So as a little background, I've been shooting for years but only ever target shooting. I've shot PRS, benchrest and generally shoot everyweek going through 200 - 300 rounds a month accross a variety of platforms and calibers. Bolt actions, semi's and lever actions from 22lr to 300wm. I shoot open sights, red dots and optics. I suppose the point being is that I'm comfortable with firearms.
I have a neighbour who, for the last 15 years, has been inviting me out hunting. He has a huge number of permissions with everything from pheasant to boar to keep you busy. Early on it was never really something that interested me but as I've got older I've got more interested. For one reason or another I've never been able to take him up on his offer.
In passing I mention that I'm on annual leave this week and don't have anything planned. Out of the blue I get a knock on the door about 8 o'clock last night and it's my neighbour. "Do you fancy coming out on the foxes tonight?". Initially I was considering a quiet evening on the sofa but my wife gives me a dig and tells me not to be rude and to go with him. "Why not." I say. I throw some food down myself quickly and by 9pm we are on the road. The permission is only 15mins away so it's still reasonable light and the farmer is still working in the field when we arrive.
By about 10.30 the farmer was done for the day and we set up in the hedgeline roughly halfway along the field. The first hour was relatively slow, I scanned the bottom half of the field with the thermal on the rifle and he watched the top with the spotter. One or two foxes crept cautiously around the far hedgeline but the long grass and thick cover made a clean shot unlikely. Equally so this was my first time with this rifle, a Howa 22-250, and my first time with a thermal scope. Ideally I wanted the fox to be inside 100yrds, broad side and in the open. The last thing I wanted to do was miss or worse, injure it.
I get a tap on the shoulder as he spots a fox appearing from the hedgeline at the top of the field. I turn the gun round and find it in my scope. It was at around 90yrds out but was currently stood infront of the gate to the field which led out onto the lane. I keep the cross hairs on him praying that he'll move clear of the gate. I don't fancy sending a stray round up the lane at 4000fps. His head is constantly up but he is slowly venturing into the field. By this point my heart is racing and I had to take a few deep breaths. Despite it being gone midnight it was still 20 degrees outside and I was breaking into a sweat. He is still broadside to me and as I fumble the safety with my sweaty palms his head comes up to look straight at me. THWACK! I never appreciated how distinct the sound was of such a small bullet striking an animal. The fox drops on the spot, I chamber another round just in case but nothing, no movement. After the obligatory pat on the back we move up to assess the shot. By now it is pitch black and, after 2 hours of having my eye stuck to a thermal, my eyesight was struggling to adapt. We walked line of sight about 10mtrs apart in the direction of the gate under torch light and, after walking what felt like about 500mtrs (it wasn't) find said fox. Dropped on the spot, dead as can be.
This is where it took a strange turn. After the initial relief that a) we'd found it and b) it was dead, we noticed something unusual. No blood, no visible bullet wound. The fox was on it's side so I rolled it over expecting to see an exit wound but nothing. We stood in disbelief. I dragged it off into the hedgeline but still nothing obvious.
We came to the conclusion that I'd missed and it had died laughing at my awful shooting.
To conclude my first outing I'm afraid I couldn't say, hand on heart, that I'd shot a fox. I can only confirm that I was in some way reasponsible for its demise.
Definately something I will be doing again though maybe I'll take the 300wm next time.
I have a neighbour who, for the last 15 years, has been inviting me out hunting. He has a huge number of permissions with everything from pheasant to boar to keep you busy. Early on it was never really something that interested me but as I've got older I've got more interested. For one reason or another I've never been able to take him up on his offer.
In passing I mention that I'm on annual leave this week and don't have anything planned. Out of the blue I get a knock on the door about 8 o'clock last night and it's my neighbour. "Do you fancy coming out on the foxes tonight?". Initially I was considering a quiet evening on the sofa but my wife gives me a dig and tells me not to be rude and to go with him. "Why not." I say. I throw some food down myself quickly and by 9pm we are on the road. The permission is only 15mins away so it's still reasonable light and the farmer is still working in the field when we arrive.
By about 10.30 the farmer was done for the day and we set up in the hedgeline roughly halfway along the field. The first hour was relatively slow, I scanned the bottom half of the field with the thermal on the rifle and he watched the top with the spotter. One or two foxes crept cautiously around the far hedgeline but the long grass and thick cover made a clean shot unlikely. Equally so this was my first time with this rifle, a Howa 22-250, and my first time with a thermal scope. Ideally I wanted the fox to be inside 100yrds, broad side and in the open. The last thing I wanted to do was miss or worse, injure it.
I get a tap on the shoulder as he spots a fox appearing from the hedgeline at the top of the field. I turn the gun round and find it in my scope. It was at around 90yrds out but was currently stood infront of the gate to the field which led out onto the lane. I keep the cross hairs on him praying that he'll move clear of the gate. I don't fancy sending a stray round up the lane at 4000fps. His head is constantly up but he is slowly venturing into the field. By this point my heart is racing and I had to take a few deep breaths. Despite it being gone midnight it was still 20 degrees outside and I was breaking into a sweat. He is still broadside to me and as I fumble the safety with my sweaty palms his head comes up to look straight at me. THWACK! I never appreciated how distinct the sound was of such a small bullet striking an animal. The fox drops on the spot, I chamber another round just in case but nothing, no movement. After the obligatory pat on the back we move up to assess the shot. By now it is pitch black and, after 2 hours of having my eye stuck to a thermal, my eyesight was struggling to adapt. We walked line of sight about 10mtrs apart in the direction of the gate under torch light and, after walking what felt like about 500mtrs (it wasn't) find said fox. Dropped on the spot, dead as can be.
This is where it took a strange turn. After the initial relief that a) we'd found it and b) it was dead, we noticed something unusual. No blood, no visible bullet wound. The fox was on it's side so I rolled it over expecting to see an exit wound but nothing. We stood in disbelief. I dragged it off into the hedgeline but still nothing obvious.
We came to the conclusion that I'd missed and it had died laughing at my awful shooting.
To conclude my first outing I'm afraid I couldn't say, hand on heart, that I'd shot a fox. I can only confirm that I was in some way reasponsible for its demise.
Definately something I will be doing again though maybe I'll take the 300wm next time.
