A few more foxes to report.

[SportingShooter 0]

This is another tale of two very efficient adult killing machines and a young apprentice.

 

I have very recently had my first batch of Pheasants delivered to my shoot, they are attracting plenty of wild birds to the pen but also the wily old foxes and their young cubs in training.

 

Time was enough after having left the ground unlamped since just after the birds' arrival, I decided to get my lamping buddy out of his armchair and get either behind the rifle or the lamp.

 

As usual, I had my trusty and proven CZ 527 .222 with me and my buddy had his also trusty and proven Remington Model Seven in .22-250. I had my Lightforce 170 which has a new Red filter attached thanks to a THL Keyboard Hunter.

 

We had parked up as normal next to a rusting flat bed trailer about half way along the 1/2 mile lane, it was about half nine at this point so there was still an amazing amount of light, although the leaf cover on this lane is intense and blocks out a considerable amount of light. Opposite us and the trailer are a set of double gates, one into one field, the other into another.

 

We kitted up, without the lamp as it was still light, the rifles were suitably loaded, both with 50gr Remington Accutips. Off we went through the gate on the right, into the largest field on the farm and the one in which I have shot the most foxes.

 

We strolled through this field and the next and the next at a brisk pace and nothing was moving in the dying light so we turned to come back to the cars via a different set of fields and nothing still.

 

We arrived back at the cars in the hope that the lamp would turn something up. We leaned against the cars there for a moment, had a swig of water and just generally musing as you do.

 

We were facing the double gates and I was checking my phone when my mate whispered loudly to me "Olli, FOX!!", he was coming across the brow of the hill against the skyline, he was silhouetted plain as day.

I dropped my phone at that point and gingerly grabbed the rifle which was inside the car, inserted the magazine and walked up to the gate briskly, adrenaline pumping as it does, I had my WAM call in my pocket so I gave him a squeak.

 

The rate at which went from the top of that field down to us at the bottom was phenomenal, I thought I would need not waste a bullet as he would impale himself on the moderator.

 

I coughed loudly he stopped for maybe 2 seconds and I had the hairs on him. He moved a few feet to the left, I coughed again, he stopped and my finger curled and squeezed around the trigger, CRACK!!!, THUD..

 

Down he went, a very satisfying motionless fox not 50 yards from me. We went to investigate, as suspected a dog yet again, that makes four in the last three weeks. He was a good average size and looked quite healthy not a mark on him apart from a nice hole on one side! Chuffed, I picked him up by the tail and dragged him to the field margin and left him.

 

We strolled back to the car to get the lamp. I strapped it around my waste and checked it, Fine. We went on the same route around the place, the red filter is a nice accessory to have if your quarry is easily spooked, we got to within 10 yards of a Rabbit at one point, there are only a dozen or so on this farm so he hopped on by.

 

We had our fair share of wildlife there in the darkness, the spooky sound of the Tawny Owl and those damn pigeons doing their level best to give us a heart attack as they do.

 

We caught something strange in the lamp, a pair of almost white eyes, still have no idea what it was.

 

We completed our circuit and ended back up at the top of the field which we had shot the fox and hour or so before. We stood in the gateway, the gate was locked and we looked down on the undulating field below us with a clear view to our right but occluded on the left by the nature of the ground.

 

It was pitch by now and I flashed the field, this is where the fun started!!

 

I saw a fox at the bottom of the field about 170 yards away, so a fair old distance. I squeaked him and he stopped, to think one presumes. He came gingerly to about 130.

 

My buddy lined him up as it was his “turn†to shoot. A few seconds went by and BANG!, missed!!!, the fox was now 50 yards straight to the Right. He reloaded and waited for it to stop, BANG!!, Missed, I was cursing at im at this point.

 

The fox ran straight to the Left this time and amazingly stopped, he reloaded and BANG!!

Miss!!!!!!!!!!! Air was now a darker shade of Blue.

 

The fox was now about 200 yards out and 60 yards back to the Right, I was angry wt this point, he was going to be impossible to shoot if not got now.

 

I almost threw the lamp at my buddy, I rested my .222 on the gate, aimed about two inches below his back and BANG!!!

 

Bowled over. Dead, Finito. One shot to his three.

 

I gave him a confusing and non believing look worked the bolt and ejected the fired case.

 

He opened the gate and we walked down to it, paced out, it was 185 yards.

 

A full grown vixen, the shot had gone almost exactly where I aimed, humane and Fatal.

 

Again, I dragged her to the field margin and off we went back towards the cars. We entered the lane through a different gate about 100 yards from the cars. After closing the gate I shone the lane, not expecting much after that fusillade of shots and lo and behold, what was walking straight towards us but a Cub.

 

My mate said to let him try once more, I was very reluctant but I said OK. The cub was now about 60 yards away, a freestanding shot, not easy at the best of times.

Credit where Credit is due.

He aimed, steadied and fired, the cub flipped and was dead.

 

On investigation, it was impossible to accurately determine the Sex as the bullet had ripped its undercarriage out almost completely, we took an educated guess at a vixen cub.

 

So Not a bad evenings work even though the place was awoken by what must have sounded like the first day of the Somme.

 

I was pleased, my buddy not so, but the bottom line was the pest control was now in hand.

 

Hope you enjoyed it.

 

Regards

SS

 

P.S. I will PM a pic of the cub to people if they wish, I left the camera in the car for the others but got one of the cub.

[arcpest 6]

Nice write up SS well done

pm me the pic SS

 

arcpest

[gilly-93 31]

nice write up as usial and good shooting