Back up at the shoot

[Dervburner 2,548]

1 hour ago, foxdropper said:

Night mare last night .New place for us .Spot a fox ,give it a squeak from 300 yds and it’s running in nicely .Rifle on sticks already .

The field was wet as hell and I felt the sticks sinking so pulled them out the mud only for them to come apart at the bottom joint .The mare starts here .Hurriedly put them back together in stealth mode ,fox still coming in .On them again and again they sink .I’m learnt over like the hunchback of Nortre Dam .

The rear eye piece is now fogged on the pard so quick wipe and I get mud all over the lens from putting stick back together

Another hurried wipe with sleeve and sort of better .Fox is now stood at no more than 20 yards .I’m on it sort of and I’m afraid I fluffed the shot .Hit it but not mortally .Spins around and then jogs off back to the forestry it came out not stopping last minute as they mostly do .Followed the general way it went  to the wood which is still on perm .

Could see fresh tracks down the ditch up the other side and there is what we think is the fox under a bramble thicket .Can’t see it in the pard as there too much  foliage so mate shines his torch and I take the pard off .Just eyes for me but mate says that’s him .Bang flop thank f**k that’s over .Mate goes in and f**k sake it’s a medal muntie I’ve fblown the head off .

We searched  for 3 hours eventually widening the search  the other side of this 100 m wood strip and there it is ,not a mark on it stone dead .No sign of a hit just a war wound from fighting .

Hard  won but number 140 .

This for me high lights the reliance on thermal and nv I’m now having .Old school lamp would of picked out the muntie no probs and chance of another shot at the fleeing fox .Field of vision too small to get on a moving target with NV .

Sacrifice one thing for another I guess .

 

 

Interesting points FD. I’ve always managed with lamps, but I’ve used my pals pard (007) and been thinking about getting a 008 as I think it’s probably the way forward. Reading this has given me food for thought, although I’m not dismissing the pard.

[foxdropper 17,092]

NV for me has changed the way I hunt ,put numbers in the bag I wouldn’t have with the lamp but this fiasco has revealed it’s downfall .If I’d seen the eye of the muntie in the lamp I’d of known it wasn’t a fox .

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

4 hours ago, foxdropper said:

Night mare last night .New place for us .Spot a fox ,give it a squeak from 300 yds and it’s running in nicely .Rifle on sticks already .

The field was wet as hell and I felt the sticks sinking so pulled them out the mud only for them to come apart at the bottom joint .The mare starts here .Hurriedly put them back together in stealth mode ,fox still coming in .On them again and again they sink .I’m learnt over like the hunchback of Nortre Dam .

The rear eye piece is now fogged on the pard so quick wipe and I get mud all over the lens from putting stick back together

Another hurried wipe with sleeve and sort of better .Fox is now stood at no more than 20 yards .I’m on it sort of and I’m afraid I fluffed the shot .Hit it but not mortally .Spins around and then jogs off back to the forestry it came out not stopping last minute as they mostly do .Followed the general way it went  to the wood which is still on perm .

Could see fresh tracks down the ditch up the other side and there is what we think is the fox under a bramble thicket .Can’t see it in the pard as there too much  foliage so mate shines his torch and I take the pard off .Just eyes for me but mate says that’s him .Bang flop thank f**k that’s over .Mate goes in and f**k sake it’s a medal muntie I’ve fblown the head off .

We searched  for 3 hours eventually widening the search  the other side of this 100 m wood strip and there it is ,not a mark on it stone dead .No sign of a hit just a war wound from fighting .

Hard  won but number 140 .

This for me high lights the reliance on thermal and nv I’m now having .Old school lamp would of picked out the muntie no probs and chance of another shot at the fleeing fox .Field of vision too small to get on a moving target with NV .

Sacrifice one thing for another I guess .

 

 

Felt like I was there mate , same thing happened to me months ago , a fox was screaming in but I needed to adjust my position and the quads fell apart like you , I managed to scramble to put them back together and shot the fox at about 30 yds Your mate f****d up on the munty ID but mistakes happen

[foxdropper 17,092]

We were both convinced it was the fox in our thermals Mark .Didn’t get too close as didn’t want to push it on had it been a fox .

