Author Topic: what to think of running over fox with tractor? (Read 901 times)

kennyd · « **on:** October 17, 2009, 05:17:30 PM »

The waste weed field behind our house was mowed this week. This the city law that weeds have to be under 6 inches. It looks like hell now, the dried sunflowers and all looked better, a fire break had already been mowed.
There has been a fox living out there (in city) all summer. The idiot on the mower circled the fox hole where the fox went down, then ran over the hole dragging the rotary mower across. We haven't seen the fox since, so I am pretty sure he crushed or smothered him. Since this is the city, there are no chickens, or such to worry about. It was fun to watch the little guy sun himself, and catch prarie dogs at times. I am PO'd at the guy, it is not like he was protecting any of his assets, maybe just a few cats.

I look at this different than hunting or getting rid of varmints. It is in the same category as swerving to hit a dog in the street.

Foxxtrot · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2009, 05:31:31 PM »

call the guys boss. That always seems to work for me when somebody screws up.

Graybeard · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2009, 05:54:49 PM »

I think it HIGHLY UNLIKELY he ran over and harmed the fox. They are kinda intelligent in that way and much faster than a tractor.

LONGTOM · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2009, 06:00:48 PM »

I agree with GB plus even if he did cover the hole with him in it he will have no problem digging his way out.
It is not very likely that this happened though.

LONGTOM

billy_56081 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2009, 05:41:23 AM »

I'm sure the fox wasn't killed and probably mosed on as his habitat changed.

Sourdough · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2009, 07:16:31 AM »

Like Billy said, now with no cover close by the fox moved on. Habitat change influences changes in behavior.

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 18, 2009, 07:26:33 AM »

i agree with the answers posted .. but i did this while a security guard..
i pulled the car in to give an area the once over ..[nothing in the cars path]..
i backed up to leave an danged if ididn t run over a coyote..now they smarter than that..
only thing i could ever fugure is it might have been one kept as a pet,,that got loose..
in telling an resident there ,about it ..his eyes really did a double take when i said id backed over a coyote..
he never said it was his..but i sure wondered. slim

kennyd · « **Reply #7 on:** October 18, 2009, 08:53:20 AM »

guess I'll have to name him Dusty. He showed up this morning sunning himself, looked like he was covered in dust. We think he is part of a litter that was out there 2 years ago. With the neighbor kids, walking dogs, and all, it is surprising that any stay. So far everyone either doesn't see him or does as we do and leaves well enough alone.

It is surprising how many foxes are in the city. There was a litter across the alley at work. The little kids told the lady living there: "There is a dog under your shed with puppies". OTH, seldom see or hear coyotes, but I sleep like a log. There has been 1 bear and 1 lion, we are at the east end of Aurora in the prairie.

alsaqr · « **Reply #8 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:10:08 AM »

Quote

It is surprising how many foxes are in the city. There was a litter across the alley at work.

I like to watch foxes. Unfortunately, one seldom sees a fox in western OK because of the coyotes.

Graybeard · « **Reply #9 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:20:03 AM »

Coyotes don't play well with fox like wolves don't play well with coyotes. If the larger predator is around their will be far fewer of the smaller cuz the bigger boys will run off or eat them. Sure some will survive but they won't thrive.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:22:39 AM »

It seems here in Minnesota, that the mange is more deadly on foxes than Coyotes. When we start killing coyotes with mange, we see very very few foxes, and when most the coyotes are clean we see more foxes.

Graybeard · « **Reply #11 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:29:10 AM »

Yeah well mange comes most commonly with over population and with an over population of coyotes fewer fox will survive. When mange kills the coyote population back to lower levels it tends to drop back so you see fewer with it but then there are fewer of them to see as well. Then the smaller fox can better survive. It's a natural cycle that's been going on since the dawn of time.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 18, 2009, 10:46:22 AM »

25 years ago, no one had ever heard of a coyote in southern MN. Back in 85 or 86 I was out in Colorado guiding and when I talked to my dad on the phone he was telling me about seeing a coyote when bow hunting. It was the first coyote he had ever seen. Now we have a very very good population of Coyote and just a few Red Fox. I miss the high fox population. On sunny days in the winter red fox will lay on the snow banks sunning themselves, they are alot of fun to put a sneak on.

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Redtail1949 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 18, 2009, 10:58:02 AM »

I have had 3 fox that live around here and 1 plays in my yard with the dog and cat. He will walk up to us about 3 feet away. That one has started to make me nervous as he will come to glass back door and you can be on other side of the glass and he will not run. He started to approach the two grandkids that live with us one is 5 the other 7 and they have almost grabbed him. Simply because of the fear of what could happen say if he were to bite any of us that would require rabies vaccinations regardless of his condition. then you might not catch to be able to kill and test.

I called the game wardens and they came over and said they would try to trap him and the others. I love wildlife and i was a hard core hunter for elk deer bear and so on. I know wild is wild yet i was struck with this animals desire to be close to us now for two years. Yewt he must be removed as the danger is real. You live in Aurora i live far south from you in colorado and jset fotr info people would be surprized just how many Fox and coyote live in the cities in the heart of town unoticed by most as they usually movew and hunt at night in that environment

the fox has a full brilliant red coat and has always looked healthy with no strange or odd behavior other than that particulur one wants to be close to humans and pets. He has never been threathning to anyone or pets. Had he acted sick or or anything i would and could have killed him with my .22.

