Another trio for the big hunting ground in the sky

johngalway

We've been off out after the foxes again tonight. John arrived at the house around 6.30pm or so. I said, in my wisdom , "We better get going before it get's bright again!", now, chew on that one for a while.

The end of the valley road was our destination. Up past the sheep shed again and onto a nice hillock. To our backs a pure wall of a mountain. On out right hand side the valley stretches away from us into the distance. In front we're looking into some fields and on farther then down to the river. To our left the shed and a couple of small fields and a scattering of houses.

A sharp kick to my ankle told me our first customer had been spotted. A pair of foxy eyes were coming up the hill towards us to the left of a dry stone wall. Lost them then for a minute or so. Viewing through the scope I find our fox again, except it's crossed over the wall and is on the right hand side now. It makes a sharp dart after a rabbit, which I almost interpret as it's been frightened by something. As soon as I work out what the fox is at it stops dead, then, well, you know how that one ends by now.

A smaller vixen, something around 130 yards.



Remember my warning about it getting bright?

Moonrise behind one of Connemara's magnificent hills... which I didn't want to share with ye it's so awesomely spectacular so I took the photo at night



Now, we're no longer in our nice dark corner of the valley, which has been completely bathed in moonlight. Off go the lamps for a look around, yep no worries about getting home if the power goes out tonight!

Time to change stands as nothing else has shown so far. Off we wander down past our first fox and through a small maze of old sheds, deserted houses, sheep pens, etc. It takes some time before John spots a fox a fair ways out, behind a fence, near an old ruins and completely hidden with rushes.

We try to pick it up again in the lamps, and use different calls with no luck Our assumption that it's headed up to our left the far side of a large bank proves incorrect - once we'd climbed 90% of the way back up the valley where do we spot the fox again?

Yeah. Way down by the river :rolleyes:

The fox isn't a bit interested in being called in, but nor is he afraid of it or the light. We're 450-500 yards away from it and a lot higher. I get the feeling John isn't too terribly interested in heading down again. Neither am I to be honest but after all the looking and faffing around I'm less inclined to leave it go. A stampede of sheep announce my arrival 150 yards from the river, could I hell get around them big and all as the field is. No sign of our fox though

All of a sudden I see my outline in lamplight on the river edge, I'm being flashed :P I know John's spotted something from the crows nest. Off to my left there's our fox, who's worked back the way he came initially and is now moving at a rate of knots up the hill towards John, who is unarmed tonight :pac:

I scramble over to the nearest clean hillock that'll afford me a shot. Picking up the fox in the scope it stops, maybe looking for a way through the sheep net fence I'm not sure but he's looking and turned right at me. Not one to pass up the opportunity the second Federal bullet of the night flies across a field, thwap!

A real big dog fox. Old guy this one we reckon. Two K9's missing, the lower surviving K9 is bent almost like a Scimitar sword. Head shot, 145 yards I think.



John's down for a look and we take our time walking back up the side of the valley. Not long after John spies a fox far, far up the valley. I believe he was the other side of the river at the time we first saw him.

On the hunt again we've to move up the valley to the next decent shooting perch. In the mean time our fox has made up quite a lot of ground. It's now a fair ways higher than us heading for bunnyville near the sheep shed. Still a long way off it's destination.

The funny thing is, two minutes before we found this fox the second time I had said "I'd love to find a nice handy fox tonight out about 300 yards against a green background".

Low and behold

OK, I got a real crappy background, brown and black bog. I had a spot picked out, then had to change it as the fox went behind a tree. Moved down the hill a bit and got a much better view. Extended the bipod legs, changed and rechecked parallax, bean bag under the butt of the rifle, light adjusted to full juice, settled in nicely. He moves, I move and readjust.

Pssssssshht....

No thwap... Why no thwap? He breaks to the left running.

Well, to tell you the truth, in all the excitement I forgot to compensate for the 300 yards distance. Duh.

Tramping up the hill, fuming and most unhappy with myself we arrive at the spot the fox last was in. John thinks I've winged him. Given there was no wind, and where I aimed, it's possible.

We have a fair good look around the immediate area. I'm about to give up when I spot what can only be a foxes eyes well up the valley close in to the base of the mountain proper. Linford Christie never moved as fast.

I picked out a hillock and made for it. Threw myself down, crosshairs on our fox and THWAP! Dog fox, 168 yards I think.



Glad to get him, still kicking myself over the basic mistake. Otherwise I'd have knocked him clean at 300. Lesson learned I hope.

Three foxes seen, three accounted for, not bad for the conditions.

jap gt

jesus you have some heap of foxes up there, how far have you had to travel from home to get them, nearly all my fox shooting is in walking distance, do you stick to one area

johngalway

That spot is maybe about 8-10 miles away. We always make sure our own ground is covered first and that we know what's going on here in relation to fox numbers and problems. Then it's just a case of doing the rounds to different farms who've called us in in the past to sort out foxes, usually at lambing time. We don't really go much farther than that spot to be honest. Then I'm, as it's usually me driving, burning up too much petrol and taking up too much time. The farmers we shoot for are decent people so it's no chore. Anyone else can look after themselves :pac:

Edited to add. That's 18 so far this season. Probably be that many again just at lambing time, plus a few stragglers here and there, with Jan/Feb being kinda quiet.

Cass

johngalway wrote: »

Well, to tell you the truth, in all the excitement I forgot to compensate for the 300 yards distance. Duh.

Same problem, different situation myself today. Its a basic, newbie mistake, but happens us all.

At least you followed up and got him. :cool:

johngalway

He was indeed hit at 300, as John guessed. Just low, and not cleanly enough to drop him as I intended.

kay 9

Good going as usual John, jaysus I can't wait to get out again myself asap:)