Jarvis
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Posts posted by Jarvis
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We got our birds Monday. The first evening I didn’t see any foxes around the pens. Wednesday morning I found a half eaten poult outside our biggest pen (around 2 1/2 acres) it looked by the remains a fox was the culprit! I had an idea of where the best place to park and wait would be. Night fell and I was stood on the back of the truck for three house and saw nothing... I decided to have a drive to the top of the pen and look down the other side and see if anything was stirring. I could see through the thermal that there was a lot of birds bunched in a corner and then scanning a bit further down I could see the unmistakable glow of a fox in the thermal. Before I had time to get on it it had jumped the ditch and was heading to the birds! Watching helplessly through the thermal I had to witness it chase and catch a poult before it then came from behind the trees, jump the ditch and back into the field where I was waiting! As soon as it got 30 yards into the field to make sure I wasn’t shooting towards the pen creating even more disturbance I gave it a squeak... the sod looked at me poult on mouth at 220yards, I moved the crosshairs onto its shoulder and thump down it went! That’s the last poult that hit will take!
I then drove back down to were I previously was park up and bugger me there was a fox there. I couldn’t get a shot at it so I waited an hour but it never came back!
That one will be tonight’s objective!
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I know a chap who has a shoot close to ours who does just this exact think. Sets out bait on string, he has it to his bedroom window with a bell on the end, like the sort hanging by shop doors. He has accounted for a ridiculous amount this way.
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3 hours ago, Underdog said:
With cages get the bladder out of a fox and put it inside. They will feel safer.
When I was foxing alot my coats stunk of fox, I have had them walk past my feet a few times!
Yes I’ve herd this with urine in traps, I do the same thing in rabbit traps. (With rabbit pee obviously not fox)!!
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I have a couple running most the year and they perhaps account for roughly 5 foxes a year. Not great numbers better than nothing and as you say, they are working whilst your not there!
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8 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
I could, but I have been at this game a long time now, I have spent countless hours , waiting for foxes like this one . I could put highseat up or tuck myself away and wait . The fox could come along after 10minuets or 10 hours . I’ve got 100 and 1 other things to get on with . Thing is with a snare , they are working while you are tucked up in bed or spending time with the family. I do spend time waiting for foxes when they have cubs and at other times but now the birds are getting out and about I’m too busy .
Do you use cage traps? If so do you have much success?
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18 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
I’ve got one now that is causing me problems , I think it’s a cub . It waits until I’ve done my afternoon feed and then chases the poults on the feed rides . Every time I come back he hears me and is off . I’ve been out the last two nights and have seen two the first night and shot one , and nothing of it last night , although I shot two the other side of the shoot . I’m out again in a minute . If I don’t get him tonight I’m going to cover every track in the area with snares . I love a snare for foxes like this . Checking them in the morning is like a kid coming downstairs on xmas morning to see what Santa has left for him , and if you’ve been a good boy !!! He will be doing a little dance for you . Boom!!! Ya B@sturd !!
If it’s on a ride and you know roughly what time (after you feed) couldn’t you set a high seat up?
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Nice shooting mate. I had two last night, that makes 8 this week. First One was a vixen came to the caller lovely through a cover crop and at 100 yards I turned the caller off and she presented broadside and down she tumbled. Number two was a 285 yard shot. I saw it mooching in the middle of a 50 acre field but the wind was blowing straight towards him but I was still a long long way off him at this point and he was unaware of my presence. So I turned round went out of the field drove all the way around him having a belt of trees and cover crop between me and him. I popped up behind him this time with the wind in my favour. Got the rifle out the truck and rested on the bonnet and boom down he went.
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Nice work mate! That will be one happy farmer!
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6 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
I reckon I get more satisfaction, getting on terms with one shy troublesome fox than I do going out and shooting a truck full. If they have been upsetting and killing your birds , there is a massive sense of relief when you stop them .
Could'nt agree more!!
