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My lamping partner Decoy 1979 was on a well earnd holiday so I went out solo Friday to an area free from cattle its a marsh of around 30 Acres with other marshes around and the river is a boundary to the east about 500 yards away. I sat out in a convenient place with Binos and NV perched on my Tractor platform and it just felt like i would see something. Sounds strange but other Foxing lads will know what I mean. About 9pm at my 2 o clock I see cubs coming out to play from under a mass of gorse I shot a big dog there last year. Its 175 yards with the range finder I move to 8Xmag and wait for the Vixen the plan being to take her out then the cubs so they dont bolt the area. I move to NV around 10pm and shortly after a slightly larger Fox comes in the cubs start baying for food.... arrr the Vixen... bang she is over cubs scatter into the earth as expected. A while later a cub creeps out to inspect the situation, bang its over. Around 11pm i hear a vixen calling like crazy to my 8 0 clock ummm thats strange. I swing the 243 round fire up the IR laser and pic out what I used think was a Black dog I have been chasing for around four years. I have seen this Fox a number of times but never fired a shot at it. Its quite large with very dark markings making it appear black, completely lamp shy under red or white and a smart as they come to the point if it turns away to bolt it will never look back it just keeps going. I see a cub duck under a wire a fence to join her and i am thinking how did you get round me??? She is going frantic screeching her mate and brood keeping around 300 yards away and never stopping still. I am the wrong side of a slight breeze to her that served me with earth and now gives me away. Longer story short this carried on for a while so i gave up at 1am and go out to see what we have.... a very small adult dog with a nasty exit from the 58 grain V-Max and a dog cub! That explains a lot. I went for a look sat and i found two active earths within 200 yards and the penny drops that the cub i saw running had come from the other earth proving they split a large brood. I found all manner of kills inc 2 untouched moles which is a new one for me. I went back last night and as expected they have moved home. Now the job of locating starts again. $1000000 question.... how far have the gone?