barney 66 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I have a fox coming onto a permission that is going through a crop under a mesh fence then under electric fence,he is then down in the long grass looking around before he makes a dash into the next crop,my question is would you shoot him through the long grass and would i hit him or would the bullet fragment before,its a .222 50gr Vmax i am about 90yds away elevated about 6ft,due to the layout this is my best position for a safe shot, Im going to try a bit of bait just in front of the elec fence to see if he stops enough for a shot out of the grass,appreciate your thoughts, Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bolt94 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 In my personal opinion unless you have a clear shot and line of sight can you deem it a safe shot? Cant imagine the round fragmenting through grass although you may get a nice aerial display of grass cuttings Maybe someone with more experience with this round can be more help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney 66 Posted July 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 In my personal opinion unless you have a clear shot and line of sight can you deem it a safe shot? Cant imagine the round fragmenting through grass although you may get a nice aerial display of grass cuttings Maybe someone with more experience with this round can be more help. The shot would be safe as i would be elevated,and just to clear this up it isn't a long grass field,its only long where he comes through,if the shot wasn't safe i wouldn't take it,i'm asking the question because i don't want to shoot and miss,this isn't a young fox he will be wise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bolt94 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Then from my experience perhaps limited in comparison to many on here, I can't see any reason as to why you would miss if you can see where the fox is and can make a good estimate of his position behind the grass. Although hopefully someone will be able to give you a more definitive answer. I would be keen to know myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr smith Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Shot a fox in half grown wheat last year all i could see were the tips of his ears.Aimed where i reckoned the head was,the 35gr v-max made it through the wheat and into his head,dropped on the spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Can go wrong very easy, suprising the effect grass can have and yes i have done it and made a mess of things. Keep such things for backup shots if things ever go wrong not a primary attempt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney 66 Posted July 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 looks like i'll have to try and outsmart him then ,i dont want to shoot and miss,it was in the back of my mind about the grass affecting the shot,i will avoid unless its really needed, Thanks for your replies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the crowman Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 you can always cut the grass where he comes through the fence for a clear shot :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Bait it where it's a bit shorter and try to get the fox out of cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I shot a fox in long crass once with my .308 and 150gr SPs. It was about 70 yds and I aimed for where I judged the ribcage to be. It did the standing high jump, shrieked and ran off. I did get another go at it and it turned out I'd shot it through the brisket with little expansion. I was lucky. Could have made things worse. If its not clear leave it alone. See Mike Powell's article in Augusts Sporting rifle. He touches on this. When he's stuck for clear shots with all the crops and vegetation at this time of year he keeps a good spot baited continuously for weeks, only attempting to shoot it once a week. The old wise ones relax and keep comming back and the regular bait attracts cubs that haven't become expert and won't turn down an easy meal. Makes a lot of sense. I can't shoot anything at the moment. The whole farm is down to cerals this year (last year half was rape which had been cut by now), and everything's chest high. The hay fields haven't been mown because of the rain and its too wet even to top. We've got a couple of bird seed conservation strips which support a few rabbits but I've shot those out. Even the pigeons aren't bothering because of the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Could you not sit in a 30 - 40 yds position with a shotgun ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney 66 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Not near enough to bait regular,baited last night but no sign of him from there,i have cut the grass down a bit,enough so if he comes in the same spot i can get a clear shot,2 came last night both different directions than the night before,i need to try and outwit the fox it seems,it will happen soon, Thanks for all your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Bait with some really fishy cat food and spread it about on the shorter grass. We had an evening on cubs in long grass last year problem was the lamp man could see the eyes but the shooter couldn't. Shot one I could see with the .223 and I think it was 2 with the 12b and that was just shooting into the middle of the beam not able to see the eyes. The .223 isn't bad if you can see some fox and aren't just shooting at grass, a few strands don't worry it but I wouldn't want much more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Flippen 'ek.... wind, rain, atmospheric pressure etc etc effects the bullet path! If you don't have a clear bullet track to the target then think VERY carefully about taking the shot, and in most circumstances my view would be DON'T take the shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney 66 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Most views were as i thought,anything even small can affect bullet flight therefore i will carry on as i always have clear view only for the shot,the bit of extra work it will be worth it in the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 try smearing a post with cat food near the top The fox will get on its hind legs for a sniff and scoff... you cant hang about though ..Failng that get a 30.06 and chuck a 220grn acubond at it,that should get through the grass. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioulike Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 snare the run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decoy1979 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 snare the run My thoughts too.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney 66 Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 snare the run Never snared before and not overkeen on it really,wont rule it out if the landowner is happy though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.