JohnGalway Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 you go the next and they arent there at all!? Even harder task of having to try and find them somewhere else!? Get rid! the fact of the matter is that if you kill the cubs there are no mouths to feed apart from themselves. At the end of the day guys no matter what you do it can always go the other way, i see only a possible two problems worse than seven or eight!? Simple but true? +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nell Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Ive seen the results of the cubs killed with out first taking out the vixen and dog . The killing spree is quite sickening if you are a gamekeeper looking after a wild bird shoot or upland grouse moors. I have worked on wild bird shoots for 20 years plodding around nesting marking pheasant and partridge nests , whatching the birds build up the eggs , sit quite well through all sorts of weather and then get pulled of the nest and spat out a few yards away . this will happen all over your beat for a few days or even a week until you can catch up with the adults. This said things have change quite a bit now with use of night vision and callers. so if you have this sort of kit or a mate has , killing the cubs first dosent matter to much just get after mar and par the same night. I find it difficult to believe that a fox ever walked past a sitting hen without killing it, just because its cubs are missing wouldnt enable it to find more nests,or would it????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyt Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Nell mate they will leave food fresh till they need it , Foxes will kill for food when there full up they do what foxes do sleep that which promotes growth and vigour and just have a poke around a bit. They will also kill for the fun of it (this is nearly always young foxes, though old ones will still do this to some extent). Ive seen pheasants left on a nest within 40 yrds of and earth with cubs. now some people may say this may be for the cubs to try out when they start hunting on there own , who knows . Ive shot dog fox comeing home early morning to the earths with 4 half grown rabbits in his mouth liad back to back (the pornch taken out of each on so they fit in his jaws ) some people may so what ? , personaly i think this shows a fair bit of intelligence on the part of the old boy. Going back to your comments nell all i can say is what ive seen over nearly all of my working life mate, and i merly responded to a question asked by a fello forum poster. Nell i bow to your greater knowlage of this subject , you shurely must know it all . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nell Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Nell mate they will leave food fresh till they need it , Foxes will kill for food when there full up they do what foxes do sleep that which promotes growth and vigour and just have a poke around a bit. They will also kill for the fun of it (this is nearly always young foxes, though old ones will still do this to some extent). Ive seen pheasants left on a nest within 40 yrds of and earth with cubs. now some people may say this may be for the cubs to try out when they start hunting on there own , who knows . Ive shot dog fox comeing home early morning to the earths with 4 half grown rabbits in his mouth liad back to back (the pornch taken out of each on so they fit in his jaws ) some people may so what ? , personaly i think this shows a fair bit of intelligence on the part of the old boy. Going back to your comments nell all i can say is what ive seen over nearly all of my working life mate, and i merly responded to a question asked by a fello forum poster. Nell i bow to your greater knowlage of this subject , you shurely must know it all . Danny straiten up, no need to bow to me,i certainly dont proclaim to know it all, and like the rest of us mortals never will regarding foxes.... If you say you know of these situations, i have no reason to doubt you,why should i??? I like yourself have seen them do some strange things and often wonder why??? My question regarding the killing spree was genuine, i have heard plenty of it ,but never witnesed such activity,must admit i was thinking more in relation to lambs rather than pheasants.. As already stated a lot of fox loar is surrounded by old wives tales,this one is obviously not.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyt Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 I think its safe to say nell no two foxes are the same or will act in the same manner . we will never stop finding things out about Basil brush and his very extended family, they certainly are on the increase in east anglia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako75 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Hi I have had personal experience of a vixen bringing up a litter of 5 cubs right under a chicken house on the outskirts of London, and she never once made any attempt to touch them. Not did the cubs, as I culled them all before they got the chance. But I have also seen a small barren vixen climb over a 10-foot high chain link fence and cause mayhem by trying to kill 6 captive Muntjac, which ended up with them either being put down by the vet, or they had already died of stress. You talk about foxes increasing in number, my god you should see them in London and the surrounding boroughs, without any exaggeration you can see at least 8-10 on a 15 minuet drive where I live. It’s true that all animals vary in their nature, but foxes being foxes, they will always follow a routine and that’s their downfall, thank god! ATB Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ Varminter Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Not northern foxes bob! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemasis243 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 EARTH-EARTH-foxes live in them not dens-anal i know but if you are offering advice on the subject, please know what you are talking about. rant over! Science Question on Animals Q Where Does A Fox Live ? usually in a den which is a big hole in the ground or cave. They live in family groups while young but as adults live alone or in pairs. More » And by the way I have got a little idea of what I am on about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyw Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Science Question on Animals Q Where Does A Fox Live ? usually in a den which is a big hole in the ground or cave. They live in family groups while young but as adults live alone or in pairs. More » And by the way I have got a little idea of what I am on about science question on animals? maybe so ,but a foxes "den" is called an earth for the simple reason that when they sleep under ground they sleep on bare earth this term has as long as i remember been used by all hunters of the red fox wether with dogs or gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemasis243 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 science question on animals? maybe so ,but a foxes "den" is called an earth for the simple reason that when they sleep under ground they sleep on bare earth this term has as long as i remember been used by all hunters of the red fox wether with dogs or gun. Interesting Gary , but down here I have always know them as dens. Even say den in this article . never mind we both know what we mean All About Foxes! (...more or less) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART 1: THE TECHNICAL BACKGROUND The fox is a canid (family Canidae), distantly akin to coyotes, jackals, and wolves; but they are a distinct and separate animal, having formed their own genetic group 