Last night- Lots of photos.

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Last night- Lots of photos.

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Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 1:37 pm Post subject: Last night- Lots of photos.

A month or two ago I lost two beautiful Ancona hens to the fox. This prompted me into buying a new fox trap. I've had a few teething problems with it and last week these culminated in a fox setting the trap off but being able to back out of it before the door dropped behind it. This has resulted in a fox that still loves the taste of chicken but that is trap shy.
I set my Bushell trail cam up last night and I thought that folks might be interested in the pictures that it took.

Late yesterday afternoon, I changed the bait in the fox trap for a fresh one and left the manky old bait at the front of the trap as a tempter.
As expected, our nocturnal visitor turned up again and as you'll see from the photos, he was extremely nervous and wary of the trap.
If you wade through the images you'll see that he picks the old bait up and clears off with it before returning to have a good look at the fresh one. He definitely knows where the new bait is and I can only hope that in the next night or so, he overcomes his fears.
Ignore the times shown on the photos, it needs some fine tuning.

By my reckoning, he or she visited the trap on at least four or five occasions through out the night. Bloody frustrating or what ? I'm going to leave things as they are for at least the next two more nights before �ringing the changes. Fingers crossed I catch the beggar sooner rather than later !

PS No foxes were injured during the making of this film. Well at least not yet!

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 1:47 pm Post subject:
If you're on a PC, and grab the up/down slider, and move it fast enough it actually becomes a movie. Cunning bugger, isn't he? (The fox, not Bodger. )

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 2:34 pm Post subject:
I wish I was. There was another thirty something photos but I thought I'd already gone a bit OTT as it was.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46408
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 7:05 pm Post subject:
it seems a clever one, is it smarter than the average 5.56? (or other suitable round) Last edited by dpack on Wed Oct 19, 16 10:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 8:15 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

(or other suitable round)

Can you get expanding 5.56 or just .223?

I was going to ask about a safe backstop but, IIRC, it's fairly flat and has houses nearby.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 9:32 pm Post subject:
The biggest problem is that it isn't coming around until about 3.00am.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46408
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 10:30 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

dpack wrote:

(or other suitable round)

Can you get expanding 5.56 or just .223?

I was going to ask about a safe backstop but, IIRC, it's fairly flat and has houses nearby.

high seat eliminates most backstop issues and is less likely to be noticed by foxy but near houses is never a good idea unless everyone is "onside".

this chap linky covers some of the technical differences

afaik nato spec is all metal tip but they are cheap as chips

probably best to stick to what the chamber/barrel is listed for

the pressure wave would do for radgel if using a nato round but a frangible is a lot safer for everyone else.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46408
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 16 10:34 pm Post subject:
ps grannie used a lee enfield mk 4 .303 and dum dummed her tips with the carving knife , at close range from the hen house roof it was almost a bucket and shovel job to tidy up.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 16 6:57 am Post subject:
Really interesting. PS The Gamekeeper here, sets his traps up against fence lines, hedges, etc and disguises the trap with bracken and stuff. Might help?

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 16 11:31 am Post subject:
That's my next step Shan. I've caught a few over the years but this fox hasn't gotten over its earlier encounter with the trap.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46408
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 16 1:05 pm Post subject:
as the weather gets colder and there are less sources of food hunger might overcome nerves

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 16 11:40 am Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

That's my next step Shan. I've caught a few over the years but this fox hasn't gotten over its earlier encounter with the trap.

I hope you get the F*&$�%

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 16 12:21 pm Post subject:
My trap never catches anything. Bait is roundly ignored, whatever it is.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 16 6:20 pm Post subject:
I catch quite a few each year but this is a brand new trap and this particular fox is now trap shy. He nearly got caught in it but the trap door shut on his back and he managed to wiggle out. I'll have to be extremely lucky to get this particular one to go into it again.

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