missed my first cub of the season!

[Deker 3,478]

I think it has all been said above, you can never say never, but it is ridiculously early for cubs!

 

A bit warmer on the whole and things happen a bit earlier in Devon & Cornwall usually!!

 

Don't expect to see any round these parts for a while yet!

 

ATB!!

Edited March 5, 2010 by Deker

[Deker 3,478]

ive stopped lamping charley at night with the rifle's have done for the last month or so gota give things a chance in life mate.and only dig on keepers request at moment. cant see the point in going out shooting and digging everything on land that comes your way well thats my look on things each to there own though yis willum.

totaly agree whats the point of killing next seasons sport.

 

What is sport to one man is Vermin control and a serious battle to many!!

 

ATB!!

[donnyc 1,203]

When do you stop then?? Vixens in some places are well set in Jan..I know of three litters above ground now.Also plenty of heavy vixens about not yet dropped ..Nothings set in stone

[waidmann 105]

i have beard reports of "tied" foxes on shoots as early as september( dog and gun a few years back) i wales i believe. if that is the case then foxes mated in sept/oct would cub after 51-54 days. the first three weeks the cubs only get milk.then they will start appearing above ground. at around 6-8 weeks they will start roaming ever further from the "cubbing earth".

i'm sure these early matings/cubs are the exceptions that confirm the seasons rule. but it certainly happens.

one theory is that the vixens which "lose" a litter will be early(biologicly quicker to recuperate) and that older vixens may have hormone disfunctions causing early "heat".

 

i have not seen any cubs yet,nor have i found the usual "mess" around the sets to indicate the cubs are knocking around above. the foxes seem to be a rare sight at the moment though so i presume the vixens are nursing.

 

p.s. i have seen alot of vixens over the years which have looked like cubs(around end of may-june) due to summer coat and the calorie loss from the cubs.could this have been the case??

i guess we shant know as you missed it

 

atb

waidmann

[langouroux 14]

jesus! bit more of a reaction to this thread than i expected!

 

i suppose it could have been a very small vixen or one of last years cubs...but it was fecking small...like the size of a small jack russel ???

 

any way as you can probably tell i have only just started fox shooting as before now i have only got .22LR so unless it was a an "opportunistic" fox i haven't done a lot of fox shooting at all. probably only shot 4 or 5 since i got my FAC so there is a good chance it might not have been a cub. clearly i still have a lot to learn about fantastic mr fox!

 

hahaha either way i wont be using the 12G for them...i just can't get the hang of it under pressure, fine with clays but thats about it!

[romany52 313]

Foxs usually mate late november,december time, they carry for 53 days , so cubs can easily be 6 or 7 weeks old by now.

[pest hunter 151 15]

went for a walk with the 12g today to wind the week down, i took a couple of 36G BB cartridges with me "just in case" although i never see foxs when i go rough shooting. i had a crack at a couple of very high pigeons but missed! and this seemed to set the trend for the day!

 

i was stood at the hedge row waiting for something to fly over when i looked to the right of and there was a fox cub at about 75ish yards sniffing at the hedge! i slowly and quitely changed the cart's i had in the gun and gave him a squeek, the little blighter came running in so fast, as i raised the gun he saw me and turned on a 5pence i let both barrels go and missed with both shots.clean over the top of his head! hahaha

 

i very rarely shoot with my 12G and i have a habit of "pointing it" and not "swinging it through" apparantly....well thats my story and im sticking to it!

 

fortunately this ground is sledom shot over and isnt a farm, so i will have to have a crack with the lamp in the near future.

 

but just so you know....THE CUBS ARE OUT! if you can hit them that is!

unlucky but i have the same prob with pointing not swinging

[waidmann 105]

if you can hit clays then get yourself out fot pigeons, that will better your shooting under pressure.

practice at home with snap caps firing the gun while "pulling through"(follow the cornicing in the living room or something ).

atb

waidmann

[murphymax 9]

When do you stop then?? Vixens in some places are well set in Jan..I know of three litters above ground now.Also plenty of heavy vixens about not yet dropped ..Nothings set in stone

TO SAVE ALL THE HASSLE....

as you know of 3 litters above ground get a picture of them with a newspaper in one hand and get the cubs in the background.

WONT BE THAT HARD....

 

110% NO CUBS above ground moving about in hedgerows in and around Lothian & Borders

[rowey 1]

ive stopped lamping charley at night with the rifle's have done for the last month or so gota give things a chance in life mate.and only dig on keepers request at moment. cant see the point in going out shooting and digging everything on land that comes your way well thats my look on things each to there own though yis willum.

totaly agree whats the point of killing next seasons sport.

 

It stops em from eating next seasons pheasants! Smack em in the spring hard. If you wait till stubble time the damage has already been done. I agree though. Dug vixen last weekend but not cubbed. Saw 2 running together last night. Bit hit and miss. Weathers been harder than it has for years so guess its changed things. No cubs at all on our ground. Never seen them at this time of year above ground.

Edited March 11, 2010 by rowey

[langouroux 14]

as for weather - it has been blue skies doewn here for ages i cant remember the last time it rained, stil a bit of frost but generally the weather has been mint!

[waidmann 105]

When do you stop then?? Vixens in some places are well set in Jan..I know of three litters above ground now.Also plenty of heavy vixens about not yet dropped ..Nothings set in stone

TO SAVE ALL THE HASSLE....

as you know of 3 litters above ground get a picture of them with a newspaper in one hand and get the cubs in the background.

WONT BE THAT HARD....

 

110% NO CUBS above ground moving about in hedgerows in and around Lothian & Borders

 

 

i see no reason to doubt that donny c has cubs in his areas,why would i?? he has some valuble input into some threads on here.

i'm sure he has little need to provide proof to any of us.

i find it very likely that there are also foxes knocking around(cubs) in most areas which we have not seen/do not know of. the studies have been done,the evidence is there of early mating(aug-sept) and as the fox cannot "slow gestate" as the badger will they MUST be born early weather conditions fitting or not.

waidmann

[Malt 379]

as for weather - it has been blue skies doewn here for ages i cant remember the last time it rained, stil a bit of frost but generally the weather has been mint!

 

 

We get an earlier spring and later winter in the SW, it's all to do with the gulf stream.

[langouroux 14]

as for weather - it has been blue skies doewn here for ages i cant remember the last time it rained, stil a bit of frost but generally the weather has been mint!

 

 

We get an earlier spring and later winter in the SW, it's all to do with the gulf stream.

 

 

the sea is still fecking freezing i know that much! went surfing the other day...went in a man, came out a boy!

[Guest busterdog]

Dug my first litter last week, don't doubt there's cubs about, but they're just not kicking about hunting for themselves.