Andy Crow offers advice on the best bait to use when trying to lure in foxes, and how best to set it up to ensure maximum effectiveness

Q: I was wondering what you find to be the best baits for foxing?

Andy Crow replies: I tend not to use bait stations for foxing very often, but in my experience, foxes are pure opportunists so any meat bait will prove effective.

What you don’t want is to make life too easy for the fox. If it can simply stroll in, pick up a rabbit or pheasant carcass and then trot off, you are limiting your chances. Many people recommend staking the bait down so the fox can’t carry it away. Some people like using dog or cat treats around the bait site as this makes the fox spend time looking for the tidbits.

You can buy chemical attractants too, which means you don’t need to have a supply of food always to hand.

The main thing is to habituate the animals to a particular area and ensure there is always food available. Better still, if you have the timeframe that Charlie is operating to, a trail camera can be a big help here. This will give you the chance to be in the right place at the right time. The hard winter weather, ice and snow will all make foxes more hungry and consequently more likely to frequent your bait station.