Fox whispering - the key to success

There surely is not a person in Australia who is unaware of the havoc foxes inflict on our native wildlife. Then there is the carnage they create for our sheep farmers, especially during lambing season, which in turn costs every Australian. Foxes therefore deserve to be on everyone’s most wanted list.

Back in the 1970s and 80s the fashion industry utilised fox skins for garments. This opened up a lucrative market for hunters as fox pelts brought good money, making them financially viable to shoot. Indeed, many hunters derived their primary income from harvesting fox skins.

But well-intentioned, uninformed people protested against the killing of foxes and the use of pelts for fashion. They persuaded many companies and governments to stop the commercialisation and harvesting of fox skins. In turn, this killed off another otherwise prosperous, sustainable industry. Professional fox hunters almost disappeared overnight and fox numbers exploded.

Living in Townsville at the time, concentrating my efforts on pig hunting gave me little opportunity to hunt foxes, either casually or professionally. I read many articles about