Back up at the shoot

[FLATTOP 4,479]

 

[ianm 2,594]

I have been throwing quite a bit of bait down recently on one of the farms I go on. Canada geese, pigeons out of date chicken etc and all of it has gone in no time. Anyway I was helping with the silaging there over the weekend and on Monday night I thought it would be a good idea to go and try a few different loads I knocked up. I also thought there might be a Canada or 50 about. Myself and my mate went up with the hardox fox targets and shot at them up to 400 yds with the 243s. As darkness fell I had a look around with the thermal to see if there were any foxes about. Well at 10.30 one appeared around 70yds from us downwind and made off. I had no caller with me but tried to call with a lip squeak but it wasn’t having any of it. Tonight in the middle of watching a film my mrs said she was really tired and was going to bed. On that note I said “right I am going foxing then “. I went back to the farm I had seen the fox on last night and set up over looking the midden where they like to mooch around on. 10.36 and one appeared to the side of me about 60 yards away. By the time I got the rifle ready it had disappeared through a hedge. I already had the caller out and started it off with “cub distress “. Two minutes later it was sat on the midden and I shot it with a 55grn hollow point. I unloaded the rifle and collected the caller and put it in the Jimny. I don’t know why I did it but I shone the white pilled xsearcher I had in my pocket towards the midden and saw a pair of fox eyes glaring back at me. I thought it isn’t dead I better get another one in it. Rifle back out and loaded and a check with the thermal revealed it was actually another fox. I waited a couple of minutes for it to present a shot, then killed it with another 55grn bullet. Turned out to be two vixens both look to have had cubs which will be a fair age by now. I will need to look for them now.

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Make sure you find the Cubs or you will have the Fox police on your case

[ianm 2,594]

9 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Make sure you find the Cubs or you will have the Fox police on your case

I always give it a real good try and i will with these. Although looking at the vixens i reckon the cubs will be self sufficient by now. If i can't just get at them i will leave them a regular supply of canadas etc until i can get to them. I wouldn't like to starve to death myself so i am not going to inflict it on something else if i can help it.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Not shoot related but this is a timely reminder to any of us who spend time on farms/farm yards.

Dying to feed you - Farmer's Weekly

WWW.FWI.CO.UK

I had the closest call of my life today with some cattle, very nearly got squashed! Ive had close calls before, but i thought this was it today. Was thinking "well Ben, you've dropped a right bolloćk here!!" 

Edited May 26, 2022 by BenBhoy

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Stay safe everyone

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Nothing special about a magpie with hmr but I've been working on shooting off hand. Popped this one today at 83yds my furthest to date. Not gonna mention the 100yd crow I missed!

[David.evans 5,323]

Just blame the wind Ben like you normally do

[Dervburner 2,549]

1 hour ago, David.evans said:

Just blame the wind Ben like you normally do

Has he got wind?

[BenBhoy 4,706]

1 hour ago, David.evans said:

Just blame the wind Ben like you normally do

It was bloody windy, thought I compensated but think i went too far. Story of my life, taking it too far!! 

[Stavross 15,753]

Friday nights outing was a trip to a farm for some pest control on 2 strips of freshly drilled game cover, now as I was going to have a look for a buck I took the .243 with me, no pictures of the pest control because the .243 just turns them into dish cloth’s, it was a lovely evening to be out, warm and bright, after clearing some crop munchers off the cover I went for a walk looking for a buck, I spotted a deer at a good distance and stalked into it. That turned out to be a doe with a kid, no more than a couple of days old, first I’ve seen this year and lovely to spend a few minutes watching, heading back up towards the farm I spotted a buck over by the wood, by the time I’d done the loop around it because of the wind direction it had moved further out and had positioned itself inline with the road, so I was not happy with the shot so that one will have to wait for another day

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Warm you say ....had no warm weather here yet just chilly winds all the time

 

[Stavross 15,753]

Last nights outing was unbelievable 

little Hugo’s dad is good mates with an under keeper on a very big grouse moor, he rang me and asked if I’d like to go and shoot some rabbits up there, I sad yes because it’s somewhere different for a walk out, he said bring the 2 .17hmr’s and the .223 and we’ll have a look for a fox as well, all the way up there he said nobody shoots rabbits up here, they don’t have time, there’s loads, I thought, if I shoot a dozen it’s ok, just nice to be out somewhere different. When we got there there was a few kicking about and before we lost the light we had shot about 15 or so, by 10pm we started using the lamps and the thermal, my god, I’m not exaggerating we will of see more than 1500 rabbits and only went on a fraction of the estate, we finished the night at around 11:30 as the lad had to be up for work at 5am, the final bag was 102 between us, the keeper had asked for some for his traps so we left him about 35 behind a gate for him to collect in the morning, we didn’t even bother looking for a fox when the rabbit shooting was that good, the last time I had seen numbers like that was in the early 90’s

[Stavross 15,753]

18 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Warm you say ....had no warm weather here yet just chilly winds all the time

 

That’s because where you live has it’s own weather system ⛈

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Out last night with my mate , 2 jobs to do .....1st hen killer at the Hall and 2nd mop up cubs that the farmer had seen the other night where we took the vixen last week.

We tried calling at the Hall in daylight , no joy so went back after dark with the thermal and again no show. Gardener has seen it through the day and the guy that has the larsen trap set has it on his trail camera. This looks like a tricky fox to get , not seen it yet but time will tell.

The cubs were also a no show , not much luck tonight so headed to a field next to a small copse and right on last knockings 3 roe appeared. My mate took this 2 year old in full summer pelage , first Ive seen so far this year.

So no foxes accounted for but a bonus buck