Lamp shy fox chase - crossed the finish line

johngalway

For the past three weeks :rolleyes: We've been after a lamp shy fox. A couple of lads from nearby shot at him and missed on two separate occasions. That's not normally something that'd concern me except he's taken to killing ducks and hens. 4 ducks and 11 hens to date on two separate holdings.

Four times I've seen him and not had one chance at a shot yet. Had I had the shotgun instead of the rifle one night he'd be in the big hunting ground in the sky. But I couldn't pick him out at 8x less than 30 yards away moving through tall rushes :mad:

He's starting to piss me off.

Most foxes I've noticed will stick to times and paths. Twice I've seen him at 9.20pm ish. Set up an ambush using NV as my spotter one night, and he arrived at 7.30pm.

He's struck twice on Saturdays in the afternoon.

I've searched the fields and I cannot, hand on heart, find a definite path to snare. The land is rough, wet, and over grown, not seen a paw print yet.

He won't stop for the rifle at night. So I'm going to switch to using my Yukon Digital Ranger as a spotter and the shotgun.

We're going to pen up the hens & ducks in day time and watch them during the after noon, with the rifle.

Dad has a cage trap, with I might haul over if I have time mid week.

Aside from that I'm all out of ideas :rolleyes:

blackstairsboy

He sounds like the sort of fox that I like to hunt. He is cunning and unpredictable by the sounds of it. Sure wouldn't it be too easy if you got him right away.:) I'm sure you ll get him in the end.

lee70

johngalway wrote: »

For the past three weeks :rolleyes: We've been after a lamp shy fox. A couple of lads from nearby shot at him and missed on two separate occasions. That's not normally something that'd concern me except he's taken to killing ducks and hens. 4 ducks and 11 hens to date on two separate holdings.

Four times I've seen him and not had one chance at a shot yet. Had I had the shotgun instead of the rifle one night he'd be in the big hunting ground in the sky. But I couldn't pick him out at 8x less than 30 yards away moving through tall rushes :mad:

He's starting to piss me off.

Most foxes I've noticed will stick to times and paths. Twice I've seen him at 9.20pm ish. Set up an ambush using NV as my spotter one night, and he arrived at 7.30pm.

He's struck twice on Saturdays in the afternoon.

I've searched the fields and I cannot, hand on heart, find a definite path to snare. The land is rough, wet, and over grown, not seen a paw print yet.

He won't stop for the rifle at night. So I'm going to switch to using my Yukon Digital Ranger as a spotter and the shotgun.

We're going to pen up the hens & ducks in day time and watch them during the after noon, with the rifle.

Dad has a cage trap, with I might haul over if I have time mid week.

Aside from that I'm all out of ideas :rolleyes:

could you not try leaving food out in the same spot and observe for a few days and if the keeps taking the bait then you can nail him.

poulo6.5

johngalway wrote: »

For the past three weeks :rolleyes: We've been after a lamp shy fox. A couple of lads from nearby shot at him and missed on two separate occasions. That's not normally something that'd concern me except he's taken to killing ducks and hens. 4 ducks and 11 hens to date on two separate holdings.

Four times I've seen him and not had one chance at a shot yet. Had I had the shotgun instead of the rifle one night he'd be in the big hunting ground in the sky. But I couldn't pick him out at 8x less than 30 yards away moving through tall rushes :mad:

He's starting to piss me off.

Most foxes I've noticed will stick to times and paths. Twice I've seen him at 9.20pm ish. Set up an ambush using NV as my spotter one night, and he arrived at 7.30pm.

He's struck twice on Saturdays in the afternoon.

I've searched the fields and I cannot, hand on heart, find a definite path to snare. The land is rough, wet, and over grown, not seen a paw print yet.

He won't stop for the rifle at night. So I'm going to switch to using my Yukon Digital Ranger as a spotter and the shotgun.

We're going to pen up the hens & ducks in day time and watch them during the after noon, with the rifle.

Dad has a cage trap, with I might haul over if I have time mid week.

Aside from that I'm all out of ideas :rolleyes:

Hi John. Sounds like you have met your match. You should call him neo

Have you tried leaving bate for him in the same place for a few days or a week.

