Back up at the shoot

[Stavross 15,935]

Two in quick succession, my old girl will be happy

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Mighty t bolt strikes again

[Stavross 15,935]

Oh yeah, deadly accurate fat air rifle

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Saving my energy for tonight. Got look three places....with bloody gout!

[Stavross 15,935]

Traps checked and empty, baited with fresh rabbit, Now just sat on an old concrete drinker at the side of the barn watching for bunnies and the foxy fence line, life is good

Edited May 30, 2020 by Stavross

[Stavross 15,935]

Well 7 was the bag, so I’m happy with that as it’s only a small field and a couple of rides that are shootable at the minute, I seen a few roe which is always good as it wasn’t that long ago that it was very rare to see them up here, I also sat for a few minutes watching brock play fighting and chasing each other around, just the way a warm Saturday evening should be spent

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Well I failed! Only saw one fox and bloody missed it! Gutted. All that hobbling around like an old man to only educate a fox

On the up side though I happened on a nightjar! First one I have seen. I got withing 10'. Huge bright eyes as bright as any rabbit. When I spoke to it it lifted just like a big swallow and was gone. Silent on the wing too.

Got home for 2, couldn't sleep. Not only feel but look like Oddbod out of carry on screaming.

 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

1 hour ago, Sausagedog said:

Well I failed! Only saw one fox and bloody missed it! Gutted. All that hobbling around like an old man to only educate a fox

On the up side though I happened on a nightjar! First one I have seen. I got withing 10'. Huge bright eyes as bright as any rabbit. When I spoke to it it lifted just like a big swallow and was gone. Silent on the wing too.

Got home for 2, couldn't sleep. Not only feel but look like Oddbod out of carry on screaming.

 

Are you sure that nightjar wasn’t a jackdaw ?

[Stavross 15,935]

I’ve never seen a nightjar, last night I was watching the biggest barn owl I’ve ever seen hunting the barley and then watched the woodcock flighting out, like little flying pigs 

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

I got a call to look for a chicken killer so ventured out around 7pm. First off spotted a doe and got to around 40 yds off her . I then checked out a large badger sette to see if any Cubs in there but no sign  , but did watch a brock cub bumbling about for a while. Then continued to a nice banking to lay out til dark. Watched a doe with a newborn kid which was great to see. Then placed out caller , cub distress call eventually pulled in this vixen.

[Stavross 15,935]

Back up to check the traps and still nothing, so a couple more hoppers from around the farm and off home, someone else can go and check them tomorrow

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Back out myself last night , took this buck 165 yds.  

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

[shovel leaner 7,650]

There is a family in the village who are walking two hound puppies, I stopped in the truck to have a natter and admire the pups , in conversation the son mentioned that he’d spotted a cub , “ oh , whereabouts was that .......exactly“ ? I tried to sound as uninterested as I could because they are all members of the local hunt and , well you know how they think . So armed with this new intel I searched the area and low and behold a textbook earth was located, flies , pheasant wings , bits of rabbit, you name it flattened vegetation ..... bingo !!! 
           First job was going to be mum and dad , so this was going to be a sit and wait job . The earth itself is on the corner of a hedge and raised up a bit on a bank , the vixen chose a good spot to be able to see danger coming. The field itself is spring sown wheat which is struggling to grow in this dry weather and is probably only six to eight inches tall . So thankfully visibility was fairly good . The first evening I approached downwind which meant a long trek on foot and I settled in the shadow of the hedge . Almost immediately two cubs came out and I watched them playing in a bare patch in the wheat . I gave it an hour but no sign of any adults. I had some hay fields that had been cut by the chicken farm to check so I called it a night . Last night I returned with no time limit and decided to put in a long shift if need be. The cubs could be seen on my approach with the thermal so I stopped where I was so as not to spook them . They played on top of the earth for a bit and then disappeared, so I closed the distance to about 70 meters and tucked myself in the shadow of the hedge . The cubs could be seen running around and play fighting and looked fairly well grown . I could hear magpies chattering as the light faded and moonlight cast a long shadow on the hedge. The cubs were oblivious to my presence and I found them entertaining to watch, I also had a bit of a false alarm when old Brock turned up . He sent them scampering to ground . I put the thermal spotter in my pocket as I answered the call of nature . When I zipped myself up and looked through the spotter  again there was a foxy shape next to the earth , was it a cub ? It seemed slightly larger but only slightly, it was hard to tell , but my instincts were to shoot It . I took the shot and it dropped on the spot . I waited for half an hour to see if the cubs came out but nothing . Curiosity was killing me so I approached the body , I got my pocket torch out and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the vixens belly , Christ , she was a snipey little bugger , the type that I’ve had squeeze up in an earth and give a terrier a pasting . The cubs are next . I will set some traps first but they should be easy to deal with now . 

Edited June 2, 2020 by shovel leaner

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Blast you shovel.... You make it sound so simple

Well done buddy.