BruceA
Member
Be gentle as I'm an newbie to FAC, so forgive any ignorance. I'm just trying to learn like you all did once.
I have a permission which has stables and poultry where I was ratting with my air rifle but they started getting fox problems, which I was invited to address. The land is on the edge of a village with a road running to one side (at least 70 yeards from one fox run. i.e. the track), horses in a paddock on one side of the track and a house nearby. The foxes are quite townie so getting within a max of 50 yards is not difficult. The foxes cross the track which slopes upwards, with a big plowed field beyond, but it is quite stoney and the horses are usually in the paddock on the road side of it. The foxes can also be baited to the bottom of a low very soft bank (although Charlie does take the **** sometimes and sit on top of the bank looking right at me for 15-20 mins. I think he must know there's no backstop there
). I have already taken a few shooting up the track and also using the bank as a backstop with my .22LR and CCI segmented subsonic. From what I have seen on YouTube demos, the faster, 1640fps, CCI segmented can be pretty erratic even at 50 yards so ensuring a clean kill would worry me. I should say that I'm a good shot and all rounds have so far been absorbed by the foxes that I've had (my club has already invited me to join the national benchrest team 
and I'm pretty lethal with rats and bunnies).
I have read all the threads about using rimfire only for very close range foxing and ricochets, which have raised some concerns. I appreciate that a centrefire is the ideal tool for foxing but my (uneducated) opinion is that it would be madness on this land. So, how can I optimise safety and kills, i.e. head or engine room shots? Would my 17 HMR be a better option with ballistic tips? Should I avoid shooting on the track altogether in case I miss or get a pass through which hits a rocky bit? No doubt this wil open a can of worms with varied opinions...
I have a permission which has stables and poultry where I was ratting with my air rifle but they started getting fox problems, which I was invited to address. The land is on the edge of a village with a road running to one side (at least 70 yeards from one fox run. i.e. the track), horses in a paddock on one side of the track and a house nearby. The foxes are quite townie so getting within a max of 50 yards is not difficult. The foxes cross the track which slopes upwards, with a big plowed field beyond, but it is quite stoney and the horses are usually in the paddock on the road side of it. The foxes can also be baited to the bottom of a low very soft bank (although Charlie does take the **** sometimes and sit on top of the bank looking right at me for 15-20 mins. I think he must know there's no backstop there
). I have already taken a few shooting up the track and also using the bank as a backstop with my .22LR and CCI segmented subsonic. From what I have seen on YouTube demos, the faster, 1640fps, CCI segmented can be pretty erratic even at 50 yards so ensuring a clean kill would worry me. I should say that I'm a good shot and all rounds have so far been absorbed by the foxes that I've had (my club has already invited me to join the national benchrest team and I'm pretty lethal with rats and bunnies).I have read all the threads about using rimfire only for very close range foxing and ricochets, which have raised some concerns. I appreciate that a centrefire is the ideal tool for foxing but my (uneducated) opinion is that it would be madness on this land. So, how can I optimise safety and kills, i.e. head or engine room shots? Would my 17 HMR be a better option with ballistic tips? Should I avoid shooting on the track altogether in case I miss or get a pass through which hits a rocky bit? No doubt this wil open a can of worms with varied opinions...
With the most recent, I was a bit concerned that a shot just behind the shoulder with the .22 CCI segmented didn't do the job after he cart-wheeled and disappeared. but Fortunately it wasn't the case, I found him 15 yards away stone dead. I haven't used the HMR on them yet but it sounds like it is a better option, sticking to the bank and bib shots from the consensus of posts above. The max from where I plot up to the bank is 60 yards, so all good.
I believe it means more spefically a dung heap in Devon/Cornwall
The bank seems an adequate backstop especially since the earth is very soft there. I think I'll give the track a miss as it is stoney and the horses are close.
erm…no.
