HUNTS...not sure I've spelled that correctly...

[dromia]

I hate foxes as well but am quite happy shooting them.

[Dougan]

I just hate rats, the only good rat is a dead rat in my book.

Surely not tree-rats?

[Dougan]

I hate foxes as well but am quite happy shooting them.

What have they done wrong to you...?

And btw: you do realise that you're 'trolling' ...something that you give others a hard time about...

[Blu]

We have a couple of foxes living on our property, The dog lives at one end of the woods and the vixen the other end. We usually see any cubs around the end of April playing on the grass at the side of the house with mum keeping an eye out.

Personally I don't mind them, they don't bother me and I don't bother them plus they have the added advantage of keeping the mice numbers down. Never yet seen any rodents or any sign of them in any of our buildings.

[dromia]

No I'm not trolling John.

I dislike them because of the grief they caused me, and continue to cause me over the years to livestock, mainly poultry and sheep.

My daughter had eight lambs and two ewes taken by foxes this spring from a lambing flock of 40 ewes. When I see them I shoot them, I don't go actively fox hunting but if they are around and causing mine grief then I will wait for them and nail them. If they don't cause me grief then I'm a live and let live sort of person.

Rats however could become extinct tomorrow and I wouldn't shed a tear for them.

[Dougan]

We have a couple of foxes living on our property, The dog lives at one end of the woods and the vixen the other end. We usually see any cubs around the end of April playing on the grass at the side of the house with mum keeping an eye out.

Personally I don't mind them, they don't bother me and I don't bother them plus they have the added advantage of keeping the mice numbers down. Never yet seen any rodents or any sign of them in any of our buildings.

The only time I've ever seen a rat in our garden, it was being tossed between a dog and a vixen...

[Dougan]

My daughter had eight lambs and two ewes taken by foxes this spring from a lambing flock of 40 ewes. When I see them I shoot them, I don't go actively fox hunting but if they are around and causing mine grief then I will wait for them and nail them. If they don't cause me grief then I'm a live and let live sort of person.

That I get...

...your previous comments though were a wind-up and you know it razz

[dromia]

No they weren't I cannot abide rats.

A some one who kills for the food, I take my pleasure of the experience by doing so effectively, getting close and a clean kill. The actual death generates no emotion other than the poignancy of the absolute finality that comes with death.

That and some relief that you have done the deed well.

On the the one occasion when I had to deliver a follow up shot I felt bad about it for days.

Rats now I hate with a passion, probably due to bothy living when a young chiel working on the estates. We were taking the rooves off old sheperds houses so the estate would avoid the rates, no matter how far out the hill we were ten miles form the nearest habitation, within a day or so of putting the huts up the rats would be there, the feeling of them running over your face at night with those dirty tails falling in my mouth still makes me want to boke 50 years on.

So as I said I get a grim satisfaction from watching their demise, still don't like to see them suffer a good terrier has them dead first shake, but a dead rat means the world is a better place to me.

[Countryman]

I afraid as a Smallholder keeping sheep and chickens I feel similar to Dromia about rats and foxes.

I'd not see them all dead as their must be balance but perhaps not during lambing.

[Countryman]

I'm actually beginning to wonder Dougan if you don't have some kind of agenda here.

'Begging to wonder'!?...I'd have thought it was pretty obvious that I have an anti fox-hunting agenda.

And if I'm totally honest, I like to keep an eye on topics on here to do with animal welfare...there are other forums where folk show a staggering ignorance to animal issues, but I'm pleased to say that the majority of folk on here are well informed and show an impressive attitude (even to a 'bambi-shagger') to hunting and pest control which has actually moderated some of my views...

...but chasing down and killing your prey with dogs is wrong in my opinion, and if you can't see that, then as I've said before we will just have to agree to disagree...

So long as it's just your agenda.....

I don't think you are open to changing your point of view.

You have pooh poohed my suggestions that foxes are just wired differently in the way they deal with external threats. In doing so you insist on empathising with the fox in a human rationale. This just isn't applicable.

Fact is no fox is chased flat out for hours and hours. That's just BS you have been fed.

There are a few threads like this cropping up on forums I frequent and I'm pretty sure it's a concerted effort to stir division and decent amongst field sports people. Divide and conquer has always been the tactic employed by the anti shooting mob.

I strongly disagree with the assertions you are making and whilst I am open to rational debate I don't think you are prepared to give other views any real consideration.