A few in daylight!

[ianm 2,594]

A mate of mine that shoots a fair bit of ground in Cumbria asked me to accompany him on a foxing trip on Sunday night. The shots would be a minimum of 250yds and I don’t think he just had the confidence to take them. The set up was to shoot from one hill across a valley to the hill opposite. We arrived in the Jimny in plenty of time and I got him to walk out to the killing area and spread some sachets of dog food about. A good hour or so later a fox appeared at the top of the hill opposite out of the hedge and sat down on the newly cut field. After ten minutes it started to trot down towards us and the bait. It found the bait in no time and started mooching for it. I ranged it to 265yds and encouraged him to shoot it. A couple of weeks ago I had him consistently hitting the kill zone on the hardox fox target with his 204 and atn 4k so I knew he could do it. He waited till it was sideways on then shot. The fox dropped on the spot to his relief. Fifteen minutes later another came from the same direction but actually came into the field we were in. It made its way to a dead ewe 150yds away and started to tug at it. I ended the tugging with a 55grn bullet. I would think it would of been about 40 minutes later I spotted another coming and that ended up in the same field as us. My mate killed the vixen at around 140yds. We decided to drop the foxes off at the farmers house on the way back as he doesn’t live at this piece of land. We had just dropped them off at a gate down a track when I spotted another on the fell side. We watched it for a good 45 minutes before it came into range. My mate shouted to stop it and I killed a dog fox at 275yds. So three in daylight dog, vixen and a big cub and another dog in the dark took us to four for the night.

[ianm 2,594]

The dead ewe!

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Another whippet cross!

I staked out a cut grass field last night but nothing arrived. Heard one in the distance mind.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

8 hours ago, ianm said:

A mate of mine that shoots a fair bit of ground in Cumbria asked me to accompany him on a foxing trip on Sunday night. The shots would be a minimum of 250yds and I don’t think he just had the confidence to take them. The set up was to shoot from one hill across a valley to the hill opposite. We arrived in the Jimny in plenty of time and I got him to walk out to the killing area and spread some sachets of dog food about. A good hour or so later a fox appeared at the top of the hill opposite out of the hedge and sat down on the newly cut field. After ten minutes it started to trot down towards us and the bait. It found the bait in no time and started mooching for it. I ranged it to 265yds and encouraged him to shoot it. A couple of weeks ago I had him consistently hitting the kill zone on the hardox fox target with his 204 and atn 4k so I knew he could do it. He waited till it was sideways on then shot. The fox dropped on the spot to his relief. Fifteen minutes later another came from the same direction but actually came into the field we were in. It made its way to a dead ewe 150yds away and started to tug at it. I ended the tugging with a 55grn bullet. I would think it would of been about 40 minutes later I spotted another coming and that ended up in the same field as us. My mate killed the vixen at around 140yds. We decided to drop the foxes off at the farmers house on the way back as he doesn’t live at this piece of land. We had just dropped them off at a gate down a track when I spotted another on the fell side. We watched it for a good 45 minutes before it came into range. My mate shouted to stop it and I killed a dog fox at 275yds. So three in daylight dog, vixen and a big cub and another dog in the dark took us to four for the night.

Good shooting mate Beautiful looking land (reminds me of home ) 

[ianm 2,594]

4 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

Another whippet cross!

I staked out a cut grass field last night but nothing arrived. Heard one in the distance mind.

They do tend to be long rangy foxes up there. I waited at a cut grass field as well to no avail, but it is only a few days since i shot two on there so perhaps a bit early for the next customers to have moved in.  

1 hour ago, BenBhoy said:

Good shooting mate Beautiful looking land (reminds me of home ) 

It is very pleasant in decent weather but a different story in winter.

In the second picture there is a gate in the middle of the picture. Look to the left of that at the edge of the fir plantation you will see a light patch on the ground. That is actually the entrance to a sett and at dusk i watched a gang of the occupants emerge. Four adults and three young ones. I saw nothing else on the ground whatsoever apart from the odd hare. Most likely everything has been hoovered up!

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

What a great trip ,well done. Love the daytime foxes

[Stavross 16,420]

I’m starting to see a few cubs about now, seen one sat on the side of the road when I was on my way back home with longshanx on Sunday evening and seen 2 dead in 2 different places on the way to work this morning, so I think I’ll have a run up the shoot and try a couple of the bigger ride, might even have a run up on Thursday and bait a couple of spots 

[ianm 2,594]

This was the vixen cub I shot, it must have been born quite early.

[bumpy22 414]

Shot 2 cubs Friday night. First so far this year. But know where there are a few more that need dealing with.

Always amazes me every year people say in march they will be seeing cubs soon. In my experience very rare to see them proper active until end of may in any good amount 

[Stavross 16,420]

1 hour ago, ianm said:

This was the vixen cub I shot, it must have been born quite early.

That’s a big’un for this time of year

 

9 minutes ago, bumpy22 said:

Shot 2 cubs Friday night. First so far this year. But know where there are a few more that need dealing with.

Always amazes me every year people say in march they will be seeing cubs soon. In my experience very rare to see them proper active until end of may in any good amount 

It’s normally around the middle of June I start seeing them up at the shoot and they are still quite small

this one was shot at the end of June, still a little fluff ball

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Haven't seen any cubs here yet dead or alive . Shot 1st ones last year at the end of June.