nell
Well-Known Member
Up here in the borders we are all flat out lambing on the "In bye" ground with the hill sheep just about to begin, it is common to get the call from hill farmers when lambs start to go missing,but not as often with the stronger lowland cross bred flocks.
It began last weekend when the boss came in saying he had a lamb missing,alarm bells started ringing when another 2 went a night later,so got a couple of guns together for a stake out at dusk, which proved fruitless,again at dawn same result, spin round with the lamp, still nothing,by mid week we where 7 down and it was a real concern, no hoggs lambs where turned out (it was these that where being taken).A drive ofthe large wooded valley that runs through the farm was organised and the lads came with thier -terriers to check the earths,although i had already checked all the normal cub earths from afar,The drive was a blank and every earth has other occupants,by now there was some serious head scattching going on.....
I lay out again that night, no fox but i shot a hare in the hope that the fox would lift the carcase rather than another lamb,hare was ranged bang on 450 yds,went back out first light the hare was still there but the crows had found it and had started to pull it apart.
Back out for the evening shift, i was certain i was checking the right direction as none of the neighbouring farmers where loosing lambs,and he would have to come through a lot of sheep to get to us.
As the light began to fade i saw a distant shape of a fox on the plough, i watched him quatering the field like a pointer closing in on the dead hare,preasure was on now, i knew the distance so wound it into my scope, as soon as he stopped at the hare i loosed the shot off, what seemed like an age passed before i heard the thump of the strike, down he went only to get up and run, light was so bad i could'nt see what was happening, i approached knowing it was a good shot, but in the time it took to walk up all sorts where going through my head,i had no cause for concern as he waslying dead 15yds from the hare,Result, a massive dog fox tipped the scales just over 20lb...
Lads are out with the terriers onto neighbouring farm in search of the rest of the family...
Nell
It began last weekend when the boss came in saying he had a lamb missing,alarm bells started ringing when another 2 went a night later,so got a couple of guns together for a stake out at dusk, which proved fruitless,again at dawn same result, spin round with the lamp, still nothing,by mid week we where 7 down and it was a real concern, no hoggs lambs where turned out (it was these that where being taken).A drive ofthe large wooded valley that runs through the farm was organised and the lads came with thier -terriers to check the earths,although i had already checked all the normal cub earths from afar,The drive was a blank and every earth has other occupants,by now there was some serious head scattching going on.....
I lay out again that night, no fox but i shot a hare in the hope that the fox would lift the carcase rather than another lamb,hare was ranged bang on 450 yds,went back out first light the hare was still there but the crows had found it and had started to pull it apart.
Back out for the evening shift, i was certain i was checking the right direction as none of the neighbouring farmers where loosing lambs,and he would have to come through a lot of sheep to get to us.
As the light began to fade i saw a distant shape of a fox on the plough, i watched him quatering the field like a pointer closing in on the dead hare,preasure was on now, i knew the distance so wound it into my scope, as soon as he stopped at the hare i loosed the shot off, what seemed like an age passed before i heard the thump of the strike, down he went only to get up and run, light was so bad i could'nt see what was happening, i approached knowing it was a good shot, but in the time it took to walk up all sorts where going through my head,i had no cause for concern as he waslying dead 15yds from the hare,Result, a massive dog fox tipped the scales just over 20lb...
Lads are out with the terriers onto neighbouring farm in search of the rest of the family...
Nell
