Are we outfoxing Charlie?

This year, we have seen and shot fewer foxes than we normally do. Friends are saying the same. Why do you think this is, and do you think numbers will ever get back up to where they were five or 10 years ago?

I think the reduction in fox numbers being seen across most of the UK is almost certainly related to the increased popularity of fox shooting, and the relative affordability of thermal and night-vision scopes.

When keepers and farmers were the only people controlling them, there were most definitely more about than there are now. Back then, we didn’t have the tools that keepers and amateur pest controllers do now. We have all become much better at it, and far more efficient.

I doubt we will see a meaningful increase in fox numbers any time soon. This doesn’t mean they are rare or anywhere near endangered, but it does mean that the young of red-listed birds such as the grey partridge and curlew will have a greater chance of survival when they hatch. LB

Fox shooting has increased in popularity in recent years