Buying a gun today (one that won't piss off the neighbors)

I'm going to Fleet Farm after work to buy a pellet gun to shoot at the fox I had it out with this morning, making me late for work. He was after my chickens again. (He killed three of my cinnamon queens a couple months ago.) I was literally chasing him around my house from one coop to the other, yelling at him and throwing rocks.  He did not want to leave. My plan is to nip him on the hind end with the pellet gun so he isn't so bold going forward.
Yes...(evin grin) ...a pellet gun will do nicely....

If only we lived closer.  Pissed off neighbors - PFFT, like I would care !!  Red or Grey Fox ?  Doesn't matter, I would be glad to remove said critter for you!

Hold on here, do I know you??  You sorta kinda read like someone I once knew, oh well.  If only, your fox problems would be over!!!

There can be no place for a killer of chickens!!!


Peace

It's reasonable to use harassment tactics such as a pellet or airsoft gun, or a starter pistol. However, I suspect the fox will just adjust its tactics and become much better at showing up when you're not there.

I respect that some folks have a no-kill philosophy, but personally for a confirmed chicken killer I would be inclined to use lethal means. A .22LR subsonic round is low noise but packs a pretty good punch. My 2c.

Trap that thing and make a hat out of it. He's learned that chickens are dinner. Even if you can manage to keep him away from your chickens, he'll go eat the neighbor's chickens.

Depending on your locale, there could be existing laws that limit the seasons for taking fox such as where I live.

I have managed to keep predators away by utilizing a mixture of a fenced off run for when I can't be present and a paddock shift netting system for when I'm toddling in the yard so the critters can get some fresh greens/bugs.

While it might not be as effective when you have a fox that knows there's a potential for lunch on your property, I have had decent luck utilizing the fur that I brush out from my dogs coat this time of year to scare off a variety of animals. I place it around my garden and near where my property butts up to some woods. If you cut your families hair at home, this can be really effective to use as well!

A word of warning, when I was a child my grandfather did this and a local robin liked my cut hair so much it decided to try and get some right from my head. Dive bombing birds spooked 6 year old me then.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:It's reasonable to use harassment tactics such as a pellet or airsoft gun, or a starter pistol. However, I suspect the fox will just adjust its tactics and become much better at showing up when you're not there.

I respect that some folks have a no-kill philosophy, but personally for a confirmed chicken killer I would be inclined to use lethal means. A .22LR subsonic round is low noise but packs a pretty good punch. My 2c.

Yep. And a nip-in-the-butt with a pellet gun can still pierce the skin, shatter bone, and/or cause an infection. I mean I get the intention but the only less-than-lethal options I feel for animals is pepper spray. Past that, you need to just acknowledge you're firing projectiles that can kill.

Of course there's the deterrent of an outdoor dog ...

Tony Hawkins wrote:
Yep. And a nip-in-the-butt with a pellet gun can still pierce the skin, shatter bone, and/or cause an infection. I mean I get the intention but the only less-than-lethal options I feel for animals is pepper spray. Past that, you need to just acknowledge you're firing projectiles that can kill.

I...don't...know if that is right Tony. In my experience, ....(and this is strictly my experience)...

Anyway, in my experience, with six brothers and no sisters, there were many pellet gun and bb gun peltings going on at our farm, and it wasn't at the foxes either, - it was at each other. The only bad thing I can think of is a relative got their eye shot out, and now has a glass eye, but that didn't happen on our farm because everyone knew to shoot below the neck on our farm. I'm pretty sure that red fox will be just fine. Besides, he doesn't let me get close enough for pepper stray.  And the pepper spray gun costs $360. He's too big and also too smart to get caught in my livetrap. So it seems that we are down to me going to Fleet Farm after work.  To make you feel better though, if I see an opportunity to handle things another way, I will do so.  

Naughty little fox.

I had a neighbour that used a paintball gun with success in deterring dogs, skunks and even bears. Perhaps there's a degree of humiliation involved for the critter in having to explain the coloration to family and friends. Much less harmful than a pellet to the bum.

One last thing to say: once armed, put on the camo, face paint, headband and go RAMBO on that fox!!

