Hey...lets be careful out there!!!

[Dan XF]

I'm thinking about foxes tearing in to a tent and I'm glad I've bought a hammock. I was on exercise in Canada with an infantry regiment when I was woken by two soldiers armed with pick axe handles telling me there was a bear in the cookhouse tent. We went to have a look at it, huge. it had opnened up a new door in the side of the tent and was eating large tins of food. It was just biting them open and eating the insides out. One of the soldiers asked me what I wanted to do about it. I think they thought I should go up and have a chat with it and perhaps shoo it off. I decided the best thing to do was go back to bed and leave it to get on with it. And we didn't get eaten by the bears. Anyway I'm one of those bunny huggers who is against hunting with hounds, it's not because I like foxes I just don't think tearing them apart with dogs is particularly nice. If I was a farmer watching his stock being attacked by nice Mr Fox then I'd be happy to shoot him. It's humane and doesn't involve a load of braying Hoorays on horseback ruining a peaceful day in the country. Bloody donkey wallopers!

[bronskimac]

Foxes were moving into the towns long before hunting with horse and hound was banned.

"When I were a lad" my Dad was manager of a commercial chicken farm. Every time there was a hunt he would close the main gate to the farm and if the hunt came up the road he would not let them onto the farm. It wasn't long until the fox(s) realised that the farm was a safe haven, you would see them running up the lane and into the farm where they then strutted about content that they were safe. My Dad was not keen on the hunts but it was also a commercial decision, the noise of several horses and numerous hounds could easily put hens off the lay.

I am on the side of shooting them if they are a pest. "The Hunt" is barbaric, cruel and inefficient.

[Bushwhacker]

Ermm, what's there to worry about?

[jbrown14]

That fox is nearly the size of some of the coyotes we get around here!

If a fox was tearing into tents trying to get at food, my main comment is: shame on the campers for improperly storing their food. That's how people out in the western states get "et by bears" as Tony would say (or at least mauled by bears.) I've seen enough human-bear encounters caused by the people improperly caring for food items to last me a lifetime, and it goes to reason if foxes can get an easy source of food from campers not doing their job properly, they'll exploit it.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox...

Enjoy the day, everyone!

Josh

[Roadkillphil]

I'm getting flashbacks of the "1000 wolves eating a whole Russian town" thread here. Foxes can be a pain in the ass, both in towns and rural areas, but is the term "attacking" not a bit melodramatic for ripping a tent to get at some leftovers? I mean, no one was eaton were they?

[happybonzo]

I believe that some of the camping grounds in the USA have "bear boxes" where campers are required to place all foodstuffs over night. If you are camping where bears are about then I was taught to throw a line over a high branch and put all grub in a sack and haul it well out of reach.
I've never encountered bears or wolves for that matter but I have had my tent bumped by a wolverine and that was a brown trouser moment

[jbrown14]

I believe that some of the camping grounds in the USA have "bear boxes" where campers are required to place all foodstuffs over night. If you are camping where bears are about then I was taught to throw a line over a high branch and put all grub in a sack and haul it well out of reach.
I've never encountered bears or wolves for that matter but I have had my tent bumped by a wolverine and that was a brown trouser moment

You're right about the bear boxes there, Bonzo. Where I hike, in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, the apex predator is the Black Bear. The public campgrounds in New York State where I live require overnight visitors to put ALL scented items, i.e., food, cosmetics, toiletries...whatever; into the steel bear boxes. They warn you at the gate when you're driving in that your car does not count as a bear box. I left some cookies at the ranger station because I didn't want to carry them in my kayak, and wouldn't leave them in the car. Two days later, the rangers hadn't even eaten one despite my invitation...

In certain areas, overnight campers in the backcountry are required to carry portable Bear Canisters.

I could go on about a couple of bear encounters, but don't want to totally hijack the thread...
Any way you look at it, we're entering the animal's domain. It's up to us to minimize our impact. LNT includes taking care of your food properly.

[jus_young]

I love the different directions that some of these threads take

Not sure that sleeping in a hammock would be much of an advantage, you will just end up with your arse bitten! But seriously its not a great concern yet is it. There are always some odd ones thrown up in nature and a couple of oversized foxes are nothing to worry about. Now when they get to release those wolves in Scotland then that will get a few folks worried.

[jus_young]

Heres another spin on it. Apparently foxes like garlic bread

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quir...r_garlic_bread

[Raven]

Well ladies if you don't like the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Seriously i'm amazed at this thread, the reason i go out in the wild is to experience nature all around me, and if sensible you will never have a problem, super preditor my arse, you are in far more danger in your own house, town or city in this country than you are in the wild, i worked for some time with dangerous dogs and let me tell you i'd rather meet a rural fox on the scavinge any time than an angry pit bull with no fear of humans. Really are we worried, i don't think so.