The department’s fox and wild dog bounty collections resumed for 2017-18 earlier this month, but overall there has been a drop in the number of fox scalps being collected in the region over the past few years. 

Agriculture Victoria’s biosecurity manager Mark Farrer said 9037 fox scalps were handed in to the Horsham collection centre in 2015-16.

He said the number of scalps dropped to 5147 in 2016-17.

He said 4798 scalps have been handed in so far this financial year, but there was still four collections to go.

“Collections of fox scalps during 2016-17 and the first period of collections for 2017-18 were lower than the long term average,” he said.

“This has been attributed to extended wet and warm periods over much of the state, leading to less favourable conditions for hunting and reduced hunting effort.”

Mr Farrer said the changes in the weather had meant farmers had shifted their focus.

“Farmers and hunters have reported they had redirected their efforts to on-farm activities during both the extreme wet and subsequent favourable farm management conditions,” he said.

Mr Farrer said a bumper growing season, harvest and sowing had occupied much of grower’s time.

Fox scalp collection resumed in the region on March 7.

“On the first collection back from the summer break at Horsham, 1473 fox scalps were submitted by hunters,” he said.

​A spokesperson for Agriculture Victoria said reports of fox sightings typically tended to spike at this time of the year, as young naive foxes were displaced from their territories and juvenile foxes were on their own, no longer supported by the family group.

“They are commonly observed during day or night searching for food, shelter and a new territory,” the spokesperson said.

The next Wimmera collection for fox scalps will be in Horsham on April 5 and St Arnaud on April 6.