Here, like where you are bear mule deer and occasionaly elk are not uncommon in my yard. my kids and grandkids have had the great opportunity to see these animals up close and they have been taught by me just how to avoid conflicts.

the thing for all to remember is that they are wild regardless of their beauty and all can be very dangerous. i am sure that you have heard that there is a rabies epidemic in the area north of colorado springs to the south of denver...right up against you in aurora and it is spreading rapidly from raccoons dogs cats and livstock. so be aware and be carefull.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #14 on:** October 18, 2009, 11:53:29 AM »

A BIG thanks to you fox lovers for NOT being my neighbors. After seeing what taking the bounty off foxes here did to the pheasants and other nesting birds, this is the ONLY way i like to see a fox!

DM

Redtail1949 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 18, 2009, 12:08:28 PM »

drilling man;

sure do not want to leave the impression i am anti hunting..i love to hunt fish trap and camp in the oudoors anywhere. i encourage anyone that wants to do it that never has..start today.

it was the hunting and general outdoors life that has conivinced me that there is a GOD. the relationships between all animals and even plants makes anyone with a brain recognize that this was not by accident nor a big bang...but something else something that had the power the wisdom to put it all here.

so shoot hunt trap whatever you want to do...take you kids and try your best to show them how each and everything has its reason and purpose and all are dependent on one another in some way.

gb and others mentioned the realtionships of coyote to fox. that goes on to rabbits and how they fit in and on and on. no sir if i could i would be camped right now trying to kill an elk and if i did not i would not care as i would be content to witness the beauty of the rockies and the peace it can bring to a mans heart.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 18, 2009, 02:54:41 PM »

Nice Grey DM I'd love to find one of them. They are pretty rare in southern MN. About the only place they are found is in the big river bottoms.

Sourdough · « **Reply #17 on:** October 18, 2009, 03:25:11 PM »

Redtail, I would venture to say someone has been feeding that fox. That is the reason most wild animals loose their fear of man. If F&G does not get rid of it soon, I'd quietly take care of it myself. It's a danger to the kids. Trap it, snare it, what ever it takes.

Yankee1 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 20, 2009, 05:25:10 PM »

Hello All
I live up in the Oregon Mountains in a wooded area.
The other night my wife said "Take a look at this" I looked out back on my deck and there were six raccoons eating the cats food.
We usually we will have a couple every night but this is the first time I've seen six. By the way the cat is wild also. She decided to live on my back deck. He has tamed down somewhat because Nancy talks to him all the time and he tries to talk to her. He will walk up to her when she is sitting out there and pat her on the leg without his claws out like he is trying to communicate with her. That as close as he has gotten so far. We have all kinds of wild animals here from deer to turkeys. Lion and bear every so often.
Yankee1

powderman · « **Reply #19 on:** October 20, 2009, 11:44:14 PM »

No more cover= no more small game=no food=no fox. POWDERMAN.

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 21, 2009, 02:50:29 AM »

well we always kept a good mouser or two around the house ...but i never let myself think my tom cats were going to make it long.. as soon as they got big enough to roam ...sooner or later they would go missing..i always figured it was a great big coon or a fox..at that time ,i had not seen coyotes..
had one that went 12 lb one time but he met his match one night..id even named him ..leroy.. :)slim

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #21 on:** October 21, 2009, 03:04:08 AM »

WE have lots of fox here in Va. son trapped 9 last season along with several bobcats . In The city of Richmond we see them often enough to watch out for them . There are several that go in the dumpster behind our shop . We are not near a big field or such just drainage ditches and the like that do have rabbits etc. other businesses all around . I had one run over my shoulder one evening when i opened the dumpster . We also have rabies in the area so they are not considered cute critters here .

billy_56081 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 21, 2009, 07:38:31 AM »

If the fox would have been stupid enough to get hit by a tractor. It would have been a good thing genetically for it to die.

Redtail1949 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 21, 2009, 08:56:03 AM »

my favorite camping site when hunting elk has a small herd of moose that hang about 150 yards from camp. I have watched them for over 20 years. I have shot several elk within 100 yards of them over the years.

The biggest bull in that herd of moose makes the largest bull elk around look small in comparision. they are aggressive if pushed too closely or if the mother has young. Other than that I have seen only one bull shot in that herd over the years. i watched it unfold while sitting at my campfire drinking my midmorning coffee.he was killed by a hunter shooting a 6.5x55 swedish mauser with a 160 round nose. He dropped him almost in his tracks. The shot was about 175 yards and then the work began...lol

That prompted my to but two of those rifles both made in 1899 and with sporter stocks from Midway Arms. They are the most accurate rifles I own with 140 grain nosler handloads. I will match them against any sporting rifle shooting a load that is good for elk and if it is not a dedicated target rifle.

The photo does seem to have been doctored a little..however moose are big even the young.

Redtail1949 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 21, 2009, 08:57:40 AM »

OOopps somehow got this on wrong thread...sorry!