Full Up Fox

foxhunter

I got a call last night from a neighbour.
He keeps pure breed hens and he had spotted Mr Fox at the bottom of the garden casing the joint as he put it.
I went out to him at 11 pm and called for maybe 10 to 15 mins but saw no sign of him.
We went in for a mug of coffee and an hour later before I went home I turned on the lamp and 10 feet away was my pal .
I was so surprised i nearly dropped the lamp trying to ready the rifle.
He ran for about 25 yrds and stopped again for just long enough for me to get a shot off.
When i went out to pick him up he had 4 young pheasants in his mouth one of which was still alive .
This was a first for me and ive seen plenty of fox's i'm just wondering if anyone else ever saved anything from the jaws of a predator.

Vegeta

Jesus that's some damage to the pheasant population. Was the one alive damaged? did it survive?

foxhunter

Its under a red lamp at the minute with about 2 dozen week old chicks so its lookin good so far .

Mac Tire

Around this time last year myself and my younger brother went for a walk through the fields with the shotguns. Now there is a bit of a nough (think thats how you spell it, small wooded area) which is home to all sorts including the local badger brigade. We where just coming to the top of the field where there runs a barbed wire fence, so we emptied the two shoties and got ready to cross when a rabbit came from within the wood at full pelt, straight for us, he turned around 5 yards in front of us to the right and into the hedge, no sooner did he make it than a decent sized fox came flat to the mat from the small hole in the hedge.
Now at this point the fox saw us (im 6'4'' and the bro is 6'7'') it stopped dead in its tracks and just starred at us, he only moved when i started laughing at the thought that the rabbit classed our shotgun ability less a threat than the fox on his tail!!! Now i used to think that rabbits were as dumb as a post, but from that day they gained a new respect from me, well this one at least...
Around a fortnight later me and the same 'wee' bro went for a stroll around a different permission that we have. We where walking along a small hawthorn hedge hoping that we would get a rabbit or two for the pot.
Suddenly this immense clatter happened above our heads, and this huge bird took flight, too big to be a crow or even a grey. It got around 20 yards away when i realised it was a fully grown Buzzard, i turned to the brother when a further two took flight, one large, one not so large...Thought to myself, were under attack here! Then a fourth tried to take flight, only to fall to the ground around 15 yards away. It took us 30 minutes to get that Buzzard back to his nest. It couldnt fly but it was still HUGE...anything like the talons on it..
Nearly finished now...Around a month later i went down that direction on my own, wearing the same camo gear, and a buzzard flew over head, around 30 feet, and followed me for around 5 minutes...It might be a bit daft, but i believe, that it was the same Buzzard doing a fly over as a thanks for putting him back to his/her nest a month earlier....
thats the end of my stories, sorry there a bit long

foxhunter

Mac Tire wrote: »

Around this time last year myself and my younger brother went for a walk through the fields with the shotguns. Now there is a bit of a nough (think thats how you spell it, small wooded area) which is home to all sorts including the local badger brigade. We where just coming to the top of the field where there runs a barbed wire fence, so we emptied the two shoties and got ready to cross when a rabbit came from within the wood at full pelt, straight for us, he turned around 5 yards in front of us to the right and into the hedge, no sooner did he make it than a decent sized fox came flat to the mat from the small hole in the hedge.
Now at this point the fox saw us (im 6'4'' and the bro is 6'7'') it stopped dead in its tracks and just starred at us, he only moved when i started laughing at the thought that the rabbit classed our shotgun ability less a threat than the fox on his tail!!! Now i used to think that rabbits were as dumb as a post, but from that day they gained a new respect from me, well this one at least...
Around a fortnight later me and the same 'wee' bro went for a stroll around a different permission that we have. We where walking along a small hawthorn hedge hoping that we would get a rabbit or two for the pot.
Suddenly this immense clatter happened above our heads, and this huge bird took flight, too big to be a crow or even a grey. It got around 20 yards away when i realised it was a fully grown Buzzard, i turned to the brother when a further two took flight, one large, one not so large...Thought to myself, were under attack here! Then a fourth tried to take flight, only to fall to the ground around 15 yards away. It took us 30 minutes to get that Buzzard back to his nest. It couldnt fly but it was still HUGE...anything like the talons on it..
Nearly finished now...Around a month later i went down that direction on my own, wearing the same camo gear, and a buzzard flew over head, around 30 feet, and followed me for around 5 minutes...It might be a bit daft, but i believe, that it was the same Buzzard doing a fly over as a thanks for putting him back to his/her nest a month earlier....
thats the end of my stories, sorry there a bit long

