Lamping The Night Away January 2010

johngalway

Get'em while they're hot! Brr...

We've had a pretty cold spell going on here out West, much like the rest of Ireland. I'm in a bit of a contradiction here, thankfully in the line of farming and general getting around living right next to the Atlantic we're still pretty warm so we've not been hit by the worst of the snow and icy roads. The contradiction is that I'd have given someone else's right leg for a few inches of proper dusty snow, imagine all those tracks!

Tonight I'm out on a solo run, no particular reason other than I wanted to get out. Since before Christmas I wanted to go to a valley that's always been a productive spot. What with the weather I wasn't sure what the narrow steep mountain road was going to be like and until now had decided against going there. But, we've had a lot of dry weather so I thought hoped there wouldn't be ice on the road, otherwise I'd be in for a hell of a long walk. Extra socks packed in case I needed them over the muckboots.

I made my way to the beginning of the valley. Being in two minds whether to drive up to the top as I wanted to or go half way, call it a good job and mess about on foot from there, I went for broke. To my great surprise, there was little to no ice on the road whatsoever. This isn't the nicest place to go off the road, one side there's a nice drop most of the way up and rocks a plenty to run into.

Got out, geared up and set off up past the shed and out into the cold of the night. Bloody freezing up here, and there's a pretty decent "lazy" wind as Sprags would describe it, in that it'd go through you rather than around you! I think my 507 layers put up a decent fight, Michelin man has nothing on me tonight!

In the middle of what best could be described as a "rabbit" farm, I picked a spot that had a decent line of sight in most directions. I tried a vixen call first, let that run for a few minutes then knocked it off for a while to scan about. I expected a fox to show up pretty quickly but was left disappointed. After some time I tried the rabbit in distress call, and again waited for no reward. 45 minutes to an hour had passed, standing in one spot I was losing the feeling in my left hand (guess which glove I'd left behind), time for a walk to a new spot down near the river.

Passed the remains of the last fox I'd shotgunned, and made my way down to where Niall had shot the fox across the river. Again, a hill with decent views. It's probably popped up in someone's mind, why's he on hills when the moon is full? Fair question, I'm enclosed by some pretty steep mountains on three sides, the moon isn't getting in here for a while yet!

The rabbit in distress isn't having much luck tonight, I thought I'd see more foxes with this hard weather I'd imagined they'd be pretty hungry tonight. Maybe these bunnies aren't the easy meal I thought. Another half hour passes and no sign of an eye, time for a vixen call, then move on to greener pastures if that doesn't yield the desired result. I've not had the call on long when a fox appears, where, behind me! He's moving up along a small stream which has hidden him from view. If he's not already winded me he's come pretty close to it, but doesn't seem either bothered by me or interested in the vixen gagging for it. A gay vegan fox??

First time I see him he's maybe 80 yards away, moving up and away from me slowly but steadily. I've to move a few yards to get a prone spot for the rifle. By the time I'm down and have the lamp clipped on he's at 110 yards mooching just behind some trees. Waiting for a gap I seize my chance and put a Vmax in his boiler room, down he goes into the withered bracken and out like a light. A nice dog fox in good condition, might have a go skinning this one, entry hole and exit hole both small so I'm not too bothered, probably end up with a bald crappy bit of tough leather anyway lol.

Cass

johngalway wrote: »

...... standing in one spot I was losing the feeling in my left hand (guess which glove I'd left behind), ......

D'oh. Only done this the other night.

......... but doesn't seem either bothered by me or interested in the vixen gagging for it. A gay vegan fox??

Ah yes the Gay Vegan Fox. Easily identified by the pink scarf. Heh, heh. heh.

Good stuff John. The first of many for this year i hope.

whitser

john how could you shoot a gay vegan????????????????:D

CJhaughey

whitser wrote: »

john how could you shoot a gay vegan????????????????:D

Using hollowpoints for a humane kill I hope:D

johngalway

whitser wrote: »

john how could you shoot a gay vegan????????????????:D

Surprisingly easy really

Rovi

Another great thread John, thanks for posting it.

<SNIP>

MOD NOTE:
A bunch of stuff has been split off into a thread of its own:
The public nature of this forum

smallfry

John, maybe it took so long to spot a fox because you have them all taken already... They must be nearly an endangered species at you by now...

I don't get out half as much as I'd like, have to start making the effort again...

smallfry

clivej

Good read again John.

As others have said as well, I must get out for a shoot at the foxes. I seem to have some free time but never at the time I want it for shooting

riflehunter77

Good man john another great story, keep up the good work

No6

With sheets of ice on all the backroads around me I can't get out except on foot around the house, its doing my head in!!!

johngalway

Put socks over your boots for the ice, and away you go

murphy125

Just wondering never really done fox shooting and have a .22
Just wondering would a .22 knock a fox

Also what gun is that you have???

johngalway

murphy125 wrote: »

Just wondering never really done fox shooting and have a .22
Just wondering would a .22 knock a fox

Also what gun is that you have???

I've got a .223 Remington VL SS.

A .22lr will knock a fox, but I don't recommend going out looking for foxes with one to be honest. I've head shot foxes with my former .22lr out to 80 yards, got to be sure on how good a shot you are

Feidhlim Dignan

johngalway wrote: »

I've got a .223 Remington VL SS.

