Bird flu restriction

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I thought I’d pop over to see the chicken farmer and see how he was . He told me that he can let his birds out 1st April. I said “ I’d better pop over and have a look “. 
           There will be hungry vixens around now , probably with a litter of cubs , that are still reliant on her for milk . I always try to find the cubs . But my last couple of attempts at cubs with my terrier have been frustrating. I’ve got a tiny Russell bitch too . But they always seem to squeeze into impossible little rabbit holes . There is also a huge deep disused badger sett that I know reads 3.8 meters in places . I’m going to have a look with the terriers this morning to see what’s about , but the possibility is that the foxes will have litters where I don’t have permission to search . 

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Good luck mate in your search. I usually know (roughly) where they cub here but no sign in usual spots. Did find some feathers that had been dragged under fence along a run into neighbours field so reckon that might be dog fetching her some food. 

[David.evans 5,323]

Funny enough Ben I’ve shot five dogs in the last 10 days , two with half a rabbit in the mouth , and I’ve had a good walk round the farm and can’t find no sign of a den , defo dogs feeding the vixen 

atb 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I went for a walk this morning and no trace of a litter of cubs . That is good news . I know this place like the back of my hand so it was easy enough to check , it’s only about 60 acres and about another 50 of the neighbours fields over which I can shoot and check . There is only really a thick ditch or dingle and a few spots on the bank . Brock is present in the sett so I can’t do anything about that . 
          I will be out over the next few evenings to see what’s about . The foxes have not had chicken for a while as these are new birds that have not been out yet . But I guarantee foxes will be drawn to the noise and smell of all those feathered fools behind the trap doors . My guess is that I will spot a fox at dusk or just after.  

[shovel leaner 7,650]

They say it never rains , but it pours . My rifles have been happily gathering dust in the gun cabinet for a while. As I posted the other day I’d planned on visiting the chicken farm , so I was all set to do just that . 
            Today I was working on a house on the estate , doing some pointing and brickwork , when the estate / shoot owner drove past to tell me that his sister’s chickens were visited by Charlie last night . The cockerel was killed and taken . By a cruel twist of fate I’d culled the other cockerels on Friday . The bosses sister’s daughters had raised the birds themselves in an incubator, they were Brahmas and lovely looking things but the cocks had started to fight and attack people and each other , so they had to go . I rang the bosses sister to find out what time it happened, but she wasn’t sure . I turned up at 7.0 and walked out into a paddock and placed my caller out , I then got my rifle and thermal and tucked up on top of a pile of muck that was pushed to the end of the clamp . I’ve been shooting around this farm for 20 years  so I  have  a good idea where to put myself. Thermal on , and there was Charlie at the other end of the paddock . I didn’t even turn my caller on . I gave a squeak with my mouth and it trotted in like a well trained Labrador. “ Oi” , the fox stopped and I squeezed the trigger on my Tikka .223 . The fox dropped , a barren vixen . I hadn’t been there 10 minutes. 
                On to the chicken farm, I went through the whole  tyre spraying and boot wash and got the thermal out , nothing around the shed . I came up with a plan to set my caller up near the Xmas tree plantation and see if I got any takers . I started off with pheasant distress , but nothing showed. I changed it over to fox cubs chatter and a fox ran straight out of the Xmas trees and hit the caller and ran off , my adrenaline was pumping and I waited to see if it would reappear. It did but way off in the distance . I tried different calls but it would just stop and look back , but didn’t close back in . I always keep scanning around too and spotted a fox behind me in the farmers garden , I could feel the adrenaline pumping again and changed position on the pile of concrete blocks that I was resting on , NV scope on and IR on and Charlie showed , I gave a whistle and it stopped to have a look , I sent a 50 grain VMax into its rib cage , it turned out to be a very big , very healthy dog fox . So a successful visit and a happy chicken farmer . I think I’ve missed being out

 

[David.evans 5,323]

Good shooting SL 

NIce to be out enit 

atb 

[Stavross 17,786]

Cracking result

[Dervburner 2,549]

Good shooting and a good result SL

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

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