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4 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
They harvested most of the wheat here today , so I thought I’d take a look . I was expecting to see a few but was disappointed, not much out apart from deer rabbits and badgers. I did see one though , trotting across some old stubble which had been mucked , with something in its mouth . I squeaked, whistled, then barked to try and stop it but it carried on . Don’t normally do this but I shot it on the move , clipped it and it carried on a bit before stopping . Still wriggling I finished it off with a second shot . With the thermal I was able to find what it had in its mouth . Looks like some wood pigeon squabs .
Nice work! They finished the wheat at ours last night as well so I had a look out. Managed to account for another. He was a bloody big dog! I’ve had 9 up there in the last two weeks so hopefully that will go some way to giving the birds some peace!
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I’m not one for walking around! Not with the weight of my rifle! I park up and wait for the Charlie’s to come to me!
I do bait stations during the autumn/ winter as well which work well. Plus if they are getting food there they aren’t going looking for tasty pheasants!
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Yer I was speaking to him earlier today coz he may be renting some ground from the chap where I live so yes he has, sone next week then some in a few weeks time. Do you want me to txt you his number?
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2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
Just when you think you’ve got this game “cracked “and you are on top of things life has a way of bringing you back down to earth !!! Went out as planned last night after my suspected visitor. The hedge it was working is a bit of a pain to get to because I’ve got to go through three locked gates . Drove towards the hedge scanning with the thermal when not one but two foxes ran out of the hedge chased by a roe doe . Thermal off and rifle with NV out .....gone . Tried my best squeaks , but to no avail. Only one thing for it , back around the other side of the hedge, only five more locked gates to mess about with , bring on the winter when the livestock is in and the gates are open ! Drove up to gate four and almost there and scanned the field before opening the gate and there in front were the two foxes . Quietly as I could I hauled my ageing body on the back of the mule and took a shot off the roof . One down , the other a bit more educated now I suspect. Drove around the rest of the shoot and nothing. There is a woman in the village next to the shoot who feeds foxes and birds (My pheasants) so I drove around the back of her house and there was a Charlie taking advantage of a free dinner , I made him number two . So I’ve still got foxes here and I’m still chipping away at the numbers, but I’m a long way off having the game “cracked “.
It’s two less anyway mate! Keep at them! I’m out every night now as our birds come Monday then the real sleepless nights and worry starts!
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Yer I’m good cheers mate, flat out with work and the shoot as well!!
The weaners are around £30-£50 each depending on age breed etc. The pork is amazing! Everyone who has had some off us loves it! The chops are three times bigger than shop brought, The sausages you get are nothing like a shop sausage, actual flavour and meat in the sausage! We will never buy pork from a shop again! and my mate who I get the pigs from is a butcher so he butchers them for me so I can see the whole process through from farrowing all the way to the table which is great! I’m getting some off him next week and he has more farrowing next week so he always has weaners available.
These will be the second lot I’ve had so the first couple was a real learning curve about how much to feed, slaughter weights etc but it is great fun and they are so easy to keep and will turn over and fertilise you neighbors ground brilliantly!
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Hi mate, I had some saddlebacks last year, they were fantastic tasting pigs! Took longer to bring on and also put on more fat as they are a pure breed. A friend of mine has Berkshires and it's the same thing with them being a pure breed so GO'S will be the same. I don't have any experience with LW x LR pigs but in a couple of weeks I'm getting some SB x LW which should have the flavour of a pure breed but not have as much fat on them and come on a bit quicker. If your getting pigs at this time they should be at a decent slaughter weight for Christmas so this is a good time to get them!
Another plus is getting them at this time of year their enclosure isn't a complete quadmire!
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2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
Well done Jarvis. Good shooting. I’m out myself tonight . I haven’t seen a fox or any sign of them for a while now and the birds have been really settled. However I was topping up some hoppers this afternoon when some crows started up . They were mobbing something moveing up a ditch . Although I couldn’t see it poults pouring out of the hedge and cocking up told me I have a visitor.
Hopefully you'll catch up with it tonight!
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3 hours ago, Underdog said:
You make it so easy, I have chicken killers I can't get on very easily and they like coming after midnight!
