vote against fox

[phil24w]

Having just returned home from a fab evening walk, smelling fox seeing rabbit, badger and roe buck. Hearing countless bird species calling, young ravens, I really feel privileged to live in such a species rich environment. I am also a realist and know that in the last ten thousand years man (us) as slowly eroded any pristine environment that once existed. The modern stewards of this land are the farmers and from my experience they do a fantastic job, they produce our food meat and veg, they allow us to live.
Any reference to shooting night or day, hunting whether wealthy or working class needs checking; we are animals too and some can deal with death in a more pragmatic way. Evolution has allowed us to leap frog to the top of our food web and as such we have a hunting instinct some repress/deny theirs some come to terms with it. "Natural" organisms have short brutal lives removing hunting would not change this one iota. Difficult to swallow for some but that’s why we should be allowed to make our own choices.

[DunkeryMunkery]

Originally Posted by phil24w

Having just returned home from a fab evening walk, smelling fox seeing rabbit, badger and roe buck. Hearing countless bird species calling, young ravens, I really feel privileged to live in such a species rich environment. I am also a realist and know that in the last ten thousand years man (us) as slowly eroded any pristine environment that once existed. The modern stewards of this land are the farmers and from my experience they do a fantastic job, they produce our food meat and veg, they allow us to live.
Any reference to shooting night or day, hunting whether wealthy or working class needs checking; we are animals too and some can deal with death in a more pragmatic way. Evolution has allowed us to leap frog to the top of our food web and as such we have a hunting instinct some repress/deny theirs some come to terms with it. "Natural" organisms have short brutal lives removing hunting would not change this one iota. Difficult to swallow for some but that’s why we should be allowed to make our own choices.

Very good post from North Somerset !!!

[wizzo]

Originally Posted by eeyore

do you actually understand what a "natural death" entails for a fox - its not like dying age 95 in a nice cosy hospital - rather you get slower and slower until you are unable to feed or defend yourself, then gradually starve to death, until finally you are too weak to stop crows and other scavengers feeding on your tongue, eyes, and entrails before you breathe your last.

are you really saying you'd prefer that end to a bullet in the head ?

Well...then that would be a natural death wouldn't it? The chances are that most of us will suffer an unpleasent death of some kind and not as you say "age 95 in a nice cosy bed. If there is such a thing, I'll book my place now. Does that mean I'd prefer to be shot in the head or torn to pieces? Ummm it's still ..... no thankyou!

[wizzo]

Originally Posted by bigdave60dog

How about the most common fox death of starving to death or dying from injuries following a collision with road traffic?
Or dying slowly from a desease transmitted to you from a weak, infected fox now that that no-one is going to eliminate sick and weak foxes who have no other natural predator?
Do all you anti hunters, anti shooters drive slowly and carefully in case you hit an animal? What steps do you take to ensure that fox habitat is still preserved now that no-one is interested in keeping foxes on their land?

Yes Dave....some of us actually do drive slowly in order to avoid colliding with animals. I even avoid driving at night in Dorset, in an effort to avoid Badgers. I'm also aware of where Deer are likely to cross roads and slow down accordingly. Obviously, I could never say for sure that I'll never hit an anmal, but I take precautions to minimise the risk and ask that others do likewise.

[bigdave60dog]

Originally Posted by wizzo

Yes Dave....some of us actually do drive slowly in order to avoid colliding with animals. I even avoid driving at night in Dorset, in an effort to avoid Badgers. I'm also aware of where Deer are likely to cross roads and slow down accordingly. Obviously, I could never say for sure that I'll never hit an anmal, but I take precautions to minimise the risk and ask that others do likewise.

Nice one Wizzo,
Dave

[captivebolt]

Ah well. I can resist any thing but temptation . . . A couple or three points need to be made.

The reason shooters go lamping is that foxes are nocturnal.

Hunts used to be accused of breeding up foxes so they would have plenty of quarry. Now we have folk asking for a closed season. Cake and the eating or keeping thereof comes to mind.

I can see the point about killing a vixen in milk, but lambs are born at rhe same season, and a dog fox killing to feed a nursing vixen will go for the easiest prey. A new-born lamb is about as easy as it comes. This is another time when a good terrier earns its keep. If a shooter kills a milky vixen the dog can follow her trail back to the earth, and the shooter dispatch the cubs humanely rather than leaving them to die of inanition.

It is illegal to shoot deer at night except under tightly controlled condirions when they are causing serious crop or tree damage.

Responsible shooters will not use a shotgun on a fox at a range of more than 40 yards, and only when loaded with heavy shot and a magnum powder charge.

I could say more, but I've exceeded my quota of points for today.

Captivebolt

[Cordaline]

I'm going to risk upsetting alot of you here but it would seem that most people seem to have forgotten that this is, pure and simply, a 'Ye Olde Tradition' down the ages!
I won't get drawn into a debate as to what is right or wrong, I would just like to highlight the point.

[epops]

Originally Posted by Cordaline

I'm going to risk upsetting alot of you here but it would seem that most people seem to have forgotten that this is, pure and simply, a 'Ye Olde Tradition' down the ages!
I won't get drawn into a debate as to what is right or wrong, I would just like to highlight the point.

ye olde tradition down the ages Its the chase not the kill that counts i used to follow both foxhounds and foot beagles and kills to hunt ratio was pretty low in my part of the world also sorry if it upsets people i used to enjoy coursing but would never ever slip my dog unless i was sure that the hare had a good chance of out manouvering my dog which very often thats what happened

[captivebolt]

Originally Posted by epops

ye olde tradition down the ages Its the chase not the kill that counts i used to follow both foxhounds and foot beagles and kills to hunt ratio was pretty low in my part of the world also sorry if it upsets people i used to enjoy coursing but would never ever slip my dog unless i was sure that the hare had a good chance of out manouvering my dog which very often thats what happened

EPOPS I like your sig. I have decided to live forever - or die trying.

CPTVB

[epops]

Originally Posted by captivebolt

EPOPS I like your sig. I have decided to live forever - or die trying.

CPTVB

lol sombody said it to me when i was on a bit of a downer that made me laugh and just about summed it up for me at the time