How to Kill a Fox

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If you have a fox problem, you may want to kill the animals. You can do that if you must, but it's actually easier to trap them in live cage traps and relocate them.

Foxes are cunning animals that are known to create a big mess in your life. They kill and eat pet animals. Not just this, they also carry diseases like rabies. Additionally, they have a habit of burying their prey for future consumption. Clearly you are deeply troubled and are in desperate need of help. The following are well-analyzed ways to eliminate this nuisance from your life.


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Shooting
This is the best way to kill a fox. To kill them you require at least a .22 rifle. Shooting of foxes is legal but the use of firearms is restricted near highways and inhabited areas. Care should; however, be taken that a wrong animal is not victimized.

Trapping and killing
Since a gun is not always available this method can come in handy and is simple to follow as well. All you need to do is trap the fox using a spring trap or cage trap. Place this trap behind your car and cover it with a blanket. Now connect a hose from tail pipe to the covered cage. Turn on your car and let it run for around twenty minutes. This is the easiest way to kill the fox.

Poison
Strychnine is the best poison to kill foxes. However, permission may be required to use it. It can be added to a bait such as chunk of meat which when consumed by fox would result in death. Foxoff is pre-poisoned bait with a small amount of sodium fluroacetate in it. Once eaten this gets absorbed and blocks the enzymes from producing energy. The important thing to note here is that use of any kind of poison on foxes is illegal and is the worst option to use. It can lead to fine or imprisonment.

Gassing
Gassing involves the introduction of chemical granules into the dens of foxes. When they combine with moisture, gases are released which kill the animal in the den. Earth dens can be easily gassed. Gassing is also illegal in many states.

Snares
Snares are nooses used to catch wild animals. Free running is the most basic type. It is usually placed at the entrance of the den or shelter of a fox. They can also be placed at paths used regularly by the animal. They are aimed at killing the foxes by strangulating them. A rocking eye snare can also be used. This has an eyelet that does not allow the noose to loosen easily. The fox once caught cannot back out of a rocking eye snare. Another kind of snare is a self-tightening snare. When a fox is caught the noose tightens by itself and does not loosen even if fox stops struggling. Snares can be used to catch foxes but this technique is subject to restrictions, which can hardly be met in urban areas.

It should be understood well that killing foxes is not the solution as they are territorial animals and hence a new entrant may arrive as soon as the place is vacated. The better idea is opting for other ways to keep them at bay. They can be trapped and relocated.

The best alternative is to seek the help of a skilled expert to safely relocate them. The legalities must also be checked before attempting to use traps or any other method if do not want a legal action against you.

Deterrents can also be used. Substances such as kerosene, petrol and creosote are suggested as strong repellents. Electric fencing is another safe ways and works well. A small supply from mains or power from a car battery is sufficient. Other options could be noise generators or a water scarecrow. While the former has variable performance, the latter is very effective without harming the animal. A water scarecrow is a gadget that senses heat and movement and shoots water in the direction. It can be turned on and off as per requirement.

Foxes can also be kept away by making food or shelter inaccessible. All sources of food should be eliminated like fish and bone containing edibles. Bone and blood based fertilizers should not be used as these can attract foxes and they would start digging the lawns. Instead of normal bag bins, animal proof bins should be used. Voids under sheds should also be blocked.



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How Can You Kill a Fox in the Yard?


Before you take on lethal methods to remove foxes from your land, you should probably be aware that trapping and releasing the animal is probably going to be easier, and that’s no easy job. Foxes are clever and smart animals. They won’t just go for poison, just because it has been shoved into something else, such as a tasty sandwich. They won’t walk into a trap just because there is pet food hiding at the back. They’re smart. They’ve probably been trapped before, or they’ve managed to avoid a trap before, and they won’t be stupid enough to make the same mistakes again. It is actually possible for animals to learn what traps mean, therefore, learning to avoid them also. If you have a trap-shy fox, kill traps and live cage trapping are going to be just as impossible as each other.



Live cage trapping isn’t always the best option. Releasing these creatures back into the wild will just result in them coming back, and if they don’t come back, they’ll probably die because they can’t find hydration, nutrition, or shelter. Also, it should be noted that there are rules surrounding the release of wild animals into the wild. You will need to get permission from the land owner, and certain animals come with increased risk of diseases, including rabies, so shouldn’t be released into the wild to avoid the spread.

Kill trapping is just as impossible. You will usually need to set bait for many nights before you can lay the trap, and then you must wait a few more nights with a baited trap before you can actually set it. The point is to allow the fox to get comfortable with the trap being around, otherwise, it just won’t go anywhere near it, food or no food.

You could look at snare traps, but these are not considered to be a humane option in many cases, for many wild animals, can are subject to a string of restrictions. You will often find that, once you look into these restrictions, you will need to break a few in order to successfully use them. You will be breaking the law and, therefore, could be subject to legal proceedings.

Poison is not a good idea. You’ll probably poison your neighbor’s cat. You might poison your own kid. The fox might die somewhere under or in your home. You might not be able to find it. It will smell. You will then need to definitely find it … It's just a very bad idea.

If you live out in the middle of nowhere, you could look at shooting the animal. You clearly can’t do this in highly populated areas, not only because of the laws, but also because you’ll probably scare the living daylights out of anyone that hears it. Gunshots in this day and age are NOT a good idea. We do not advise it.

In many cases, with the right exclusion methods and property modifications, you don't need to resort to killing a fox in order to get rid of it. There are better options, and plenty of them too. You will find, more often than not, that kill methods are actually not lawful in many places across North America, and when they are, they are subject to certain hunting seasons and methods, and may even require permits.

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