Saturday night at the foxies

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Niall and I had arranged to pay another visit to a valley we have permission it. Last night we'd seen quite a few foxes there, most likely the beginning of mating season as they didn't seem as sharp as usual. We brought my .223 and also my semi auto shotgun in case of close encounters of a canine kind.

 

After tea in Nialls house and a chat with his Dad about foxing and shooting in general we headed off. I had long ago asked a farmer there about walking his land at some stage to look for fox. He was delighted at the suggestion, though he's not been complaining about foxes another farmer lower down the valley has.

 

After parking the car and gearing up, Niall took the rifle, I the shotgun, we walked off uphill behind the farmers shed. The land beyond is quite a spectacle to lamp, a huge valley with steep rock walls on either side and a river in the bottom. It's all peat bog and perfect fox country. We couldn't help but notice on the walk up how many rabbits were around, little buggers were running rampage.

 

Because of the wind the plan was keep walking uphill to the last fence, then give a call. We reached a nice spot to shoot from in case anything happened along. I was lamp man and caller, I decided to use the electronic vixen call. As soon as it sounded BING! a bright pair of eyes lit up high oh the hill just to our right. The wind wasn't too good for this but we couldn't do much about it with the ground.

 

I quickly ranged a rock out from us, as a gauge, it came back at 100 yards. I dimmed the lamp right down, bare bones light just enough to track the eyes bouncing down the hillside. Our new best friend zigged and zagged it's way down the loose stone and muck. There's definitely hormones at work tonight. Watching the fox come in we knew we'd have a problem with the wind. I expected Niall to stop the fox but he let him come in to maybe 150 yards.

 

All of a sudden there's an extreme course change, our fox zooms off to the left. It must've winded us, but, again, just like last night, while the fact seemed to put the fox on alert it didn't send it to afterburner. I started squeaking with the Primos call, Niall took the shot and bowled the fox over at the first sign of interest. That last look has killed God knows how many foxes.

 

As we spiralled into self congratulatory mode I took a quick shine around us. "Reload that yoke quick", as I spot a fox downhill, behind a wall, maybe yards from us. The wind is just perfect. Nialls down again with the Remington, he can't get a clear shot with the wall. After a bit of fannying around I let the caller fall onto the moss and go-a-stalking with the shotgun. Squelch, squelch, squelch.

 

The fox vanishes after I make up about 40 yards on it. I lamp around and find it's gone off to my right about 100 yards, sitting pretty on a small area of green behind a fence. Niall, a bit away from me, see's what I'm lamping and is down with the rifle. What I don't know is that a fence post is directly in line with him spoiling the shot. After about a minute with the spot on the fox he decides that's enough and moves on.

 

I take off after him, not realising Niall has dropped the torch and is in the dark cursing me silently, lol. Give me a minute like, am a bit busy here! I get down to the corner of the field, near where the fox was sat. I can see he's gone maybe 120 yards, downhill into the wind and following a deep gully. I've two fences to cross to get onto relatively open ground, over the sheep net and under the barbed for the first. The second has a wall under it so is easier but a little noisy.

 

Lamp in my left hand, shotgun in my right, fore end resting on my left forearm. Shit. Need to call somehow, Niall has the Callmaster. I stick the Primos squeakers bulb into my gob, It's not all glamour this craic. I must've sounded like a passable rodent chewing on the squeaker. My fox had sat down, but a tree was obscuring my line of sight. I'd to negotiate the drop into the gully, then climb up the other side. Made up the difference as quietly as possible.

 

How it didn't hear my heart thumping in my chest I don't know. Still sat down looking right at me I level the shotgun and feed him some Eley AAA. The fox jumped and went about 10 yards, then dropped dead as a dodo. Niall made his way down, fcuking me out of it, lol, totally unconvinced by my shotgunning until he spotted the dead fox. Can't let the rifle man get them all. A nice dog fox this one.

 

 

We headed farther out the valley, deciding we'd pick up the first fox later on our way back to the car. We got out to a nice hill and had another call, picking up three foxes! Two down on the flat our side of the river, and another on the far bank. They were a long way off so we made off downhill towards the river and another hill.

 

I don't know what happened to them but the two foxes on the flat had vanished and not a trace of them was seen after that. We did notice another lamp operating in the area so maybe someone had been calling farther down that we couldn't hear. The good news, our far bank fox was there and coming into rifle range.

 

The fox made it's way to what I can only describe as a weathered crumbling peaty pyramid. It was up and down, around left and right, retracing it's steps, coming in front of, going behind the pyramid. Fox on coke, Jesus I don't know but it was completely hyper. Niall was following it with the scope and I was doing my best to keep the lamp on it.

 

I stopped it with a shrill bark, Niall sent a Hornady on it's way at 160 yards. It connected but not correctly, and our fox tried plan B, exiting stage left post haste. I kept tracking the fox, ranging it as it went. All of a sudden it stopped. 245 yards, I said "If you can make it, take him". Lights out as a pop followed the bang, nice shot!

