Lamping the night away 2008/9

[Guest JohnGalway]

Welcome to the madness TC I missed two nice sitters (together) end of last season due to an "off scope" (Last time I mess about with wrong sized scope covers half the bleeding day), worse I had a witness to the whole thing too Felt a bit better when I shot his ciggie packet and saw how far it was out though!

 

Cheers Frank, yeah there weren't too many about end of the season last year I was especially happy doing that lambing call out in what my lamping buddy dubbed "Jurassic Park" due to all the cover in it. I have a feeling if I mention the place to him this year he's not gonna want to go back.

 

Cheers Cometa

[sounder 9]

well done john great read , i must get up for a whip , john you have nites like that john, miss everything, see feck all, then you just get lucky,thats the joy of it, your going well keep it up,

cheers mate

[Guest JohnGalway]

Cheers Sounder, any time you feel like coming up for a shine you'd be very welcome Made that first one lamp shy just for you

[Guest JohnGalway]

I rang the owner of Jurassic Park earlier, to see if she'd seen any sign of foxes around. Earlier this past Spring she sent word that a lot of her lambs were being killed, and indeed it did look like a scene from the Killing Fields when I went to check the place over first. I didn't want a repeat of this, plus the hassle of being out so much in late April early May when I have my own jobs to be doing. So I rang her anyway and she told me a hogget that'd died had been eaten in double quick time, nothing left but a few bones. Time to go for a shine methinks.

 

The wind wasn't great for this farm when I arrived. It really is an awkward spot due to cover and the ground itself. All gorse, hills, gullies and on any decent rise where you'd get a view of an area there would usually be a great big tree plonked in your line of sight. But, we figured all this out last year and picked our lookout spots pretty well I think.

 

Right then, the plan was to have a quick mooch around the farm itself and scan for eyes, nothing to be seen there. Then I headed off outside the top fence and onto the commonage. I figured I make my way out to a specific hill over looking a large bowl with a lake in the centre of it. I was hoping any fox that would be coming in would come around the far side - as I've seen them do before - of the lake thereby missing the wind. After about 40 minutes calling on and off and seeing no eyes I decided I'll head back onto the green land and watch over a gully that's a bit of a fox highway in this part of the area.

 

No sooner had I rounded a hill and passed a few trees than I spot a suspiciously non sheep like eye about 150 yards across the gully on the far hill in among this years crop of ewe lambs that're being kept for replacements. I've a quick look around me and see a lovely grassy hillock that's perfect for shooting prone from. With my bipod fully extended to 9" I take a look through the scope. Yes indeedy we have a customer.

 

I dig the Leica ranger finder out of my pocket and take a quick measurement, comes back to me at 109 yards by now as she's been slowly making her way up the far side of the gully going left to right in front of me. I settle down with the rifle and take another look at her. She's moved in behind some rushes and is having a proper nosey about in them, I can't see the fox too well for a while and I get a little suspicious. So I lift my head off the rifle and have a little scan around again. Yep, she has moved farther up behind some cover. I get her in the scope again and follow her properly this time. When she presents nicely, meaning I can see from the tip of her ears to her feet and right back to the end of her tail I give a couple of sharp barks.

 

Would you believe it, she turns and looks the wrong way?!

 

No problem Ms. I'll accommodate ya. Boooommmm... thud! Down she goes, a 40 grain Vmax through the back of the shoulders making quite a mess of the chest area between the front legs. Enough to ruin anyone's day. She was around 120 yards when I took the shot.

 

 

 

Took the tail off the fox, to be salted this time to compare that with the tails that're in the meths at the moment. I dropped the fox off outside the farms little hen shed to be seen in the morning.

 

Called it a night then, as I've always said I'm happy going home with one fox in the bag. There are going to be plenty of long winters nights yet that will need to be filled with some activity. No sense pushing the population too hard, this ground locally will only support so many.

 

Home by 9.30, finished putting everything away and writing this by 10.30. Not bad is it!

[SportingShooter 0]

Not bad at all John,

 

And there you were, saying only a few days ago you were going to take it easy on the foxes this year Must have been an impostor

 

Good shooting though John, gratifying to put the rifle to its proper use eh?

 

Roll on the next one....................

