Fox club

[WelshMike]

Fri and Sat night in for the lambs in field by my house. Used the fri night fox as a decoy for the magpies. Put it up the field with a magpie in its paws. It worked and I bagged a couple with the FAC air. Zeroed the new rifle ready for first outing Monday

Well done mate

This one ran into a Fox mating call. I missed the direction that it came into the field because I was watching a load of baby rabbits about 20yds in front of me, they where the size of a mug, cute little things.

 

I was after another couple of Fox's that just won't play ball, not interested in any calls and always stay just out normal range (I think I will take another tool next time)

 

Watch this space

Nicely done, Nice to see the wildlife out and about.

Nice work Dougy.

 

Well, he took his sweet time! But after a 4 hour sit and wait he finally decides to make an appearance. Sharp lad too, ignored the first ewes with single lambs and went for the first one he saw with twins. Dropped him during the Mexican standoff with the ewe.

 

Brilliant result mate, well done. And people say that foxes dont take lambs.....

[WelshMike]

Headed out on Saturday night round a couple of farms. Farm 1 drew a blank which is good as they have 60,000 chickens.

 

Farm 2, first field, flash of eyes but not 100% convinced it was a fox until I swapped to the NV and confirmed it was a fox. I was set up on the sticks so I watched him head in my direction. Gave a quick squeak and he trotted obligingly in my direction. Quick shout stopped him at about 50 yards and down he went.

 

 

Got a call from one of the farmers yesterday morning about a potential problem with missing lambs. 3 sets of ewes that were scanned as twins only had singles. Same field over a couple of nights so looked highly likely that the fox was taking them (or whoever scanned the ewes needs a new job). I asked the farmer to put a dead ewe out to try and distract the fox from killing any more lambs. Headed out for about 9.last night to see what was about. All quiet for the fist 45 minutes so I tried a quick hand call to be met with a flash of eyes at the top of the field where the lambs had been going missing. He played ball and came down the field and finally after a loud "Oi" stopped at about 80 yards and sat down to figure out what was going on, that was that. I hope it was the trouble maker but lets see what the next few nights hold.

 

[oowee]

Nice pair Mike

Not a tree in sight or mentioned

[WelshMike]

Nice pair Mike

Not a tree in sight or mentioned

Cheers mate.

 

I kept an eye out in the trees but only a couple of pigeons and an Owl

[racing snake]

4 hours? That is some wait I hope you had a flask of coffee. Worth the wait though

 

Aye, I was about at my limit mate. If it wasn't taking lambs I wouldn't have sat tight that long.

 

Well done mate

Nicely done, Nice to see the wildlife out and about.

Brilliant result mate, well done. And people say that foxes dont take lambs.....

 

Cheers Mike, and well done on another two! I'm still a tree-fox virgin so I'm really going to have to try and sort that out. Was thinking of lofting some fox decoys high up in the branches.

[WelshMike]

 

Aye, I was about at my limit mate. If it wasn't taking lambs I wouldn't have sat tight that long.

 

 

Cheers Mike, and well done on another two! I'm still a tree-fox virgin so I'm really going to have to try and sort that out. Was thinking of lofting some fox decoys high up in the branches.

The tips are:

 

1) Find suitable tree with a nice sloping branch for easy access for our little ginger friends. Please note that trees that are on the ground do not count

2) Bait tree

3) Put caller up the tree

4) Give up and go back to shooting them where you expect them to be...on the ground

 

But feel free to give the fox decoy a try and let us know how you get on

[remmy1100]

well done mike and rest of fox club some cracking control going on ,mine are keeping there heads down

[tonker]

Phone call this morning from Patsy, a friend of mine. Had a visit last night and lost 30 hens about half of what she had. Could I go and have a look.

So around I went tonight to have a look, couldn't see any real signs of access to the shed but you could see the carnage left behind. I put a few planks around blocking the most obvious entry points. Put a metal fence spike in the ground and hung a chicken off of it. I drove the truck off about 90 yds put the window down and waited.

