kent Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 I wish I did. I only shoot about 30 a year and last year 27 were between 12 and 3 am. If you shot thirty round here at least one keeper might get the sack. If you go out at around 11 pm and finish just after 3 am that fact might not be too surprising Areas vary in both numbers and habits, if you know anyone local who is around your area at other times ask them if they ever see any, you might be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfree Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 If you shot thirty round here at least one keeper might get the sack. If you go out at around 11 pm and finish just after 3 am that fact might not be too surprising Areas vary in both numbers and habits, if you know anyone local who is around your area at other times ask them if they ever see any, you might be surprised. I shoot over a farm which has geese and ducks in pens outside and if I have not seen a fox by 3 am we never get any kills.so if they are about at that time they are not hungry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 If you shot thirty round here at least one keeper might get the sack. If you go out at around 11 pm and finish just after 3 am that fact might not be too surprising Areas vary in both numbers and habits, if you know anyone local who is around your area at other times ask them if they ever see any, you might be surprised. Depends if you are shooting for the keeper, I shot 6 locally on keepered ground last week he knows where is worth sitting out. Personally I'm rarely out after midnight as there is no need here. Yes they are nocturnal but tend to check the most likely spots for food early on. If you bait an area with a trailcam you often find foxes feeding in the middle of the night, feed for a few days an they change pattern and pop round in the first hour of darkness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Depends if you are shooting for the keeper, I shot 6 locally on keepered ground last week he knows where is worth sitting out. Personally I'm rarely out after midnight as there is no need here. Yes they are nocturnal but tend to check the most likely spots for food early on. If you bait an area with a trailcam you often find foxes feeding in the middle of the night, feed for a few days an they change pattern and pop round in the first hour of darkness. You miss the point if you can shoot those sorts of numbers (30 a year) on supposedly keepered ground there is an issue to address regards the quality of the keeper or who ever is tasked with the foxes. Six in a week is also a little excessive IMO unless your counting cubs or just on a freaky patch For instance a few short years ago I was getting large annual bags of crows, even though there are shoots all around me most were pheasants and French partridge and so few made a big effort. The grouse moor is now keepered and rather than getting big bags 2-3 summers on I am getting odd ones but only at long range with the rifle over baits. That's proper keepering in action! Out this morning over bait from before break of first light, result was one spooked as it perhaps caught a glimpse of the objective flashing or noticed the moderator moving just outside the tailgate. Now unkeepered ground, that another matter or on lands were foxes are preserved for the chase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet1747 Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I use the hornet 22 cracking gun in cz ,was the full stock version but had it cut down and screw cut mmmmmm, second choice is to sneak up and use my rainbow knife ,seriously hornet drops them on the spot and cheap enough to feed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicdmb Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I use 222 and 243 normal lamping 222 does the job to sensible ranges unless its really windy. then the 243 comes out I have used everything from 55 to 100 grain through it mainly the lighter ones for foxing until I changed to 87 vmax its now the only load I use for foxing with the 243. It has a high BC and is good for windy nights or longer shots As for what time foxes are about that depends on many things not least how much they are disturbed. Its not unusual to see them moving through the day especially if lamped a lot or feeding a litter of cubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 You miss the point if you can shoot those sorts of numbers (30 a year) on supposedly keepered ground there is an issue to address regards the quality of the keeper or who ever is tasked with the foxes. Six in a week is also a little excessive IMO unless your counting cubs or just on a freaky patch For instance a few short years ago I was getting large annual bags of crows, even though there are shoots all around me most were pheasants and French partridge and so few made a big effort. The grouse moor is now keepered and rather than getting big bags 2-3 summers on I am getting odd ones but only at long range with the rifle over baits. That's proper keepering in action! Out this morning over bait from before break of first light, result was one spooked as it perhaps caught a glimpse of the objective flashing or noticed the moderator moving just outside the tailgate. Now unkeepered ground, that another matter or on lands were foxes are preserved for the chase In my case 3 were cubs and two vixens and the dog so plenty left, here you an keep shooting them all year and new ones move in far too many urban ones about to keep renewing things and this time of year plenty of holes about for ones to either have or move litters into Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I use the hornet 22 cracking gun in cz ,was the full stock version but had it cut down and screw cut mmmmmm, second choice is to sneak up and use my rainbow knife ,seriously hornet drops them on the spot and cheap enough to feed What moderator are you using on your Hornet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfree Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 You miss the point if you can shoot those sorts of numbers (30 a year) on supposedly keepered ground there is an issue to address regards the quality of the keeper or who ever is tasked with the foxes. Six in a week is also a little excessive IMO unless your counting cubs or just on a freaky patchFor instance a few short years ago I was getting large annual bags of crows, even though there are shoots all around me most were pheasants and French partridge and so few made a big effort. The grouse moor is now keepered and rather than getting big bags 2-3 summers on I am getting odd ones but only at long range with the rifle over baits. That's proper keepering in action! Out this morning over bait from before break of first light, result was one spooked as it perhaps caught a glimpse of the objective flashing or noticed the moderator moving just outside the tailgate.Now unkeepered ground, that another matter or on lands were foxes are preserved for the chase Its not keepered ground its a duck/goose farm and surrounded by the thetford Forest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 In my case 3 were cubs and two vixens and the dog so plenty left, here you an keep shooting them all year and