There was a cock pheasant on the deck too which was distinguishable .The torchlight was just enough to show eyes .

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

1 hour ago, foxdropper said:

We were both convinced it was the fox in our thermals Mark .Didn’t get too close as didn’t want to push it on had it been a fox .

There was a cock pheasant on the deck too which was distinguishable .The torchlight was just enough to show eyes .

Makes you wonder how much actually gets shot by mistake using thermal , when a positive ID is mistaken.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Especially thermal scopes mate .Had a look through one while back and not for me .Out in the open nv not a prob ID at 300 yds on good night .Thermal scope no definition of  anything bar shape it should be in your head 

[ianm 2,594]

6 hours ago, foxdropper said:

NV for me has changed the way I hunt ,put numbers in the bag I wouldn’t have with the lamp but this fiasco has revealed it’s downfall .If I’d seen the eye of the muntie in the lamp I’d of known it wasn’t a fox .

Could you not id what it was when you took the pard off?

[ianm 2,594]

7 hours ago, Dervburner said:

Interesting points FD. I’ve always managed with lamps, but I’ve used my pals pard (007) and been thinking about getting a 008 as I think it’s probably the way forward. Reading this has given me food for thought, although I’m not dismissing the pard.

If i had to rely on a lamp i would probably shoot three foxes a year. By the time they reach anywhere i go everyone and his dog (literally) has had a go at them.

[foxdropper 17,092]

To be honest we were convinced it was the injured fox mate and if you’ve been in that position ,getting it dead is all that matters as they can go on a long way if pushed .The muntie was just an eye with the torch ,not a very bright eye added but there tis .Telling ut as it is has always been more important to me than any reaction off here 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 minute ago, ianm said:

If i had to rely on a lamp i would probably shoot three foxes a year. By the time they reach anywhere i go everyone and his dog (literally) has had a go at them.

Often why I have to learn individual fox's movements and  catch them out on their runs or home patch in early mornings or evenings.

It's only amateur  but it sure beats TV. 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

2 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

To be honest we were convinced it was the injured fox mate and if you’ve been in that position ,getting it dead is all that matters as they can go on a long way if pushed .The muntie was just an eye with the torch ,not a very bright eye added but there tis .Telling ut as it is has always been more important to me than any reaction off here 

I would of done the same. Don't worry. 

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

37 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

To be honest we were convinced it was the injured fox mate and if you’ve been in that position ,getting it dead is all that matters as they can go on a long way if pushed .The muntie was just an eye with the torch ,not a very bright eye added but there tis .Telling ut as it is has always been more important to me than any reaction off here 

Agree mate , would have done the same.

[ianm 2,594]

1 hour ago, foxdropper said:

To be honest we were convinced it was the injured fox mate and if you’ve been in that position ,getting it dead is all that matters as they can go on a long way if pushed .The muntie was just an eye with the torch ,not a very bright eye added but there tis .Telling ut as it is has always been more important to me than any reaction off here 

No reaction at all, just curious if you could id it with the pard off, but obviously not. I always carry a nightmaster xsearcher in my pocket in case i need a proper bright light but more importantly i have a dog that will find them for me. Training that bitch to find foxes was the best thing i have done, she has saved me hours and hours looking for them. Nothing worse than scratching about in the dark looking for a wounded fox and i will say thermal isn't all that brilliant at finding dead ones. Sometimes you have to be virtually stood on top of them to find them with it. 

[foxdropper 17,092]

Agreed mate .I’ve dogs that would do that but also go looking for trouble elsewhere

[BenBhoy 4,706]

5 hours ago, foxdropper said:

Telling ut as it is has always been more important to me than any reaction off here 

Definitely not looking for a reaction but I say what I think, and personally i would not have pulled that trigger at eyes. I get it that if fox had pushed further that'd be annoying, but damn better than shooting at eyes that turned out to be a ewe, someone's dog or , (heaven forbid) someone who'd ducked under hedge to hide.