Matt Roberts
Well-Known Member
Popped down to Martins yesterday to meet up with him and Foxdropper and get schooled in the art of calling and, hopefully shooting some fox's. It was windy and dark being quite overcast although the cloud cover was moving quickly and occasionally revealed the full moon. We were just loading up when the strangest noise errupted from nearby that sounded like a generator with broken bearings - turned out to be some large rearing arks that were full of ducks and somethng was really pulling their chain - they were going nuts
Dispite their obvious discomfort it was taken as a good omen that Charlie was about so it was game faces on and
Martins Lightforce Blitz lit the place up. It wasn't long before a set of eyes was spotted a fair way off on the other side of the valley and it was confidently coming in. FD handed me the sticks as I had left mine in the shed
and it looked I was first up to the plate. Both these fellas have seen me miss easy fox's before (and I mean EASY... harder to miss than hit type easy) which is an affliction I call 'haste in the presence of distinguished company' but that was all in the past and I was brimming with confidence.
The wind was all over the place and although it started off well this one was no sucker and pulled up around 140 away and started flitting left and right in the beam. I was on the bipod by this time shifting around in the grass trying to get a bead on him through the tufts of grass. He eventually stopped just long enough for me to pull the shot and miss him - crap start to the evening but the lads didn't rub it in too much
He was off like stink and that was the last we saw of him
I gave FD the sticks and not five minutes later another set of eyes was seen coming in from distance. We moved quickly of a rise of ground and saw a gateway that look to be a likely route for him into the field. It was annoyingly textbook in light of my all too recent faux-pas
and down he went to a front on chest shot at around 50 meters. A short time later we were approaching the tapering head of a valley and some eyes were picked out at the end cautiously approaching - my turn and this time no messing chest shooting and around 130.
Result - two down (yeah, yeah... should have been three) and still early. Only a short way to the end of the permission before turning back so just up a steep hill to overlook the area we had come... well i never... two more set of eyes seen in seperate distant spots but coming in strong, only some copse to get though and they'll be safe and shootable. FD was up but the ETA came and went so the area was swept and just as well he was charging up the hill. No mistakes for FD and that made three. Martin continued calling in the hope that curiosity would get the better of the other one and it paid off - He turned up only 40 meters away and, with head slightly down and straight on it was the center of the body mass so crack - that was two a piece and this one was HUGE!
It was still early and so it was decided to visit another spot and so we huffed and puffed back to the truck with our extra load. One last flick of the lamp before getting in the truck and another set of eyes! It was FD's turn to shoot but he gave me the nod and I got down - this one was no mug either and got the jitters around 110 meters and started to leg it. Martin gave him an Oi! and this time there were no mistakes and down he went.
We went to another ground with high hopes but our luck was out and the wind had cleared the sky and it was so bright you hardly needed the lamp and that was that. A bloody good night - thanks a lot Martin
Dispite their obvious discomfort it was taken as a good omen that Charlie was about so it was game faces on and
The wind was all over the place and although it started off well this one was no sucker and pulled up around 140 away and started flitting left and right in the beam. I was on the bipod by this time shifting around in the grass trying to get a bead on him through the tufts of grass. He eventually stopped just long enough for me to pull the shot and miss him - crap start to the evening but the lads didn't rub it in too much
I gave FD the sticks and not five minutes later another set of eyes was seen coming in from distance. We moved quickly of a rise of ground and saw a gateway that look to be a likely route for him into the field. It was annoyingly textbook in light of my all too recent faux-pas
Result - two down (yeah, yeah... should have been three) and still early. Only a short way to the end of the permission before turning back so just up a steep hill to overlook the area we had come... well i never... two more set of eyes seen in seperate distant spots but coming in strong, only some copse to get though and they'll be safe and shootable. FD was up but the ETA came and went so the area was swept and just as well he was charging up the hill. No mistakes for FD and that made three. Martin continued calling in the hope that curiosity would get the better of the other one and it paid off - He turned up only 40 meters away and, with head slightly down and straight on it was the center of the body mass so crack - that was two a piece and this one was HUGE!
It was still early and so it was decided to visit another spot and so we huffed and puffed back to the truck with our extra load. One last flick of the lamp before getting in the truck and another set of eyes! It was FD's turn to shoot but he gave me the nod and I got down - this one was no mug either and got the jitters around 110 meters and started to leg it. Martin gave him an Oi! and this time there were no mistakes and down he went.
We went to another ground with high hopes but our luck was out and the wind had cleared the sky and it was so bright you hardly needed the lamp and that was that. A bloody good night - thanks a lot Martin
but he mixed it up with some quality hand-mouth squeeking.
