Lamping the Night Away

[Guest JohnGalway]

Saturday, April 19th 2008.

 

As some of you reading this will have seen I've caught a fox on my trail/game cameras. This fox has taken at least two lambs on my mates dad. So he needed sorting out. First camera caught him at 12.06am, second camera got him at 12.50am I think it was. After that I set a snare in a run I've caught foxes in before. I was out one night bottle feedling a semi-pet lamb, ewe got mastitis, so I brought along my shottie and I only had my LED Lenser headlight with me. I spotted the bugger in my own place. I could see him and he was in range for the shotgun, but, I couldn't see what was behind him. Since my sheep often spend the night on the hillock behind where the fox was, it seemed to me to rather defeat the purpose of shooting the fox if I were to also accidentally hit a ewe or lamb with stray pellets. I passed on the shot. That was 12.33am.

 

I was fuming.

 

We'd been after this fox for a little while, when the second photo of him was taken I was two fields away, looking in the other direction... He was living a charmed life.

 

Today I went to Galway city to get myself a new lamping battery, as mine is seriously dying, and also some more fox snares. I had not intended to get a new battery until the Autumn, but this job needed doing. With all that got I headed home full of determination that tonight I was staying out until I shot this fox. He's a proven lamb killer and has no business in amongst my lot! I downgraded my bulb from 75W to 50W and waited for dark, I had it in my mind to stay out in the same area from 11.30pm ish to 1.15am ish.

 

I texted my mate asking if he was heading out tonight if he didn't get a better offer. He says he doesn't know yet what he's at for the night and will get back to me later. Which he does and we agree to meet up on my land or next door to it at 12.00am.

 

So I head out, lambs not interested in his milk so the ewe is producing some amount of milk again in one side. Off up the land I go, .223 on my shoulder, 12ga in one hand and my Lightforce Striker in the other. There's method to my madness.

 

It's pretty much a full moon I think? But there is some cloud cover now and then. There's also a strong breeze blowing across me which is strong enough to quieten any noise I make moving.

 

The reason I bring two guns is the snared fox run is in a hollow. No place for a rifle in my mind, I can cover that with the shotgun. I decide I'll split my time between there and a high hill, the right place for a rifle. I'm taking no chances.

 

So I get to the hill first and stay there I would say for an hour, shining around. I don't see anything and the cloud cover goes to reveal a bright moon, too bright for where I am this high up so I decide to get down in that hollow, there's actually a little hillock with some gorse over looking the hollow and that's where I take up position. I figure the gorse will help me blend in, since it's so bright.

 

Another while passes, same craic I'm scanning around with the lamp, I've set the dimmer quite low, just enough to reflect sheeps eyes out to 300-400 yards. I do this as I don't want to cause the fox to think twice by blinding him from the get-go. It's sometime after 1am now and I shine up at the big hillock and see a strange looking orange/amber disc. Naturally one thing flashes through my mind, fox, but it doesn't look right. It vanishes, then reappears... Attached to a great big moving shape.

 

My mate with his lamp on the way out! I'd given up on him ages ago and forgotten he might be out. Naturally enough no gun was pointed in any direction it shouldn't have been. Never worth the chance of an accident, but you can see how easily that could have happened with someone who would have been more trigger happy.

 

He's very slowly making his way across the dry stone wall with a sheep fence on top of it, then even slower he's making his way down the big hillock in my direction. He's just about reaching the gorse where I am when I spot a fox!

 

No mistaking this sod, 350+ yards away rounding the top of a hillock, coming in from the hill ready to descend into the fields where all the lambs are. Well not bloody tonight matey!

 

Without looking at or speaking to my mate I pick up my .223 and run 30 yards downhill, another 30 uphill, cross the wall and fence (remember it's a bright bugger of a night), and I walk quickly around 40 yards zig zagging my way through the neighbours land so I can get around the big hillock to a spot I can see more. At this point my breathing is gone to you know what and I'm getting the shakes, pressures on and worse I'll have an audience! (of one anyway.......).

 

In the meantime the fox has come in a piece, and for some reason turned and made off a piece away from me. He's also started barking while looking away from me. Then we hear another one barking!

 

Right, I'm at the place I want to be, perfect for prone shooting. Wind is still strong and blowing right to left. I get down, attach the lamp, and shine where I think the fox is at. Heuston, we have eyes. I crank up the dimmer, and I also adjust my magnification to 15x and set my parallax. For me, he's a long way off, but I'm feeling very confident.

 

My mates just caught up with me and is standing a few yards behind me with the rest of the gear, he stood in line with the muzzle once before when I was shooting and knows better now, since the ringing in his ears stopped

 

Foxy is sniffing around this hillock, not looking like a very big target at all. I've to shoot across a small valley and over two fences. Time to reach out and touch him... Very gentle squeeze... I don't even hear the rifle fire even though it does. Smack, down goes foxy.

 

I'm bloody relieved at this stage. I keep the lamp on that spot and reload quick. Just incase I've not done this right. Fox is not moving so I'm happy enough.

 

We range the fox, 236 yards! Longest shot for me so far, I'm very happy and relieved it all went well especially in the wind we had. Couple of minutes pass with the usual talk, we're in the same spot all the time, just start moving off toward the fox when I see another set of eyes.

