Cubs much in evidence?

Claret_Dabbler

Well-Known Member
Was out lamping last night for the first time in months.

About half a mile from home I shot a large cub, well grown and well fed. It was maybe 500m from where I expect the earth might be, pretty sure a vixen has raised a litter in a bit of ground I do not have access to.

About 20 minutes later, I shot a dog fox, last years cub I think, on another farm about a mile further on.

Not to many foxes in evidence in this area. We were really hard on them last winter.

Are you guys getting much action?
 
Out last night with another forum member, just trying different lamps and night vision for the first time (for me)
First sweep of a lamp and up popped two cubs (no gun with us).
Looks like time to get out with the gun :D

Neil. :)
 
Have seen cubs out and about at my wife's work place , they have been raising cubs in this place for years but this year ( i don't know why ) there seems to a big family (i am sure i counted at least five or six cubs and all looking very healthy , also the farmer has found a den on his land and we saw the vixen last week looking as though she was in milk so my rifle/scope/bipod is now here so as soon as this weather changes and i get a day off work i'll be up there after them.....my plan is ( AND PLEASE TELL ME IF I AM WRONG HERE) to get set up an wait for the vixen to show up and try and take her about 20 yards from the den and leave her there for a while and (according to a prolific fox shooter the cubs will come out looking for mother's milk and i will be able to take them.........any thoughts or advice is most welcome
 
Always best to try and kill the vixen first if the chance arises, the cubs will have spotted her well before she's 20 yds away and they'll let you know when she's close, take her when you can, they rarely go by the book, make sure the wind is right
 
Not seen any here yet but ahev shot a lot of vixens so far this year. Trying a farm ive not shot on for a while, farmer has said he is seeing foxes abck and too during the day but no cubs.
 
Always best to try and kill the vixen first if the chance arises, the cubs will have spotted her well before she's 20 yds away and they'll let you know when she's close, take her when you can, they rarely go by the book, make sure the wind is right

Cheers crumpy , went to the farm today for five minutes just to see the farmer , the whole place is sodden with all this rain we have had , hopefully it will have dried out a bit before i get my days off next week
 
I got a big dog at mine two nights ago. A friend has just got a vixen at his today whilst carrying off one of his chickens! You're right it's a good idea if you get the vixen and you think it has cubs is to put the body back out and it often draws the cubs in as they come looking for their mother. The cubs round here are pretty big and out and about now so you could get away with a bit more distance than 20 yards but depends on their age!
 
Just been out this evening.

Found a den in April, the silage has just been cut so there was a clear line of sight to the den.

Laid up at 8pm and waited for no more than 10 minutes when the vixen showed. Dropped her about 20 yards from the den.

Sure enough 15 minutes or so later the cubs started to show, these cubs must have been reading the text books.

Waited until I could see 5 and then dropped them one by one. After each cub went down there was almost no reaction, I was using a moderated .243 as Northants Police do not deem a .17HMR man enough for the job!!!

Shamefully I did not take a camera or even my phone to take any photo's.

I will be dropping round to see the farmer tomorrow, I know he will be very pleased.

I am sure if he heard the report from his house he would have thought I had a productive evening. :D

Cheers

Ross
 
Just had 3 hours out with the 223 as the farmer has been round today saying he has seen foxes everywhere and even chasing the cats in the farmyard. grass is a bit limiting at the mo and i drew a blank. Made life hard for myself by leaving the sling and bipod at home! can't even remember taking it off. Did shoot a couple of mole hills just to keep my eye in but out for an all nighter Friday.

Ezzy
 
Their all out above ground in this area now , if we get a wet spell it might put them back in the ground but not for long
 
Most of my land is arable so too much cover to see anythng until the combines start rolling. However I was out on a new patch of ground in
North Oxfordshire on Tuesday, mostly spring drillings and grassland, shot four adults (all dogs) and only saw one cub above ground, it was tiny, no larger than my 6 week old spaniel pup.
 
Seen 1 out monday nite he the only 1 i have seen this year ( IT WAS A BIT ON THE LEGY SIDE) stood out well over the long grass
 
We had a big clear up when the silage was cut at Easter, shot 5, including 3 milky vixens, one had shreaded teats. Couldn't find earths/cubs. Anway we saw a very well grown cub on a back lane a fortnight ago, about 200yds from where we shot the milky vixen. Cant get at them, even though have permission to shoot on the field.

One Tues shot 2 more vixens, one was barren, small with healed rear broken but mended hind leg and she been causing grief since March. The other was in milk, but looked weaned as fur was intact. Then later on we saw 2 cubs in a totally inaccesible place on one of our chicken farms they were well grown and active, will have to wait for the rape on the bank adjacent to them to be cut.

D
 
Farmer has been round again today to moan about foxes. I have sat out Wednesday and Thursday for about 3 hours a night and seen sod all. I had to go and lamp a local golf course last night but i'm not supposed to shoot foxes on there. typicaly i saw 3 in about an hour. on the way home i decided to have a look round for a fox back at home. in the end i drove/sat out for another 3 hours and saw not a sausage. then half past 8 this morning the farmer is hear telling me that he saw 2 in the farmyard this morning. I wish i shot the ones at the golf course and dropped them off for the farmer. just waiting for dark so i can go out again tonight.

Ezzy
 
I've had plenty in my part of Yorkshire, the Estate is pretty much under control with only one litter to deal with this year, but the small shoots and farms I do the fox control for are having a major influx with cubs already moving into the rape.
Over the last 2 weeks I've been out every night bar three and have killed 37 various foxes in that time taking the vixen first then mopping up the cubs.
Late evening has been successfull for taking the vixen then cleaning up the cubs with the night vision, ive also had some fun with the semi auto and baiting points on the edge of the rape fields.
The down side is im chuffing knackered and the long hair commander is giving me loads of grief for never being home but what the hell I chose the career.
 
A large percentage of mine is arable so later in the year for there. The local free range egg chappie has a problem we have seen the vixen and at least three cubs but the earth is elsewhere. High seat is going in tomorrow along with a bait station at a convenient distance. The urban lot seem to be doing well around here.
 
Around our area they are about and causing problems,a person who lives on the estate near me had 3 chickens killed on saturday night,my friend who is the local keeper shot it in his garden on sunday morning and i shot a one on saturday morning also.Its going to be a busy time now trying to mop then up.
Atb john.
 
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