Christina

hi everybody, i'm new here and eager to start communicating with experienced outdoorsman. i have a problem i hope somebody here can help me with. my aunt has a farm here in pennsylvania and recently we have had lots of problems with coyotes and fox preying on our chickens and turkey. i'm not experienced in hunting yet and it's just me and my aunt here and few farm hands that can't help much with that. what is the best way to stop this? what are some good ways to trap or hunt them? i have to check with my county to see what is legal also before i do this of course. thanks for any replies. Chrissy

BrutalAttack

If your interested in some sets for fox and coyote this webpage might help you.
http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/guides/furbearer/TM-redfox.asp

As far as traps you'll want Victor #2 or so in size.

But you have to have a trapping lisence for your state and they must be in season and all other regulations must be followed.

Otherwise your options are to shoot or live trap them. I would just patrol around the property and shoot them as I see them. You can try staking out chicken coops or whatever they are hitting but I'm not sure if that would work too well.

I'll post more when I get off work.

700bdl870exp

i would hunt them with a highpowered rifle is legal and just sit by your house and wait to see if they come for the chickens and if they do then theirs your shot but just sit still and stay quiet and sit right up against the house and wear clothes that match the house or a farm building that you're sitting at and pop them when they get there

bowhuntermws1981

Hey Christina,

Here in PA in order to trap or kill a fox you need a hunting liscense with a furtakers permit (extra $20). You are only allowed to do this until Feb. 18th (last day for foxes), but up until then you can take as many as you want.

As far as coyotes, there is no closed season. You can kill them any time of the year, except for deer season.

I shot a red fox this year in archery season. In south-central PA (around Carlisle) there has been a population explosion of foxesover the last three years. Up at my grandparents farm (near Williamsport), we have seen a few more foxes and coyotes.

mossy33oak

would she actually get in trouble if she were to shoot a fox that is entering or exiting her chicken coop? I was just wondering if there is something protecting landowner/farmers against destroying their livelyhood?

Christina

thanks for the replies everybody!!! i really appreciate it and will try and apply some of the advice. i'm not an experienced country girl and i havent been on the farm helping my aunt long, so this 'country girl at heart-city girl' will do her best. thanks a bunch!!! chrissy

bowhuntermws1981

"would she actually get in trouble if she were to shoot a fox that is entering or exiting her chicken coop? I was just wondering if there is something protecting landowner/farmers against destroying their livelyhood?"

--I would guess that you are correct, if they are attacking farm animals you probably wouldn't need to go though all the red tape to start waxing them. It might not hurt to contact the PA Game Commission though, just to make sure. There are six different regional offices, you can find the phone numbers on the website.

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=463&q=150174

BrutalAttack

The best thing to do to start out is to call the PA Fish and Game Commision and ask them: a) what you need to be legal and b) advice on how to eliminate the predators.

PM me if you need more specific tactics and I'll try to help.

Good luck.

Hotburn76

If you got some cash to spare go to cabelas web page and buy a Feather Flex Rigor Rabbit Motion Decoy for 43 bucks. Then get you a Flextone Dying Rabbit Call for 12bucks and if you have a problem with coyotes your next problem will be buying ammo.

pjhunts

Buy a Great Pyrrenies(sp?). They are really big white dogs that will patrol your property and fight off the predators. They are very effective