.......you rarely if ever find fox prints in grassland or pasture unless its at a ditch crossing point or muddy gateway. Look for easy access points like under stock fences or gaps in hedges or rough grass areas. If you can find a field with a partially opened gate these are terrific snaring places. The fields i snare are mostly surrounded by deep ditches and dyke's and i like to snare the crossing points as it is so easy to distinguish exactly where the fox jumps and lands. If you have a lot of rabbit runs foxes love to run these as well and i have snared many a fox around the muzzle in a rabbit wire as it followed the rabbit scent. If all else fails you can always sit out and flash a light around at night and if you disturb old "Charlie" he will leave the field by one of his favoured routes. Tramlines in crops are also a popular fox access route if you are lucky enough to have arable land to snare on. If there are many potential entry points to a particular field you may need to blanket snare the most likely looking routes.......one correct location is all you need out of a number of wires to bring the culprit to book....I am not an expert.......just done a fair bit of fox control as part of my work remit.

 

Rolfe.

[Paul in North Lincs 15]

why not take a bucket of sand around with you in the 4x4...where you suspect he may be coming in, lay a layer of sand...... almost like using tracking dust, but on a larger scale.

 

I have used this method to some success, As we know, they are creatures of habbit, and generally use the same runs.

[moley 115]

why not make places for them, i used to strim out tracks thru long grass,etc , like has already bin said , foxes take the easiest path

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Good info lads There's a particular part of Dad's farm, well actually unfenced overgrown commonage outside of it I may strim a couple of paths. There are always foxes in that field come lambing time! I really do like the idea of snaring, I think in the correct informed hands they're absolutely an invaluable tool for controlling charles.

[nod 285]

why not make places for them, i used to strim out tracks thru long grass,etc , like has already bin said , foxes take the easiest path

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i used to do this around the release pens, make a pathway with the trctor mower but leave a bit about 8ft long then make a path through this a hand sythe they will follew the path especially when its a wet night place ur wires in the gap and wait

[Terryorr 27]

John boy, my uncle has a very small farm, 26 acres but is plagued by foxes which I have the pleasure of controlling them. He has not a clue where they enter the farm, but as soon as he sees one he is on the blower to me. Then we can retrace the foxes steps and find out where they entered but it aint by no way a regular pattern. They seem to appear from every angle