Beware

[shovel leaner 7,648]

Just thought I’d relate an experience from the other night . I’ve been using my thermal spotter and digisight to good effect recently, but it is normally from a vehicle. I had a call from a farmer earlier in the week and a fox had been killing poultry . I couldn’t drive on this unit so I got positioned by the buildings and lay in wait . The hatches on the unit shut at 10.30 and a little while after a fox came out and I shot it . I waited a bit longer but nothing else showed , so I went to pick it up just using my thermal spotter to locate it “no lamp or torch with me “. The farmer also keeps cattle and has them electric fenced off from the chickens . Well I thought my number was up , they charged at me and knocked me sprawling and tried stamping me and kicking . How I managed to get under that electric fence and to safety is a miracle. Spotter still in one piece as well . I have been around farms and cattle at night shooting for years and never experienced anything like this . But then I’ve always had a lamp and the cattle see this and tend to steer clear . Be warned, if you are on foot at night with night vision / thermal around cattle, TAKE A TORCH !! You never know it could save your life .

[Greyman 25,082]

fairplay dude glad your ok get yourself a little headtorch and make a habit of wearing it round your neck whenever your out at night 

[shovel leaner 7,648]

Cheers pal , I normally shoot from a vehicle. Not going to make that mistake again . I’m not the only one it’s happened to either. A keeper on a neighboring shoot had a similar problem walking in a field trying to close the distance on a fox he had seen from his back door . He was charged and surrounded. Same thing ....no torch . I can see that if thermal users go amongst cattle at night then sooner or later someone will get injured.

[delboy_187 900]

3 of us ended up a tree one night for at least an our surrounded while the dogs were free bein charged at some night of laughing  glad your ok 

[j j m 6,477]

bloody hell glad your ok bud

[The one 8,390]

Even when we are lamping i wear a head lamp and have another lamp in the motor just usually for picking up the shot stuff but its also handy for seeing what your amongst 

[RTurlough 160]

Sounds like bull beef if they all bailed in.

[mushroom 12,352]

6 minutes ago, RTurlough said:

Sounds like bull beef if they all bailed in.

Or cows with calves

[shovel leaner 7,648]

Yeh it’s a suckler heard.

[Baldcoot 2,352]

Yeah them cows are well hard when theyve got calves at heal.They have chased me off a couple of times ,theres at least 10 calves with the heard and boy are they protective of them ,but wild boar are of a similar anger .Back in the day we had to rescue our big brave corperal from up a tree on Hohne training area when a very very aggressive mountain of Sow and her piglets chased Taff Philips up a tree and his cries for help over the radio made us pee our pants with laughter 

[LuckOrJudgement 437]

I always carry 2 head torches. These rechargeable li Batteries don't just go dim when they run low; they die suddenly. If you've not got a phone on you with a torch app, or other means of illumination, you can be pretty screwed.

Always have back up.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Or use the thermal to see what's in front lol.