2 Cubs

Macnab · July 7, 2008

I have enjoyed reading other people's tales of triumph and disaster on these threads so thought I would have a go myself, and I finally remembered to take my camera along for once.

The wife was away staying with friends for the weekend, and the weather on Friday night was pretty good for a bit of foxwork. I couldn't persuade my usual buddy to come along at short notice so I went out single-handed, which is a good excuse to use the night vision kit. It was a dark cloudy night which really suits this setup. My single-handed kit is a Tikka T3 Light in .223 with a Swarovski 6-24x50 (with the NV gear the mag only works properly up to about 12) and Gen 2 monocular mounted to the scope with a laser stuck on the top. T3 is the left hand rifle in the picture and laser and monocular are on the table. I also take a big torch over my back for emergencies and for finding any dead quarry.

I am very lucky to live on a farm of about 250 acres, on which I have full permission so I can literally walk out of my back door and I am off and running. The ground is covered in foxes, deer, and vermin. Much of it is woodland and the fields are full of livestock and horses. It is crossed my footpaths and close to some major roads. In other words, although you might see plenty to shoot at, getting a safe shot off is a completely different thing. After a few years I know the ground very well and know my safe firing positions.

I usually do a circuit of the farm, always depending on wind direction. On Friday it was steady and definitely there and working in my favour. I set out to one of my favourite spots under some houses and a bit of waste ground which back onto the farmland. I see a lot of foxes (and cats!) here but don't always get a shot off at them for safety reasons. After each night out I plot where I have seen and shot foxes on a Google Earth print out of the farm, which helps me to confirm my hunches on where the good spots are.

As I approached the area the whole place looked deserted other than a few big cows munching away, but the cover is growing pretty long in some of the unused paddocks so I was still confident I would cross paths with Mr Fox in the shorter grass. Two minutes later and lo and behold I had that bingo moment of fox's eyes staring back at me from a little gap in the hedge about 100 yards away and through two post and rail fences.

Too far to get a shot off from standing, and too wobbly on a fence post I hopped over one of the post and rail fences into a short grass paddock and got down prone. I thought I had lost it but then I saw the eyes again about 30 yards left along the hedge from where I had first seen it. It was between another post and rail fence on the far side of the field and the hedge behind it. I had to wait for it to trot along a bit further to get to a different height in the bottom fence rail which covered a lot of its body. It stopped and sat down to look at me and I had a clearish view of it head on. I lined it up between the eyes and dropped the crosshairs a few inches and squeezed of a Federal 55 grain softpoint to hear a reassuring dull thud.

I was sure I had killed it from the sound alone but through the scope I also saw a set of eyes scampering off. I reloaded and followed these eyes as the fox trotted back to the hole in the hedge. It seemed unsure what to do and stopped at the gap for another look around, I had it in the sights broadside at about 120 yards and squeezed off another shot, this time I saw the lights go out through the scope and knew he was down.

I made the rifle safe, with my heart pumping and my mouth dry. I wasn't totally sure what had happened but I took the big torch off my back and slung the rifle. When I got to the first spot there was a dead cub, shot straight through the neck. You will see in the photo that it was either having a **** when it died or crapped itself when shot. And again there was a dead cub at the second spot, shot straight through the boiler room. Neither of them had even taken a step from the spot they were shot.

They were shot within 10 seconds of eachother, which is something I have never done before on foxes. Hinds yes, but foxes no. It is extremely exciting, and you sure know you are alive - especially if they aren't!

This was pretty early on in my circuit of the farm and I don't like leaving the dead foxes lying around, partly as it's not fair on the farmer or his stock. So I took them to the gate and lined them up so I could come back and get them the next morning. I wanted to carry on round the farm. As it turned out I didn't see another fox but I'm sure they were there.

So the next morning I went back to get the bodies. One was still there but it took the cocker pup to find the second as it had been dragged off about 30 yards and ended up as a midnight feast for another fox or a badger perhaps? You can see pretty clearly in the photo it has lost its front right leg and most of its neck where the shot went in.

They both ended up on our bonfire yesterday morning after the children had a good poke around at them. Good for them to get a close up and know what the countryside is really about, even if the bonfire did smell a bit odd. Foxburger anyone?

M

bullet boy · July 7, 2008

Nice write-up and well done.

jamie g · July 7, 2008

yes good write up mate :angry: looks like the old badger had a bit of a chew on that one :blink:

Ice · July 7, 2008

You say you can clearly where the shot went in and removed the right front leg.

So is that the damage from the shot alone or is that after something has had a feast???

Evil Elvis · July 7, 2008

:blink: Nice shooting....would a badger really eat a fox? :angry:

Macnab · July 7, 2008

You say you can clearly where the shot went in and removed the right front leg.

So is that the damage from the shot alone or is that after something has had a feast???

No sorry I meant that the main damage and loss of front leg was done by whatever ate it, not by the shot. I think the scavenger was just attracted to that bit as there was quite a lot of claret at the base of the neck/shoulder.

I am only guessing it was a badger, it could have been another fox or a cat (maybe even one of the big ones we are reputed to have wandering around?).

I think Robert Bucknell has a photo in his book of a chewed up fox he went back for the next day. He reckoned it could have been a big cat, but his fox was pretty much gone, just the head left, I think.

M