Lamping the night away, March 2008

[Guest JohnGalway]

Saturday 8th March

 

I've got all my ewes in for lambing, they should be starting around the 25th of this month. I park at my sisters house and head off up the land. I cross over several stone walls with sheep fences on top with the stealth of a oil drum falling down some steps. Practice and you too can be this good. I'm not seeing any hares yet, I take this to be a good sign. An experienced lad once told me if they're not to be seen then foxy is about. How true this is I don't know.

 

I reach as far as I want to go and turn uphill towards the hill. About midway up these long fields I spot an eye in what I call the foxes "supermarket". Nearly anytime I see a fox in this area he's never far from that spot. There's a nice little marsh in it, where you'll find lots of frogs, and as I've said there are plenty of hares though I think he'd do well to get one.

 

I've a bit of ground to make up on him now. He's seen me and is moving across the marsh. I cross another fence, no stone wall this time thank God. I spy a nice rock to shoot from and make for it. As I'm doing this the fox is travelling left to right as I'm seeing him, 150 to 200 yards out. Now, the thing is, I could have shot him from where I was but the land is so... crap... that I have to get closer so I won't have large rocks and hillocks in my field of view.

 

I'm in position and foxy has reached the base of the hill. I'm thinking of stopping him with a bark when he disappears behind a standalone rock the size of two landrovers end on end. Never good when they go out of sight. I've got a new chip in the Callmaster tonight, the Foxbuster 2. I'm using the second rabbit call which is number nine. It's a shrill one and this fox LOVED it.

 

He races out from behind the rock and is coming in like a rocket. He stops out at 60 yards to have a little think. I have my crosshairs high in his chest since he's close and send a Hornady Vmax on it's way. Down he goes, job done.

 

 

Sunday 23rd March

 

It's been a busy month, I've been working a lot and trying unsuccessfully so far to catch up with a particular fox. Tonight I'm out after him again as I have some fish bait laid down in a couple of spots I know that he has been in. Problem being he doesn't seem to come here regularly. It could be that he mainly patrols this patch in the early morning as late afternoon/evening and night time lamping have not yielded much luck.

 

Anyway I walk my usual route around the land. We've a few lambs coming along now so it's important to be wary of good old Charles. No sign of him again so I head off for a speculative around where I winter my own ewes. I see one very lamp shy fox, who I get to see regularly but he knows the game and is away like a rocket. Instead of tracking back on this patch and lamping a second time as I usually do I change the plan and head for my own farm.

 

It's a lovely calm night, a bit too calm for a noisy git like me. I scan around the bottom of my land and see nothing, I cross over into the neighbours and make for a high spot that I can stand in front of a rock and not give my siluhette away. As I shine around I see a fox right in the middle of my own ewes who are also lambing at the minute. There's an excellent spot for shooting off on this hill, only trouble is that it's the very top of the hill! So I literally need to crawl along to get into position without the fox seeing me against the sky. No problems, I'm where I want to be. I put the crosshairs just behind the foxes shoulder, quiet night, valley.... BA-BOOOOOOOoooooommmmmmmmmm.... mmmmmmmmm.....

 

"Bleep Bleep Bleep of a Bleeping Bleeper!"

 

I'm looking through the scope still and I see my fox run like hell.

 

Right, no wind, stable shooting spot, aim was good, rifle and same rounds exploded some hoodies earlier just fine.

 

At this stage of the night my battery is on the way out, just to add to my good humour I walk over shining around and I can't find a trace of the fox. Go home muttering away to myself.

 

Next morning after feeding the ewes I walk over again and there she is, kaput in a drain, no wonder I couldn't see her. I ranged her last night as 189 yards, vixen with no sign of cubs but a badly infected foot. I can only explain her run as pure adrenalin as you can see it was more than a scratch and shot placement was spot on.

 

 

 

Probably be the last fox I'll shoot until the Autumn time again, unless I get another fox trying to rob corvid bait or lambs. Doesn't get dark until later now and I can't be bothered going out that late anymore.

[Mr_Logic 5]

Good going Is that a Howa I spy in the top picture? Sure looks like one if it's not What's the calibre?

 

That foot sure was manky, amazed she could run at all, not least with that hole in her!

[garyw 0]

JOHN.

another fine write up!im afraid its all i can do at the minute to be on the computer im laid up at home i twisted my knee at work,got down from some scaffold without using the ladder hope to be out at the weekend.

is the rifle in the picture a HOWA?keep up the posts.

[Guest spud.]

good shooting john

[Guest JohnGalway]

Thanks lads

 

Rifle is my Remington VL SS Thumbhole, .223REM. At the time I was using 55grain Hornady Vmax (moly coated), got 40 grain of the same now but not yet shot anything with them as I have not had the oppertunity, but they're grouping really really well for me. Nice rifle, I like it, going to get a Jewell trigger for it this summer

 

Gary, get well soon mate Glad you enjoyed the read

[Mr_Logic 5]

Hmmm.... I wonder if Remington use the same stock then, simply because it looks identical to the one on my Howa, which is a US stock in any event. I guess it's possible It's a lovely stock, but the rifle is somewhat heavy to carry for an evening.

[Guest JohnGalway]

Boyds make the stock, it's used on a rimfire rifle as well, I forget the make and model at the moment but someone here will know

 

This is it here.

[IanB 0]

Excellent stuff john

[jamie g 17]

good write up fella and a nice rifle to. good shooting there i was with a mate that shoot a fox a couple of months ago with his 222 and he hit it sweet i the engine room like your shoot. and that fox ran for a good 40 to 50 yards before it just dropped dead ! he must have been high on adrenalin to. when we went over he engine room was in pieces and the damage was massive. yet its mad how they run like that when they are hit sometimes

[SNAP SHOT 194]

Nice one........

[Guest JohnGalway]

Foxes are tough animals They have to be to survive as well as they do. Still amazes me how far they can run at times even when you hit them just right