Happy Hunting

Michael Helmersson wrote:I had a neighbour that used a paintball gun with success in deterring dogs, skunks and even bears. Perhaps there's a degree of humiliation involved for the critter in having to explain the coloration to family and friends. Much less harmful than a pellet to the bum.

The thought of this just made me laugh out loud, picturing this fox having to go home to his family and explain why his butt is purple.  Maybe when I get to the store, I will buy that paintball gun rather than the pellet gun, just for the fun of it.

Thanks to all who responded with the great ideas today!  I'll keep you posted!

OK OK, I just now remembered this line from a movie,  Once armed and dressed, "At my signal, unleash hell" (was that from Gladiator?? With that Crowe fella??)

No more free chicken dinners!!!   (Being nice, well as best as I can)


Peace

Elanor's response to a fox that stuck out its tongue and said "nyah, whatcha gonna do about it" is on the spectrum of "reach out and touch someone." In other words, "I am the bigger dog." If additional lessons are required, I'm sure she will find a way to deliver them.

Just my $0.02 USD worth touching on several topics here.

Yes, Elanor, I too.....along with many perhaps....have been on the 'downwind' end of a pellet gun having been cajoled by a friend's older brother to let him have the rifle for a few plinks.  As soon as it was in his hands, friend and I both recall him saying "...get running!...", shortly thereafter to feel the sting in the backside.  I could say that a 1970s BB/pellet gun was no match for today's offerings, but I know that particular gun, a Crosman pump action still manufactured today, could to more than sting if pumped up to high enough pressure.  Which is one point to be made:  A multi-pump, time-tested pellet gun could be pumped to sufficient pressure to *deter* the fox without likely maiming it.  As Michael H. noted, paintball guns can provide the same impact at close enough range.

A bit of irony.  Our livestock guard dogs have done such a good job of patrolling the property that we rarely lose chickens to predators....*if* the chooks stay on the property.  Easy enough for the chickens to slip through the perimeter fence and play tag or hide and seek with the well-fed fox and coyote population, so we lose a few that way.  But as the chickens are free-ranging by day and the population is sizeable and skewed to the masculine side of the spectrum (i.e., too many damn Roos!), wife and I both use pellet guns to knock some down for the freezer.  Through this, one learns that roosters can be tougher than first imagined (and I don't just mean the meat texture) and head/neck shots are the most reliable way to put them down. So originally purchased for varmint control, the pellet guns are used more now to harvest the burgeoning and aggressive roo numbers! Even here, the pellet guns used are quite a bit more powerful than the Daisy BB guns of my youth, so I probably wouldn't use them on a fox,---worried it would maim and lead to an unfortunate slow death.  There will be many 'break-barrel' designs at Fleet Farm and other such stores that will fall into this more powerful category.....great for knocking down squirrels and rabbits and other such sized critters, but not so recommended for fox-sized animals.

The dogs aren't infallible....a fox recently came right into the yard on a warm afternoon and snatched a chicken right outside a picture window of the house.  Dogs were snoozing away under the cool deck while the rest of the chickens screamed in alarm.  I had to sit down with the dogs later and go over their contract to remind them of their role and breeding which seems to escape them at opportune times for Mr or Mrs Fox!

Have you tried a mix of chili powder and garlic to deter the foxes?

We like our foxes and know that there are laws to protect them.

Douglas or Timothy gave you some good suggestions.

I have no idea why you feel that your neighbors will not be pissed off.  A pellet gun makes a similar sound so how will your neighbors tell the difference?

Foxes are not protected in Texas. You don’t even need a license for a nuisance fox. You just can’t keep or sell their furs.

If you have a license you can take as many as you want and keep the fur but not sale or trade them.

This info is on Texas parks and wildlife website. I’m sure all states have something similar so I suggest you check the regulations. Not knowing is not an excuse. Big fines and taking your equipment  can happen if caught.

I eliminate nuisance animals personally. I can’t afford to lose animals and or crops. I don’t currently have chickens so fox are no nuisance to me. They eat field mice so they are a help. Hogs and raccoons are the destructive ones for me.

