TommyB Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Exactly my point. If you refer to fox control as 'sport' you are doing us all a huge diservice. To be honest when I read your post I suspected you were a troll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfree Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Iam out again tonight. In fact iam thinking of packing up the day job and just doing fox shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Just.stopped 1 with a 55.nosler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dob Posted November 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Dob - I'm only a few miles down the road from you and it's been very quiet on the fox front for at least 18 months. Rabbit numbers have been low too but hares and badgers are doing well, muntjac spreading, roe thriving as are fallow. It feels as if something is going on - I used to see polecats, stoats and weasels around the Downs (up to 3 or 4 years ago) but don't anymore. Apart from deer it's all badgers, not sure where the other mammals have gone. I blame mountain bikers (!!). lots of rabbits,deer and badgers but Charlie seems to have all but vanished, most odd ,perhaps the rabbits had started eating foxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Night vision and thermal, their natural instincts cannot protect them from either. I can see a major slump in fox numbers coming as both become cheaper and thus much more widely used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 The shooting of foxes has developed into a bit of a minor industry itself over the years, with some dedicating the vast majority of their shooting to just this one type of quarry. I know a couple of lads who must have spent thousands upon thousands of pounds on top notch gear for this one purpose alone. I quite like foxes, even though I understand the need for control, but I tend to leave the shooting of them to my mates now and am getting rid of my CF rifle ( even though I admittedly enjoy shooting Roe ) as I just don't use it enough to warrant it taking up space in my cabinets; space which could be occupied by shotguns. As a kid all I wanted was a pistol and a rifle; as an adult all I want is my little .22rf and LLLOOOOOAAAADDDSSSS of shotguns! I have grown to find fox shooting as boring as boring can be, and simply don't enjoy rolling around for mile after mile, the Pennines and Howgills of the Eden and Lune valleys in the middle of the night as much as I used to, if in fact I ever did. Saying all that, we have built a dedicated fox shooting hut on our rough shoot from which it is intended to bait fox. I can't see me occupying it much; and unless I go I can't see mate dong it either.....think he's scared of the dark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Spent a pleasant morning yesterday counting holes with another PW member (nice to meet you, Ted) whose keen eye gave me the first indication of the presence of fox for several months. To digress, a book called, 'The Facts Of Rural Life' has recently been mentioned here which I subsequently bought - a good read, thoroughly recommended - which suggests that to keep the fox population at its current level, 425,000 a year need to die one way or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 its this pseudo-macho-esque thing of posting the cumulative total of foxes that have fallen to a persons rifle during a calendar year I don't understand. After all the vast majority of folk don't do this for geese , or grouse, or deer, or rats or mink etc etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 know of three sets of lads who cover about a 10 mile radius from me who have all the gear and are out after vulpes, vulpes on a weekly basis both on shoots and their own permissions. i know my own permissions though small have had a huge drop in numbers over the last 5 years and these are not all bordered by shoots. Two friends have quite a bit of permission over in Cheshire, they had been saying for the last few years the numbers of fox had been dropping on their permission. Last year whilst out lamping they bumped into a set of lads not from the area shooting foxes who said they go everywhere and anywhere they like permission or not and where into hundreds a year. My friend said judging by what they had in the back of the vehicle he had no reason to not believe them. They told him they had permission on the bordering farm and had come over onto his ground to following up on a shot.He did mention it to the farmer who said something along the lines that he has more people knocking on his door for foxing than ever. The need for control I understand but still like to see the odd foxy about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remmy1100 Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 (edited) myself and my mate control foxes on several farms in one area numbers we have controlled this year are up on last years and weve also seen more about. we border several large commercial shoots also but they just keep coming ,all our farms have arable but also sheep so farmers want them controlled if they didnt i wouldnt ,weve lost no lambs to foxes in last few years but thats due to our control of numbers , a farmer nearby that doesn't control lost 15 lambs in a week 2 in broad daylight his neighbour witnessed being taken and another had all his ducks chickens killed both now have had a change of heart, Edited November 6, 2016 by remmy1100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Fire Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 I have never known a site like this for giving the anti brigade ammo why dont we all just shoot ourselves in the foot save them a job jesus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 I have never known a site like this for giving the anti brigade ammo why dont we all just shoot ourselves in the foot save them a job jesus PLUS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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