Frenchieboy Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 I went out last night with a very good friend who has an "Acompanied" condition on his FAC! We have been out shooting together on my permissions before and get on great. Yesterday evening we both decided to take just the rimfires to try for a few rabbits, Bruce with his .22LR and me with my 17HMR - That turned out to be a big mistake. The grass was a bit on the long side to spot many rabbits on the first permission we went to (Would have been better with shotguns) but we got a few shots in. The annoying thing was that before we left home I said that because we were only taking rimfires we would be bound to see a few foxes - How right I was! Within a fairly short time while we were walking from the top of a hill we saw the cattle behaving strangely so we stopped to watch. We soon saw why! They were chasing after a large fox (I suspect a vixen) who stopped on our side of the fence about 200 yards out and just sat there thinking that she was in cover. I would have had no hesitation in taking a confident shot at her if I had been carrying my .243! She started of at full speed heading down towards the lower field and I straight away told Bruce that I believed she was heading for an old land drain that had been used for cubbing in last year. We steadily strolled down and when we got near to where the land drain was low and behold we straight away saw a fox who we could have taken easily with a centre fire! A minute or two later a cub showed up in exactly the same place. I know where I will be going with my .243 before very long! We didn't get many shots on that permission but had a good walk and also found a new earth that had been opened up and stank of fox - Yet more to be shot as the farmer hates foxes with a passion! We then went out to another of my permissions and found a similar problem - There were plenty of rabbits but the grass was too long to get much rifle shooting in! We did get a few more shots in - some successful and some not! What added to the enjoyment was that almost as soon as we got to the second permission we stopped for a minute or two to watch a family of badgers energing from their set readying themselves for their nights farraging. This was a great sight to see as Bruce said that it was the first time he had been given the priveledge to see badgers emerging from their set. Not many rabbits but plenty for us to see, watch and learn from so a great evening all round. Just to finish off I would like to say "Thank you Bruce for some great company, next time one of us can take a rimfire for the rabbits and the other can take a cenrte fire for the foxes"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm1979 Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Nice walk around, Was there not a suitable shot you could have taken with the HMR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camokid Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 sound like a intresting evening. i was out last weekend it was about 11.00 pm i walked into a big field put the lamp on and about 20 yards in front of me where a family of badgers 2 adults and 5 young all walking across the field all in a line it was a odd sight to see but there is a lot on that pice of land (to many in fact) its allways the case bumping into thing when got the wrong gun but they live for another day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Nice walk around, Was there not a suitable shot you could have taken with the HMR? No, not really! I would rather wait till I get down there with the .243 and know that I can do the job humanely and efficiently. I know exactly where I will find them and can almost certainly predict what time and location I will be able to "ambush" them at! For me it's a matter of using the right tool for the job wherever possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Cubs are ideal HMR fodder close enough the dog and vixen are no problem, had just over 30 with mine and not lost any. In places it goes before anything bigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 (edited) Cubs are ideal HMR fodder close enough the dog and vixen are no problem, had just over 30 with mine and not lost any. In places it goes before anything bigger I agree with you there Al4x but only if within a sensible range and the shot placement is spot on. The vixen sat for us well out of reasonable range for the "Hummer" - about 200 yards and we did not see the others for long enough to get the cross hairs on them! Not to worry, their time WILL come! Edited July 1, 2011 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm1979 Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Totally agree thats why I asked if there was a 'Suitable' shot...good luck with them next time when you have the .243 with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Such is life, I have loads of tools to chose from and still don't always get it right, there is a big curve in this business! Just the same, I very rarely go out with a shooting partner with similar tools, always do our best to cover a few bases if more than one shooter. Also down to FAC conditions of course, I have taken plenty of foxes with rimfire, and a 20lb fox just a few weeks back at around 100yards with the .22lr! ATB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 Just as a foot note: I went back to the permission where we saw the foxes yesterday evening (Saturday 2nd July) with the .243 and nailed 2 foxes (One vixen and one very well developed male cub) right in front of the farmer and his wife. They had seen that one of their pedigree hiefers were "bulling" so wanted her brought down ready for the "A.I. Man" today. I was lying in the long grass on a hill and saw some movement just as the top of the farmers landrover appeared so I unloaded and stood up so they knew where I was (I had spoken to them before I went on to the land but they were not sure exactly where I would be). They were coming towards where I was so I thought that it was going to put an end to any chance of a shot so I walked down to have a chat and offer them a hand. While we were talking a movement in a patch of nettles some 120 yards away caught the farmers eye and he pointed it out to me - Sure enough it was a fox. She was sitting just inside the front of the nettles watching us! I know that the farmers wife isn't squeemish so asked if they wanted me to take the shot. His wife's reply was "Shoot the bl00dy thing"! Well I couldn't argue with that and set the gun on it's bipod an the bonnet of the landrover. After a few short seconds to get on aim I squeezed the trigger and the vixen dropped on the spot. Just a few seconds later a young fox appeared from behind another clump of nettles about 20 yards further back so it was back on aim and another squeeze of the trigger, a loud bark from the .243 and the cub span over and dropped on the spot! I can't print what the farmers wife said but it was something to the effect of "By heck, that was two ***^£%$& good shots"! Needless to say that they were both delighted with my evenings work and picked up the carcasses with the landrover to take to the dung heap for burying and then helped them round up the bulling heifer! I was using some home loaded ammunition that a friend has started making up for me with 70g BT Heads. I have tried these and zeroed my rifle with them to find that they are extremely accurate and shoot well in my gun but this was the first time I had used them on live quarry - Boy do they drop foxes well but they do tend to make a real mess of them at the exit wound! He has said that he will be happy to make as many up to this recipe for me as I want - I do love having friends like that, they are worth taking good care of! I was rather peed off that I didn't have a camera with me, but at least I had two very reliable and happy witnesses and two very dead foxes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjimlad Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Nicely done - no pressure on those shots then, with those two witnesses ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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