Will an Airsoft Gun 'Scare Off' a Fox?

[Tommikka]

As above by everyone on the original answers and the recent resurgence:

 

Foxes are vermin and can legally be killed - under suitable circumstances 

Scaring them with a noise will just give them the incentive to avoid you 

Shooting them without the intent of a clean & humane kill would be animal cruelty 

 

Members of this forum would not endorse the inappropriate use of airsoft guns, animal cruelty nor activities that would put the game into disrepute.

 

Killing a fox only stops that one coming, other foxes and other wildlife will discover whatever the fox came for

 

[gavinkempsell]

21 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

If the heron does become a problem you could try a fine mesh or net over the pond, or alternatively a decoy falcon or owl to scare it away

Thanks, I've seen other koi keepers do the same, my pond is natural so I prefer to use the natural cover, a neighbour has fake owls on their shed & I think they're close enough to deter the herron as it's not been back (to my knowledge).

 

My Dad lives in the middle of nowhere & has had a pond for a over 20 years where several species have raided it of simply fallen in... otters, herron, cats, dogs & donkeys to name a few.

 

Dunno what size bird of prey he'd need to deter a donkey.

[Tackle]

1 hour ago, gavinkempsell said:

Thanks, I've seen other koi keepers do the same, my pond is natural so I prefer to use the natural cover, a neighbour has fake owls on their shed & I think they're close enough to deter the herron as it's not been back (to my knowledge).

 

My Dad lives in the middle of nowhere & has had a pond for a over 20 years where several species have raided it of simply fallen in... otters, herron, cats, dogs & donkeys to name a few.

 

Dunno what size bird of prey he'd need to deter a donkey.

I'm 100 yards from the beach, as well as herons, we had to contend with those bastard black cormorants, ended up having to net the pond, nothing else was guaranteed. 

Got rid of it all now though, too much like hard work keeping it happily ticking over, built a detached conservatory enclosure & hot tub instead, much more relaxing, especially with a cold one?

[Cannonfodder]

How deep is the pond? The emergency water supply pond at work has fish in it and despite regularly seeing a heron in the area it hasn't taken any of the fish in it (to my knowledge) as it's too deep 

9 minutes ago, gavinkempsell said:

Dunno what size bird of prey he'd need to deter a donkey.

Try a Quetzalcoatlus?

[gavinkempsell]

9 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

How deep is the pond

about 1.5m at it's deepest, 50cm at it's shallowest & 4m x 2m, I promise my 'range' has been weeded since this pic was taken, unfortunately the lilac tree was blown down recently.

[Cannonfodder]

30 minutes ago, gavinkempsell said:

about 1.5m at it's deepest, 50cm at it's shallowest

Generally herons can't hunt in water deeper than 60cm and the raised edge makes it harder for them. As it hasn't been back then I'd guess it decided there's easier pickings somewhere else 

[rj1986]

On 05/12/2023 at 02:17, Cannonfodder said:

If the heron does become a problem you could try a fine mesh or net over the pond, or alternatively a decoy falcon or owl to scare it away

Cheapo trick - find an old AOL CD (yes, it must be AOL) and tie it with a bit of string to dangle off something close to the pond, the moving reflections will scare animals off.

[Lozart]

1 hour ago, rj1986 said:

Cheapo trick - find an old AOL CD (yes, it must be AOL) and tie it with a bit of string to dangle off something close to the pond, the moving reflections will scare animals off.

 

 

Pretty sure it's the shitty bandwidth that scares them off.

[Cannonfodder]

3 hours ago, rj1986 said:

Cheapo trick - find an old AOL CD (yes, it must be AOL) and tie it with a bit of string to dangle off something close to the pond, the moving reflections will scare animals off.

I've heard the same trick but with the foil dishes you get pies in. 

[gavinkempsell]

6 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

I've heard the same trick but with the foil dishes you get pies in.

Got a plentiful supply this time of year... I'm a butcher in Scotland (can't keep up with the demand & it's not even New Year yet.).

[Rogerborg]

On 07/12/2023 at 14:52, Cannonfodder said:

I've heard the same trick but with the foil dishes you get pies in. 

 

What brand of pies?

[Shamal]

23 hours ago, gavinkempsell said:

Got a plentiful supply this time of year... I'm a butcher in Scotland (can't keep up with the demand & it's not even New Year yet.).

Love scotch pies ?

[gavinkempsell]

34 minutes ago, Shamal said:

Love scotch pies

I've only been with my employers since Feb & now selling more pies than I ever dreamt of a few months ago, limited range but well chuffed as they're my own design/recipe.

 

Galloway scotch pies

Mince & onion bridies (deffo my fav)

Steak & gravy pies

&

Traditional Scottish Steak pies Big uns, to small uns.

 

But this is a pew forum so... pew, pew, pew

 

p.s. shiny pie ashets will prob scare off most wildlife (just make sure they're empty & washed or you'll attract the wildlife).

[Colin Allen]

On 02/12/2023 at 00:23, 1776rocker said:

I noticed this is a very old thread, but Jourdan, SHOOT THE FOX! The fox has no right to encroach on your property, they are a danger to any chickens or small dogs or any other animals you might have on your property. I don't know what's wrong with all the other people on this thread. I think it's a damn good idea to shoot him with a pellet gun to scare him off.

What a wanker you are.

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Colin Allen

[Gunboat Diplomat]

On 08/12/2023 at 21:46, gavinkempsell said:

I've only been with my employers since Feb & now selling more pies than I ever dreamt of a few months ago, limited range but well chuffed as they're my own design/recipe.

 

Galloway scotch pies

Mince & onion bridies (deffo my fav)

Steak & gravy pies

&

Traditional Scottish Steak pies Big uns, to small uns.

 

But this is a pew forum so... pew, pew, pew

 

p.s. shiny pie ashets will prob scare off most wildlife (just make sure they're empty & washed or you'll attract the wildlife).

Wildly off topic, but I spend a lot of time wondering what I’d like to do instead of my current job and I think I’ve just found a contender. Mmmm pies….

[gavinkempsell]

21 hours ago, Gunboat Diplomat said:

Wildly off topic, but I spend a lot of time wondering what I’d like to do instead of my current job and I think I’ve just found a contender. Mmmm pies….

Quality control is a tasty number...

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

One way to deter mammals is to hang an old pair of tights up, and regularly put the hair from your/the misses' hairbrush in them.  The smell of human will be strong enough to make the fox etc think that a human is hiding unseen.  Hair has to be changed regularly.

 

May attract human knicker sniffing perverts though. 

 

Rattling a few rounds off a metal sheet will frighten things away too.  Chap I knew kept a fox away by blatting a sheet of corrugated iron with an airgun.  Another friend did similar with sheets of steel plate placed about his farm in Nigeria.  The Fulani herders would occasionally try to graze their stock upon his crops, and he would shoot the plates with a .416 Rigby or if at distance, a scoped LM .338.   There's never a need for cruelty.  Being 50 yards away from a plate hit with 6375J of energy probably caused a few brown trousers though...

[Enid_Puceflange]

“Will an Airsoft gun scare off a fox?” 
asked the op

 

Only if we ram it up your pipe and you squeal like you deserve!

[BigAl]

No the airsoft gun may not scare the fox of but the Armed Response Unit that would surely turn up if anyone saw you probably would.   Hope the admins have by now banned the tosser that resurrected this thread.