Lamping Fox

southernhunter

A farmer local to me has bought a .22 magnum and a lamp for shooting foxes on his ground.He has asked me to go out with him but I am a bit reluctant as I know the rifle is not really suitable and neither of us have much experience shooting foxes in this way but he allows me to shoot ducks and pheasents on his land so I feel a bit obligated:( to go out with him. Any hints or tips to help me out would be greatly recieved i.e should we go on foot or whats the best time to go?
Cant blame him really he lost 19 lambs last year :mad:

fathersymes

.22 magnum really is the minimum to humanely shoot a fox. Ideally you need a .22 centrefire(Hornet, Swift, .222, .223)

Having said that he isn't going to go very far if hit at 80yards in the lung/heart area, it's all about bullet placement. Don't go for head shots unless your very close (the poor bugger might lose a lower jaw etc).

Remember also that distance looks very different in the dark(seems closer).

Terrier

If these foxes haven't been lamped before and are taking lamb regulary you could probably call them into shotgun range with a good distress call.

If ye are both new to lamping I recommend you do a bit a target practice under the lamp, work out shooting positions etc..

Double Barrel

Agree with what is stated above.

If the farmer is loosing that many lambs - there is a big den nearby.
My advise is to take a sandwich, find some high ground and scout the vicinity during the day with binoculars. If the foxes are brazen - have not being shot at or otherwise disturbed - they will be out during the day. find the den and go to work.
A flat shooting rifle, - a .220 Swift with a supressor and a good scope, in the right hands - rumor has it, will do the trick.

Leave the lamp for the times when they have being hunted hard and will only be seen at night. Good luck.

Hezz700

The most important aspect of Lamping is to know the land on which you intend to shoot, i.e backstops where will the round end up? Is there livestock close by?

As for caliber choice, the aforementioned heart/lung shot is perfect provided the range is kept sensible. Personally i would suggest no more than100yrds.

southernhunter

I havent noticed any large dens but there are three large areas of bog so I suspect this where the foxes are beding down, would it be worth watching theses areas early in the morning or late in the evening? He also bought a Cass Creek predator call didnt sound much use to me but I havent got much experience calling fox are they any good?
Cheers boys:D

johngalway

Has he started lambing yet? If yes then it's a good bet they'd be in and around those fields.

Don't know the ground you're on so it's hard to say to go on foot or by vehicle. By nature of the rough ground around here, and you mentioned bogland I'd venture going by foot.

As for what time, start off by going right after it gets dark. That means having gear prepared and things organised before dark See what ye see, as the season goes on the days will get longer forcing ye to go later anyway, make the most of the short days while they're here!

Terrier makes a good point, a bit of practice never hurt anyone. Good to know what the rifle and shooter can do. I've no experience with that type of rifle so I won't presume to offer any. Shotgun with BB's will take a fox under 40 yards, side on shot is best in the heart/lung area.

Baiting a couple of spots mightn't be any harm either. Rabbit, fish or chicken works well enough. Saves walking if they're not too wary of a free meal or two. Have heard of liquidised fish, rabbit/chicken tied down (so foxy has to stay and mess/chew to get at the foox rather than a smash and grab), chicken/rabbit in a cage or encased in wire mesh to get them coming in and messing again.

Don't go too mad with the caller if you spot a fox. If he's coming in and ye can nail him without it go right ahead, but ye have it and I'm sure it'll come in handy.

Terrier

southernhunter wrote:

g? He also bought a Cass Creek predator call didnt sound much use to me but I havent got much experience calling fox are they any good?
Cheers boys:D

The simple and what i'm finding the most effective at the moment is simply a small bit of areoboard. Take a small piece of areoboard, squeeze it tightly in you hand rub it against a windscreen\glass that is slight wet.. You can vary the tone by pressing harder.. pull it about 1-2 foot to get a long distress call.. takes a bit of practice but works a treat..

southernhunter

No he hasnt started lambing yet thats why hes trying to get on top of the foxes .Will try the baiting out and the areoboard see if they produce any results. we were situated about 100 yards from the bait well concealed, obeying the wind direction and working the call sounds like the best plan to me:D
Thanks;)

Trojan911

southernhunter wrote:

No he hasnt started lambing yet thats why hes trying to get on top of the foxes .Will try the baiting out and the areoboard see if they produce any results. we were situated about 100 yards from the bait well concealed, obeying the wind direction and working the call sounds like the best plan to me:D
Thanks;)

Another couple of tips for you is when you spot a fox, leave the main beam of the lamp off him until you are about to fire. You will normally see their eyes glinting off the peripheral of the main part of the beam.

Have a shotgun to hand as well, loaded but broken, you will be surprised how handy they are.

Work out a strategy between the both of you i.e who is going to lamp & who is going to shoot.

