My neighbor has a family of foxes in his backyard ( mom, dad, and kits). Anyone know of someone who would be able to live trap them for relocation?. He lives in the neighborhood surrounding Scott and White and is worried about the safety of his dogs. He called the City of C.S. and they weren't much help.

Don't know how helpful this is, but maybe the sherrif's department has an animal control group. Or maybe the Houston ASPCA?

I think foxes prey on squirrels, rabbits and such. What breed of dog does your friend have?

Go to Gander Mountain or Academy and buy some predator urine scent. The bigger the animal the better it will work.

12 gauge shotgun from academy and some shells. problem solved

Wild Life Rescue is well organized with chapters throughout Texas. Here is a number I've used, 832.444.6996. They will be able to put you in contact with someone who can help this fox family.

Good luck in getting them safely relocated.

http://www.twrc-houston.org/index.html

[This message has been edited by momlaw (edited 4/26/2008 8:21a).]

http://www.wildlife-rescue.org

[This message has been edited by momlaw (edited 4/26/2008 8:23a).]

You cannot simply trap them yourself to relocate. Foxes are fur-bearing (game) animals, which means you must have a trappers license to trap them.

Foxes are highly adaptable animals, much like coyotes, squirrels and raccoons. It is not uncommon to see them thriving in urban areas.

As a wildlife biologist, I would highly discourage the relocation of the animals. Animals which have been trapped and relocated are subject to tremendous levels of stress, which in itself could kill them. Translocated animals also have a very difficult time readjusting to their new environment, and long-term survival rates are very low.

That being said, if you are certain that your want the foxes gone, call the City of College Station's animal control. Your local TPWD wildlife biologist Jesse Otgen can also give you some options.

[This message has been edited by AggiePam (edited 4/26/2008 9:54a).]

The worries I'd have would be more along the lines of the foxes eating something with rabies and then becoming rabid and going after the neighbourhood dogs.

But if you can figure out when fox season is and get some tags, I'll loan you my hounds.

His dogs are smaller than the foxes and there have been confrontations between them. Evidently, they had the young ones in his back yard since he found one of the kits on his back patio. The parents come and go, but they have established the yard as their den. This is not on the outskirts of C.S., but is in an established neighborhood.

[This message has been edited by letterman72 (edited 4/26/2008 12:07p).]

[This message has been edited by letterman72 (edited 4/26/2008 12:08p).]

We have foxes around here? I have never seen one. I've seen plenty of coyotes, though.

Ok, I went and looked things up on the wildlife department's website.

quote:

---

* A trapper's license is required to take or attempt to take fur-bearing animals, except that a person who possesses a hunting license may take and possess a fur-bearing animal, provided the furbearer (or any part thereof) is not to be sold.
* A department-issued CITES tag is required to be attached to all otters taken and possessed in this state.
* A landowner on their own land or their authorized agent is not required to have a trapper's or hunting license if these nuisance animals are taken while causing loss or damage to agricultural crops, livestock, poultry, or personal property. However, such animals or their pelts may not be possessed or sold.
* Seasons, legal means of taking, and rules about fur-bearing animals or their pelts are covered in another guide (brochure) called Fur-bearing Animal Regulations. Fur-bearing animals may be hunted at night on private property with the aid of an artificial light.

---

So the general gist is that they can capture the foxes themselves, and then kill them... but cannot keep or sell the fur.

If they wanted to trap the animals AND sell them for their fur, they would need a trapper's license, which costs $18. The recreational harvest season is from September 1` through August 31 (so basically year round).

If they sell the fur, it must be sold to a wholesale fur dealer.

With the permit and the authorization of both the property owner that the animals were trapped on and the property owner where the animals were released, nuisance animals can be relocated within state lines. You then have to submit a report every time you relocate something.

Source http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_0065.pdf

... It's worth noting that there's some contradicting wordage here that says you can trap & release foxes, but that you can't transport them within the state due to rabies restrictions.

Personally, I'd camp out with night vision goggles and a .22, and then bury 'em in a deep, deep hole. :-P

MY MIL lives off of Merry Oaks, and I have seen foxes in that area for the past two years.

They look like friendly little fellas. I say just leave them alone.

Robb
Fighting Texas Aggie `01

Yesterday I saw what at first I thought was a young coyote but may have been a fox in the bushes off 29th St. across from the KBTX studios (and on the other side of the dead-end side street from Suddenlink).

There are definitely foxes in the area between Woodcreek and Sebesta... I've seen several over the years on the way to work... along with bobcats and coyotes.

Please, contact the wild life rescue resources.

This fox family does not deserve to be shot, buried, or otherwise disposed of if there is an option for their survival.

I am hoping the menacing posts are trolls, not twits who can't respect that this is a family trying to survive in an urban area, not of their choosing.

Listen to what AggiePam has to say, she has really good information on this issue.

Foxes present us with a unique challenge. If you as a private citizen trap one, RELOCATION is not a legal option. Your only option with a fox, coyote, or raccoon (there are some exceptions on the coon) is to put it down. Trust me, don't trap a fur bearer without the license. A trapper with the city animal control, or a private trapper contracted through a government agency, DOES have an option of doing a relocation---therefore if trapping is selected, turn it over to city officials. If you load a live fox into your car and head out of town, you are breaking the law. http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/health/zoonosis/laws/transport/ Evict and restrict where they have been hanging out (den) is usually the best action to take.

FYI---you can not legally rehab coyotes or fox in Texas

Contact Jesse as AggiePam suggested, he's a good biologist.
Trust me, you really don't want to argue this issue with me

I saw a fox that had been run over next to Wolf Pen Creek Ampitheater last year. They are defintely in the area. Kinda cool, if you ask me.