11-12 million years ago. They belong to the Order Carnivora and are indeed carnivores (meat-eaters); but they also eat fruits and grains, so by diet they are more properly omnivores... but that's a matter for taxonomists. Foxes cannot cross-breed with dogs or other canids, having a different number of chromosomes. If you see a foxy-looking dog, that's exactly what it is: a dog with foxy features, not a dog-fox cross. Foxes are distinctively shaped, with pointy muzzles, large ears, long thin bodies and long legs, and long bushy tails. The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is typically the largest of all foxes, and is the type most people think of when they think "fox." Other widely known foxes include the Grey Fox (Urocyon cinereoarargenteus - aka "Tree Fox" because they can climb trees); the Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus); and the ever-popular Fennec (Vulpes zerda - or Fennecus zerda, depending on your sources), the smallest of the foxes in spite of its huge ears. Foxes can be found in most parts of the world, like the African Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis) and Cape Fox (Vulpes charma)... and thanks to the popularity of fox hunting among some British colonists, foxes can even be found in Australia! Since Latin gets tiring, we'll drop it and concentrate mostly on our North American friend, the Red Fox. The Red Fox usually features red-orange fur, a white tummy with white markings on its muzzle and on the tip of its tail, and black stockings on its legs. The pointed ears may be all black, or may be black-tipped; black markings on the muzzle are not uncommon. The Red Fox may sport a tawny yellow coat, or in some areas a silver or black coat. During the onset of Summer, the fox sheds his fur from underneath the newer coat, giving him a distinctively shaggy appearance which is often mistaken for mange. They shed this extra fur over a period of a couple of weeks and resume their svelte 'normal' appearance. With the coming of Winter, the fox's coat will grow thick and plush to help stave off the cold. Foxes are family-oriented critters, often forming lifetime attachments when it comes time to raise young ones. During the rest of the year, however, the male (dog) fox and the female (vixen) live separately, mostly at the insistence of the highly territorial female. When Autumn rolls around and the vixen starts feeling amorous, she lets the male know by her scent marking, which changes to advertise her feelings on the matter. At this point the male will reappear and court the female, and will hang around through the Winter until the kids (kits) are born and the vixen can hunt for herself again. He will hang around into the early Spring to make sure they are well provided for, then take off for a Summer of fun and frolic. The kits have a relatively easy life up to a point. The vixen feeds them and grooms them until they are reasonably mobile, then hunts small game and brings it back to the den so the young ones can learn and practice their hunting skills. Once they are grown and able to fend for themselves, however, Momma Vixen suddenly turns snarly and mean, and will chase them away to find their own territories - thus ensuring that a local disaster does not wipe out the entire next generation. Since it is the vixen who decides where she will raise her next family, it is not uncommon for one of the daughters to return home if Momma is gone, continuing the cycle in a familiar environment. Foxes mostly eat small mammals and wounded birds, and are not above scrounging a meal from a garbage can if the pickings seem safe. Although foxes are infamous in stories and legend for raiding the hen house, most foxes prefer to avoid noisy prey and will not enter any situation that seems too suspicious. Similarly, foxes rarely attack dogs or cats - the former because they are noisy and likely to attract attention, the latter because they are armed and troublesome. A fox will usually fight off a dog only to protect its family, and only if there is no other choice. Most foxes prefer to lead a dog away from the den and into foreign territory, there to lose it and return without doing battle. (When family pets or small livestock do disappear, the culprit is often a coyote, a raccoon or another dog. The fox may enjoy a snack once the deed is done if there are leftovers, but will rarely go after anything that might sound an alarm.) A fox appearing in your backyard or neighborhood does not automatically imply that the animal is rabid. Foxes are wary of humans, but will not fear them unless given a good reason. They can and do live near humans so long as they feel safe in doing so. A popular British series, FoxWatch, documented the lives of some urban foxes as they scurried about the streets and back alleys, raising a family in the crawlspace of an abandoned building. However, under no circumstances should anyone try to pet a fox or any other wild animal. Foxes are highly susceptible to rabies, as are dogs and raccoons, and rabies is no joke. Any animal acting 'suspiciously' should be avoided, period! So: that's the basic story of the fox. Following are questions that FoxWeb Friends have sent in over the years - so dig in and enjoy the continuing hunt for foxy info! PART 2: FAQ INDEX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako75 Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hi nemasis243, I think that article relates to the American Red fox, which differs widely from the European red fox, in the states I believe they do call a fox earth a den. Even in Scotland the term den is often used, but earth is the common term used in most of the Britain. But a dead fox is a dead fox no matter where it lives ATB Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weejohn Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 To be perfectly honest i havnt heard anyone that i know who hunt/shoot foxs call fox dens "earths", maybe it is a scottish thing. Anyway still no sign of the cubs or vixen but another larsen trap had been broken into and the call bird eaten which was situated 200yds from the "den" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.243happymeal Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 EARTH-EARTH-foxes live in them not dens-anal i know but if you are offering advice on the subject, please know what you are talking about. rant over! don't know where you from GaryW but I had always looked for fox earths in the springeven when I worked in wales! 10 years ago I moved to scotland and despite looking high and low found no earths at all but I did find plenty of fox dens think this is like my old headkeeper who insisted on calling mooorhens water hens 'cause they live in ponds not heather, bloody yorkshire logic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGalway Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Known as dens over this part of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyw Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 don't know where you from GaryW but I had always looked for fox earths in the springeven when I worked in wales! 10 years ago I moved to scotland and despite looking high and low found no earths at all but I did find plenty of fox dens think this is like my old headkeeper who insisted on calling mooorhens water hens 'cause they live in ponds not heather, bloody yorkshire logic EARTH-DEN-NO MATTER!as for moorhens i and a few others i shoot with also call them water hens or ditch hens.yes YORKSHIRE logic wins again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ Varminter Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 LMAO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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