Early start

[walshie 2,804]

The greenkeeper at a golf course we shoot at said there were "loads" of foxes around first thing in the morning when they started work, so we went for an early morning shoot rather than last thing at night.

We knew we had to be done and dusted by 6 latest when the lads came out, so we got there at 2.30 and were on the course by 2.45. A quick drive round showed a few here and there and most of the bunkers had been dug up already, so we were hopeful.

A dog fox was watching us from behind a mound with just his head resting on it and a hill behind him as a decent backstop. An excellent shot (if I say so myself) put him to sleep. We put him in the back of the gator and went to another fairway. Time for a quick coffee before the next one showed itself. A young vixen was walking left to right, but wouldn't sit still for the shot, so I gave her a squeak. She looked up and started running straight towards us. A quick "oi" and she stopped long enough for me to take the shot. 

We saw a few more, but they were very flighty and didn't present a safe shot. I passed the gun to my glamorous assistant and we drove round a bit more. Another young vixen was skulking about 1 1/2 fairways across. She knew we were there, but didn't seem too bothered. Jack took aim and she was dead on the spot with a chest shot. 

After that we saw another fox walking across a fairway, through a wooded area and out onto the next fairway. Jack followed on foot. I saw him kneel and take aim. "Bang!" "Bollocks," was all I heard as he pulled the shot. Turns out he had 2 foxes to choose from from where he was and missed them both. The oaf.  The excuses that ensued are the sort I would use myself, so he's learning!

It was starting to get light, so we were looking forward to seeing these "loads" of foxes we had been told about. We didn't see one. Not even a glimpse. Sod's law I guess.

We parked up and went off on foot. Nothing doing on the fox front. It was getting near to 6 and we were ready to call it a day. Having a round in the chamber of my 223 and a squirrel on the ground about 30 yards away was too much to resist. I took the shot and It looked like someone had kicked it about 20ft in the air. We picked up what was left of it and headed back to the gator.

Not the sort of morning we expected, but we had a laugh and 3 foxes in 3 hours is still decent going.

[Deker 3,491]

Good going...and "loads" is a term I commonly hear, generally with the rabbits ..its like watership down.....never seem to be there when I turn up!

Edited August 19, 2018 by Deker

[Rimfireboy! 1,463]

Nice write up walshie, I can imagine the state of the squirrel, I’ve shot a few with the hornet and they were mashed, to say the least

[David.evans 5,323]

Yep 

great write up , and good shooting as usual, I've never shot a tree rat with the .223 

really can't imagine what a mess it would leave ?

atb 

[Underdog 2,337]

You guys have to much fun 

[walshie 2,804]

4 minutes ago, Underdog said:

You guys have to much fun 

You should have seen us pretending to be "course police" when we saw some youths having a puff down there one evening. 

[Meece 1,958]

why would the green keepers want you to shoot foxes ? surely the foxes are helping the green keepers by keeping the rabbit population down. foxes don't damage anything out on a golf course.  Foxes eat rabbits and rats ect which will dig holes out on the course.  Some of the farmers ban us from shooting foxes for the same reason. foxes don't eat crops, rabbits do and the foxes are out there 24/7 on sentry duty.  the majority of farmers  don't give a monkeys about foxes.  Shepherds don't like them out anywhere near the lambs.  its also surprising how many people shoot rooks also.  ok sometimes rooks get into the wheat and pull up new maize but the odd one or two swinging in the wind keep them off the flat bits and new plants.

[walshie 2,804]

24 minutes ago, Meece said:

why would the green keepers want you to shoot foxes ? surely the foxes are helping the green keepers by keeping the rabbit population down. foxes don't damage anything out on a golf course.  Foxes eat rabbits and rats ect which will dig holes out on the course.  Some of the farmers ban us from shooting foxes for the same reason. foxes don't eat crops, rabbits do and the foxes are out there 24/7 on sentry duty.  the majority of farmers  don't give a monkeys about foxes.  Shepherds don't like them out anywhere near the lambs.  its also surprising how many people shoot rooks also.  ok sometimes rooks get into the wheat and pull up new maize but the odd one or two swinging in the wind keep them off the flat bits and new plants.

I'm sure the head greenkeeper and director of the golf course would disagree with you on this one. There are no rabbits on the course. Hasn't been for 30 years, so the only thing causing damage is the foxes.

They dig up every bunker looking for stuff, (and I mean EVERY bunker on the course),  mash down the earth at the edges of the bunkers so it has be rebuilt and regrassed, roll back the greens looking for worms, drag rubbish from the surrounding houses onto the course and shit everywhere. I think that's fair reason to want them thinned out a bit. 

If they weren't a problem, he wouldn't keep asking us to go back.