Stopping Fox Losses of Ducks and Newborn Lambs on a Farm near Harrogate

The problem

The farm is a small mixed holding on the edge of a village near Harrogate, with cereal crops, cattle, and sheep. Foxes had been taking semi-tame ducks from the pond, and a few lambs had been lost at just one or two days old. It was an on-and-off problem the farmer had been dealing with himself, but fox control means late nights and early mornings, and farmers work hard enough already without giving up that extra time.

Confirming the problem

The farmer had already identified foxes as the cause, and a couple of visits confirmed it. There were plenty of foxes on the land, with several seen on every visit, mostly within an area of around 100 acres.

Two nights of control

All the work was done after dark, so dates and times were agreed with the farmer in advance. Over two nights, six foxes were taken: two dogs and four vixens.

Doing it safely

The part of the farm where the work was done is away from the village, with no footpaths or public access, but extra care still went into where each fox was taken: in the right part of the field, with a safe backstop and no sheep in the background. A caller and an animated decoy drew the foxes to exactly those spots, so every shot was a safe one.

The result

The farmer has stopped seeing foxes and is delighted. He's no longer losing ducks from the pond, and he's going into the coming lambing season a lot more confident.

What happens next

The farmer's land is also home to a small syndicate pheasant shoot. Going into the coming season with six fewer foxes on the ground means far less pressure on the birds in the coverts, which gives the syndicate a much better chance of a good season. With young foxes now moving in looking for territories of their own, we'll keep a close eye on things so that head start isn't lost (see how we work with shoots). Our fox calendar shows what foxes are doing through the year.