Three days ago I got a fox family under a deck call. I caught three of the cutest, most gentle, prettiest, baby foxes you ever did see. I picked them up with my bare hands and scratched their heads and they loved me.

Yesterday I got fox family under a shed call. All the while I'm setting up the cages there are these fox curse words emanating from under the shed. My sets are masterful as usual, so despite all the fox profanity, I leave with high hopes. Today the customer calls and once again I've made a catch. This fox pup is several days older and is once again using foul language as I approach the cage. Being the ultimate professional that I am, I slip on some gloves. ( alright, they're only gardening gloves that I got on sale ) I reach into the cage to transfer him and he proceeds to bite the ever loving crap out of my trigger finger. Well I can see that most of you are saying, " Well, he deserved it. He's a smart [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot]." This, however, is not the end of the story. While I'm taking this little crab [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot] to the truck, his father ( the largest and possibly the prettiest fox I have ever seen ) is running along side me and barking, " Bite Him Again, Bite Him Again."

Okay, it's true that I can't actually translate fox barks but everything else I've told you is absolutely true. If you really don't believe me, come on over to the house. You can stick your hands in the cage with the three nice foxes or you can stick your hands in the cage with the fox with the poor parental upbringing; I have a few bandages left!

I had a baby fox pup I caught the other year by the time I put some water in his cage I could pick him up and pet him with no problems. He did nip my hand once but I swear he did it with a big grin and it was more of a puppy pinch then a bite. I know he chuckled when he did it.

Wife and girls still po'ed I returned him to the farm after I got the rest to abandon the den and move to another. I release him and the farmer called and said his momma came and got him that evening as he was barking and whining.

MikeD

Lesson learned: if it's bigger than a mouse and has teeth, wear BITE GLOVES.

Dave, you might appreciate this; I took the five fox pups to my world famous rehabilitator today. ( Google "Jean Lord" ) Now Jeanie and I go back many years and while I try to point out how many lunatic rehabbers there are in the world, Jeannie points out how many lunatic so-called sportsmen there are in Wisconsin.

My fox pups were twice as old as the pups she already had. When she got them, their eyes weren't even opened. The mother was shot and lying on top of the den with her tail cut off. This is not legal in our state. Score one for Jeanie.

Just to show you that my rehabber isn't a mental case like some of them; we recently removed red squirrels from Jean's house and while I was there today, I pointed out a raccoon trail running through the back of her property. She immediately had me set up cages to protect her nesting raptors from the egg stealing raccoons.

I find it quite interesting that as I grow older, killing is not as important as it once was and that some of my more open-minded rehabbers see more and more uses for someone like me. My motto has pretty much been: "I'll do my work and let God do his".

So....God's name is Jean Lord ?

Okay LT, what have you been drinking? That's two good ones in a row!

Good comment, Wink.
There's a special place in Eternity for that poacher (and it don't include 72 virgins!).
As for rehabbers, they have kind hearts, but most of the common animals that they care for are not benefitting as a species from theiur work. It's generally habitat reduction/destruction that is hurting species, and responsible people the world over - from big game hunters to Greenpeace - know that.

That's probably why Jeannie is special. She refuses to rehab all the species that we already have too much of. ( And a lot of rehabbers don't like that at all ) Jean does predators and birds of prey.

Obviously Wisconsin is not destroying enough habitat. There are more of every native species now than there's probably ever been. ( Okay, except for mountain lions and dinosaurs ) By the way Dave, we now have so many of your Missouri turkeys running around here that they're starting to compete with the deer for vehicular suicides.

We can now hunt deer, bear, and turkies all year long, and shoot as many as we want as long as the farmer has the crop damage tags.