I use aeroboard off the windowscreen to call & find it excellent, I hear good reports about these electronic callers but at €250.00 a pop I find the aeroboard a lot cheaper....

All the best...

TJ911...

southernhunter

Thanks;) TJ911

thelurcher

Bad time of year to be shooting fox - nothing worse than the thought of a litter of cubs starving to death back in the earth.
Apart from a few w*****s and fair weather hunters most people stop digging/shooting around now except for call outs like the farmer you know.
Good thing about digging is that you'll be able to clear out the earth and the area properly - fire a few shots around the farm and they won't be long learning to avoid the caller/lamps etc.
If you know no one get onto a local hunt to get in contact with someone with a decent terrier.

Save the gun for later in the summer when you can have some fun off what ever cubs made it in the area.

southernhunter

I know its a bad time of year for fox shooting in the club we usually stop shooting foxes by the end of Feb but the farmer wants a few foxes bagged before he starts lambing

finnmaccool

step 1 kill one or more old sheep on the side of a hill with a good backstop and up wind of shooting hide

use rotted fish to lay a trail from three miles in each direction ( after sheep is dead three days foxes will follow fish trail

ideal range is 150 to 200 metres but know your range and ckeck sights for range

shoot foxes between the two eyes

record kills 22 foxes in six hours

fathersymes

finnmaccool wrote:

shoot foxes between the two eyes

This is very irresponsible advice, the kill zone between the eyes is far too small to ensure a humane kill.

May I ask you the following?

1. Can you shoot 1inch groups consistently on the range?

2. Let alone shoot 1inch groups at unknown ranges at night?

I will repeat "Shoot the fox in the heart/lung area"

Terrier

200m under a lamp !! Crazy and very dangerous

Umiq88

Guys it has been done to death

If you know your land and backstop shooting a fox at 150yards from a set up postition ie a hide with a powerful lamp a headshot isnt a problem

I would expect most people if not everyone that shoots with a CF .22 to be consistantly shooting sub 1.5" and less which is enough for a headshot groups from a steady rest at short range which is 100-150yards

maglite

did he mention a lamp?

thelurcher

He must be doing somthing right:

record kills 22 foxes in six hours

What I'd give to have that place as my permission!

Double Barrel

Very impressive numbers Finn.

BTW what are you shooting, i.e. rifle, bullet and bullet weight , scope etc?

Curious minds need to know. Details

premier1

fathersymes wrote:

This is very irresponsible advice, the kill zone between the eyes is far too small to ensure a humane kill.

May I ask you the following?

1. Can you shoot 1inch groups consistently on the range?

2. Let alone shoot 1inch groups at unknown ranges at night?

I will repeat "Shoot the fox in the heart/lung area"

i am alwas out at night getting dogs or lamp shy foxes be cause of all yhe john wanes out there best advice go to the range or make a range try shooying at distance i wonce heard a man brag he shot a fox 400 yards at night in the head brought him to my range could not get a good groop under 6 " at 200 paced out the 400 yards turned out he cant see that far with a coke can on end reflecting in a strong clue light 400y turned in to the fish i caught yersterday storey lads practice first mark it out fire know hold over better not to take the shot than leave it to die a long death we are human and the kill isent everything sport is in getting it ready for the perfict shot please do it right

Ruger.220swift

Where in Louth are you shooting i might know the land?

finnmaccool

use a rifle with double set trigers 16x scope soft nosed bullets and learn to shoot five bullets through a 0.6 inch hole or better at a hundred yards

the advantage of a hide and a carcass is that you are controlling the shoot, exact range, backstop, and have a steady shooting postition

any one evey seen a dozen foxes dig sandeels at low tide in september?

hard to beat the wilds of mayo for foxes, since thousands of sheep starve to death each year to support fox populations during the winter.

Vegeta

finnmaccool wrote:

any one evey seen a dozen foxes dig sandeels at low tide in september?
.

class, i'd love to see that

pestshooter7

try baiting the fox(s) for a few nights with dead rabbits and the likes.
set up a few bait stations on the land near the sheep and check each nightly.
this saves time and lets you control the distance of the shot.
The fox WILL find the dead rabbit/bait and kepp replacing the bait to make the fox familiar with the area.
It takes time but accounts for about 50% of foxes in my area about 45 per anum.

Pokes

Pestshooter07 , the last comment on this thread was 10 months ago.

bunny shooter

not anymore

clivej

Pokes wrote: »

Pestshooter07 , the last comment on this thread was 10 months ago.

bunny shooter wrote: »

not anymore

Don't you just get to LOVE this forum.
Never to late to resurrect an old post, remember the posts are always there. :eek: :cool: :eek:

pestshooter7

Pokes wrote: »

Pestshooter07 , the last comment on this thread was 10 months ago.

Your point being??

bunny shooter

pestshooter7 wrote: »

Your point being??

Pestshooter, I would ignore Pokes obvious attempt to provoke an argument