Disappearing fox.

User00035

Well-Known Member
How is it possible to lose a huge bright orange dog fox in 6" of rape? I knew I'd hit it. I saw it go down and I didn't see it get up again. I heard the strike, like an elephant popping a football. It was little more than 100 yds off, 120 at the most. I left my sticks at the field edge as a marker and walked straight to it, and could I find it! I walked up and down that field systematically like I was mowing the lawn, sweeping the light side to side. I went back to the vehicle and got a brighter light. Must have searched for an hour. I gave up in the end and was ready to go. I walked back to the sticks and then thought I'd have one more quick look, and walked out again and there it was, like a bloody great orange log right where I'd started.
How does this happen? They're even crafty when they're dead!
 
i know how you feel, did i, didnt i kill it !!
this has happened to a couple of times in rape. my ess is normaly in the back of the truck, let him out and he finds the carcass.
yes i did kill..
 
If you think that is difficult try hares. Out with a keeper on stubble, head shot a hare at 50yds with head shot, drove to pick it up vanished. Had two spaniels out couldn't find it, it seemed to vanish into thin air. Other problem is foxs on plough, can be v difficult to find. Helps to have a rangefinder so you get the distance correct.

D
 
Did the same thing Sunday - having missed or been too slow with the other three I saw, I finally nailed one and both me and my mate (who was lamping and driving the quad) heard it hit and saw it drop... couldn't find it when we went back to pick it up.

It's at times like that I wish dogs could ride quads!
 
Happened to me last year, just in short grass took my eye off it whilst walking up to it from 120-130yards and it took me about an hour to find it. They blend in well!!!

Bryan
 
I think anyone who has been out after Charlie a lot will have had this happen, Much to my disgust it happened to me last month IN THE SNOW!!!, just at the point of heading home for the dog when I literally tripped over it.
 
Foxes are often difficult to find in broken ground at night unless you get to shine the lamp
on top of them. shining across broken ground leaves a lot of deep shadows
I rember shooting three foxes in a rough field, I got a little disorientated and could only find one
in the dark. next morning I found the other two easy as anything. I had been looking only a few yards
away but just couldnt see them in torchlight.

I ve even lost deer for hours, them having fell into an overgrown ditch,
it was only perseverence and hands and knees tracking that eventually found them
 
Last edited:
Yep - I've even lost them when I've had my thermal with me. You only need the fox in question to fall behind some wet mud or a tussock of reeds and it's 'gone'. Until you find it half an hour later, seemingly right where you started searching...
 
Yes it's easily done, I have lost a couple using NV they are often further away then I think, cheers
 
Yes it's easily done, I have lost a couple using NV they are often further away then I think, cheers

I've found that with NV. I guess using lower mag than usual effects distance judging. I think it helps also if you can keep your eye on the quarry during follow through and get a fix on it as it settles. I couldn't last night. It was cold, I saw the bullet strike then everything was lost in muzzle vapour.
 
Last edited:
I've found that with NV. I guess using lower mag than usual effects distance judging. I think it helps also if you can keep your eye on the quarry during follow through and get a fix on it as it settles. I couldn't last night. It was cold, I saw the bullet strike then everything was lost in muzzle vapour.

A little while ago I shot a fox using my nv, unloaded the rifle but left it on the bipod, walked with a lamp to where I was sure the fox had dropped but no sign.
Looked around to no avail so walked back to the rifle turned on the nv and the eyes are lit up like beacons, made a mental note of the position and walked back again, once again not a sign.
So walked back to the rifle looked through the scope and nv again, once again eyes and carcass were clearly visible. Repeated the walk back exercise once again without success, so back to the rifle with blood starting to boil, took the archer off the scope, shouldered the rifle and walked up to the carcass using the monocular.
Once I had found it there were clearly footmarks all round it but somehow never right to it.
Really weird
 
Its usually further than you think, I've stopped struggling and now the dog is usually with me though just occasionally you do have an odd one. Couple of weeks ago on the snow in daylight I had one drop and ten seconds later jump up and sprint off which had it been dark I'd have never known about. That was an odd one hair everywhere no blood and dropped on the spot, also because there was a fence behind I know the bullet had fragmented so really odd.
 
Happend to me last week , saw the fox drop to the shot ,heard the solid hit ....but boy no luck finding him later
 
We always take a dog just for this reason otherwise you waste half the night looking for them and getting pi$$ed off doing it.

Andy
 
How is it possible to lose a huge bright orange dog fox in 6" of rape? I knew I'd hit it. I saw it go down and I didn't see it get up again. I heard the strike, like an elephant popping a football. It was little more than 100 yds off, 120 at the most. I left my sticks at the field edge as a marker and walked straight to it, and could I find it! I walked up and down that field systematically like I was mowing the lawn, sweeping the light side to side. I went back to the vehicle and got a brighter light. Must have searched for an hour. I gave up in the end and was ready to go. I walked back to the sticks and then thought I'd have one more quick look, and walked out again and there it was, like a bloody great orange log right where I'd started.
How does this happen? They're even crafty when they're dead!

been there done that m8.

my mate and i did the same last winter, he shot a fox at under 100yds, and i could nt find it for love nor money!!!!

As expected i blamed his shooting, and he blamed my rifle and scope!!

1 week l8r got a call from the farmer telling me that they had found a fox with the head shot clean off..... exactly where we were looking....

guess my m8 isn't such a hopeless shot, and my rifle must be bang on????

atvb

ally
 
Was lamping a few weeks ago, mate shot fox at about 175yds, saw it drop & roll over, next thing it appeared about 20yds to the left having sneaked down behind a shallow dip. I just let the dogs out of the pickup & they delt with it. It had been shot through the shoulder so good to finish it off
Wingy
 
Shot one in a stubble field at about 150 yards. We droveover to where we thought it was, hunted all round about, could not find it and eventually found it under the car!!
 
Shot one in a stubble field at about 150 yards. We droveover to where we thought it was, hunted all round about, could not find it and eventually found it under the car!!
I shot one Monday night, went to pick it up, it was on a thin strip of grass between the track and stream, but I couldn't see it, then tripped on the bugger, and I'm sure you can guess the rest..........




.....that bloody water was COLD !!!!!

Pete
 
A few years ago I shot one on stubble, drove to it, looked for it, couldn't find it? where was it, under the Izuzu.:rofl:
 
Back
Top