U.
Its not as easy as that every time!
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Decided last night to have a couple of hours out on the foxes again. It was an overcast night and a bit of a breezy so great conditions.
Good job I did!
Got in position at just gone 9:00. Within ten minutes fox number one showed up, trotting towards me at around 250 yards weaving through the bales then turning right to follow along a tramline. Just before it got in line with me and would have been down wind I gave it a squeak it stopped on the spot and down it went. A further twenty minutes pasted and whilst watching a roe strolling across in front of me I noticed another fox on the same path as the previous one. It took the exact same route and I dropped that about 10 yards from it’s friend. That was one dog and one vixen On the deck. I walked over collected them both and got back on the back of the truck to wait for some more action. 15-20 minutes passed and number 3 came strolling out of a cover crop and before I had chance to get onto it It turned tail and went down the other side of the bank so I couldnt have a shot. I gave it a couple of minutes to see if it would return. Becoming inpatient I tried the caller and it came flying back over the bank towards me at 200 miles an hour, I was frantically trying to get the drone and IR turned on before it was at the front of the truck. I turned the caller off and it was still running at me! I barked at it, which stopped it at around 35 yards in front of me and that was number 3 delt with. Another dog down. I thought I’ll try the caller again you never know... and within 5 minutes of the caller on rabbit distress playing number 4 was steam training it towards me in exactly the same fashion as the unlucky chap before him and he got the same treatment and dropped about 5 yards from him.
This was the same field I shot three in the other week and right next to one of our pens which the birds will be in next week so a very worth while 2 hour trip out!
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Personally I'm not a fan of pump actions my mate had a mossberg and I did not like using it. I have a franchi affinity one semi auto, Nothing fancy around £600 new, I have the synthetic stock as it's just a tool for me at the shoot for foxes pigeons, corvids rabbits etc but they do a wooden stock and camo version aswell. Ive put all manner of cartridge sizes through it, doesnt get a regular clean and it gets bashed about and never had a problem with it cycling. If its just a rough gun or a pigeon blaster I dont think there is a need to be spending into the thousands... just my opinion.
Choosing a gun is all about personal preference and what fits you so good luck in your search!
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What an absolute sod!
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13 hours ago, shovel leaner said:
I can tell you that when you do get a chance to use / test a thermal scope you will like what you see . The keeper on the neighbouring estate came over after Christmas to show me his new toy . The main advantage over NV was that he could see Charlie moving through a wood and shot it as soon as it was in a clearing. I don’t think I would have even seen that fox with my NV .
I’d love to have a look through one. I’m such I’d be very impressed! I am right in thinking with these new models you can scan with them and then re attach to your rifle to shoot with them? Otherwise you have to have a spotter and a thermal scope...
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Such a lovely looking little lurcher mate! I have a beddy x whippet such great versatile dogs!
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I 100% agree with above statements, do your homework and think what you really want it for, quarry, ranges you’ll be shooting to etc. I don’t like the add on units, as I do not think at 200+ yards you should be mounting a high caliber rifle incorrectly in the dark, but for ratting or rabbit control etc are great units.
I got a pulsar n750 to start with and as soon as I looked through my mates drone I thought I need one of those in my life!!! Like said before with NV and thermal you get what you pay for!
I’ve accounted for way way way more foxes using thermal spotter and NV scope than I ever did or would do if I just had a lamp! Complete game changer. My thermal is a pulsar XQ50f which I love but my mate has the 38 which is also a very very good unit. I have not looked through a thermal scope but, I sometimes find with the thermal spotting sometimes at longer distances or in longer grass fields I can’t always 100% guarantee species ID, that’s where I find the nv scope and a good IR really helps.
hope this helps and isn’t just me rambling....
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You obviously set the seat up in the right place! Nice work
One poult pincher out the way!
in Rimfire, Centrefire & Shotguns
Posted
It wasn’t in the pen, and the electric fencing has a real belt. It’s juat the fact the poults were so close to the wire and it only takes one to spook and they all get up!