First of the year (a post by IanM)

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Well after a dose of the Chinese lurgy (although not ill with it) i was more than keen to get back out doing the things i like. Anyhow whilst waiting in the car for my son to come out from an hospital appointment tonight i had a call from a local farmer. He told me his brother had seen three foxes this morning near to where they store the haylage bales. This farm is two hundred and fifty yards as the crow flies from my house and as i keep poultry i like to keep the foxes numbers down. SO when i got home i put the thermals battery on charge to top it up and got the rest of my gear together for a bit of a session. I also phoned my mate to see if he fancied an outing and he did, so he said he would be twenty minutes. I thought i best have my thermals on tonight as it is freezing hard and i hate getting that cold that i can't sleep. Batteries changed in the foxpro and the remote for it and i was good to go. Just time for a brew before my mate turned up. 

[BenBhoy 4,706]

True to his word he was at my house in twenty minutes so i walked out to meet him. Two minutes later we where at the farm, i had already text him to say i would be on there tonight and he had acknowledged the text. This farm is actually two farms that are back to back and i have never shot the side that i would be on tonight in the thirty years i have been going there. I usually come from the other farm and park in the middle of the fields next to a tidal gutter, but tonight i thought i would try where he had actually seen them. The mainstay business of these farms is horses livery and i had to drive through the yard past the stables to get to where i wanted to be. Once clear of the yard which is about one hundred and fifty yards long there is a gate  which leads you onto a track that runs alongside a field that has been divided up with electrified tapes for the horse. This field is on the left of the track and runs right up to an old overgrown orchard. This large orchard has been left to its own devices for the last forty years that i know of and is a mass of brambles and impenetrable undergrowth, ideal fox habitat! I set up just to the right of the track so that i could see anything approaching  from the right as well as the orchard. I had a good view to the right but there was a sparse tall in places thorn hedge to my left, but it was the best spot to keep an eye out all around really. 

[BenBhoy 4,706]

The foxpro was placed directly in front of us a good fifty yards away which is where i wanted any foxes to make for. I selected vixen in heat and started the call off. About ten minutes in i spotted a fox on the track behind and to the left of us. I was just getting ready to move position on the Jimny when it made off into the field behind us going to our right. I thought it was going to move in a circle round us towards the caller which is exactly what it did do. It actually carried on past the caller and went through a ditch to end up in the field to our left that was taped off for the horses.  

[BenBhoy 4,706]

I kept following it through the thermal and the scope and laser where already switched on. Just then my mate drew my attention to someone coming towards us from our right with a torch flashing about everywhere. I ignored it and concentrated on the fox which was now in clear view through a good size gap in the hedge but it was sat directly in front of some sheep. I was waiting for it to move to the right so that i could get a shot at it. Minutes later it did just that but before i could get my shot off the owner of the torch turned up at our side enquiring what the noise was and shining the torch everywhere. I hissed "turn that f***ing torch off" which he duly did. I looked back at the fox to see it disappearing  down the field at fair rate of knots.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

 I wasn't best pleased and got down off the Jimny to go and talk to the intruder. Turns out he lives next door to the farm a little way down the lane and had heard the the caller and thought something was in distress. I told him what we where doing and also if he ever hears any such strange noises again to ignore it as it will be us foxing. At this point he went back home. My mate said i doubt it will be back tonight now but i thought it would be worth giving it another go.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

 I changed the call to pheasant distress and cracked on with that. It must of been thirty minutes later when i saw a fox through the hedge to our left mooching about in the horse paddock field. It kept having a stop and listen to the call interested but wary. I watched it for ten minutes then changed call to field mouse distress. It d to be very interested  but something was holding it back. I think it was the same fox as we had seen earlier. I kept watching it through the hedge with the scope and laser switched on waiting for it to move into a gap where i could get a shot at it. It took another good five minutes before it eventually moved up the field back towards the farm behind us. This was a good result as there was a large gap in the hedge that way and i had the rifle pointing in that direction in anticipation. I followed it till the last second in the thermal before it broke cover. As it came into view through the Drone i gave it an "oi" but it carried on, i continued to track it in the scope and shouted again but still it carried on. I didn't think it was going to give me the opportunity of a shot, then suddenly it stopped and looked straight over to us. That was his mistake and the 243 dropped him on the spot. He had only been seventy five yards and was a good healthy dog of 16lbs. One more less to bother about taking my chickens and the farmers lambs.       

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Posted on behalf of IanM......cos he's thick as mince & shakes like a shiťtinğ dog!! 

[Dervburner 2,549]

Bleddy ‘ell Ben, I had to stop half way through that to make another cuppa ️......

[ianm 2,594]

[BenBhoy 4,706]

49 minutes ago, Dervburner said:

Bleddy ‘ell Ben, I had to stop half way through that to make another cuppa ️......

All ians work mate! I can't write so good stuff!

[ianm 2,594]

1 hour ago, BenBhoy said:

Posted on behalf of IanM......cos he's thick as mince & shakes like a shiťtinğ dog!! 

Get your own material you scrote! 

[ianm 2,594]

Thanks Ben, it must be a size of post thing if it lets you do it piece meal.

[David.evans 5,323]

Kin ell 

some write up lads , nice when it comes together

what that great long tube on the end of the rifle ? (Make)
atb 

[ianm 2,594]

1 hour ago, David.evans said:

Kin ell 

some write up lads , nice when it comes together

what that great long tube on the end of the rifle ? (Make)
atb 

It’s a Dm80 mod, the quietest mods I have ever heard.

[Stavross 17,202]

Another cracking ianm write up and well done for keeping Ben busy, giving him less time to send me disturbing selfie’s on WhatsApp