Four more down

[Jarvis 277]

Decided last night to have a couple of hours out on the foxes again. It was an overcast night and a bit of a breezy so great conditions. 

Good job I did! 

Got in position at just gone 9:00. Within ten minutes fox number one showed up, trotting towards me at around 250 yards weaving through the bales then turning right to follow along a tramline. Just before it got in line with me and would have been down wind I gave it a squeak it stopped on the spot and down it went. A further twenty minutes pasted and whilst watching a roe strolling across in front of me I noticed another fox on the same path as the previous one. It took the exact same route and I dropped that about 10 yards from it’s friend. That was one dog and one vixen On the deck. I walked over collected them both and got back on the back of the truck to wait for some more action. 15-20 minutes passed and number 3 came strolling out of a cover crop and before I had chance to get onto  it It turned tail and went down the other side of the bank so I couldnt have a shot. I gave it a couple of minutes to see if it would return. Becoming inpatient I tried the caller and it came flying back over the bank towards me at 200 miles an hour, I was frantically trying to get the drone and IR turned on before it was at the front of the truck. I turned the caller off and it was still running at me! I barked at it, which stopped it at around 35 yards in front of me and that was number 3 delt with. Another dog down. I thought I’ll try the caller again you never know... and within 5 minutes of the caller on rabbit distress playing number 4 was steam training it towards me in exactly the same fashion as the unlucky chap before him and he got the same treatment and dropped about 5 yards from him. 

This was the same field I shot three in the other week and right next to one of our pens which the birds will be in next week so a very worth while 2 hour trip out! 

[Underdog 2,337]

You make it so easy, I have chicken killers I can't get on very easily and they like coming after midnight!

 

U.

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Well done Jarvis. Good shooting. I’m out myself tonight .  I haven’t seen a fox or any sign of them for a while now and the birds have been really settled. However I was topping up some hoppers this afternoon when some crows started up . They were mobbing something moveing up a ditch . Although I couldn’t see it poults pouring out of the hedge and cocking up told me I have a visitor. 

[Jarvis 277]

3 hours ago, Underdog said:

You make it so easy, I have chicken killers I can't get on very easily and they like coming after midnight!

 

U.

Its not as easy as that every time!

[Jarvis 277]

2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

Well done Jarvis. Good shooting. I’m out myself tonight .  I haven’t seen a fox or any sign of them for a while now and the birds have been really settled. However I was topping up some hoppers this afternoon when some crows started up . They were mobbing something moveing up a ditch . Although I couldn’t see it poults pouring out of the hedge and cocking up told me I have a visitor. 

Hopefully you'll catch up with it tonight! 

[Stavross 15,542]

Cracking work, it certainly looks like you are getting on top of them

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Just when you think you’ve got this game “cracked “and you are on top of things life has a way of bringing you back down to earth !!! Went out as planned last night after my suspected visitor. The hedge it was working is a bit of a pain to get to because I’ve got to go through three locked gates . Drove towards the hedge scanning with the thermal when not one but two foxes ran out of the hedge chased by a roe doe . Thermal off and rifle with NV out .....gone . Tried my best squeaks , but to no avail. Only one thing for it , back around the other side of the hedge, only five more locked gates to mess about with , bring on the winter when the livestock is in and the gates are open ! Drove up to gate four and almost there and scanned the field before opening the gate and there in front were the two foxes . Quietly as I could I hauled my ageing body on the back of the mule and took a shot off the roof . One down , the other a bit more educated now I suspect. Drove around the rest of the shoot and nothing. There is a woman in the village next to the shoot who feeds foxes and birds (My pheasants) so I drove around the back of her house and there was a Charlie taking advantage of a free dinner , I made him number two . So I’ve still got foxes here and I’m still chipping away at the numbers, but I’m a long way off having the game “cracked “.

Edited August 9, 2018 by shovel leaner

[Underdog 2,337]

And I thought you were on foot!

To many gadgets 

[Jarvis 277]

2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

Just when you think you’ve got this game “cracked “and you are on top of things life has a way of bringing you back down to earth !!! Went out as planned last night after my suspected visitor. The hedge it was working is a bit of a pain to get to because I’ve got to go through three locked gates . Drove towards the hedge scanning with the thermal when not one but two foxes ran out of the hedge chased by a roe doe . Thermal off and rifle with NV out .....gone . Tried my best squeaks , but to no avail. Only one thing for it , back around the other side of the hedge, only five more locked gates to mess about with , bring on the winter when the livestock is in and the gates are open ! Drove up to gate four and almost there and scanned the field before opening the gate and there in front were the two foxes . Quietly as I could I hauled my ageing body on the back of the mule and took a shot off the roof . One down , the other a bit more educated now I suspect. Drove around the rest of the shoot and nothing. There is a woman in the village next to the shoot who feeds foxes and birds (My pheasants) so I drove around the back of her house and there was a Charlie taking advantage of a free dinner , I made him number two . So I’ve still got foxes here and I’m still chipping away at the numbers, but I’m a long way off having the game “cracked “.

It’s two less anyway mate! Keep at them! I’m out every night now as our birds come Monday then the real sleepless nights and worry starts!

[shovel leaner 7,650]

18 minutes ago, Jarvis said:

It’s two less anyway mate! Keep at them! I’m out every night now as our birds come Monday then the real sleepless nights and worry starts!

Do what I do . The first few nights after you put the birds in , I sleep in my truck next to the pen . If you’ve got any troublesome visitors, the birds will soon make some noise and wake you up . Then it’s just a matter of getting the rifle up and flattening them . Works for me . I always reckon I sleep better there than worrying at home. 

[Rabid 1,936]

Nice one mate, that's the way to thin them out, keep at them now as you won't be getting any kip once the birds are in

[shovel leaner 7,650]

3 hours ago, Underdog said:

And I thought you were on foot!

To many gadgets 

It’s not the gadgets , so much as the area . The shoot is 1500acres and I’ve another 1000 around us I can go on . Having said that , foxes can be vehicle shy and decamp as soon as they hear an engine. That’s when going on foot to target a specific fox will usually work best . Plus I like the solid shooting platform I get off the mule . 

[Jarvis 277]

I’m not one for walking around! Not with the weight of my rifle! I park up and wait for the Charlie’s to come to me! 

I do bait stations during the autumn/ winter as well which work well. Plus if they are getting food there they aren’t going looking for tasty pheasants! 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

They harvested most of the wheat here today , so I thought I’d take a look . I was expecting to see a few but was disappointed, not much out apart from deer rabbits and badgers. I did see one though , trotting across some old  stubble which had been mucked , with something in its mouth . I squeaked, whistled, then barked to try and stop it but it carried on . Don’t normally do this but I shot it on the move , clipped it and it carried on a bit before stopping . Still wriggling I finished it off with a second shot . With the thermal I was able to find what it had in its mouth . Looks like some wood pigeon squabs . 

Edited August 10, 2018 by shovel leaner

[Jarvis 277]

4 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

They harvested most of the wheat here today , so I thought I’d take a look . I was expecting to see a few but was disappointed, not much out apart from deer rabbits and badgers. I did see one though , trotting across some old  stubble which had been mucked , with something in its mouth . I squeaked, whistled, then barked to try and stop it but it carried on . Don’t normally do this but I shot it on the move , clipped it and it carried on a bit before stopping . Still wriggling I finished it off with a second shot . With the thermal I was able to find what it had in its mouth . Looks like some wood pigeon squabs . 

Nice work! They finished the wheat  at ours last night as well so I had a look out. Managed to account for another. He was a bloody big dog! I’ve had 9 up there in the last two weeks so hopefully that will go some way to giving the birds some peace!