Ok so I'm the kindof hunter that refuses to kill something unless it is either table fare or used for it's pelt. Always stuck to that and never had a reason to do anything else. But today I get a call from a close friend (single mother with small children living in the country) who has been having a "problem" with a Red Fox coming increasingly close to her house and kids. She called me a few weeks ago and it was only coming, about 150 yards away. Well today she opens her porch door and it's 15 yards away, right around the kids play equipment. All other times it has come around at dusk, so I really didn't think anything of it.. Staying a good distance, coming out at normal times, what was there to think about. Well today she calls me at 12:00 noon and the Fox is 15 yards away from her back door with a 100lb dog in a kennel 20 yards away from it loosing it barking non stop and it didn't even flinch. Oh and it's over 30 degrees here, 36 with the humidex. Any clue what could be wrong with it? Regardless I think this is going to be the time I go away from my normal "food only" hunting and drop a fox regardless. What are your thoughts?
Hunting Ethics question.
- Thread starter Gargoyle
- Start date
I'm finding that fox and lynx are becoming less shy, at least in the area I'm in.
I see them any time of day and close to town.
Maybe they are losing some of their fear of man, as their habitant is getting less and less.
To get their own territory, sometimes means that they are forced closer in.
Sounds like there are too many fox for the area.
Sad fact that man is taking over, and the wildlife are losing.
It's gotta go IMO. Shoot it.
I see them any time of day and close to town.
Maybe they are losing some of their fear of man, as their habitant is getting less and less.
To get their own territory, sometimes means that they are forced closer in.
Sounds like there are too many fox for the area.
Sad fact that man is taking over, and the wildlife are losing.
It's gotta go IMO. Shoot it.
Is your friend keeping her garbage secure? Dog food?
She/you can feel better about the 'ethics' question by laying the onus on Animal control.
Fox are beautiful animals. A nuisance I can deal with. But if it is an actual threat, deal with it.
She/you can feel better about the 'ethics' question by laying the onus on Animal control.
Fox are beautiful animals. A nuisance I can deal with. But if it is an actual threat, deal with it.
Your philosophy of killing what you need is old school & I personally think that's a good thing.... in old school thinking you also protected family and those more vulnerable from predators, be they four legged or two legged.
IMHO
IMHO
If a fox got that close to my house and my child, I would drop it in a heart beat. I'm a bit of a marshmallow when it comes to fluffy critters (except rabbits, not a fan) but as soon as there is a potential threat to my family, I would not think twice. I had to do the same thing to a flock of turkeys that were beginning to threaten my sister while she was waiting for the school bus. I called the town and they said at that point they were considered vermin so blast away.
burnt_servo
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- right in the middle of b.c.
worst scenario how much damage can a fox do ?
are you willing to live with the consequences of your actions or inactions ?
are you willing to live with the consequences of your actions or inactions ?
the mnr is way understaffed out here and most likely won't respond. I know how thin they are spread as I used to work with them. I'm only about 5 mins from her farm, she is going to call me as soon as she sees it again and I will deal with it.. Thanks.
BrotherRockeye
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rural Saskatchewan
it's a fox.
it's getting more comfortable because it hasn't been accosted.
yell at it and chase it away if it's a bother...
it's getting more comfortable because it hasn't been accosted.
yell at it and chase it away if it's a bother...
- Location
- Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
It seems that fox rabies persists in southern ontario, but is relatively rare.
If an individual fox is over bold, it would be of concern to me. I'd call the MNR to see what they suggest.
If not a rabies concern, I'd just try to scare the darn thing off. It may have been habituated to dog food, bird feed, or garbage left out.
If an individual fox is over bold, it would be of concern to me. I'd call the MNR to see what they suggest.
If not a rabies concern, I'd just try to scare the darn thing off. It may have been habituated to dog food, bird feed, or garbage left out.
