Foxes Or Rather A Lack Of Them

[charlie caller 3,654]

 

 

its because all the shooters have been out shooting the cubs so theres non left for you

That statement may have some truth in it were it not for the fact that it would normally be me shooting the cubs and there is only me and one other guy that shoot foxes on there, and he has just had a hand operation, so it isn't him, to be honest I am more concerned about the myxy, as I will be picking up my new hawk in a fortnight, looks like some travelling is in order.

 

what hawk you having cc?

 

Male redtail mate, pick him up aug 10th, cant wait been hawkless for two years now.

[hutchey 147]

i've got at least 3 foxes coming for the mrs's chickens. they come at all times of day and night, never when i'm rifled up though.

wed night we had the small bedroom window open, curtains closed and i hear charlie, so i squeak a bit, charlie replies so i squeak again. a few goes back and forth (i'm still lying in bed and its gone midnight) and he's real close. Mrs gets up and looks out, charlie is only in the bloody front garden.

i'd not have minded but by the time i'm up, dressed, rifle out an ready, charlie will be in Sussex!

Once i get my 243 next week after pay day, they are having it.

[charlie caller 3,654]

i've got at least 3 foxes coming for the mrs's chickens. they come at all times of day and night, never when i'm rifled up though.

wed night we had the small bedroom window open, curtains closed and i hear charlie, so i squeak a bit, charlie replies so i squeak again. a few goes back and forth (i'm still lying in bed and its gone midnight) and he's real close. Mrs gets up and looks out, charlie is only in the bloody front garden.

i'd not have minded but by the time i'm up, dressed, rifle out an ready, charlie will be in Sussex!

Once i get my 243 next week after pay day, they are having it.

Oooooooooh careful mate you might upset one of the pious holier than thou dogmen who seem to think foxes were put on earth to provide them with sport, (and before anyone pipes up I love to watch a good dog run)

[irishnut 297]

look at the pictures daily of dead foxes placed infront of a nice shiny rifle...and you may have your answer!!! sure...lurchers and terriers account for some...but the new trend with the gun boys is to brag about how far away they can shoot a fox....

New trend. Haha. I'd blame people taking pot shot's with rifle and boys with crap dogs. They just wise foxs up too fast. Trying to be the big lad is huge problem

[perthshire keeper 1,237]

look at the pictures daily of dead foxes placed infront of a nice shiny rifle...and you may have your answer!!! sure...lurchers and terriers account for some...but the new trend with the gun boys is to brag about how far away they can shoot a fox....

too right.... 32 since 15th of feb mostly adults furthest in the daylight was 310yards now wheres my lurcher man poking stick

[hutchey 147]

I've got a dog who'd have a go but he's only tiny himself, brave as anything but not much bigger than our cat.

To risk peeing the dog folks off (and i dont mean to as i've never tried) but using a dog seems a little inhumane to me.

At least with a bullet its "generally" a straight kill or at least should be!

Now before i get all the abuse in the world, i've no idea how the dog are used and what scenarios so i'm only basing it on the old Horse Hunts and Hound scenario.

[fitchet 788]

I've got a dog who'd have a go but he's only tiny himself, brave as anything but not much bigger than our cat.

To risk peeing the dog folks off (and i dont mean to as i've never tried) but using a dog seems a little inhumane to me.

At least with a bullet its "generally" a straight kill or at least should be!

Now before i get all the abuse in the world, i've no idea how the dog are used and what scenarios so i'm only basing it on the old Horse Hunts and Hound scenario.

Seeing as you've never experienced it then you can't really have an opinion on it matey. I have shot plenty of foxes and have killed plenty with dogs. But with a dog it either gets away or it's caught and killed. A good dog will kill a fox effortlessly within seconds. Using a gun you can wound it and it gets away to die a slow painfull death. I'm not anti shooting I love it but trust me there's nothing inhumane about killing them with dogs.

[hutchey 147]

Possibly true! but a dog can still be unlucky, get bitten or maybe it take longer to kill the fox, the dog might get hurt, it might pick up mange and god knows what.

Bullet night miss vitals so really its down to preference, experience, accuracy etc which is used but end of the day the intended result is the same.

That's my opinion

[hutchey 147]

meant to add . no offence intended Fitchet

[sussex 5,776]

 

I sat up tue even in a field that had been cut & baled that morning on the lookout for roe ,knowing that the small shoot has got his birds in Charlie would bound to be about as well .nothing ..no roe (which didn't surprise me) but no fox which did ,will be out this evening so will see what comes out ...did count 47 rabbits in a 6 acre field though , 7 of which were jet black , never seen any in the six years iv'e been on there ..

You sure the the 7 black ones were not Moles on the move Rich ???.

 

They might have been Owen ,difficult to tell the difference .......thinking about it you could be right ! they might have come out to have a run around , after digging tunnels all day it must be nice to get a bit of fresh air & stretch yer legs ...Thanks for that help .....

[The one 8,396]

Doubt your no looking hard enough then ,on one shared permission thirty minutes up the road while lamping rabbits we saw double numbers of foxes all lamp shy as feck . Twenty minutes down the way on a air rifle only permission there five or more foxes that follow you around ready to grab your rabbits .

 

You tried different times on different days because there out there

[charlie caller 3,654]

I don't doubt for a moment that they are out there, but it is very very unusual not to see them at haymaking that is what I mean,and the farmer is as shocked as me, because he normally breaks his neck to tell me how many he has seen,your suggestion of different times will be put to the test I had already decided to have a mega early morning soon, and I will have a walk round with the lamp, funnily enough, just been speaking to a shooting pal just over the border in Derbyshire and he is saying the same thing, something funny is going on that's for sure at the moment.

[alan81 110]

Possibly true! but a dog can still be unlucky, get bitten or maybe it take longer to kill the fox, the dog might get hurt, it might pick up mange and god knows what.

Bullet night miss vitals so really its down to preference, experience, accuracy etc which is used but end of the day the intended result is the same.

That's my opinion

a dog can be unlucky and get bit? what do you think happens when a dog catches a fox he lies there and waits to die? of course the dog is going to get bit the fox wants to live. if the dog misses the fox he gets away unharmed, if the dog catches the fox he dies. as said before a good dog will kill the fox in seconds. I have 2 dogs I use for foxes 1 takes 2 or 3 minutes to kill them so he gets bit a lot. the other dog has only had 2 so far and took care of them in 10 to 15 seconds. I don't want to sound like im giving out because im not im just trying to explain that a fox does not get away from a dog wounded he either gets away unharmed or he doesn't get away. I love going out shooting foxes but you cant beat a good lurcher picking up a fox.

[hutchey 147]

Perhaps you shouldn't have dogs or maybe attitudes towards "working" dogs are different but its simply a matter of preference.

I'd rather shoot for a split second humane kill than wait seconds relying on mans best friend to do my dirty work for me.

If he gets away unharmed then what was the point when my 55g would have blown him apart.

[man o kent 269]