That said I do so with properly sized firearms.

I'm grateful to the person in my neighbourhood who trained ravens to be afraid of guns.  The birds just ignore humans and take what they want, until one day, I got frustrated and put a broom to my shoulder and pointed the handle at them.  They recognised it as a gun and it turns out that putting a dark colour stick in the window with a ball cap as if someone is hunting,  is an awesome way to keep these guy out of the henhouse.

But ravens are smart and pass knowledge like that between flocks.  Not sure it would work with other predators.

Anne Miller wrote:Have you tried a mix of chili powder and garlic to deter the foxes?

We like our foxes and know that there are laws to protect them.

Douglas or Timothy gave you some good suggestions.

I have no idea why you feel that your neighbors will not be pissed off.  A pellet gun makes a similar sound so how will your neighbors tell the difference?

Hi Anne,
You are wonderful and kind, and I respect your loving on the foxes. I actually love foxes too, but this guy ate three of my best laying, best demeanor cinnamon queens.  Also, I have to tell you, the sound a pellet gun makes is really quiet, nothing like a .22. But it does matter. I did not buy an air gun. I didn't even buy a gun at all. I bought some predator pee to spray around the chicken coops. It was cheap and the guy at Fleet Farm says it should do the trick.  I'm not so sure though, this little fox is pretty naughty, like a dog that does not listen.  So I bought a slingshot too, just in case he does not care about the pee.
I will let you know how it goes.

Elanor Gardner wrote: I bought some predator pee to spray around the chicken coops. It was cheap and the guy at Fleet Farm says it should do the trick.  I'm not so sure though, this little fox is pretty naughty, like a dog that does not listen.  So I bought a slingshot too, just in case he does not care about the pee.
I will let you know how it goes.

You may have luck with that if it's specifically coyote pee. Coyotes love killing foxes, which, with the spread of coyotes over the last several decades, is why foxes are mostly found only around people and in suburban type areas anymore, because coyotes won't hang out there.

Yes, it is coyote pee. I have sprayed it all around both coops. I sure hope it works. That's two days now that the chickens have not been able to go into their run. I have to work on the run and beef it up a bit before its safe enough. There's always such a long list of things to do. I think I'll put out the trail cam to see if he still comes around even with the pee sprayed everywhere.

A good slingshot should work great for scaring them away.
Fun to practice with.
 You can kind of choose how hard you want it to hit them.
And the size of the ammo.

And while you can get lead free pellets, they are usually aluminum and don't hit as hard.
Sling shot ammo is almost aways lead free.

Today's one pump pellet guns are very powerful and can easily embed a pellet deep into a foxes hindquarters with a strong likelihood of permanent damage/infection.

I second the notion of using a slingshot with marbles or steel ball bearings, if the coyote urine doesn't work.

I had a similar issue with raccoons, but this plan does sound prone to maim the fox and cause undue pain that is not within my definition of the ethic of Earth care. Unprotected livestock are equivalent to “feeding wildlife”, which is bad for both wildlife and livestock. A guardian dog has been my best protection, along with a well secured coop at night. That fox is eating a lot of rodents and will not get your chickens if they are not the easiest thing for them to catch. Something would be wrong with a fox that did not go after an easy to reach chicken.

Ben Zumeta wrote:I had a similar issue with raccoons, but this plan does sound prone to maim the fox and cause undue pain that is not within my definition of the ethic of Earth care. Unprotected livestock are equivalent to “feeding wildlife”, which is bad for both wildlife and livestock. A guardian dog has been my best protection, along with a well secured coop at night. That fox is eating a lot of rodents and will not get your chickens if they are not the easiest thing for them to catch. Something would be wrong with a fox that did not go after an easy to reach chicken.

I respect your position on the handling of the chicken-eating fox. If you look a couple posts up, you'll see that this fox is getting off easy - I bought some coyote pee.

I wish I could get a guardian dog. Someone else suggested that as well. That is not in the realm of possibilities though. I work too many hours to care for it properly, so that, my friend, is not within my definition of good ethical dog care.  Still, it is a great idea Ben!  I do truly like the fox - a fox was one of the first woodland creatures that visited me when I moved into my current house. I just don't like him eating my chickens.