new ones move in far too many urban ones about to keep renewing things and this time of year plenty of holes about for ones to either have or move litters into none the less it sounds like someone either wants to get their act together or is doing a little exaggerating of the facts. After all you might as well leave them to sort out their own balance if your not doing any good after a couple of seasons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Its not keepered ground its a duck/goose farm and surrounded by the thetford Forest Ok we are not talking of Al4x's patch now? Yes I sort of get it if your shooting certain ground, there was a guy who used to be on here who shot using NV outside an urban dog food plant, I used to shoot on the outskirts of town were there was a big sewage works that drew in new foxes almost as regular as you removed them and have shot in parts similar to you describe in the past. My point relates to keepered ground year on year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 none the less it sounds like someone either wants to get their act together or is doing a little exaggerating of the facts. After all you might as well leave them to sort out their own balance if your not doing any good after a couple of seasons some people though need to get out more if they think you can control resident foxes and expect none to move back in, we are talking very different ground to massive moors. Pheasant shoots with lots put down and decent terrain, but plenty of surrounding urban areas. Our little pheasant shoot we shoot around 20 a year off 500 acres and they get hammered every side of us other than Luton and that is the town itself. The estate I had these from has shot a similar number over a fair few years and it is never that far out and that is with shooting snaring, fox drives the lot. This little lot came from holes that get occupied and emptied most years, everyone round here seems to have far more about than usual other than a warm winter there isn't much reason for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfree Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I wish I did. I only shoot about 30 a year and last year 27 were between 12 and 3 am. Well this year has started differently. I left my house at 9.30 last night and was back home at 10 after shooting a vixen.she had been taking dead ducks from a bait point for three nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 some people though need to get out more if they think you can control resident foxes and expect none to move back in, we are talking very different ground to massive moors. Pheasant shoots with lots put down and decent terrain, but plenty of surrounding urban areas. Our little pheasant shoot we shoot around 20 a year off 500 acres and they get hammered every side of us other than Luton and that is the town itself. The estate I had these from has shot a similar number over a fair few years and it is never that far out and that is with shooting snaring, fox drives the lot. This little lot came from holes that get occupied and emptied most years, everyone round here seems to have far more about than usual other than a warm winter there isn't much reason for it. Its very hard to get a grip on others terrain, a fox might have to come through a lot of shooting land to get to us. Although I live on a moorland environment its the edge line and there are some very big numbers of pheasants in woodlands all around us. suppose the big difference is there are no fox safe areas for many miles around they get no quarter. I have been to Luton, its a bit like Burnley only flatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Ok we are not talking of Al4x's patch now? Yes I sort of get it if your shooting certain ground, there was a guy who used to be on here who shot using NV outside an urban dog food plant, I used to shoot on the outskirts of town were there was a big sewage works that drew in new foxes almost as regular as you removed them and have shot in parts similar to you describe in the past. My point relates to keepered ground year on year One lad I worked with was headkeeper somewhere near Chester quite a few years ago and his first season there he had 126 foxes. Out of the 8 seasons he spent there the worst fox count he had was around 80 (can't remember the exact figure) and most years it was touching the 100 mark. Not all keepered ground clears them up to a reasonable level no matter how hard you try, they just keep coming from other ground and fill the void. Its very hard to get a grip on others terrain, a fox might have to come through a lot of shooting land to get to us. Although I live on a moorland environment its the edge line and there are some very big numbers of pheasants in woodlands all around us. suppose the big difference is there are no fox safe areas for many miles around they get no quarter. I have been to Luton, its a bit like Burnley only flatter And a bigger airport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 One lad I worked with was headkeeper somewhere near Chester quite a few years ago and his first season there he had 126 foxes. Out of the 8 seasons he spent there the worst fox count he had was around 80 (can't remember the exact figure) and most years it was touching the 100 mark. Not all keepered ground clears them up to a reasonable level no matter how hard you try, they just keep coming from other ground and fill the void. And a bigger airport He dropped numbers by 46 counting his first year against his worst non the less. I accept there are freaky exceptions and to some degree I question routine culling if its not working, lets face it at the numbers mentioned it can hardly help? As they say "you cannot control the out of control" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I use .22-250 with Norma 50 gr V-Max bullets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonker Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I use a .222 with 50gr homeload hornady Vmax. The don't move a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Ask 100 people what fox calibre to buy and get 101 answers. Have shot foxes with everything from 17HMR/Mach2, .22lr/WMR, .222, .243. 270 with bullets from 17gr to 130gr! Depends entirely on what you want to do and the type of shooting you are doing urban - wide moorland? night or day? is noise a concern? multi tasking (deer and fox or crow and fox)? reload or not? cost to feed? I use a .222 with 52gr AMax as my go-to fox rifle (doubles an an extremely effective deer rifle too with some 60gr Soft Points) it is very quiet, a concern when you shoot in urban areas cheap to feed kills like the hand of god prior to this I used a 22WMR very cheap. punches well above its weight (and the HMR's) that said if I see a fox I will shoot it with whatever I have in my hand! (range allowing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Bewsher said Depends entirely on what you want to do and the type of shooting you are doing urban - wide moorland? night or day? is noise a concern? multi tasking (deer and fox or crow and fox)? reload or not? cost to feed? Cracking answer to the endless question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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