Very clued in charlie

Cyres

Well-Known Member
Well we haven't been out for a few weeks and sadly our honary team member (Steve) has returned to Suffolk and was out playing with his own HD38S.

A very impromptue trip to chicken farm, parked up at 8.30 pm in same place as I missed 200+ yd one couple of months ago, at least dry. 6mm BR on top of motor and thermal out.

Now we know this charlie is pretty wary infact is nigh on impossible to approach. 8:35 we see fox quickly quartering up the field to our left, sods law its partially obscured by the oak trees to our left then he cuts across right so in a perfect spot, 120 yds or so I am on the concrete and as I move to get the lamp I crunch a bit a gravel, just a tiny noise but not for this foxy he just legs it straight down the field and vanishes. Not best pleased, buddy well annoyed as so was I: tiny noise gave the game away.

Anyway we went off on our nightly rounds and managed to get a good sized dog fox in an adjacent field and saw 3 others close by but not on our ground-sod's law again.

Thermal is a revelation saw 8 roe all couched down, several badgers and lots of rats.

How we managed without it I will never know.

More robust ambush will be on the cards in Mid April.

D
 
you might get the advantage with the thermal. Also on a chicken farm, I have a very wary one. Last time I saw him he spotted me and my mate in the dark at over 400m. We werent using lights or IR and we were downwind.

This one seems so wary that it wont even turn up for 2 or 3 weeks after its seen me. I only get to see it every 3rd or 4th trip.

So, you have my sympathy but it is good fun to know you have such a tricky one to track down
 
Is there no possibility of getting some wires down? Worthwhile changing tactics for one that knows the usual drill.

Novice
 
Yes I think this foxy is in your league, its v v wary and the slightest noise it is off. Any call is a no no. I think it will have to be a complete covert thermal/NV scope job. I am sure it can tell our various engine noises and the slightest clink on the numerous metal gates is all it takes.

Wires aint an option as horse paddocks with several badgers who are digging under the weld mesh/electrified fence thus allow it access.

We will succeed, may take some bait in form of a tin of sardines/biscuits to just take the edge off. Also now seriously regretting not buying one of Meresides alli high seats at the show last weekend.

D
 
Thermal is a revelation [...] How we managed without it I will never know.

Having very kindly been lent an HD38S by RickoShay on here, I can only concur.

I had three foxes last night* that I would never have go onto in time (i.e. before they passed through the safe-fire arc in front of the high seat) without it. The thermal lets you know just what's going on, beyond the range of most conventional NV gear (spotting a fox at 600m is routine), which gives you time to get ready for it.

*I would have had a 4th too but a curve in the road to my right meant I was being swept by distant headlights every now and then, which would blank out the NV (but not, of course, the thermal). As luck would have it, the 4th fox passed briskly though the safe arc just as a line of cars came down the road (something slow with other traffic backed up behind it), and there was no point even barking to stop it, as I wouldn't have had a clear view of it is it had. Then, to add insult to injury, once the cars had passed, and I could see again, I realised it had stopped just 10m beyond the edge of the "template" and was relieving itself. Never mind. Another time.

Update: two more off the same field tonight. This time the wind had shifted and I was able to sit and watch along rather than across the typical line of approach. Much easier shooting! The HD38S scores again.
 
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