The fox is on duty 24/7. Right now it is tame and unafraid, like urban coyotes are tame and unafraid of humans. This is a highly intelligent and adaptable predator, and its tactics will change instantly when it is challenged.

So to my mind the options are either an immediate "highly unpleasant" response or methods that are also on duty 24/7 (coyote pee, dog, electric fence, enhanced fencing with a dome above and wire dug deep into the soil).

Personally, my experience inclines me to think it would be a remarkable slingshotter who could get more than a few clean shots at a fox (or coyote), ever.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote: Personally, my experience inclines me to think it would be a remarkable slingshotter who could get more than a few clean shots at a fox (or coyote), ever.

Haha, good one!

I'm sure you're right Douglas. But who wouldn't have fun practicing with a slingshot!  

I believe in you!!  Just in case I went to the range today with my old 22-250, it's all ready for a road trip.  Just let me know!

I do so enjoy reading some of the above posts, all I can say - "bother"


Peace

Remember pup, before you whine
That side's yours and this side's mine
So shove it on over (move it on over) ...
         - Hank Williams, "Move It On Over"
           (c.1949 and possibly the first rock-n-roll song ever recorded)

Edit: To be clear, talkin' to the fox here.

Yes! Very fitting!

I have an Umerex Emerge break barrel rifle



https://www.umarexusa.com/2251386

It has a 12 shot auto advancing magazine, so you don't have to reload all the time.

I use it for dispatching pests on my homestead, or less than lethal shooting big predators. Just a couple weeks ago I shot a bear that was less than 50 FT from my house, I saw it out my living room window. A week before that I used it to shoot a mamma bear. And yes she was fine, shortly afterwards she was stalking some turkey. So I shot her again, didn't scare her but she turned around. Her cub (who I didn't shot) scurried up a tree.

Personally if the bear were farther away I wouldn't have shot them with an air rifle, but near my house I don't want them to get comfortable with.
A couple years ago I had a young bear within 5 FT of me. I hung out with him for about an hour or so.

Nice kit, Devin. I want one! The challenge for the OP is to be there when the fox decides to show up. Isn't that sort of a full time job?

BTW i just saw two deer ( a young doe and a young buck) outside my living room window. Now they are eating grass over by my solar panels

I have pellet guns in both .22 and .177 caliber.  Either one can easily kill small game.  Either can easily shoot through 1/2" plywood.  If you decide to shoot the fox with the pellet gun, please do the humane thing and shoot to kill it.  A shot in the rear end is very likely to do just as Tony said.

Elanor, build a cozy outside dog house and get yourself a Jack Russel Terrier or  Chihuahua...Both breeds are fearless and no self-respecting fox would dare screw with them more than once. My daughter has a Chihuahua and it backs-down 90 lb. Pit Bulls...Satanic mutt;0

Hang pieces of bacon over a hot wire fence…won’t kill but likely will deter further fox chicken interactions

We love the foxes and coyotes around here and made the decision early on to work WITH them. They are excellent rodent hunters and keep away other predators and packs who don’t know our area and rules. They teach their own not to enter our property. They are native to this area, I’m not.

We do have a dog (who’s not actually an LGD) and we do put our chickens away at night.

We have 6+ ft woven wire perimeter fencing with the wire extended under ground and wood boards at the bottom.
We also have a fixed coop that is completely covered in hardware cloth, including underneath, so no predators of any kind including rodents can enter, for when we go away.

We move the chickens every couple of days to new pasture in electric moveable fencing.

When we first set up, we put a couple of electric wires on the outside of the perimeter fence at nose height - 1 ft and ~ 1.5 ft - and covered with bacon grease.

This has all worked for us. We do see some holes occasionally between neighboring yards so we are digging the fencing down there too. No animal loss yet over 10 years.

We don’t have any BB guns or any guns, but I’m interested in learning how to shoot well with a good bow and arrow and pro slingshot….for rodents and the occasional squirrel pie, not carnivorous predators.