The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Hillview Farm on May 18, 2013, 12:30:00 pm
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At 3 am I was woken to the cockerel making all sorts of noises as we were paid a visit by a fox :'(
He managed to kill a hen but luckily as I managed to kick my other half out quickly he only killed the one. Poor old' girl, She was his fav hen as well.
I have sworn REVENGE on this pointless killer. We have one of those massive traps that when the fox stands on the plate at the back the door snaps shut. Previous to this we have put chicken in it, rabbits etc with nothing but the tom cat being trapped.
Anyway my question is what's the best thing to bate a trap with?
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No specific experience but I would try
1. Offal (lites etc)
2. Dogfood
and bait outside the trap with the door closed for a few nights first to get its confidence
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Thank you! Will give it ago. I also forgot to say that the hen is now bate in the trap!
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Old Charlie is just taking advantage of a food supply, and they kill more than 1 because it means they can come back and take away a chicken at a time. Efficient! Best way is lamping or calling to a rifle, is your situation permits, and your other half or someone you can trust has a gun. They say you should leave the trap there, unset, so they get used to it, even leaving food inside, so they feel confident
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We do plan on lamping them but I'd like the satisfaction of out smarting the b**tard and looking it in the eyes!
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We used the dead hens that he killed but didn't take. Each night I put another by the trap. then hung 2 in the trap. S*ds law that it was heavy snow and he managed to get in and eat half a hen that night as the ice froze the blinkin trap ::) next we got a deer head that stank to high heaven...that went in and bingo! Put a brick on the outside of the door so that he can't lift his way out...we had a fox managing to prise the door of the fox trap upwards. Shot him before he got out but the brick helps stop this.
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I always make sure the base of the trap is covered with soil so that it is natural to walk on but be careful the door will operate correctly, if you peg the door open and bait around and just inside the trap for a few days or until bait is being taken, then set trap with the bait beyond treadplate, depending on how fast the door closes on your trap it may pay to wire the bait down as a wary fox will grab a bait and spin around and be out the door before it closes!