Fox down ( maybe)

[Stavross 15,508]

So me and longshanx had ourselves a walk out at the sheep farm as lambing is fast approaching, made our way along the bottom of the fields so the wind  would be the right direction to come back along the top, as we got to the boundary I ran the lamp across the field and in the middle of the rape was them distinctive eyes looking back, past the torch to my man and mounted the rifle, after the fox ducked about in the rape for a bit it presented a clear head shot about 110 yards, squeezed the bang switch and it seemed to drop on the spot, after 10 mins of looking for it in 18” of rape I give up so I’ve had to text the farm hand to take the dog over tomorrow to have a look for it, we walked on into a wheat field and lamped over a hedge back into next doors field and spotted another, gave it a few squeaks and it started to come towards us, unable to take a shot into next doors field that one will have to wait, with any luck my mate will find the one in the rape tomorrow and I’ll have time to get back up in the coming weeks and see if we can account for a couple more

[Jarvis 277]

4 hours ago, Stavross said:

So me and longshanx had ourselves a walk out at the sheep farm as lambing is fast approaching, made our way along the bottom of the fields so the wind  would be the right direction to come back along the top, as we got to the boundary I ran the lamp across the field and in the middle of the rape was them distinctive eyes looking back, past the torch to my man and mounted the rifle, after the fox ducked about in the rape for a bit it presented a clear head shot about 110 yards, squeezed the bang switch and it seemed to drop on the spot, after 10 mins of looking for it in 18” of rape I give up so I’ve had to text the farm hand to take the dog over tomorrow to have a look for it, we walked on into a wheat field and lamped over a hedge back into next doors field and spotted another, gave it a few squeaks and it started to come towards us, unable to take a shot into next doors field that one will have to wait, with any luck my mate will find the one in the rape tomorrow and I’ll have time to get back up in the coming weeks and see if we can account for a couple more

Good work mate, it does disorientate you when it’s dark to gauge distance and it’s a bloody nightmare to find Charlie or any other quarry in crops! 

I had a Charlie earlier this year in wheat, was only about a foot high but high enough to stop the thermal giving the heat source when he was on the deck, so I did as you said, go back next day with the dog and I worked out I was looking about 25 yards in the wrong direction! 

[toxo 160]

I've lost count of how many times my little Seek thermal has shown me I was looking 25yds in the wrong place.

[Stavross 15,508]

So I’ve had a WhatsApp message from the farm hand ( I didn’t know he was that technically advanced) he found the fox on one of the tracks through the rape, he said it’s a good size dog, he said he could see it from the quad so it goes to show I was looking in the wrong place for it

[The one 8,474]

Its crazy how the same field etc looks so different at night . i tend to drop my hat , jacket or game bag and start walking in circles round it . after your out about 100 yards and you find the rabbit , fox you think how the feck did that get there ?. 

[jiggy 3,209]

I used to have a golden Labrador who was excellent at finding a fox that was hit lamping but made it cover. Even 3 days later I could bring her out to roughly the area where it was shot and she would find the blood spot and jump on back and roll on her shoulders in it. She would then jump up and follow the exact line the fox went and then you would find her happily ragging her trophy even if it was stiff as a board. She done it dozens of times.

[forest of dean redneck 11,589]

2 minutes ago, jiggy said:

I used to have a golden Labrador who was excellent at finding a fox that was hit lamping but made it cover. Even 3 days later I could bring her out to roughly the area where it was shot and she would find the blood spot and jump on back and roll on her shoulders in it. She would then jump up and follow the exact line the fox went and then you would find her happily ragging her trophy even if it was stiff as a board. She done it dozens of times.

Wasn’t leadburn bred was it?  Someone on here used to have a cracker for retrieving shot foxes .

[Meece 1,957]

1 hour ago, The one said:

Its crazy how the same field etc looks so different at night . i tend to drop my hat , jacket or game bag and start walking

"i wonder where my hat is"?  Unless positively marked it can be difficult.  Plough is a sod but sometimes we have driven pretty much to the spot and can't find it. A dog has been put out and gone ten paces and found. We've even had one right under the hilux. Don't forget the rule. No carcass, no kill

Edited November 11, 2018 by Meece

[jiggy 3,209]

2 hours ago, forest of dean redneck said:

Wasn’t leadburn bred was it?  Someone on here used to have a cracker for retrieving shot foxes .

I don't know her breeding. She was bred from a dam and sire of primarily duck ( lake shooting dogs  ) but never seen a boat with me. She was a millennium pup and my first dog. I was young and keen and shot everything pretty much that walked or crawled over her and she excelled at it all. Not as fast as a good springer but never lost game and found game where high octane springers allready tried. She caught a fox bolting from cover in a tight gap and another bolting from an earth. I shot only soft game the first season and then fox on the 2nd. The first fox I shot beating cover with her was still very much alive when she retrieved it back to my feet. She got roasted by it but never let it happen again. Wasn't a powerful or aggressive bitch at all but just always tried to please, very intelligent and whined on Sunday mornings at daylight because she knew it was hunting day and would sulk if I couldn't go. She came from Clara county Offaly and I presume they were used on the lakes around Westmeath ( mullingar) and the river Shannon. I never met the breeder because my workmate was a boyfriend of his niece and then split up we took 3 pups between 3 of us in work and all were good but one was shot by a sheep farmer for no reason and the other for taking a neighbours duck. She died at 13 a different wish I could find another like her.

[Underdog 2,337]

Well done Stavros.

I hate shooting over rape!

Which rifle?

[Stavross 15,508]

46 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Well done Stavros.

I hate shooting over rape!

Which rifle?

Cheers U, I was shooting with the tikka.243, I didn’t realise how deep the rape was until I went looking for it and it was above my wellies, I hate not being able to find what I’ve shot, it’s not that I want my prize but more I wouldn’t want to leave an animal injured to suffer in the field if the shot wasn’t a good one

[Jarvis 277]

14 hours ago, Stavross said:

Cheers U, I was shooting with the tikka.243, I didn’t realise how deep the rape was until I went looking for it and it was above my wellies, I hate not being able to find what I’ve shot, it’s not that I want my prize but more I wouldn’t want to leave an animal injured to suffer in the field if the shot wasn’t a good one

At 110 yards with a .243 mate I doubt it would have still be alive  Haha! But I know what you mean I like to find them too. 

[Longshanx 833]

Glad it got found Stav, you can get a good nights sleep now

I still think about that one on the stables that I couldn’t find

Hope you trousers have dried after walking through that rape

My duds are all clean again after falling down that big bloody hole along the hedgerow.

Pity we couldn’t get the one from next doors land to come over, it was clearly interested in the caller. But I’m sure it’s days will be numbered soon.

[Stavross 15,508]

On the bright side you fell down the hole and not me, if it had been me it would of been up to my neck