Fox behaviour. Anyone else ever witnessed this?

[204 Ruger]

Last year my shooting pal and I were out at one of is permissions, lamping for rabbits, foxes. It was around June time and approaching 12pm at night. We decided to get ourselves in a good spot in the middle of the field and squeak to see if we could attract a fox or 2. After about 15 mins a pair of eyes appeared at the fence line at around 250 yards and started to come closer (clearly distinguishable as a fox). We carried on squeaking and then all of a sudden it started to bark at us very loud and very aggressive. I’ve never heard anything like it (I’ve heard foxes barking to each other in the past but nothing like this). We tracked it with the NV until it go to around 150 yards, at which point it stared to circle us still barking loudly.

We put the lamp on it and it went even more mad but didn’t run off it just barked and had its teeth showing and ears right back...at 12pm at night I’m glad there were 2 of us!!!! It approached to around 120 yards and at that point I decided to put it out of its misery with HMR 17 grain bullet (didn’t have the 22.250 then!!) right between the eyes. At that point my mate flicked the lamp to the hedge row and saw another pair of eyes, smaller looking possibly a cub.

When we got to the dead fox we identified it as a large fully grown Vixen. The only conclusion we can come to is that the other pair of eyes was in fact a cub and the Vixen was defending it against us. (Clearly my squeaking needs improving!!).

Anyone else ever heard of or seen this happen?

 

[finnbear270]

My pal who lamps with me, usually splitting this particular property between us, had a fox barking at him this week, said it must have thought it was a deer!

 

[trouble]

she was trying to draw you away , ive had vixens come on to an earth and do this in daylight when ive had a terrier in the earth

 

[CRUMPY]

Warning the cubs, the dog fox will bark as well, had trouble getting one a while ago lamping round a wood, every time I flicked the lamp on it would start barking a warning at the cubs from the wood, got them all eventually but they were hard work, you don't have to miss them to make them lamp shy they can learn it from their parents!

 

[stalkinginengland]

I find this very interesting. I have had foxes do it from the other side of a hedge when we have been working terriers and also when we have got between the vixen and the cubs. That said it has always been a scream rather than a bark.

Mark

 

[204 Ruger]

I originally posted this a while abck, ahev since then shot many more foxes and had foxes barking nearbye, calling abck to the Foxpro etc. This experience was very differnt though and I agree with the comments around the Vixen trying to direct attention at her and maybe try to scare us away from the cubs. It was a definate scream rather than a bark, ears back teeth out. Not seen it since.