Closest shot

[Foxyboy43]

Ok so we have all had examples of really, like really, long distance shots of deer, foxes etc. Personally I am not a big fan of deer being shot at close distances except of course for very good reason so let’s confine this thread to foxes.
So what is the closest shot you have taken at a fox and what were the circumstances? I will start this off with this - out calling on a very windy night following a farmer losing chickens three nights in a row when this fella came up behind me and popped through the hedge; he had a total Mayor of Hiroshima moment before I shot him - 6 steps away so call it 18-20 feet. Anyone do better?

 

[tackb]

hiding in a hedge pigeon shooting and a fox walked by with a chicken in his mouth , he was about 3-4 feet from the muzzle when i shot him , we were both rather surprised !

i didn't even mount the gun , shot it from the hip

 

[old 30-06]

On a pheasant shoot, I was tucked up into the base of an old oak tree whilst the keeper beat a large wood towards me. Nothing much had happened for a while, and you know how it is. I drifted off, but then I saw a sparrow hawk chase a green woodpecker round the tree above me. They completed several circits at break neck speed. It was really close to the "kill" when a large dog fox appeared directly in front of me. He had not seen me and I had not seen him. Like tackb, I had no time to mount the gun or aim. I shot from the hip at about four or five feet, killing the fox instantly. I hope that keeper does not read this post.

 

[Heym SR20]

Last Fox at 10 yards with a shotgun with Eley grand prix steel. Last Red Stag - called in with a roar and was also same sort of distance with 7x65r. With deer I like close. Shot several at well under 50.

 

[Overlay]

Last Fox at 10 yards with a shotgun with Eley grand prix steel. Last Red Stag - called in with a roar and was also same sort of distance with 7x65r. With deer I like close. Shot several at well under 50.

Keeps your senses sharp whot whot couldn't put a hair out of place that close, i have foxes come up to a hide have a pee on it then walk off, much to the annoyance of my dog who is siting there with his eyes baulking out of his head and looking at old Charlie boy and me waiting for the green light for the gnashing feature to kick in
They either are on you or invisible

 

[WalkedUp]

I shot a fox a few metres away on my first day at a new syndicate. The shoot captain had missed it both barrels and it darted past me with my dog to heel. I could feel the entire line watching as I rolled it first barrel. A fair few years ago now but I still enjoy reminiscing over that eye wipe.

 

[Nickb]

One evening whilst walking the terrier with my shotgun she disappeared up a drain on the edge of a wood engaging with a fox so I just sat quietly and waited.
After around 10 minutes I looked up to find a fox standing about 10 ft away , shot it with shotgun

 

[long_range_rob]

Fox at about 10yds with the choke barrel, muntjac at 14 paces with the 7mm08

 

[Smellydog]

I've had few really close. Off the hip with a shotgun once. One walked up to the muzzle as I was in a ditch. There's been a few with a rifle.
Shot a red stag at 20' once too.

 

[Longstrider]

I used to have permission on a piece of land where I could build semi-permanent hides for pigeon shooting etc. Sitting in one of those one day with my .22 rimmy waiting to see if a bunny or two was coming out to play I heard a scuffling noise from behind me. I slowly turned, rifle in hand and literally inches from the end of my moderator was the point at which dog fox poked it's head through the leaf-wall to peer inside the hide. I shot it through the head at a range of approx 8 inches.

 

[Rhodesianjess]

Many years ago, taking a dump whilst out on the feed round, heard footsteps coming towards me.
Still squatting down, didn't shoulder mount shotgun due to position I was in, just extended arms and shot Charlie. Probably 2/3 feet range.

 

[Goingback]

Less than 12 inches........stood out for a fox with @Dickie and one snuck up and poked its head out of the dogs mercury literally on the end of my barrels. Made @Dickie jump about five foot in the air - early eighties

Had another wander into my prone and on a bipod line of sight at a few feet whilst waiting for it to appear on a bank 150 yards away

 

[Foxyboy43]

One I forgot about! Years ago before all these modern sights with cameras etc. such was my determination to capture real-time shooting I dabbled with strapping a video camera to the top of the rifle’s telescopic sight. Of course getting the camera to synchronise with the rife’s zero at different ranges was a bit of a bummer but undaunted I persisted and out went your hero on his first “gun-camera” foray.
Very first gate I came to I started to call and immediately a fox came sprinting out of make-up the nearby rushes and stopped dead just the other side of said gate - probably six feet away and stood there whilst your hero tried to get it on camera. The bemused fox proved impossible to get in focus - all I could see on the camera fold-out screen was a blurred red coat so I defaulted to looking over the top of the very high video camera and pointing the muzzle in the general direction - more in hope than in anticipation. Bang!
Blow me down but the fox dropped stone dead and even better I had actually pressed record!

 

[deerstalker.308]

Not a fox but a munty on my level 2 stalk, shot at just under 5m, an unusual one for the witness to have to write up and sign off, on the same stalk we also spotted (after several hours of nothing) a munty about 500m down a ride, I said I was going to stalk it, in an act of desperation/shear blood mindedness, the witness thought I was wasting my time, “it’ll be long gone by the time you get near it” , managed to get into 30m and take the shot, did get a nod of respect for that one!

 

[mudman]

Roebuck 20 ft. Missed!

Had another roe buck sniff my boots from a (low) high seat. I was waiting for a fox which never appeared.

Missed a handful of very close foxes with the shotgun, including one which bolted from a hole I was stood directly over.


But on the plus side it’s not always close stuff I can miss, I can miss at any range.

 

[old keeper]

years ago I was sitting in a hedge on the edge of a bank waiting for rabbits. A fox came into the field and I gave it a squeak. It disappeared but finally appeared directly below me. I gently lowered the .22 till it was a few inches above its head, and that was that.

 

[Home Loader]

I've shot a sika hind @7yrds a fallow pricket at the foot of the highseat I was up, and the closest possible was a Muntjac buck I called within kicking range for the client to promptly miss, we did get him later.

 

[deerstalker.308]

Forgot about this one, red stag that came charging in to circa 7m before being met with an 8x57 round to the neck, the path he was on would have gone right through my position, got the old sphincter twitching like bugs bunnies nose somewhat.

 

[johndeere]

The closest shot I took was with a Stanly tape measure at 2 meters fox came and took a chicken (named PIP) mid-day while I was measuring flags, hit it midriff with the tape it dropped the bird and did one.
she lived another 7 years after that, the fox was not that lucky

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

10 yards with a 243 and 55 grain ballistic tips...

it jumped up infront of me in a field that had just been harvested near a phesant pen when lamping.

Personally I thought at that distance the round would of pencilled through but it turned 1 fox into 2