Let it there and go away every evening. It won't take long before he gets comfortable there and as long as you have a hide or something comfortable to sit on you should get him

johngalway

300 yards away there are literally hundreds of rabbits. There is also a large hare population on the farm.

But, our villain comes for fowl.

I've watched the banks during the day where the bunnies are, he's been seen - by others - a couple of times during the day.

The idea of penning up the hens is similar to the leaving out food idea. We're hoping he'll be too interested in looking for a way into them to notice much else.

poulo6.5 wrote: »

You should call him neo

I've called him a few things Poulo, don't worry

It wasn't me!

This is one of those few instances I reckon something like a .243 or a .25-06 is the better fox killing tool than the .22 centrefire, because you get that little extra range that lets you sit up somewhere high with field of view all around and lets you get a shot in that might not be ethical with a .223. Is there some sort of vantage point you could use, John? Must be a few lads out your way with the like of a .243 or a .270 who'd be happy to sort out the fox (Assuming they can shoot well enough to take him at whatever range he presents himself, of course).

johngalway

There's a lovely bank across from the hen shed. Previous Saturday night I saw him at 334 yards, dead calm. Couldn't stop him. Shot clays out to 350 without missing so the gun is up for it, the fox isn't.

I know one lad has a .308 alright, but he missed seven clays at the same range (dig, dig, dig if you're reading this MJ :P ).

It wasn't me!

johngalway wrote: »

There's a lovely bank across from the hen shed. Previous Saturday night I saw him at 334 yards, dead calm. Couldn't stop him. Shot clays out to 350 without missing so the gun is up for it, the fox isn't.

I know one lad has a .308 alright, but he missed seven clays at the same range (dig, dig, dig if you're reading this MJ :P ).

.223 will do it, but the bigger rounds carry more energy and drift less. Still, if you're breaking clays you're not relying on marginal hits anyway, so you should be fine to take the shot if you get one. He's got to stop sooner or later!

johngalway

Yup, thinking of rounding up a few lads to run after him, he's bound to tire out at some stage

sincere113

I had the same problem 12 months ago. I too keep lots of fowl and Charlie would come at will for a feed, however he was very wary of lamp! I set up the cage with a crow as bait and caught 3 foxes in 1 week... Happy days !!

greenpeter

:cool:

johngalways new lamping tool????

DavyDee

Have you tried a red lens on the lamp? Worked for us with a cute fecker like that.

ssl

"Had I had the shotgun instead of the rifle one night he'd be in the big hunting ground in the sky."
Sound like you need one of those combination guns! : )

"Have you tried a red lens on the lamp? "
I seen a green lens used very effectively also.

Vegeta

6-8 good lads and a pack of hounds maybe?

Round up a posse

Birdnuts

Sounds like John has taken out all the low IQ foxes - which means we're dealing with MENSA material:D;)

pedroeibar1

johngalway wrote: »

He's starting to piss me off....................

.............. I'm all out of ideas :rolleyes:

As they say over Cork way - 'Patience and persiverence made a bishop of his riverence!'
P.

tikkamark

Sit out with the rifle in the evening times just coming up to dark and im sure you will find where the fox is coming from,might have one or two blank evenings but the fox should eventually cross your path worked heaps of times for me in very similar curcumstances as in the fox ignored hundreds of rabbits about the place to kill chickens and geese.Failing that one or 2 decent foxing terriers would not be long about finding the foxes earth.

Bloody fox broke into our own pheasant pen there monday night and killed 7 cocks and about 20 hens that we kept back for laying in the spring:mad:It dug clean under the electric fence surrounding the pen.Fairly sickened as i was feeding them myself since may.

johngalway

Oh yes.

I was checking the weather earlier. Would I head back today during the day and pen up a few hens, or go looking for sheep on the hill and leave the chase until tonight.

Feck it I'll head back. Saw the farmers jeep parked at his brothers on the way back, but he was at home luckily, the son was driving it.

He'd just let all the hens and ducks out :eek: "Can we put them back in again?" Off he went for a bucket of feed to bribe them back into the hen house.

We penned up two cocks in an open area down side of the shed. He was killed inviting me in for tea, "No thanks, soon as we go inside the door this fecker will be around".

"Will you have soup, the daughter has it ready"

"No, no, call in later, got to get this fella!"

