Guess who killed more foxes last year: The Quorn, the Pytchley or the RSPB?

[maximus otter]

 

"What particularly impress me are the number of foxes this impeccably right-on, rampantly green, bunny-hugging charity managed to despatch last year: 146 brace, no less.

I doubt there’s a hunt in the land – not the Quorn, not the Beaufort, not the Ledbury, nor either of my splendid local hunts the Pytchley and the Grafton – which managed to bag half so many Charlies last season. Not, of course, that they would have done, foxhunting being illegal and all that, and any foxes killed being entirely accidental.

Even so, I’m filled with awe at the RSPB’s magnificent kill rate. Do they have distinctive facings on their coats? What day of the week is their most exciting country? Is their Master as glamorous as Otis Ferry?

I’m seriously thinking of joining…"

James Delingpole

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/05/13/guess-who-killed-more-foxes-last-year-the-quorn-the-pytchley-or-the-rspb/

maximus otter

[Elwood]

Good find.

[Dunc]

Good find.

Excellent indeed. Top job....

[swagger700]

Should be called royal society for prevention of birds

What about the poor crows and gulls

[Paddy_SP]

Should be called royal society for prevention of birds

What about the poor crows and gulls

 

Don't forget the magpies - they love them too...

[Re-Pete]

Anyone on here actually seen Canada or Greylag geese throwing their eggs at planes?

 

H/man

[AnthonyR]

I know somebody that shoots on a very well known RSPB reserve, he keeps it pretty low key as they don't like much publicity.

[Alycidon]

Actually on a more serious point there is over 1000 head of deer there, shot to protect other species. Shame we cant trim up a few birds of prey to the same end. I have the lot, Hobby, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel, Buzzard and an odd Kite. One kite took over 150 pheasants from one pen in 2 days last summer.

 

Funnily enough I have been up the A14 to and A47 today to collect a new pup, usually between Thrapston and Peterborough there are a lot of Kites, today all I saw was 2 Buzzards, not been that way for a couple of years but their disappearance is odd.

 

A

[SWShooter]

I must give them their dues , they've shot a lot more than me and my mates in the last 12 months , we`ll have to do better next year.

[Andy17hornet]

Actually on a more serious point there is over 1000 head of deer there, shot to protect other species. Shame we cant trim up a few birds of prey to the same end. I have the lot, Hobby, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel, Buzzard and an odd Kite. One kite took over 150 pheasants from one pen in 2 days last summer.

 

Funnily enough I have been up the A14 to and A47 today to collect a new pup, usually between Thrapston and Peterborough there are a lot of Kites, today all I saw was 2 Buzzards, not been that way for a couple of years but their disappearance is odd.

 

A

Hi there,

That's really interesting. I have had a pair of Kites raise a brood in a pen for three seasons now. Last year, I extended it to hold 3000 poults and I can honestly say, there were zero confirmed Kite kills. Two years ago, I had a touch of Hexy in there and they took three. The season before that, they cleaned up a couple of scrawny ones but didn't kill anything healthy.

In fact, I've never seen the Kites here kill anything bigger than leverets from a freshly cut silage field.

 

I'm genuinely interested by the way- certainly not questioning what you say.

I wonder why yours have switched on to them? I seriously hope ours never learn as we have enough Kites here to kill 1000's of poults at that rate.

What's the cover like in the pen?

Do you diversion feed?

Are they home reared poults?

 

Cheers,

Andy.

[Alycidon]

Hi there,

That's really interesting. I have had a pair of Kites raise a brood in a pen for three seasons now. Last year, I extended it to hold 3000 poults and I can honestly say, there were zero confirmed Kite kills. Two years ago, I had a touch of Hexy in there and they took three. The season before that, they cleaned up a couple of scrawny ones but didn't kill anything healthy.

In fact, I've never seen the Kites here kill anything bigger than leverets from a freshly cut silage field.

 

I'm genuinely interested by the way- certainly not questioning what you say.

I wonder why yours have switched on to them? I seriously hope ours never learn as we have enough Kites here to kill 1000's of poults at that rate.

What's the cover like in the pen?

Do you diversion feed?

Are they home reared poults?

 

Cheers,

Andy.

 

 

Touch wood we have never until then had any bad issue with Kites, had Buzzards take a few ( 40 or 50 a year) yes but not Kites.

