Back at them

[BenBhoy 4,706]

21 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

We have just had the 2nd silage cut here, and it’s for me a good chance to get around the shoot and start to make a dent in the fox population. I’ve been finding litters and doing my best to deal with them . I’ve had a go with the terriers and been trapping, but now the gloves are off and I will now be nocturnal for a while. I have decided that with all the kit I take with me for a nights foxing I needed a special bag to put my binoculars, thermal spotter , bullets , torch , latex gloves etc . Instead of them rolling around the seat and taking me two or three trips to load up and unload the truck . When I get it I will show you all . Last night I shot two cubs and a dog fox , all in the same area . I shot the dog and panned around before I picked it up and saw a cub by the wood , I closed the distance a bit and shot it at about 120 meters, I waited a minute and saw another cub and shot that too . All within 10 minutes. I wish I’d gone home then , because I drove around for another 2 hours and didn’t shoot another fox . Anyway , they finished silageing and I was out again . I thought I’d wait at dusk near to where I’d shot the dog and cubs the night before . 10 o’clock and it was just getting too dark to see through my binoculars and I got the thermal spotter out , I could see a fox moving in the wood , I kept watching it and at the same time , got the rifle ready. It didn’t take long before it walked clear of the wood and gave me a shot . I waited a while to see if any more joined it but none did so I picked it up , just a smallish cub . I know it’s a shame but that cute little cub will soon be a poult killer . Then I went on to the cut silage , nothing on the first three fields, I was starting to think that there were no foxes coming out tonight, when my thermal picked up a heat source. I pulled into the field and turned the engine off and got the rifle out , good it was still there and wasn’t interested in me . Number 2 in the bag . It was a vixen , by the look of her she had had cubs but she was drying up . On again and another lap of the estate. Back to the first fields where I’d drawn a blank earlier and I spotted a familiar shape running for the hedge , I closed the distance down a bit and gave some squeaks , it popped out of the hedge and closed in fast , I shouted” Oi “ and it stopped in it’s tracks face on . I dropped it at about 50 meters. I drove into the next field which is the other side of a small orchard from where I’d just shot that last fox which was a large dog . And there was another fox preoccupied feeding. I drove as near as I dared but something told me this one was a bit warier than most . I tried squeaking but it just looked at me . I used my laser range finder on my scope and it was 184  meters. Well I’ve been shooting well with my home loads so I felt confident to make the shot , “whomp”, the bullet found it’s mark , I continued to watch through the scope as it’s tail twitched , then it got up and ran half tumbling and falling straight to a thick hedge in the orchard, i went to pick it up but couldn’t find it , I will be back in the morning to find it , hopefully I will , otherwise it doesn’t go in the book ,” thems the rules “!!! I’ve added a picture of tonight’s foxes , I do hope that it doesn’t upset any antis or vegetarians who may read this post , so just to show that I’m “all about being inclusive “ , there is the picture of a lettuce I shot  earlier. 

Great write up, cheers. And keep up.the good work.