Like I said she lives on a farm. Rural area with only fields and turbines near by. Red fox is open season year round here and being I have a small game permit, no issues there.
She has scared it off every time and it keeps coming back.. No dog or other food out and her rubish only goes out the morning of pick up.. Already been down that road. No worries, at this point I would rather take care of it for her peace of mind with her kids around. I'm fully vacinated for rabies as well so handling it after to bury it is no issue. I have to have all my vaccines for my work.
We (ok I) used to hand feed the one that lived around the work camp I spent a summer at in Northern Ontario (note, this was a normal looking healthy animal). It was never a threat, but it was desensitized to us. It would lay in the grass and watch us play volley ball on days off while her pups played in the grass.
The philosophy of shooting only what you eat is definitely not old school.
I call old school the depression era of the 1930s, and on through the great years of shooting that extended into the 1970s, when every farm, or bush homestead family, had guns and used them constantly. They carried a gun with them wherever they went and shot not only food providing creatures, but also any predatory animal or bird, which threatened their chickens and livestock, or the wild creatures they shot for food.
One fall day I came from the rural, one room school, and just as I reached our door, two grouse landed in a tall tree, to feed on the poplar buds. I quickly brought out the 22 and started for the grouse, when a great horned owl swooped down and took a grouse from the tree, also scaring away the other grouse.
I made a silent declaration of war on owls! I discovered that if I held a flashlight along the barrel of the 22, I could shine it on an owl in a tree at night and be able to see the peep sights centred on the bird.
Within the next few months I shot at least six owls from around our buildings.
In the 1950s in BC, I was riding with a supervising game warden in his government vehicle, on a country bush road, with my 30-06 on the seat between us. A great horned owl flew up and landed in a tree. The game warden stopped the vehicle and said to me, "Get him." I got out, leaned up against a tree and turned the owl into a puff of feathers. The game wardens response, "Good shot."
Until the 1970s black bears were considered vermin and could be shot any time, any where, by anybody. At this time the anti's started to have a great influence on game laws, and were responsible for such laws as having to take all the bear meat home. Thus, the idea of shooting only what you eat, started in the 1970s, with the anti hunting group being responsible for the laws being enacted and the changing of attitudes of hunters. Many hunters took on a holier-than-though attitude, because they bragged about only shooting what they ate, even though it had nothing whatsoever, to do with conservation.
I call old school the depression era of the 1930s, and on through the great years of shooting that extended into the 1970s, when every farm, or bush homestead family, had guns and used them constantly. They carried a gun with them wherever they went and shot not only food providing creatures, but also any predatory animal or bird, which threatened their chickens and livestock, or the wild creatures they shot for food.
One fall day I came from the rural, one room school, and just as I reached our door, two grouse landed in a tall tree, to feed on the poplar buds. I quickly brought out the 22 and started for the grouse, when a great horned owl swooped down and took a grouse from the tree, also scaring away the other grouse.
I made a silent declaration of war on owls! I discovered that if I held a flashlight along the barrel of the 22, I could shine it on an owl in a tree at night and be able to see the peep sights centred on the bird.
Within the next few months I shot at least six owls from around our buildings.
In the 1950s in BC, I was riding with a supervising game warden in his government vehicle, on a country bush road, with my 30-06 on the seat between us. A great horned owl flew up and landed in a tree. The game warden stopped the vehicle and said to me, "Get him." I got out, leaned up against a tree and turned the owl into a puff of feathers. The game wardens response, "Good shot."
Until the 1970s black bears were considered vermin and could be shot any time, any where, by anybody. At this time the anti's started to have a great influence on game laws, and were responsible for such laws as having to take all the bear meat home. Thus, the idea of shooting only what you eat, started in the 1970s, with the anti hunting group being responsible for the laws being enacted and the changing of attitudes of hunters. Many hunters took on a holier-than-though attitude, because they bragged about only shooting what they ate, even though it had nothing whatsoever, to do with conservation.
