A Rather Eventful Night..

[Norrie1956]

Literally just in the door from a nights lamping...this is only the second night lamping on this particular farm...and I was really using it as an exercise, as i havent dont a lot of Fox lamping.....Rab and I got there about 8pm last night...and firstly did a bit Rabbiting., had 3...then had something to eat, and got ready to start on the foxes with the .243...so for 10.30 all was ready...
I used the Predator caller, and after a few mins, heard a fox...and then another..Rab turned on the lamp, and there right enough was a pair of foxes about 50yds apart, and they seemed to be talking to each other, the calls from them were something I've never heard before..weird stuff...I managed to call one into about 100yds..a very tense time BTW....and it got it..
We stayed at the same place for a while,but nothing was doing, the second fox had vanished....so we then decided to have a wander with the HMR and the lamp....and had another lone rabbit., saw a crackin Buck, but left well alone...for now..
We heard a couple of Fox barks in the wood, and tried calling it, but nothing, it had all gone quiet.
We packed up at about 1am, and headed home, only for me to get a blowout on a rear tyre on the 4x4 about 3 miles from the farm...and no spare, its in being repaired from its last puncture, so, turned round and headed back to the farm at 5mph....with Rab in his 4x4 following me with his hazards on...3 wheels on my wagon....by the time we got there the tyre was absolutely ruined,...so, left the car to get the spare tomorrow and collect the car...anyway, we were in Rabs car on the way home, chatting about how the night had gone, and I said all we need now to finish the night, is to get pulled at 2.25am by the police...sure enough, 2 mins from home... yer wish is granted,....pulled, Rab has an LED brake light on his back door, it actually looks like a fog light, and the cops thought it was a jammed brake light, so after a chat with them...I got home a few mins ago, knacked, but a great night, with great company, tho poor Rab has a 45 min run home...so he'll not be home yet...
And, another fox for the list...

 

[finnbear270]

and they seemed to be talking to each other, the calls from them were something I've never heard before..weird stuff.

Hi Norrie, would you describe it as similar to a couple of tussling ferrets,but just a lot louder?

 

[Norrie1956]

Hi There, nope, wasnt like that...I keep ferrets too...so, know the sounds you mean....they sounded ( in a high pitch Fox voice) really as I said, like they were talking to each other...obviously they werent talking as such...LOl.... At first they replied to the Distressed rabbit call, then stopped, so I tried the cub call,.they started answering to it........

We did think of Badgers, as there are some around that farm... it was def foxes..I shot one,.. As I say, I've not done a lot of lamping foxes, so, it might be a normal sound to experienced ears...but I've certainly never heard the like before.. another great experience for me.. Hope to repeat it this weekend again...once I get the car home..

 

[miffy]

Hi Norrie

Out myself last night ( shot two cubs ) then tried the other side of the road.
The was a vixen shouting, but sounded more like a owl, never heard one like that before.
Very high pitched.

 

[Norrie1956]

Hi Miffy, Well done on the cubs...

Thats the sort of sound we heard...very eerie too on a quiet night... and it was a half grown dog fox I shot last night..

Was going back out tonight, but still knacked after last night, and chasing all over the place today trying to get a tyre, and a puncture done for the Challenger...no chance,nothing stays open after 12 pm here... so ended up with the tyre fitter sticking a runner on for the price of a pint, to let me get the car home till I get a chance to get it replaced.....

 

[finnbear270]

After deciding to remain home this Saturday, (very late one on Friday),I received an uplifting phone call from Mike (Flyboy270) just after lunch, confirming my adage "They will need you, before you will need them", Mike had come up smelling of roses (again), around 18 months ago & landed a very pretty piece of ground, for vermin shooting, just inside the hours travelling from us, then after three or so visits he was excluded from it, we later found that the keeper had very ruffled feathers, so that was that, or so we thought, without giving too many details for his fresh invite from the landowner, (the original invite was from a tenant), we attended around 19.15 yesterday, had a very comprehensive tour with indications to concentrate on particular areas of interest, but also with an open ended remit concerning all forms of vermin, in the air and on the ground, by 09.45 I had relieved the pressure on the pen of a very pristine Vixen, & also a good sized bag of Rabbits, Mike was also pretty busy judging by the reports floating over the top of the high ground, so, a very pleasing result for the being "Asked back" situation.

 

[miffy]

Norrie
It was a very quite night for me to,however i don't think that had much to do with it.
It was a vixen calling i tracked her in the street lights ( waiting for her to present a safe shot but did not )
Very strange call , will try again this week.
Pain in the arse a puncture at the best of time.
Happy hunting.