 

SS

[Mr_Logic 5]

Good going John, looks like they were in good nick, before a 223 bullet stopped all that

[Guest JohnGalway]

Ah sure it's the tails thing driving me on at the moment. 4-5 foxes a month is plenty to be culling hereabouts. So much bog land, it's not like there are poultry units, or good land with plenty of game shoots etc for them to feed on. It's more like first fox to the frog burps, second ones tummy rumbles. Well not that bad like but as with things in nature there's a population balance based on the availability of food.

 

I don't hear of any fox activity where my dad will be lambing, but it's a long time from now to then. There's at least one beside my farm and a few dotted around the rest of my permission. The one spot I want to concentrate on is where I was tonight, in Jurassic Park. Had enough of that place last season when the nights were getting short, it's no time to be messing about after foxes IMO. Job should be largely done by then.

 

Met a fella at the mart today. He's coming over during the week to look at my larsen trap Might get some more permission there or a reccomendation to another landowner who knows. Come January or February I may not be complaining about too many foxes lol. It all helps.

[the cheater 1]

Good to see your back to normal..ish John nice shot

 

What,s the fetish with the teeth then?

 

Meths is my preferred method for curing,quick and simple.Just drop it into the jar,leave for 2 weeks then wash in warm soapy water.

[Guest JohnGalway]

Me, normal? How very dare you

 

I don't know about the teeth, I've a very attractive (female lol) dentist, maybe that's it? Ahh hurry up cavitys...

 

I'm finding the meths easier alright, trying the salt to compare the two

[sully5328 0]

Nice read i really enjoed it

[Guest JohnGalway]

Work tomorrow so I hadn't planned on going out tonight. It was just starting to get dark so I said why not have a quick run over to Jurassic Park, sit and watch that gully for an hour and be back early. I gave the farmer a text and she said it was fine, when I got that go ahead I texted my mate but he was only on his way home from work. I was tempted to text back "Meet ya there so" since it's on his way but thought better of it.

 

I pulled into the yard and knocked on the door. Hmm the lights are on but no ones home (and the cars there). Well ok I'll get geared up and head on. Just as I'm about to head out the farmer arrives out and we have a chat, foxes, farming, weather usual highly riveting stuff lol.

 

She was leaving so I left the yard, the gully isn't far, something like a two minute walk. I can't see much ground at all on the way so I was pretty much just plodding along minding my own business. When I can see the far side of the gully, not the bottom though, I shine across to the far side. I can see sheep on the lee side of the hill sheltering from the wind. It's a nice night out, dry, lots of star but out in the wind there's a hard edge in it.

 

I had just done the above when I see bright eyes coming over the top of the hill, oh 250-300 yards off at a guess. Couldn't be? Must be a sheep surely? Lamp onto the scope and I have a look. Clingons on the starboard bow Jim!

 

Now my fox is moving along at a nice pace down the hill. I know there's some nice hillocks for shooting off to my right up the hill a bit. But, I've to lose sight of my fox behind some trees to get there. Off I go, less thinking, more doing. I find a likely spot to take my shot, down I get. I work the bolt on the Remington and load a Hornady 40 grain Vmax into the chamber. I eyeball the far side of the gully to pick up the fox then use the scope to track her. Nice and easy now, I've flicked off the safety and I following her down and heading to my right. I've not even given a thought to stopping her when she halts 150 yards from me beside some dead bracken to have a sniff. Boommm... thud! Proper job thank you. A nicely coloured vixen.

 

 

 

Off home I went for an early night!

[bullmastiff 615]

Yet another well written post! well done John, Thanks for sharing

 

ATB

 

Luke.

[SportingShooter 0]

The Mad Fox Shooter of Conny Strikes again!

 

Well done John, I could picture it in my mind as clear as day. She is a very good condition fox there, not a mark on her.

 

Another tail for the Meths Jar John.

 

That "THUD!" is so satisfying, I'd forgotten what it sounded like until the other night.

 

Did she even get a hint you were there John?

 

Good Going though Bud.

 

SS

[Guest JohnGalway]

Yeah the tail in gone in with the others for a soak. She didn't know I was there, never really looked over at me, just the kind I want

[sounder 9]

ffs john leave one or two for me well done bud glad your get a few

ATB ray