 

"Oh, oh, oh another one" I say, running back to where I'd shot the first from. Down again, set the lamp, scope, parallax. This fox sits down on the same hillock, awful close to the first fox. I take careful aim and squeeze nice and gentle. Booommmmmmm.... Smack! Look up at my mate, I don't even have to watch that one, down like a sack of spuds.

 

No more waiting, off we go up to where they are. Look at this for a sight, when I got over the top wall I could only see one fox as one was hiding the other. The second fox had come back looking for the first. A dog and a vixen, a bit sad one coming back looking for the other, but they were taking lambs, and given the choice I'd rather have shot them like this than one now and one again. Not just for the lambs sake but strangely enough they seemed a very committed pair, off to the big hunting ground in the sky together now.

 

No sign of pups for this vixen either. That's exactly how they fell.

 

[ferretville 69]

Great read there jon and a job well done, regards FV

[alimac 882]

good read

[leepy1 0]

Now thatys what i call a good post nice shooting

[Fn19 0]

john, that post was 1st class mate!!!

 

nice shooting too!!

[SportingShooter 0]

Great post John, As you know I have been following this saga in chat and you finally got him after much trying! Confidence restored.

Good Shooting John and a great read. Great to beat your PB.

Regards

ss06

[young1982 1]

Cracking post John, keep them coming

ATB

[spudlington 3]

Fair play John That's some good work you're doing there.

 

Spudlington

[Guest Frank]

Congratulations John, your lambs are now safe mate.

[arcpest 6]

Well Done John great read too

 

arcpest

[Mr_Logic 5]

Good going. It's odd how committed some fox pairs are. I always feel better to shoot them both, stop one pining for the other. A bit sad maybe, considering the predator nature of them, but there you go...

[Guest JohnGalway]

Thanks for the replies, I'm glad ye enjoyed the write up My mate went out again after that as he though he heard something getting back to his own house, which is only over the hill a bit. He didn't see anything but we may not be done yet!

 

Until someone sees something concrete though I'm going to have a damn good kip tonight

[Guest JohnGalway]

Saturday, April 26th.

 

Fox call. This particular farmer is into double figures in lamb losses due to foxes. The farmer didn't know I was into shooting until the local postman mentioned me... Must be all the dodgy looking parcels I get... Myself and my friend John were out here on the Friday night also, saw nothing on land we had permission to shoot on, as we're out of our own area here it's not as easy to operate in as home.

 

John brought his SBS 12ga, loaded with BB's and I as usual had my .223 loaded with Hornady Vmax. We met the farmer and as I had requested the ewes and lambs had been moved into more open fields. Trust me when I say the other side of the farm was like dense jungle, totally impossible to lamp in. So, the plan was to move foxys food source closer to land we were happier to operate in, and let him take his chances.

 

The land is still very difficult. Hollows, valleys, trees, gorse and stone walls all mean there is a lot we couldn't see. Still we had to make do so we set out from the farmhouse after a chat with the farmer and off up to a hillock we'd picked out the night before. We scanned about for a good while. Nothing doing, neither of us wanted a repeat of the previous night going home empty handed. So we said we'd have a walk around the farm to see if anything was about.

 

There's a vacant tourist house on the farm, John went above it and for some reason I said I'd have a look below it. Came to a gap closed by a pallet. I scanned the field inside and there's foxy yards away in thick cover! I hadn't even time to lower the rifle when he was away. B.Ugger! I was not happy. I hoped the fox would cut through the trees the far side of the house and run into John but no such luck.

 

After we did our circle of the farm we headed back to our hillock. I headed down in a couple of hundred yards to check out another field as there was a bit of noise out of the ewes. No sooner had I seen there was nothing there when I got lamped myself by John, that only means one thing, fox!

 

As quickly as I could I made my way back up the hillock. I saw John backing away and looking out onto the commonage, two bright eyes looking back at him. I picked a spot for shooting off and made for it. No sooner had I reached it than foxy had seen enough and bolted away from us. I should also say the wind was entirely wrong for us here but sometimes it just happens that way.

 

I set the scope to the lowest magnification 5.5 and had a look for foxy, I see the fox running away. I take a chance and shout "Hey!", I know he didn't but I swear I could hear John groan when I did that lol. Now it's my turn to be worried, because as I shouted the fox had just entered a little dip. Muppet! I was thinking to myself. Next thing I know the fox comes up the other side of the dip and stands looking back at us, last chance. That's all I need... Boooommmmmmm and down she goes. It's only after I've taken the shot I realise I had been shaking like a leaf, must be that fox fever again as there's a bit of pressure now to clean up these foxes. 150 yards out, a smaller young vixen, again and I'm wondering but no sign of pups.

 

 

We hung around for another hour or so, then had another good look around and decided to call it a night, think I walked in the door at 3.50AM. I'm sorry we didn't get more as I'm positive there's more than one problem fox.

[Guest Frank]

Good man as allways John.

[SportingShooter 0]

Nice going John. You must be getting dangerously low on those Hornady's by now.

Regards

SS