Not an ideal place with a factory behind me with sodium lights illuminating the field, so had to move slowly when I did move but thought it would help me spot movement. I kept flicking the Photon on with no IR to see the Chicken about every 5 mins. After about an hour the chicken was moving all over the place but with no ir I couldn't see the fox. turned the t20 on there was a small Vixen giving it wellie, She was literally airborne every time she lunged backward trying to get the chicken off. she wouldn't keep still so when I took the shot I hit her amidships which wasn't very pretty to look at so hence no picture. When I got to her she was tiny, if it was later in the year I'd have said she was a half grown cub. Still one more down and Patsy well pleased. I told her to keep baiting with her dead birds to see if any more are about, I suspect the dog is.

Edited April 3, 2017 by tonker

[oowee]

Interesting write up Tonka and good planning.

Just back from some stalking. Home to eat then fill up the chiller and put all the carp away.

Time for tea.

Edited April 3, 2017 by oowee

[racing snake]

Back up to the farm that's been losing the lambs again tonight. I was kind of hoping I wouldn't see a fox but deep down I suspected I would. Gave her fair crack of the whip, put the caller in some brambles and ran the lone lamb call, and said to myself that if she comes to it then it's too bad. Only ran it for ten minutes and she comes bolting through the hedge straight at it. Gave her a shout and put her down. Will go out tomorrow to try and find the cubs but don't fancy my chances as she's set up on land where I don't shoot.

Don't want another call about losing lambs this year. Ready to put the gun away now until end of summer.

 

 

 

[oowee]

Has to be done RS I have farmer calling me every day at moment for stuff after his lambs. Not just fox its like everything out there.

[racing snake]

Has to be done RS I have farmer calling me every day at moment for stuff after his lambs. Not just fox its like everything out there.

 

Aye, you're right Grant, just hate shooting vixens with cubs. Don't have any issues with anyone else doing it, I fully support them and the need for it to be done. Just hate doing it myself. Hopefully no more now until end of summer. Gloves are off again then.

[WelshMike]

Phone call this morning from Patsy, a friend of mine. Had a visit last night and lost 30 hens about half of what she had. Could I go and have a look.

So around I went tonight to have a look, couldn't see any real signs of access to the shed but you could see the carnage left behind. I put a few planks around blocking the most obvious entry points. Put a metal fence spike in the ground and hung a chicken off of it. I drove the truck off about 90 yds put the window down and waited.

Not an ideal place with a factory behind me with sodium lights illuminating the field, so had to move slowly when I did move but thought it would help me spot movement. I kept flicking the Photon on with no IR to see the Chicken about every 5 mins. After about an hour the chicken was moving all over the place but with no ir I couldn't see the fox. turned the t20 on there was a small Vixen giving it wellie, She was literally airborne every time she lunged backward trying to get the chicken off. she wouldn't keep still so when I took the shot I hit her amidships which wasn't very pretty to look at so hence no picture. When I got to her she was tiny, if it was later in the year I'd have said she was a half grown cub. Still one more down and Patsy well pleased. I told her to keep baiting with her dead birds to see if any more are about, I suspect the dog is.

Nicely done mate, well done

[WelshMike]

Back up to the farm that's been losing the lambs again tonight. I was kind of hoping I wouldn't see a fox but deep down I suspected I would. Gave her fair crack of the whip, put the caller in some brambles and ran the lone lamb call, and said to myself that if she comes to it then it's too bad. Only ran it for ten minutes and she comes bolting through the hedge straight at it. Gave her a shout and put her down. Will go out tomorrow to try and find the cubs but don't fancy my chances as she's set up on land where I don't shoot.

 

Don't want another call about losing lambs this year. Ready to put the gun away now until end of summer.

 

 

 

Unfortunately you had little choice mate, one of the down sides to realistic pest control.

[WelshMike]

 

Aye, you're right Grant, just hate shooting vixens with cubs. Don't have any issues with anyone else doing it, I fully support them and the need for it to be done. Just hate doing it myself. Hopefully no more now until end of summer. Gloves are off again then.

Forgive my question but how old are you and how long have you been shooting foxes?

 

Only reason I ask is that I am of exactly the same opinion as you and hate orphaning cubs despite there being little alternative at times. I have been shooting foxes for over 20 years and its only in the last couple of years that I seem to have struggled with this concept. Maybe I am developing a sense of morality before I hit 40 in a couple of years.

 

I also forgot to ask if you are left handed?

Edited April 4, 2017 by WelshMike

[racing snake]

Forgive my question but how old are you and how long have you been shooting foxes?

