Foxing tips?

[wildfowler.250]

Well with harvest going to kick off in a couple of weeks I thought it would be a good idea if people could chuck their 'top tips' into a thread. I'm not a complete novice but fully intend to do a lot more this August. Any useful advice would be appreciated

 

 

Ill start the ball rolling with an easy: make sure its 100% a fox before you shoot.

[the pigeon man]

Make sure it's dead before you pick it up ha make had a chunk out of his dads 400 quid wellies

[wildfowler.250]

Make sure it's dead before you pick it up ha make had a chunk out of his dads 400 quid wellies

Surely not?

[the pigeon man]

Funniest thing I have ever seen in my life !!! I had to sit down

[remmy1100]

make sure your using right tool for the job and the distance and check zero before shooting at anything live

[magman]

start calling at a low level and a low lamp beam

[aga man]

start calling at a low level and a low lamp beam

good advice, and don't shine directly at the fox until your ready to take the shot.

Edited July 27, 2013 by aga man

[AndyCM]

Arrive early, and pitch up to cover 200 yard odd radius (with backstops) - get the early ones in daylight, they stand out well against freshly cut corn / barley.

 

Can be more difficult in rape, especially if they leave long stalks, it can still be long enough to hide a fox of catch a bullet.

 

If you bait, lay it out in the direction of the bullets path (if you know roughly where you'll be shooting from later). It is much easier to move the crosshairs up or down a little rather than left to right if the cubs run up and down the bait.

 

Bait needs to be trod in, pegged down or tied together - so they can't pick it up and run to cover.

 

Cheers AndyCM

[remmy1100]

if using bait leave it out in the sun for a week smell travels further

[Frenchieboy]

Don't bother with buying a "cheap and nasty caller from fleabay" they aren't worth the effort.

I found out the hard way after ignoring advice on here from other members!

[Dead-Eyed Duck]

The wind direction will often dictate where you should start calling from, and be aware that if unsure a fox will often try to move downwind of you to suss out what is going on.

 

Never cross a gate without a quick squeak and flick round the field with the lamp before you move into the field. Climbing or opening a gate can be noisy, and I've shot lots of foxes from the top of a gate or gatepost.

 

If the hedges are low and you see a fox in the next field, then 'bedding' your bipod down on a low height setting in the top of the hedge will enable a steady shot to be taken.

[mark@mbb]

Buy yourself a good quality NV scope and the rest is history

[Archie-fox]

Buy yourself a good quality NV scope and the rest is history

and a fox pro.

[al4x]

get out there the night after the field is harvested particularly with rape, and keep in contact with the combine driver he will know what was in the field and what is likely to come back later

[foxy bingo]

don,t go for head shots at 900 meters

[SA Shooter]

Just get out as many times as you can and the numbers will stack up.

[Archie-fox]

don,t go for head shots at 900 meters

Or 3 foxes with 1 shot

[foxy bingo]

Or 3 foxes with 1 shot

I bet he could tell a tale or 2

[Archie-fox]

I bet he could tell a tale or 2

he does mate...more than a few

[the pigeon man]

Or 3 foxes with 1 shot

soon as i saw you comment new this would come up

[The Essex Hunter]

The wind direction will often dictate where you should start calling from, and be aware that if unsure a fox will often try to move downwind of you to suss out what is going on.

 

Never cross a gate without a quick squeak and flick round the field with the lamp before you move into the field. Climbing or opening a gate can be noisy, and I've shot lots of foxes from the top of a gate or gatepost.

 

If the hedges are low and you see a fox in the next field, then 'bedding' your bipod down on a low height setting in the top of the hedge will enable a steady shot to be taken.

I have found foxing on foot to be very effective, my one manned set up works very well.

I use quad sticks so the gun can sit on them while I call, then use my scope lamp to sweep the field.

The tip about lamping a field before getting over a gate is particularly good advice, to add on that, make sure you are not back from the gate especially if it is galvanized one because the lamp will reflect off the gate an light you up very well.

 

Personally I only ever have 2 rounds in the gun as I cross a lot of ditches and hedges and find in the winter with cold wet hands 2 rounds are enough to deal with.

 

Once I have shot a fox and especially at distance I look for a sky line marker like a tree and use that as a dead line reference, this saves a lot of light waving, which in turn saves people calling about “lights all over the field”

 

I am a great believer in keeping my shooting low key so the only people know I am there are the ones I have called or text.

 

TEH

[wildfowler.250]

Cheers guys! Some great tips there.

 

The rape near me is getting done at the weekend. It's not getting swathed this year so its going to take longer to come in

 

 

A foxpro is on the list but ill probs have to wait till Xmas when my friend is going to the states. Can't see the sense in paying for full fat over here.

 

 

 

Cheers again and keep the info coming

[Grandalf]

get out there the night after the field is harvested particularly with rape, and keep in contact with the combine driver he will know what was in the field and what is likely to come back later

This is the most important comment so far. Get there while they are still disorientated. Check and recheck the tramlines - these are like motorways to foxes.

Then wind, wind, wind.

[spanj]

dont use a .22 air rifle (or a .177)

[Archie-fox]

I have found foxing on foot to be very effective, my one manned set up works very well.

I use quad sticks so the gun can sit on them while I call, then use my scope lamp to sweep the field.

The tip about lamping a field before getting over a gate is particularly good advice, to add on that, make sure you are not back from the gate especially if it is galvanized one because the lamp will reflect off the gate an light you up very well.

 

Personally I only ever have 2 rounds in the gun as I cross a lot of ditches and hedges and find in the winter with cold wet hands 2 rounds are enough to deal with.

 

Once I have shot a fox and especially at distance I look for a sky line marker like a tree and use that as a dead line reference, this saves a lot of light waving, which in turn saves people calling about “lights all over the field”

 

I am a great believer in keeping my shooting low key so the only people know I am there are the ones I have called or text.

 

TEH

Now that is good advice...also learn the land as at night things look totally different, learn where all your backstops are, and be fluid with your lamping,try to keep the fox out of the main beam just enough to get a good solid shot on it...and allways be 100% sure its a fox and only squeeze off a shot when your certain of it...