Maybe he was sizeing you up for breakfast Mac:D

Mac Tire

hahaha, payback for the rugby pass that put him back up the tree!!!

foxshooter243

foxhunter wrote: »

Maybe he was sizeing you up for breakfast Mac:D

if youd see the size of mac , he could have had breakfast dinner and tea..
and a few sarnies for the next day outta him..:D

Mac Tire

I'l take that as a complement foxy!!! :D:D

foxshooter243

Mac Tire wrote: »

I'l take that as a complement foxy!!! :D:D

sure i couldnt insult you..you know where i live.......:eek::D

Hezz700

There is a breeding pair of rough legged buzzards in their third season of residents down my way and they show absolutly no fear of humans. Whenever we pass close by they fly over a few times at 50/60ft checking us out. They also tend to eat there prey on the ground or on fencing posts which would suggest they don't worry to much about anything preying on them.

Then again they are enormous buggers, I would'nt Fcuk with them:eek:

Mac Tire

hahahaha, the price of diesel, by the time i had enough money saved to get back to you, you would be long gone!!!

Hezz700

foxshooter243 wrote: »

if youd see the size of mac , he could have had breakfast dinner and tea..
and a few sarnies for the next day outta him..:D

He's a small man then...????
:D:D:D:D

foxshooter243

foxhunter wrote: »

I got a call last night from a neighbour.
He keeps pure breed hens and he had spotted Mr Fox at the bottom of the garden casing the joint as he put it.
I went out to him at 11 pm and called for maybe 10 to 15 mins but saw no sign of him.
We went in for a mug of coffee and an hour later before I went home I turned on the lamp and 10 feet away was my pal .
I was so surprised i nearly dropped the lamp trying to ready the rifle.
He ran for about 25 yrds and stopped again for just long enough for me to get a shot off.
When i went out to pick him up he had 4 young pheasants in his mouth one of which was still alive .
This was a first for me and ive seen plenty of fox's i'm just wondering if anyone else ever saved anything from the jaws of a predator.

seen a feral cat sneaking up on a bunny once..and just when he was ready to pounce he was introduced to the 220 swift...he wasnt amused.
..the oul bunny sauntered off with not a care:D

Mac Tire

foxshooter243 wrote: »

seen a feral cat sneaking up on a bunny once..and just when he was ready to pounce he was introduced to the 220 swift...he wasnt amused.
..the oul bunny sauntered off with not a care:D

Reminds me of a time before i had any firearms, a feral cat was stalking a rabbit in a field that i was in with the same bro as before (sounds like were siamese!!)...i got down and crawlled to within around 10 yards of it, i then fired a big stick at it, amazingly hitting it..Lept around 3 feet in the air and took off..damn near pi$$ed myself laughing.

kerryman12

buzzards to Ireland, thats a new one on me.

Any info pictures available on them?

foxhunter

kerryman12 wrote: »

buzzards to Ireland, thats a new one on me.

Any info pictures available on them?

It shouldn't be a big job to get a pic of them the whole country is full of them at the moment.
Ive seen them plenty of times hanging around a pond near me.

Mac Tire

I was talking to my local conversation ranger around a month ago, appartenly there are 190 breeding pairs in Donegal...I know of 3 nesting areas around my 'home' house, although only 2 where being used last year...

Vegeta

kerryman12 wrote: »

buzzards to Ireland, thats a new one on me.

Any info pictures available on them?

I'm the same, never seen one.

There are other birds of prey but no buzzards