 

Only reason I ask is that I am of exactly the same opinion as you and hate orphaning cubs despite there being little alternative at times. I have been shooting foxes for over 20 years and its only in the last couple of years that I seem to have struggled with this concept. Maybe I am developing a sense of morality before I hit 40 in a couple of years.

 

I also forgot to ask if you are left handed?

 

Been shooting foxes since a teenager Mike, I'm 46 now. I used to shoot for a local gun pack for a long time, but it's only with a rifle now. I've had breaks in between because of various things, young family, excessive work commitments etc but I've always come back to my shooting (and fishing). Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoy my winters shooting foxes, it's just unfortunate that in doing that for landowners sometimes the point where we'd like to stop shooting, and the point where we can't overlaps. This farm is a bit unique though, it's the only one I do that lamb outdoors in the meadow, all of the others lamb in the sheds and put them out after a few days. As a result there's afterbirth in the meadow and I personally think that outdoor lambing is more likely to cause a fox to turn to lambs as a regular food source, I also think it's more likely to drag them in from a greater distance. I'd put a lot of time into this farm making sure there were no foxes on it by lambing/cub season and to the best of my ability I thought I had done that. But it did drag a pair down from further afield and after that the outcome was inevitable. I've managed to sort the permissions to th side and above this farm but not the one one the other side (the river makes one boundary impassable) those foxes had set up on the section I don't shoot on and the lambing brought them in. Will try and sort that permission out this year if I can.

 

I like to think that if I can do the job effectively during the winter, and really reduce the pressure it will leave the remaining foxes a more expansive territory and they would be less inclined to take lambs. As you know, not an exact science and you always get a 'wrong un' that can kill a dozen in a night. I'm as convinced as I can be that I know why this was going to happen here, I'll try harder next year to try and make sure it doesn't again. But it is what it is and as both you, Grant, and I'm sure everyone who contributes to this thread will agree, sometimes it's going to happen

 

Yes I'm a left-handed. Well....kind of. I'm left eye dominant so have always shot left-handed, but I'm right handed for everything else so don't want a gun with a left-handed bolt. Tricky aren't I

[WelshMike]

Been shooting foxes since a teenager Mike, I'm 46 now. I used to shoot for a local gun pack for a long time, but it's only with a rifle now. I've had breaks in between because of various things, young family, excessive work commitments etc but I've always come back to my shooting (and fishing). Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoy my winters shooting foxes, it's just unfortunate that in doing that for landowners sometimes the point where we'd like to stop shooting, and the point where we can't overlaps. This farm is a bit unique though, it's the only one I do that lamb outdoors in the meadow, all of the others lamb in the sheds and put them out after a few days. As a result there's afterbirth in the meadow and I personally think that outdoor lambing is more likely to cause a fox to turn to lambs as a regular food source, I also think it's more likely to drag them in from a greater distance. I'd put a lot of time into this farm making sure there were no foxes on it by lambing/cub season and to the best of my ability I thought I had done that. But it did drag a pair down from further afield and after that the outcome was inevitable. I've managed to sort the permissions to th side and above this farm but not the one one the other side (the river makes one boundary impassable) those foxes had set up on the section I don't shoot on and the lambing brought them in. Will try and sort that permission out this year if I can.

 

I like to think that if I can do the job effectively during the winter, and really reduce the pressure it will leave the remaining foxes a more expansive territory and they would be less inclined to take lambs. As you know, not an exact science and you always get a 'wrong un' that can kill a dozen in a night. I'm as convinced as I can be that I know why this was going to happen here, I'll try harder next year to try and make sure it doesn't again. But it is what it is and as both you, Grant, and I'm sure everyone who contributes to this thread will agree, sometimes it's going to happen

 

Yes I'm a left-handed. Well....kind of. I'm left eye dominant so have always shot left-handed, but I'm right handed for everything else so don't want a gun with a left-handed bolt. Tricky aren't I

All good stuff above mate and totally agree. I also try and do all of the hard work to avoid problem foxes this time of year but I find if you do a good job and clear an area the blighters move in to fill the void so no exact science as you say.

 

Only reason I asked about you being left handed was the position of the cheek rest pad on your rifle.