A .22lr will knock a fox, but I don't recommend going out looking for foxes with one to be honest. I've head shot foxes with my former .22lr out to 80 yards, got to be sure on how good a shot you are

i shoot foxes with a .22 but only at short range like 60m if i know where they be coming out. but i wouldnt chance it at night, range estimation gets kinda iffy at in the dark

Rovi

MOD NOTE:
More content split off into a thread of its own:
12g or .410 slugs for fox shooting?

johngalway

5th January

My mate John was out last night, he was at me to go as well but I'm suffering from a very fatal dose of man-flu, so I wasn't budging. Strangely the rain and sleet showers didn't encourage me at all. Tonight is a lot different, light breeze, bitterly cold, but dry, that'll do me. John shot a vixen last night, uncomfortably close to his hen house, so we were on the look out for the dog tonight.

We set up first in one of his neighbours fields, overlooking a small tight valley filled with gorse, stone walls and other rubbish to get in the way. Last night's pair of foxes had come in this way. Tonight's fox was of a different mind. I first spotted him approaching from the sea side of us, about 300 yards away. Due to the crunchy frozen ground we decided against moving, hoping instead that he'd cross the road up towards us. He did come in to around 150 yards, I wouldn't take the shot, it would have meant shooting above a public road and quite close to a house, that's not on for a fox.

He never did appear above the road for us. So we moved back across Johns place, into the next neighbours field and up onto a high flat rock. We had a false alarm in some more gorse farther over, blink of an eye for a half second, I suspect it was a cat. Tried a couple of calls but nothing was doing.

We hatched a new plan. John would move in a wide circle off out to our right, down across the road and do a sweep of the fields between the road and sea with the shottie. I was staying put on the high rock to mostly freeze my arse off. The hope was he'd flush the fox up towards me, as he didn't think he could get close with the crunchy ground, even with the noise of the sea there wasn't enough wind to hide footfalls from a fox.

Off he went taking his time to avoid slipping on the deadly ice covered sheets of rock we're blessed with. John had completed about half the circle when he flashed the spotlight at me, then my phone rang. "Fox, no more than 100 yards in front of me, can't get to him", "OK, I'm on my way".

I made a beeline for where John was, standing on a rock the wrong side of a wall, topped off by a wire fence. I had a fairly good route planned down, except for unplanned six foot drop the wrong side of a fuchsia hedge, reflexes of a cat I tell ye, of a cat! Skated my way over the road, with the fear of God sunk into me I safely reached the grassy margin on the far side. Over the gate and "Crunch, crunch,crunch,squelsh (that bit's not frozen)" my way down to John.

There's our fox, still mooching around in the same field as we seen him in 90 minutes ago. John's been watching him while I was on the way. He's been jumping and pouncing and following woodcock about - which, much to the foxes disgust have been risen by an evil minded git with a lamp.

"I was going to try for him myself", John says, "But, I can't get over that wire gap, I know it'll make noise", "Can you get him from here?". I can't lay prone. All I have is two inches of the pointy end of a stake tacked onto sheep net wire on top of the wall. Lovely, just lovely, I'm such a fan of shooting this way...

I get the fox in my scope, getting the shakes out of the way early I've steadied on him just in time to see my lovely fox vanish behind a gorse bush. I thought he was going to head over the wall in that bush and away. But no! He circles back out of that bush. I follow him, he stops briefly on top of a rock in front of a hillock, my crosshairs comes up to meet him BANG!

"Well, he's still there anyway" comes the laughing from beside me.

Lovely dog fox, 106 yards, in great condition. Think the new Panasonic Lumix I bought takes a half decent picture.

alo555

It did come as a bit of a surprise to me to have my post under the above heading.delighted.:p
However reading the rules of this site again and probably a little slower this time around
I understand your reason why, So I am now saying please understand my reasons for having my account delighted as I will not subscribe to anything concerning the above heading I will never click here again. alo555.:(:P

tikkamark

Thats one nice coat on that fox john.And great to get the pair so close to the hens.
I shot a huge lump of a dog fox tuesday night that was tucking into a buzzard then ran out to 190yrds and was sent into a permanant sleep,he was a serious weight and had a real nice coat too.
Its tough going in the cold though:eek:

johngalway

Saturday 16th January

There isn't an awful lot to this story, the reason why will become apparent pretty quickly. My plan tonight was to head out on my own, a bit of peace and quiet (broken by extremely loud noises granted) does a body no harm, and nab a fox quick. I was thinking of heading to a different spot afterwards to try out my new EagleTac torch properly with the shotgun.

I pulled up at the farm gate and began walking to one of my preferred stands for calling. I thought to myself if I don't see a fox quickly tonight it's a bad omen. Well, I wasn't at my stand any longer than three minutes when two of the loveliest fox eyes you ever did see blinked at me on the first note of a rabbit distress call.

I clipped my Striker onto the scope and settled down on a rock to steady myself. This fox is over two hundred yards out, coming in no particular rush crossing me diagonally left to right. I would have expected him to go the opposite direction, because the wind was coming from the right heading left and going behind me.

I watched him in the scope for a time with the lamp on half power, I upped the juice a bit for the shot. I could have let him come in closer except there were two fence lines in front of me and as it was he was as close to the second one out as I'd like. There was no need to be shooting through fences with their associated risks so a light squeeze on the Jewell and over he fell.

Decent dog fox, 142 yards.



I was sitting down on the bog beside my fox taking the above mugshot, when I'd finished that I grabbed my lamp only to see an unusual kind of flash. I checked the terminals and most of the cable, so I changed the bulb, no light. When I got home I discovered the wire coming out the lamp side of the dimmer had pulled and frayed. Expensive fox.

jap gt

nice fox, and a great looking gun, lovely stock. great reads everytime, i would hate to be a fox in your area