Off I went down to my hiding spot. Set up the rifle in the small grassy V notch between two rocks. Not that well hidden but it was good enough.

I was there no more than 10 minutes when this big fat yoke of a fox rambles along not five yards away from me :eek: and I can't do a thing about him. The land has too many rushes, rocks, walls, yfi, and the list goes on!

Panic sets in :pac:

I ripped the scrim net off the rifle and crawled on hands and knees five or ten yards up to the next rock. Prop up the rifle and just stare looking for movement.

Can't see a thing besides rocks, walls and rushes.

Has he done something daft like hop the wall into the next field? Did he lie up in the rushes and maybe I've scared him off? Where the 'ef is he?

True to form I catch something reddish moving up in the field near the wall beside the hen house, we in bidness :cool:

I have him in the scope and he's heading for the corner of a big rock. I don't make a sound, I want him to stop on his own and not be warned.

A gentle squeeze and an extremely satisfying thump! later we're finally rid of that damned fox. 1.05pm in the day!



Photo later on as I can't find the lead for the camera phone at the minute.

Found the lead!

Dog fox, well fed :pac: Missing one upper K9 and several small front teeth.

Vegeta

In the middle of the day, result

dicky82

fair play john. never doubted its faith for a second.

welsummer

what i do for a problem fox is bait the area about 30 minutes before dark every evening, so the crows do get the bait before the foxes. i chop up the heart /lungs/liver/kidneys and the remains of the deer carcus into marbel size bits and freeze them in half pound bags. i take one out of the freezer every morning to thaw out and then scatter it around the one field that i have easy access to, at the back of some sheds.
Depending on what way the wind is blowing i retire to the back of a round bale or the stump of a tree, and hey presto, just as last light is fading, the culprit fox appears and i send him on his way with a pair of wings.
if you keep up baiting the area , you will get foxes to change their visiting times. i shot 22 foxes in the one small field using this method.
i try and bait the area every evening even if i am not going to shoot it that evening.
i never throw away any part of my cleaned out game or shot vermin (squirrels/magpies/crows)and these are all used as bait.

johngalway

This fella had the farmer well worked out. Once the fowl started going he kept them shut in a lot. On mart days the farmer would come home, let the fowl out and then have his dinner. Bang, foxy would nab a couple. I had a good idea I'd get him in daylight but never expected him so quick.

tfox

johngalway wrote: »

This fella had the farmer well worked out. Once the fowl started going he kept them shut in a lot. On mart days the farmer would come home, let the fowl out and then have his dinner. Bang, foxy would nab a couple. I had a good idea I'd get him in daylight but never expected him so quick.

great result !! Fine healthy looking fox there, well fed obviously

poulo6.5

johngalway wrote: »

This fella had the farmer well worked out. Once the fowl started going he kept them shut in a lot. On mart days the farmer would come home, let the fowl out and then have his dinner. Bang, foxy would nab a couple. I had a good idea I'd get him in daylight but never expected him so quick.

Good work as usual John. You beat him at his own game.
Another one bites the dust.

It wasn't me!

He's a big bugger alright! Nice diet of poultry was suiting him down to the ground obviously!

Birdnuts

tfox wrote: »

great result !! Fine healthy looking fox there, well fed obviously

Indeed - I propose we nick-name him "Josie Wells" in in honor of him dodging sheriff John G for so long;)

steyrman2

nice to get a result fair play for your hard work :cool:

sikastag

Fair play John, your stories always have a 'happy ending'!

lee70

well done john you nailed him in the end but just remember now he's gone who will fill his boots keep thoughs eyes peeled.

welsummer

stopp
image uploadinged these guys from heading you way

Tackleberrywho

Well done Sir
I must get back into lamping and stop drinking in the evenings!

welsummer

>Well done Sir.

......i might be of the female species

Tackleberrywho

welsummer wrote: »

>Well done Sir.

......i might be of the female species

Ah I don't believe you are
But I'll allow you to prove me wrong

Well done anyway. This a fine bit of hunting, Foxes are one of the hardest animals to hunt;)

johngalway

welsummer wrote: »

stopp
image uploadinged these guys from heading you way

Nice photo.

Let them on over, I'm not short on ammunition anymore