The Red Fox

[AlittleSalt]

Wednesday, after a long day at the doctors' office and riding in the car for what seemed like forever - 120+ miles. Everything possible happened to make the make that trip last forever.

We finally got home - we ate and while it was cooking, I washed some clothes. We own a new dryer, but it's in a storage barn. Sometimes, I feel like I might be living in yesteryear more than anyone else. I enjoy and believe in hanging clothes out on the clothesline.

That's where the red fox comes in. It's the same one I've been writing about. No, my adult children didn't kill it. If I were to buy some 22 bullets - I could shoot it while it looks at me after and I protected it. Wednesday, I called our 5 month old cats away from it. The fox wants to be treated like a pet. You can't trust a fox, but you can't help but be yourself. I cannot kill it.

I'm with you, Salt. I hang all the laundry and rarely kill a bug. Exception: squash bugs

Sounds like your week has been really tough. I haven't seen your other fox posts but maybe the Fox can cheer you up; they are funny. As long as it's alive.

[Worth1]

You also have a duty to protect your family and that includes your pets.
Your pets trust and depend on you to protect them.
As pretty as they are fox are killers.
You dont have to enjoy it I never have but it is a duty.
Not meaning to load you up with guilt but it is the truth.
You wont feel so friendly towards it went it snatches a cat up and runs off with it right in front of you.
Worth

[MissS]

Originally Posted by Worth1

You also have a duty to protect your family and that includes your pets.
Your pets trust and depend on you to protect them.
As pretty as they are fox are killers.
You dont have to enjoy it I never have but it is a duty.
Not meaning to load you up with guilt but it is the truth.
You wont feel so friendly towards it went it snatches a cat up and runs off with it right in front of you.
Worth

Really? There are two sides to every story.

[imp]

Originally Posted by Worth1

You also have a duty to protect your family and that includes your pets.
Your pets trust and depend on you to protect them.
As pretty as they are fox are killers.
You dont have to enjoy it I never have but it is a duty.
Not meaning to load you up with guilt but it is the truth.
You wont feel so friendly towards it went it snatches a cat up and runs off with it right in front of you.
Worth

I will say it is not what I would consider a duty to kill something that has not proven it's self to be a danger, but is mostly acting as it's nature demands it should. I don't usually shoot people, who are known to be a dangerous animal at times, even if they walk up to me.

That being said, I suspect this fox has been fed or otherwise become accustomed to people more than it should have been, and/or is a juvenile and curious.

Fox are attracted to food, so there may be mice around supplying a food source.

There was a wild fox who decided part of it's territory was a golf club. It would run out and steal the golf balls after the ball got near the green areas in particular. It seemed to find this a sport and caused consternation in the golfers. It would drop the balls in the wooded/brushy areas at times. It was often enough that it became a "rule" if the fox stole your ball, you got to shoot again.

The golfers wanted to shoot the fox instead, but it was in city limits or something like that, no fire arms.

Finally live trapped , baited with golf balls no less, and relocated.

I hope they left him a golf ball or two.

I can only speak for myself, and would be cautious in not encouraging this animal in any way, but enjoy seeing it for it's beauty in the wild. I would not harm it unless I had to do so.

[AlittleSalt]

I had to cut the original post short. I kept getting interrupted. I almost didn't post the thread. Here is what was missing:

While I was hanging out the laundry, I noticed the cats were interested in something near our compost bin. It was the fox. The compost bin is about 30' from the clothesline. I called our cats to me. The fox acted like it wanted to come to me as well. I'm wondering if someone tried raising the fox as a pet and it either wandered away or something of that nature? It has never ran from me. It doesn't act like a wild animal, and that's what is throwing me off.

While I was writing the above, my wife called on her break. I asked her to buy some bullets. I know the right thing to do is to protect our pets and the property. But %^&*

[imp]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I had to cut the original post short. I kept getting interrupted. I almost didn't post the thread. Here is what was missing:

While I was hanging out the laundry, I noticed the cats were interested in something near our compost bin. It was the fox. The compost bin is about 30' from the clothesline. I called our cats to me. The fox acted like it wanted to come to me as well. I'm wondering if someone tried raising the fox as a pet and it either wandered away or something of that nature? It has never ran from me. It doesn't act like a wild animal, and that's what is throwing me off.

