Redemption

[shovel leaner 7,648]

There is a young chap , called Adam who helps me out , he’s keen as mustard and always up for some foxing. He is more of a dog lad really although he knows his way around a shotgun and 22lr , centerfires are new to him . He has accompanied me on my nocturnal fox missions and his job is spotting with my thermal and gates , I drive he spots , then i shoot. I feel a bit mean sometimes doing all the shooting, but I’m not playing. I want them dead and misses are not tolerated. If I miss that’s one thing if someone else misses I get a bit salty to say the least , I might not say anything but the tension is there and I can’t help it . 
         Anyway we put a high seat up by the big  pen and pimped it up with a cushioned rail , Land Rover seat and drinks holder . Adam was desperate to have a go so I set him up to cover the pen field after it was cut , while I tended to another pen with birds in . Later on I heard a shot and got straight on the phone , “ well , did you get it “? “ I think so , I’m going to have a look “. I arrived. In the field with my thermal and the light was now gone . I scanned up and down the rows of cut hay but no fox . Adam said he thought it might of made the hedge , so we went back the next day with a pack of terriers and a Lurcher and a couple of spaniels. Let me tell you if there was a fox in the hedge that lot would of found it . “ I’m putting that down as a miss “. I could see that those words cut poor Adam and could tell he was gutted . 
             This is the same field that I stay out in for a couple of nights as I always get problems with Charlie. I shot two on the second night and the birds are settling in a bit now and roosting away from the wire . I also put scented rags dotted around and leave a radio on . But this morning I got to the pen and found the bodies of three poults two with heads missing, I peeled one to reveal the unmistakable fox teeth marks. I mentioned it to Adam who again volunteered to sit and wait at dusk . Now part of me thought no way , if you miss it will make my job harder, but I’ve got another three pens to walk birds back into, so I accepted his offer with two words “ don’t miss “ so no pressure . 
        I’d finished with the rest of the pens so I sat out with my thermal watching the other side of the pen . Then I heard a shot . I gave it a moment and text him . No answer , not good . I could wait no longer and rang him “well, did you get it” , “ I think so , I spun him around, I’m just looking for it “. I had a sense of de ja vous . I rushed around to the pen field and as I came through the gate I scanned with my thermal and could see Adam ……and he was carrying something fox shaped. This time there was no need for terriers or excuses and I could see he was shaking and buzzing. He continued to give a very animated description of how the fox had crept into the field and then started to run up and down by the pen wire . He said my words “ don’t miss “ echoed in his mind , as he put off taking the shot until he was confident that he wouldn’t f@ck it up . It was a fine dog fox and it had run a fair way , but Adam’s shot placement was perfect and there was a fair hole in its rib cage. He wanted me to take a photo holding it and send it to him . I obliged and said you know what this is don’t you ? Redemption!!!

[Rabid 1,936]

I know the feeling about watching others shoot and the missing, however we all gotta start someplace, and get him good and keen you got a reliable bloke to call on in the future.

good to see you keeping on top of the job.

[Stavross 13,719]

Good on him, that will be a proper confidence boost for him

 

P.S. I missed one tonight

[shovel leaner 7,648]

4 hours ago, Stavross said:

Good on him, that will be a proper confidence boost for him

 

P.S. I missed one tonight

He was over the moon . It’s given me a confidence boost in him No one wants a bad shot helping them . It’s not all that easy shooting from a high seat . It’s not like shooting off a bipod , so he pulled off a good shot at about 100 meters . 
 

 

ps . We want the hear all about your miss

[si brown 8,486]

Saw this last night but I’d just got in and was knackered… I think a fair few of these misses are good shots but the bullet strike splatters, I’ve had a few over last few months that I’ve had to look for and others that have required a follow up after being down for a while and getting back up for a final dash. 

Had one last week same situation, when we went and picked it up my mate was saying htf did that get up

the lad sounds like he’ll take to it well and he’s got your experience that’ll keep him right 
 

 

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

Talk about pressure...I wouldn't like the keeper to say to me "Dont miss " . Adam did well and am sure was very relieved when it dropped Come on Stav we want to hear about the miss , don't worry we all do it.

[shovel leaner 7,648]

1 hour ago, si brown said:

Saw this last night but I’d just got in and was knackered… I think a fair few of these misses are good shots but the bullet strike splatters, I’ve had a few over last few months that I’ve had to look for and others that have required a follow up after being down for a while and getting back up for a final dash. 

Had one last week same situation, when we went and picked it up my mate was saying htf did that get up

the lad sounds like he’ll take to it well and he’s got your experience that’ll keep him right 
 

 

I’ve shot foxes in the past that spin around and make a dash for it . When you pick them up there is a hole in its rib cage you could put your fist in , and you think how the hell did you not drop on the spot .

           The 50grain  Vmax bullets I use in my . 223 are doing 3800fps going by data not a chronograph and I rekon they are pushing in excess of that , rarely produce runners and there is rarely a hole . All the runners I’ve had always have visible exit wounds which means there is less of the bullets energy creating that shock , and that in my opinion is what drops them on the spot . 

 

[shovel leaner 7,648]

2 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Talk about pressure...I wouldn't like the keeper to say to me "Dont miss " . Adam did well and am sure was very relieved when it dropped Come on Stav we want to hear about the miss , don't worry we all do it.

I have always said I’d rather not take a shot I wasn’t happy with than miss one . Missing just makes life difficult. There is always another night . 

[si brown 8,486]

1 hour ago, shovel leaner said:

I’ve shot foxes in the past that spin around and make a dash for it . When you pick them up there is a hole in its rib cage you could put your fist in , and you think how the hell did you not drop on the spot .

           The 50grain  Vmax bullets I use in my . 223 are doing 3800fps going by data not a chronograph and I rekon they are pushing in excess of that , rarely produce runners and there is rarely a hole . All the runners I’ve had always have visible exit wounds which means there is less of the bullets energy creating that shock , and that in my opinion is what drops them on the spot . 

 

I never go for head shots if I can avoid it due to the mess it makes, 3 of my last batch of 32grn going about 4100 didn’t drop on the spot all with good bib shots, that one last week was straight on and took half the front of its chest off but can’t of penetrated very far and the follow up switched it off. 
might have a go with the 39grn sbk I’ve loaded… felt like smashing the 204 up when I was using the vmax, accurate as f but the amount of runners was shocking all with good shot placement, found all of them but 1 but I’ll not use them again. 

[shovel leaner 7,648]

30 minutes ago, si brown said:

I never go for head shots if I can avoid it due to the mess it makes, 3 of my last batch of 32grn going about 4100 didn’t drop on the spot all with good bib shots, that one last week was straight on and took half the front of its chest off but can’t of penetrated very far and the follow up switched it off. 
might have a go with the 39grn sbk I’ve loaded… felt like smashing the 204 up when I was using the vmax, accurate as f but the amount of runners was shocking all with good shot placement, found all of them but 1 but I’ll not use them again. 

I’ve got to say I’ve found the 50grn Vmax to be devastating with very few if any runners. Normally it’s just a deep thud and straight down .