Friggin' Fox.

I am usually up by 6, I think 5 is a good time to be getting up.  This morning I was up and out *fox hunting* at 1.30 so I'm blaming that for the 7.45 wake up time this morning.  I mean, 7:45!!  That's insane. I'll have to get a move on soon to get things done before it gets too hot.

But back to the fox.  We have had foxes here before.  They have killed a lot of my chooks and my ducks in the past.  Hubby has fixed fences and built me fox proof ones and last year we had no trouble at all.  This year I could smell something out along the front fence and me and the son both reckon it smelt of fox but they haven't got to the chooks at all.

So last night I hear a noise, thought one of the chooks that insist on roosting on top of the fence had fallen and got itself caught so go out to rescue it.  The front light gets turned on, I get a torch and go have a look but no there are 2 chooks on the fence, so the bugger has got one to join it.
I see a movement in the driveway and think the cat is coming so I wait so it can come in the door instead of walking around to the cat flap. I know, soft cat owner here.  But the animal that walks up my driveway, past my van towards the front of the house where I am with a torch and the light on is a fox.  It walks past the end of the verandah, less than 5metres from me, up between the house and shed heading out the back.  I walk towards it making a lot of noise and the thing stops, turns towards me and makes a noise at me, not realing a growl but it worried me so I backed off.  It then stops out the back where I had left a bag and chews on the strap for a bit, I throw a potato at it but miss but the thing still doesn't run away.  I grab a *weapon* in this case a scoop net that was laying on the ground but by then it is walking out the back and I lose it in the paddock.

But I have chooks around behind the shed so I have to go check on them but now I am scared of this fox, do foxes attack people?  Maybe not normal ones but normal ones don't walk near houses that have lights on and people around.  Do they?  It was quite a big fox, skinny  though so it must have been sick...do foxes have diseases that people can get...

I go back to bed but was up at every little noise.  So I sleep in and now I will worry about this thing coming back and getting the chooks.  We are away this weekend too and though the chooks can be locked up it's hard to get them into their houses before dark so not really nice to ask the daughter to do that.  And they don't all have fox proof pens.  But I worry about my new AussieRocks.  I will be so sad if they get taken.

I have set up solar lights in one of the pens thinking they wouldn't come near the lights but that theory just got shot to pieces.  Hubby will ask why I didn't shoot it.  I would have had plenty of time but I don't feel safe loading the gun and am not a good enough shot anyway.  What are the chances of it coming back for the chooks.  It could have gotten into the pens I think, if it really tried.  The pens out the back are not foxproof at all.  I'll need to fix those before we go away so another job for today.

I'll be up with every little noise tonight too but I think I'll leave the shed wireless on, that might help deter it. 

I could spend the day practicing with the gun and target shooting but I don't think I could bring myself to shoot an animal.  Even one that should be.

A long time ago when the son was 12/13 he used to go camping and I warned him to be careful of foxes and other *critters* 
People used to mock me for being a worrywort,.with something that I never said.  "You'll get seriously killed by that fox"  Last night as I was out walking in the dark I was wondering if it was a premonition and would I be the one found with bits chewed off of me. 
It was late, there was a wild animal around, I was tired...