 

[miffy]

Steve
Glad to hear that this particular piece of ground has come back around.
Make hey while the sun shines, and give that keeper a poke in the eye if you see him ( wants it all him self, but not got enough time )

 

[finnbear270]

Hiya Garry, would think the keeper would grateful for the result last night, after all, it's his birds she was putting on the menu,............ on the way out many many birds (small) outside the wire.

 

[Norrie1956]

Hi Guys...Steve, great news about getting the land back... very well done, and good to hear of a successful trip out..

I was asked to go see a farmer,who had a problem with ferals in his sheds, so, went up ., and he asked how much I charged for shooting the pigeons?? I couldnt believe it...Charge???...so, eventually I got rid of them,the last was just a few days ago and thought that was it, then a couple of days ago, he called, and tells me his farmland is available for me if I want to keep the vermin down... Soooperb... Went to see him again, and he gave me a Larsen trap,which I've used as a template for an other... what a nice guy, and another farm on my list...
Gary...I just spent all day changing tyres on the car.....so, now, got a full decent set of four...PLUS a decent spare...there was a wrecked Nissan Patrol on one of the farms,(same size tyre)... with two good tyres, so, they are now on the Challenger, courtesy of a very nice farmer......


BTW, Steve, thanks for the great advice mate...

 

[finnbear270]

I would say you should think about buying a couple of lucky dips Norrie!

 

[Norrie1956]

LOL, Near fell off me chair there...

Ha, not so lucky after all, just back from the Physio, and on the way up, heard a banging and crashing under the car...bleedin gear box gaurd was hanging off..must have been all the off roading at the weekend....so, theres me, on a main road, lying under the car tying the guard back up with the cable off my Lightforce Lamp...I can laugh now, but at 5.45pm this evening, I wasnt...

 

[miffy]

Norrie

Very resourceful , the things we do to get home.
Good news that you got some new ground.
I have given a farmer a larsen trap, in the hope to get a bit more shooting, six months later still waiting
But not many magpies about the farm any more, so i suppose that is a result.

 

[varmint223]

Does sound like a good night Norrie..........except for the knackered tyre (not cheap those 4x4 tyres) but at least you got a fox........well done

 

[Norrie1956]

Hiya, Thanks for that, and nope, they aint cheap...bought a pair of BFG's off my mate for a bottle of whisky each..he changed his 4x4 and they didnt fit the new one... Back out on Friday to try again...

 

[varmint223]

Hiya, Thanks for that, and nope, they aint cheap...bought a pair of BFG's off my mate for a bottle of whisky each..he changed his 4x4 and they didnt fit the new one... Back out on Friday to try again...

BFG's for a bottle of whisky !!! ......some guy's get all the luck .......lol.................well done

 

[marc g]

Hiya Garry, would think the keeper would grateful for the result last night, after all, it's his birds she was putting on the menu,............ on the way out many many birds (small) outside the wire.

have you spoken to the keeper? he may not wing clip his birds, a shot at a fox although successful could spook the whole pen and bring them all off roost into reach of the rest of the foxes, i know this because i have done it and haveing reared the buggers felt obliged to spend the night out on the ground with them, many birds outside the wire would be the result and explain why the keeper is more than peeved with you

 

[finnbear270]

Hi Marc, no, not the result of our activities, especially as giving the pens wide berth, birds have been outside the wire for more than one season,(before we began shooting fox etc, as far as I am aware, disturbances from others shooting woodies etc, possible, but unlikely, plus very small birds unlikely to be roosting at height greater than his fencing, (taller than deer fence).

 

[Norrie1956]

BFG's for a bottle of whisky !!! ......some guy's get all the luck .......lol.................well done

Yep, A real nice guy too, think he's on here as well as the other couple of forums...lives just along the road.....he changed his car, and the tyres didnt fit his new one...so, i got offered them..

 

[Norrie1956]

Norrie

Very resourceful , the things we do to get home.
Good news that you got some new ground.
I have given a farmer a larsen trap, in the hope to get a bit more shooting, six months later still waiting
But not many magpies about the farm any more, so i suppose that is a result.

Hiya, I already have the shooting on that particular farm.... so, the Larsen was a bonus...actually the farmer took it to his back garden last week, in the hope of getting the four maggies that are knocking on his window at 4am...every morning...LOl...Nothing yet tho, been checking it every day...

Also ,had a call from a mate this week who shoots airrifle only...his farmer is losing Pheasants hand over fist, he put 200 down for a wee syndicate shoot with his mates...and they were all clipped, ...the fox is working it's way through them pretty easily, the farmer is finding dead ones all over the place...and can I help...can I ??? Thing is, he also has a small caravan site on his land, and the foxes are seen more often near it than anywhere else...so, it's going to have to be the 17hmr for this particular fox/es....... The caravanners have been told, so all is ok there... This weekend we'll see how it goes..