 

If you fancy some company when you are out later in the year give me a shout as I would like to see how the posh boys with the fancy kit do it

Edited April 4, 2017 by WelshMike

[AYA Annihilator]

Anyone have any tips on calling foxes in daytime with a shotgun? I don't have access to a rifle at current so I'm having to use my trusty AYA yeoman with 42g 1s which does the trick. We have had a series of chicken raids and a few days ago I called a fox out of a wood - too far for a safe shot- using my tenterfield whistle, but I'm pretty much restricted to daylight shooting. It's a pretty dense wood with some grassy patches in, but I still haven't found the den even there has been a fox presence pretty regularly throughout the years.

 

In short, some advice from the experts how you'd go about calling foxes in woods during the day (with my shotgun/accuracy = 30 yards assured killing range) would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[WelshMike]

Anyone have any tips on calling foxes in daytime with a shotgun? I don't have access to a rifle at current so I'm having to use my trusty AYA yeoman with 42g 1s which does the trick. We have had a series of chicken raids and a few days ago I called a fox out of a wood - too far for a safe shot- using my tenterfield whistle, but I'm pretty much restricted to daylight shooting. It's a pretty dense wood with some grassy patches in, but I still haven't found the den even there has been a fox presence pretty regularly throughout the years.

 

In short, some advice from the experts how you'd go about calling foxes in woods during the day (with my shotgun/accuracy = 30 yards assured killing range) would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

Couple of potential options you could go for mate but in both cases make sure you are really well concealed:

 

1) Put some bait out (if you have any dead chickens stake them down to save the fox picking up and running off) and wait out just before dark

2) If you called the fox with the whistle give that a try again. It may be a bit loud to get it in really close so you may need to try a hand squeak to get it within range

 

If you do catch up with the adults and can locate the set I would try and find somebody with terriers to deal with the cubs as well.

 

Good luck mate and I am sure a few more of the guys will offer some more sensible info as well. I use the rifle most of the time these days but like to sit and wait in likely spots a little later in the year to see what comes past.

[racing snake]

 

If you fancy some company when you are out later in the year give me a shout as I would like to see how the posh boys with the fancy kit do it

 

Yes I'll look forward to that Mike. You can give me a few tips on the fine art of tree-fox shooting. Tried the lofted decoys, whilst I had a couple of flocks fly over and circle I couldn't get any to commit and come in to roost.

[WelshMike]

 

Yes I'll look forward to that Mike. You can give me a few tips on the fine art of tree-fox shooting. Tried the lofted decoys, whilst I had a couple of flocks fly over and circle I couldn't get any to commit and come in to roost.

PM me when you are looking at getting back out mate and we can meet up. You are welcome to come down here if you like as we have more roosting foxes then up in North Wales. I think the sea breeze makes them wary to climb the trees up North

 

If they dont commit to roosting next time take the shot whilst they are airborne...but maybe go for the shotgun

[AYA Annihilator]

Couple of potential options you could go for mate but in both cases make sure you are really well concealed:

 

1) Put some bait out (if you have any dead chickens stake them down to save the fox picking up and running off) and wait out just before dark

2) If you called the fox with the whistle give that a try again. It may be a bit loud to get it in really close so you may need to try a hand squeak to get it within range

 

If you do catch up with the adults and can locate the set I would try and find somebody with terriers to deal with the cubs as well.

 

Good luck mate and I am sure a few more of the guys will offer some more sensible info as well. I use the rifle most of the time these days but like to sit and wait in likely spots a little later in the year to see what comes past.

Thanks for your help. Unfortunatly we do have some chicken carsasses thanks to the fox in question which I'll put out. Also got some corvids/pigeons to maybe help bring him into the area. And I have a mouth squeaker, I'll use that when it gets close. I think last time I scared him away by using the tenterfield quite loudly when it was about 50 yrds, so it moved off. Thanks again.

[FOXHUNTER1]

PM me when you are looking at getting back out mate and we can meet up. You are welcome to come down here if you like as we have more roosting foxes then up in North Wales. I think the sea breeze makes them wary to climb the trees up North

 

If they dont commit to roosting next time take the shot whilst they are airborne...but maybe go for the shotgun

Why don't we organise a Fox Club meet in Wales next season ?

[racing snake]

Why don't we organise a Fox Club meet in Wales next season ?

Top idea!

[AYA Annihilator]

 

 

Thoughts on the fox hole? Didn't dig it as deep as I wanted, ran out of time, but some 2 year old decomposing pheasant ought to bring them in, and I've staked some dead chickens and pigeons around the edge.