While I was writing the above, my wife called on her break. I asked her to buy some bullets. I know the right thing to do is to protect our pets and the property. But %^&*

Please call the local game warden and have a chat about what to do so you don't get on the wrong side of the law. They my come out and live trap him for you. I am not at all sure, but I *think* red fox are protected.

I have known coyotes, when game is scarce, to take cats, but not fox. Fox are tough on birds, but mainly if they can get them without hurting themselves.

[SteveP]

I would remove it one way or another. Kill it or live trap it and relocate, which ever one seems fitting. The fact it has no fear of humans would concern me.

[Labradors2]

Oh no! It's so sad that people want to kill all the wild life.

I love to see the foxes. We live in the country so we see them quite often. It's either rabbits or foxes. In a year when the foxes are abundant, they seem to kill off all the rabbits, but the coyotes kill the foxes - eventually.

Now that I have chickens, I wouldn't want to see a fox on our property, but I have seen them on our street a few times this year. I used to take my dog Abbey with me to watch the kits play on a vacant lot. She seemed as enthralled to see them as I was, but now, a few years later when we saw one on our walk she barked at it

Linda

[Worth1]

I don't want to kill all wildlife my concern is for the cats.
Worth

[AlittleSalt]

Yes, I know Worth, and we both know I feel the same way. Besides, Jan wants chickens out here. Can't have Foxes in the hen house.

[MissS]

Getting rid of the fox is a Texas thing. Texans seem to like to be in control of who lives when and where. If they do not like then off it goes.

I have fox and coyotes in our neighborhood. There are plenty of children, cats and dogs running around, yet not one single report of a coyote or a fox doing any harm to any of them. It's not to say that if I had a pen full of chickens that they would not become victims to them. A cage full of birds is begging for to become a meal. My family owns a game farm and we keep hundreds of birds in pens to be released. You just have to have a strong fence so that they do not become prey while enclosed. We have never once killed the fox or coyotes at the game club either.

[Worth1]

Patti that is rude to categorize all of us.
You make us all sound the same and a bunch of killers or something you have no idea what I am like when it comes to critters.
If I hear one more word about the so called ((Texas thing))) I'm done.
You are way out of line.
Plus you haven't lost as many cats as I have to coyotes nor have you seen them haul off the animals like I have.
These things are as thick as flies here.
I have no idea if a fox will or not.
Worth

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Patti that is rude to categorize all of us.
You make us all sound the same and a bunch of killers or something you have no idea what I am like when it comes to critters.
If I hear one more word about the so called ((Texas thing))) I'm done.
You are way out of line.
Plus you haven't lost as many cats as I have to coyotes nor have you seen them haul off the animals like I have.
These things are as thick as flies here.
I have no idea if a fox will or not.
Worth

I have to agree here. I have seen fox take small kittens from the RV park we were staying in one year. It was a silver fox. He was beautiful, but he was also dangerous, and had no qualms about strutting himself through the RV park with us sitting outside on the deck. I had never seen anything like it in California and I grew up there.

[AlittleSalt]

Imp, I'll call the game warden Monday. It would be nice if they would trap the fox.

What I've found so far from http://texnat.tamu.edu/files/2010/09/021.pdf

In Category B are those animals

listed in the Parks and Wildlife regulations

as fur-bearing animals. Included are wild

fox, skunk, civet cat, raccoon, opossum,

badger, ring-tailed cat, beaver, otter, mink,

nutria, and muskrat. While a recreational

and commercial harvest season and bag

limit is prescribed in that regulation, there

also exists a clause stating that nuisance furbearing

animals may be taken in any

number by any means at any time. A

nuisance fur-bearing animal is defined as

one that is depredating or is a threat to

human health or safety. A Texas hunting

license is again required, except by the

landowner or his agent for the property

where the nuisance furbearer is located.

As mentioned above, there is no restriction

on means and methods for the taking of a

nuisance fur-bearer. However, ethics and

“good neighbor” practices dictate

responsible action in the use of any

methods, especially in the placement of

snares and traps.