 

This one pen is very open, about 100m x 200m, it has cover in one section only of nettles, Trees are all mature Oaks. We put 250 poults in and 24 hours later there are under 100 in the pen. Standing wheat all round, some poults were outside the pen ( they were not clipped), found about a dozen carcases with claw marks inside the pen and another 5 or 6 outside and signs of a couple of fox kills. The kite was walking round the pen at 5am one morning when the guy looking after it went down. Birds are bought in and were 8 weeks old, good strong and well feathered, having no rabbits to speak of we do not diversion feed but have done so in previous years with pigeons.

 

I suspect that the Kite forced many to fly over the wire into the wheat where they may. or may not have survived. Setting up plastic bags. CDs, leaving a radio on stopped the attack and the150 replacement birds all went well with no further sightings or issues. Overall we shot 41% last year so it all worked out OK, maybe a few more survived than we thought.

A

[Andy17hornet]

Ah ok. My pen I mentioned is roughly 30% Laurels but otherwise very bare indeed- just Bluebells and a bit of Bracken down one side. It's funny how they tolerate the Kites in there but still vanish at first sight of a Buzzard

 

I probably lose around 150 out of 11500 to Buzzards. I've pretty much given up with CD's and bags now and concentrated on expanding pens each year to take in more cover where possible.

 

Thats ironic, we hit 41% last year too. I think it would have been more if I had allowed more overage but I can never bring myself to do it until the last day, so they ended up with a corker.

 

My friend had a radio blaring out on a 30x30 partridge pen and a fox still dug in and killed 50!

 

I can't decide about diversionary feeding. I've always thought that a Buzzard with a full crop is less likely to hunt a poult but a Falconer I spoke to said it's probably just holding more in the area.

 

Cheers for now,

Andy

[Missed]

Whilst we do not have an issue with kites, we have a huge issue with white tailed eagles. They predate on lambs and not just newborns either yet the RSPB and SNH deny that there is an issue. Some of the Crofters here have had mortality rates go up by 20% since the introduction of the white tails, yet there was never any consultation before introduction, no compensation scheme discussed or available and should you have the temerity to raise the issue publicly they will do what they can to destroy your name. I have personally witnessed three successful attacks where good sized, healthy lambs were taken.

Regarding the issue of control, I do certain work which includes the destruction of species which may pose a threat to air safety under licence. You would be very surprised at the species that have to be destroyed when the choice comes down to someone in SNH or the RSPB signing a disclaimer regarding the importance of a species over the threat to air safety and ultimately human life.

[Andy17hornet]

It's crazy hypocricy isn't it! I know on Salisbury Plain they have a license to exclude Badgers (including disturbing their setts) to protect archaeology including an old Midden!!!! So some long dead family's rubbish dump is worth more than a farmers livelihood!!

Crazy times.

 

Cheers,

Andy

[Sixpointfive]

Well done on finding that, really valuable piece of info

 

 

6.5

[Alycidon]

Ah ok. My pen I mentioned is roughly 30% Laurels but otherwise very bare indeed- just Bluebells and a bit of Bracken down one side. It's funny how they tolerate the Kites in there but still vanish at first sight of a Buzzard

 

I probably lose around 150 out of 11500 to Buzzards. I've pretty much given up with CD's and bags now and concentrated on expanding pens each year to take in more cover where possible.

 

Thats ironic, we hit 41% last year too. I think it would have been more if I had allowed more overage but I can never bring myself to do it until the last day, so they ended up with a corker.

 

My friend had a radio blaring out on a 30x30 partridge pen and a fox still dug in and killed 50!

 

I can't decide about diversionary feeding. I've always thought that a Buzzard with a full crop is less likely to hunt a poult but a Falconer I spoke to said it's probably just holding more in the area.

 

Cheers for now,

Andy

 

 

Alice my old Collie bitch is buried 3 feet down in one of my pens with my other dead Labs, something has dug her up 3 times, the last time her carcase was dragged out and eaten. Got badger crap outside the pen but some fox crap next to the excavations. I would estimate 3 wheelbarrows full of spoil was shifted each time. Shot 2 adult foxes recently close to that pen but I think Badgers are the perpetrators, dont think a fox would be strong enough to drag her out.

 

 

A

[parkyboy]

My god...some one has shot more foxes than my mate paddy hook did last year...he wont be happy with that thats for sure....if i know paddy, watch this space....H.

[Paddy_SP]

My god...some one has shot more foxes than my mate paddy hook did last year...he wont be happy with that thats for sure....if i know paddy, watch this space....H.

 

Ha, ha - we're on 149 since Jan 1st, and as we generally do better after the cubs have started ranging we might just beat them this year!