Lamping the Night away 2012/13

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Saturday 6.10.2012.

 

While everyone else is out having a pint or sat in drooling vaguely towards the gogglebox I thought it was a fine night to go out and look for a fox. The moon was something over 60% full but I think now is a good time to start out as waiting for it to get darker again only lessens the number of nights out per month. It felt cold, and there was a slight breeze.

 

The first stand I checked is one where I’ve shot multiple foxes before. They usually appear far out on the bog and come in by a lake. In this place the wind is totally for me, that is if they come from where I expect. I used a rabbit squeal and waited, then squealed again and decided to wait 20 more minutes before moving on.

 

I heard three barks, then spied a fleeting glint of an eye far in along the lake. Game on.

 

Not quite sure of the range to my fox, and expecting it to come along the lake towards me I stayed silent and kept on scanning with my Lightforce Striker. The buzzing from my DIY wiring job is something I need to get sorted, thought it maybe dimmer related.

 

Suddenly I catch an eye to the left of where I had expected the fox to be. It’s out on the marshy/swampy flat and not coming in along the lake after all. A quick squeal and it’s on its way in towards me. Now I have to move to another rocky hillock, as the one I’m shooting off has tall dead old grasses which will reflect light back into my scope.

 

I get the rifle set up on the rock, slide the lamp onto the scope bracket and find my fox. There it is, trotting in through the little islands of taller dead grass in the marsh. As soon as I am happy the fox is in range I slip off the safety, give a little lip squeak to stop the fox, and after squeezing the trigger hear the report of the round hitting home.

 

I stayed on that rock for another while shining around, just in case there would be a second fox knocking around. As it turned out there wasn’t but I think it’s a good habit to be in.

 

The trouble now was picking the fox up, I did attempt it but ended up in the middle of a swamp so I left it until daylight and when I wasn’t carrying a heavy battery pack, rifle, heavy jacket and lamp!

 

Dog fox, unknown range as I forgot my range finder.

 

This is where I shot from out onto the marshy/swampy flat

 

 

Don’t think that looks swampy? Try now…

 

 

 

Fox is lying on the path, which goes towards the top right corner of the photo, it’s hard to see, but it is there.

 

 

Nice welcome for a little lamb next Spring.

 

 

Earlier in the night I had heard a car beeping at the other end of the road where it enters the bog. I thought I’d go check it out in case any sheep had been hit or clipped as the car passed where I was too fast for the road it was on. Ended up doing a bit of night time shepherding of another farmers sheep who were where they’re not supposed to be! Called him to let him know and then moved on for my second stand of the night.

 

I had picked out another hill about 500 - 600 yards into the bog. It has good views and a long lake one side of it which would allow me get plenty of time to get the drop on a fox coming in from deep in the bog. As it turns out I didn’t see anything there that night but I am sure I will yet.

[SportingShooter 0]

Good start to the year's lamping John

[JohnGalway 1,043]

That was my third night out this season. But, the other two nights, considering where I was lamping, I hadn't really expected to see anything and wasn't disappointed either

 

This year I am going to the foxes. Last year I let them come to me and it was a disaster.

[SportingShooter 0]

Given some of the terrain, I'm surprised you get as many as you do.

 

I'm yet to get out properly since the nights have gone darker, must get that sorted soon.

[slip hound 32]

well documented john great read!! looks lovely part of the world....

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I'd sure as hell want to improve on last years tally!

 

Thanks Slip, it is that, I am lucky to live where I do

[SNAP SHOT 194]

Nice write up john, and a great scope for a few long range shots,

Was planning on getting out tonight, but left it a wee bit late to zero the rifle, i cant remember what

rounds i had it zeroed for.... DOH...hehe

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I might go out tonight yet myself. Sort of getting comfy indoors though, and that's just not a good sign......

[SNAP SHOT 194]

i know that feeling john, haha

[thomasc4329 10]

A great read as always

[The one 8,494]

Nice going mate

[timwest 8]

great stuff mate, lovely part of the world

[GEOFF.223 83]

good read lad. waiting to get my new torch [bANNED TEXT] i head out again myself.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

8th October

 

The Geological Survey of Ireland site has a Public Viewer which is a great little asset to me. Unfortunately Google Earth only offers poorly defined shapes and colours to represent the geography of most of my area. While I have walked most of the areas I hunt through my day job, GSI gives me a different perspective. It’s useful in scouting out new stands, showing the shapes of lakes, the small but deep rivers which join them, and any rocky outcrop that passes for a hillock which could be used as a vantage point. The bog is vast and flat, having a bird’s eye view helps me figure out where a fox may come from, and where it can or cannot go to from there.