 

We traipsed down the slippery hill, across the river, across the bog and found the fox. Best I can remember he was a dog fox, first shot had gutted him, and he'd stopped to lick himself. Second shot went through the noggin, jammy git.

 

 

Now we had a nice climb back up to the farm from the valley floor, some hill it is too. We also spent five minutes searching for the first fox Niall had shot. Most of the ground looks the same, either it's brown grass, stones, or muck and stones, one patch looks much like another. Eventually we found her, a nice vixen 178 yards from where we'd been watching her.

 

 

That's it now for a week or so, I'm pretty foxed out, early mornings and late nights don't mix so well.

[mattydski 560]

Good read as normal John. Glad some of us are getting amongst them

[SNAP SHOT 194]

Nice read john..... your getting good numbers now mate...

 

 

Snap.

[bullmastiff 615]

Cracking write up John, sounds like a good night out and makes a nice change to hear about walking up foxes with the Shotgun. Good follow up shot Niell.

I must say they were looking pretty well fed!

 

Thank you for sharing it with us.

[blackfox 9]

Great shooting and a Great read, thanks

 

Sam

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Thanks folks, it was a late night but our plan worked well enough.

 

BM, I think all the foxes I've taken this year, maybe bar one, have been in excellent condition, even the old ones missing teeth. The first fox Niall shot last night was missing a lower K9 as well. There was some amount of rabbits up there, there's another fair big batch down the end of the valley as well so I guess it's no surprise.

 

Shotgun foxing is my favourite, that's how I learned to do it at the start. I don't often get to do it because the lad I usually get out with will only use a side by side, but I definitely enjoy walking up to them by far and away.

[bullmastiff 615]

John that's when you know your getting older, when you start to actually consider 'should I go out tonight? I've got to be up early tomorrow'

 

I'm surprised the Farmer hasn't asked you to also thin the Rabbits some if there in those sort of numbers?

 

100% agree, it is probably one of the most exciting ways of shooting foxes to be had, It's how we still do it. Usually during the Harvest mind you, following the combine round so more 'Driven' than 'walked up'.

I've now turned to mainly Lurcher work but it's still a thrill to see the boys at it and I'm hopefully there in the right place to retrieve any that run on.

 

All the best.

 

Luke.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

John that's when you know your getting older, when you start to actually consider 'should I go out tonight? I've got to be up early tomorrow'

 

I'm surprised the Farmer hasn't asked you to also thin the Rabbits some if there in those sort of numbers?

 

100% agree, it is probably one of the most exciting ways of shooting foxes to be had, It's how we still do it. Usually during the Harvest mind you, following the combine round so more 'Driven' than 'walked up'.

I've now turned to mainly Lurcher work but it's still a thrill to see the boys at it and I'm hopefully there in the right place to retrieve any that run on.

 

All the best.

 

Luke.

 

When I was talking to him that time he never mentioned rabbits at all. I knew there were "some" up there but They were like rats in a rubbish tip, nearly run across the wellies lol. I don't live in a tillage area so this could be rather naive but, they do combine 24 hours a day when they get the weather and work don't they? Hope you're doing well with the lurchers Last night was perfect to get out as well, but I've an appointment this morning, and didn't want to be walking into the office with sleep in my eyes, shirt tail hanging out and start dozing off in the middle of things

[dafmla 1]

good read nice shooting look forword to your next outting

[Yokel Matt 918]

Good going John - much holdover needed with that long shot?

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Good going John - much holdover needed with that long shot?

 

Niall took that shot Local, the gun is zeroed for 200, so it'd be still pretty flat with the 40 grain bullets at 245.

[freem 25]

fair play on a very well written post,

those foxes a well fed, they look in top condition

freem.

[the cheater 1]

Good read as usual John,can see how the 1 you "stalked" with the gauge would be the most satisfying of them.

Still nothing much here to go at.Numbers just haven,t recovered from the other year..but on the + side,pheasant returns are high again and there,s plenty of Roe to go at when i get some time off.

Going to read your other write-up now...must be nice to get some dry weather too thats for the comment

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Good read as usual John,can see how the 1 you "stalked" with the gauge would be the most satisfying of them.

Still nothing much here to go at.Numbers just haven,t recovered from the other year..but on the + side,pheasant returns are high again and there,s plenty of Roe to go at when i get some time off.

Going to read your other write-up now...must be nice to get some dry weather too thats for the comment

 

See! That's what ya get for cheating, no one wants to play with ya lol. Been fantastic weather here over the weekend, apart from last night. promised alright I think, besides Thursday when we have have a half centimetre of snow which will inevitable bring the country to a grinding halt. I was real tempted to go out tonight solo with the shotgun, had a plan worked out n all

[dave1372 83]

I was real tempted to go out tonight solo with the shotgun, had a plan worked out n all

GO on then, at least your getting action at the moment. I went out last night and saw bugger all apart from a few miserable rabbits.!