Frenchieboy Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 It was too good an evening weather wise to stop in so I went to a farm where we have recently discovered a well used foxes earth. By all accounts the foxes had been seen coming out for their evening/night time hunt at around 8:30 to 9:00 (ish) so I settled into position with my Anschutz 525 at about 8:00 ready to play the waiting game. I had hoped to get into a different/more favourable shooting position but the wind was all wrong for me there so i settled down in the corner behing a fence and under a thick overhanging hawthorn hedge. I had to wait till just after 9:00 when I realised that the little devils had blindsided me and come out from the other side of the hedge and made their way up the hill behind the wall that I had been hoping to position myself behind. All told I spotted 4 foxes going through the top hedge (right on the skyline) but I managed to get one to turn back by squeeking it with a mirror and a piece of polystyrene. She jumped over the wall and I lost sight of her behing a small hillock but I had guessed that she was heading straight for me and readidied myself for a shot. After about half a minute she appeared straight in front of me about 40 yards away. She looking straight at me so I hesitated for a couple of seconds with the cross hairs straight between her eyes. Fortunately after a few seconds something distracted her and she turned her head sideways on to me. With that i took the shot straight away and planted a sleeping tablet just a fraction below her ear and she dropped on the spot. On examining her I judged that she was one of last years vivens with a very sharp and clean pair if gnashers. I will have to return soon and hope that the wind is in a more favourable direction to try to nail the other little poultry thiefs! Here's a short video i filmed just after I had shot her and returned to the farm with the carcass! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1T5iGsRKg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty thud Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 We'll done mate and good footage of the land were you shot it . Have you got any video footage off the mirror and polystyrene method off calling foxes in seen it somewere before cheers matty . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 We'll done mate and good footage of the land were you shot it . Have you got any video footage off the mirror and polystyrene method off calling foxes in seen it somewere before cheers matty . Here you go mate, a short video I made a fair few years ago which shows how to use the mirror and polystyrene for calling foxes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbfW5jNJcK4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickB65 Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Here you go mate, a short video I made a fair few years ago which shows how to use the mirror and polystyrene for calling foxes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbfW5jNJcK4 Well I know one trick I am going to try tonight........ thanks for the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Good technique and nice concise videos, thanks! What ammo were you using with your Annie, by the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Good technique and nice concise videos, thanks! What ammo were you using with your Annie, by the way? Thanks for the comment. The only thing that I should have done was to take a few seconds of video from my shooting position to show how safe the backstop and shot were! Hindsight is a wonderful thing! I was using my usual ammo - Magtec Sub-Sonics. I find that they are the most accurate in my rifle and have never given me a single "jam up" in my "Annie"! Well I know one trick I am going to try tonight........ thanks for the post. Nick, Anything different is worth a try. I believe that foxes will soon get educated if you use the same call and quickly relate that call to danger. On the odd occasions that i go out specifically after foxes I usually take at least three different calls as well as using the "lips on the back of the hand" call! Sometimes keeping it simple or being different can pay dividends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonker Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Frenchie, any one with any sense could see that where you shot from, to where the fox was ,was a safe shot by your previous pan around. I would of thought that you were shooting straight into a hill from there, am I right. I'd love some ground like that to shoot on. All mine is dead flat (Somerset levels), But at least I've got some to shoot on, musn't moan, because others would love just a few acres. We must all be thankful to be able to do what we do! Well done on the Fox and keep at them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Frenchie, any one with any sense could see that where you shot from, to where the fox was ,was a safe shot by your previous pan around. I would of thought that you were shooting straight into a hill from there, am I right. I'd love some ground like that to shoot on. All mine is dead flat (Somerset levels), But at least I've got some to shoot on, musn't moan, because others would love just a few acres. We must all be thankful to be able to do what we do! Well done on the Fox and keep at them You are only almost right but as you say "Anyone with any sense" but unfortunately that isn't always the case on the Internet. The position that the fox was offered a shot with the bank a bit further off in the distance (About 130 yards) as a safe back stop. Had the fox been much further to the right then the shot would not have been on/safe as I would have been directly in line with and on the same sort of elevation as some stables. Sometimes camera angles can be a bit deseptive! That particular area of the farm has a great many safety issues to be taken into account because of the location in relation to the road and houses and all shots with a rifle there need very careful assessment before the safety catch is slipped off. The only reason behind my thinking was to enlighten any of the "armchair shooters" that may have questioned the backstop (And there is so often one or two about that like to question things) - Especially as the "pan round" showed the main road, houses and cars in the distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty thud Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Here you go mate, a short video I made a fair few years ago which shows how to use the mirror and polystyrene for calling foxes: cheers frenchi for the video will have to try it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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