 

That said, my first new stand of the night I spent a perfectly uneventful half hour stand about in the cold. I never said this was fool proof. Fools tend to defeat theory through experience. We’ll just park that there…

 

The difference between GSI and Google Earth:

 

 

 

Back to the action, I got my first proper taste of the season tonight. After blanking on the first stand I pushed onto my second stand of the night, where I shot my last fox. Figuring that the path I saw was worn a little too well for just one fox, there may well be more. There is other wildlife on the bog, this was no sheep track, and while there are hares here compared to the better land they are pitifully scarce.

 

Facing towards a distant evergreen forestry the light breeze is indecisive in nature, vaguely wafting in my direction. A rabbit call screeches through the night. “Expect the unexpected” they say, while I am hopeful of a fox appearing ahead of me, a set of glowing eyes peer through the night at me from the other direction!

 

This could be a problem in the making, as what breeze there is is heading directly to my new best friend. This fox is doing a respectable amount of arsing around. Perhaps it’s mousing? Or after frogs? Either way I can’t tell from here. Neither can I make up ground on such a quiet night through the marsh and long withered purple moor grass, despite there being a beautiful little hillock between us.

 

For some reason I’ve not yet bothered to discover I seem to have poor illumination from my lamp. Have I brought some DIY inflicted problem on my lamping? Did I tape up too much of my sunshade in order to combat moderator glare? It being difficult enough to distinguish my little fox from the colours of the surrounding bog.

 

While I renew my fox’s interest in distress calls with a hare screech, I lay down on a rock, aligning the scope and lamp and generally getting comfortable. I’m at the point where the fox starts to stand out from the background, but just not enough to pull the trigger yet. Tempting little eyes are stop start daring me to try my luck. No thanks, I will bide my time and wait. All good things… Pshht… Thwap! One down in another swamp.

 

 

No sooner have I stood up to look around than I see another set of glowing eyes sizing me up from, yeah, you guessed it… Behind me! Sneaky critters these foxes. This one is approaching from where I had expected initially, happy days. However I am momentarily thwarted again by the wellington height grass.

 

I… can… see… you…

 

“Blink”

 

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with F…

 

“Blink”

 

Move you……..

 

I can’t move, and the fox doesn’t appear to want to. Now, there’s a lake one side of my fox, and that swampy marsh that defeated me the other night the far side. A hare call again breaks the silence of the night. “Aha”, Looking through the scope my fox has turned and headed for the marsh, or at least that’s what I think.

 

To cover the marsh I need to move to another rock nearby, it’s blocking my line of sight. Just as I arrive I catch a flash of eyes on top of a hillock about 110 yards from me. Wasting no time I ready the rifle and squint through the scope. The next sequence of events happen so quickly as to be almost a blur. Flicking the safety forward to off, the fox gets up and starts to turn away, I squeeze the trigger, Pshhhhhht…….

 

…Thwap!

 

A vixen from this years litter.

 

 

Hey, you only put up one photo? That's right, I shot two foxes. But, I couldn't find the first one in the swamp. I heard a positive hit, but that place is dangerous, I'll take a quick look tomorrow. I suspect it's another pup.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

9th October

 

As promised I headed for the bog to search the swamp for the first fox I shot last night. Truth be told I was neither confident nor looking forward to the task. I simply don't get on with these places. As best as I could, from the rock I took the shot, I looked over the ground (I use the term loosely) and formulated my search plan.

 

Heading out to a little gorse and moss covered bump I looked out over the swamp and saw a lot of water, moss, and humps of dead grass, basically many things that didn't come close to resembling a fox. Though I am 100% sure I hit the fox well, there's always the nagging voice at the back of my head wondering did I injure, or did I kill? Has it made good on an adrenalin rush and travelled on those few dozen or hundred yards which will make this an impossible job?

 

Right at the end of my search I saw an orangey bump in the swamp, success!

 

 

Now, how do I get from where I am to see what this fox is? The photo above is on full zoom on my little camera. I had thought last night it may have been another of this year’s pups. After some tentative “island hopping” I managed to arrive at my destination without sinking to my neck in the mire. To my surprise, I find an old dog fox waiting for me. So, I’ve had a dog fox, old dog fox, and vixen pup from this immediate area. What’s missing is the mature vixen, and that’s the fox I am eager to catch up with!