In praise of top end optics

Cyres

Well-Known Member
Well they cut silage again over the weekend, but as normal didn't tell us. A very quick foray on Sunday eve saw a fox carrying a big dead item scurrying out of the field, so no joy.

Monday eve out again with Sussex Fallow in the passenger seat, he loves Bristol.

We parked up under a wall on a lovely gently sloping field 600+ yds long, light wind in our favour and there is a very well used run across the field 400yds infront. We were there for 8:15 pm and it was just sit and wait. Just scanning the whole field with the Leicas. At about 9:10 pm I said to Steve " Funny how foxs have the ability to just appear in the field infront of you, just if they come out of the ground"

About 5 mins later bugger me there is a big dark fox crossing the field on the run. So out of the motor wind the Zeiss up to 24x pa and ASV on max, Steves watching and ranging but he wont stop, mega frustration 400+ yds.

Then Steve finds another on the same run to our left , its small but this one decides to deviate and starts to come up the field towards us. I can't find it cause scope still on x24 so down to x8 and track it up the field, quick shout it stops and a 75 v max does the job.

Its quite dark but just about ok. Now Steve finds a roe by the trees its 400+ looks like a buck but going away from us down the opposite hedge.

Out comes the thermal and Steve then clocks another fox way down the field, I can see it though the Leica's. I got the Zeiss back on 24x but its v difficult. Steve calls and it comes up the field like a grey hound. I am desperately trying to wind down the mag and it stops to a shout at about 90yds. I put the dot in the middle of its chest and lauch a v max.

Now all I can remember was seeing a puff of white and the fox jumps in the air but no confirming strike, Steve's watching through the Leicas but sees it jump and then looses it.

Hmm he say you missed that, me Well it was dead in the middle and I thought i saw the strike but clearly there isn't a body to confirm it.

Bit miffed to say the least. Anyway its probably 9:45 now and on the very edge of light so we walk down to pick up the 1st fox which at approx 200yds turns out to be a small vixen, the 75 v max just behind the shoulder has all but cut it in half, there is a huge chunck of it missing.

We return to the motor and decide to have a look arround the adjacent fields to see if we can see anything else. Obviously blank but as we come up from the bottom of the field we were parked up in we spot a roe in almost the same spot as we were parked up in!!

Very obvious in the thermal. As I drive up the hedgerow Steve suddenly says theres your fox I stop and loh and behold is a large dead dog fox V close to the original strike point. The fox has a slit like incission down the sternum and the diaphragm is perforated.

So I was right.

Thinking about it when I took the shot the fox was standing looking directly at me and I was shooting down the slope and the bullet must have gone low( yes I do know it should go high so my aim point must of been a bit off) and just run along the sternum so v unlucky fox.

Also I realised that the scope was still PA at 400 yds hence the none too sharp sight picture.


Well a good result: the first two foxs with the Zeiss and a combination of two top end bits of glass and some advanced electronics bagged two very smart foxs.

I just need to get to grips with the Zeiss.


There is a part 2 to follow!
 
well the honest answer was that we didn't think about it, thought it was a clean miss,so another lesson learned.

Used the thermal on rabbits in some very rough pasture last night it was very effective.

D
 
Nice write up. Any idea why you couldn't spot the shot fox on the TI? It's not like they go instantly cold ...

I was standing directly behind david to keep silhouette to a minimum. I saw the fox jump but it must have made a short dash away hidden by david s frame. I did in fact scan with the thermal but it must have been obscured by the cut grass. Easy to see while coming from the other end of the field looking across the swaths. As paddy says above..
Atb Steve
 
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