Out last night.

[BenBhoy]

Bloody wet here - going ratting instead!

 

[stavross]

Bloody wet here - going ratting instead!

To bloody foggy here, could see one through the thermal but just couldn’t see enough of it through the scope for a shot

 

[BenBhoy]

To bloody foggy here, could see one through the thermal but just couldn’t see enough of it through the scope for a shot

These aren't just rats.....




10 less pisßïng in my lambing shed

 

[Smellydog]

Out this morning before 5am. Thick fog and never saw a sodding deer anywhere.
Trailed a fox in the thermal until it walked up to me and made me out.
Came away with a rabbit.
Ok nothing special there but actually the thermal found the rabbit in thick cover but with the naked eye I could not see it.
I could however see a leaf that was in front of it's head so I aimed for that. It worked.
Sometimes with open sights you have to use something else to aim at or off a bit and whisper a little prayer.

 

[hammo]

Not long got back in, after a couple of hours on the rats. Managed 11 in the end. Took the pic of the first five, with my new carlos fandango rat grabber in the shot £1.50 at proper job, other suppliers available.
Typically, walking back to the truck things started moving again, and nailed another few. Best of the session was my first ever 2-4-1 on these two young' uns, second pic. they were both actually peeping out of the square section steel; but kicked themselves out after being drilled with the one .22 slug.
All bar a couple of unreachable ones picked up.
Tidy.

 

[Triggermortis]

Up one the egg farms I get out on, I shot a rabbit at the entrance gate with the air rifle, chopped it up and chucked the pieces out 90yds from where I’d set up, caller on rabbit distress and sat back, 5 mins and this came up through the woods looking, soon as it got wind of the bunny chunks that was it, you could see it go up a gear, it stopped dead at the edge of the field as it didn’t fancy leaving the woodline but that was enough
Biggest vixen I’ve shot ever.

 

[Smellydog]

Up one the egg farms I get out on, I shot a rabbit at the entrance gate with the air rifle, chopped it up and chucked the pieces out 90yds from where I’d set up, caller on rabbit distress and sat back, 5 mins and this came up through the woods looking, soon as it got wind of the bunny chunks that was it, you could see it go up a gear, it stopped dead at the edge of the field as it didn’t fancy leaving the woodline but that was enough
Biggest vixen I’ve shot ever.
View attachment 350950

Nice tactics.

 

[Smellydog]

28 rats tonight. That's all. Over.....

 

[Rob22]

Out tonight with my 9 year old son (observer) his first time out on foxes - he has been out at first light deer stalking with me before and I shot a muntjac which he was impressed with



Successful outing with a dog and vixen taken

 

[Foxyboy43]

Out again tonight on new bit of lambing territory which I shot 2 on during my first visit last week. Same field now equipped with a red/blue/white strobe light to protect the new borns - bit of a bummer for your man here but thought would give it a go anyhow….
Two minutes of hand calling a fox came hard in but winded me and did a handbrake turn and several polos before getting out of dodge. It was maybe 40 yards from the flashing light which when on white lit up several fields - I was in the hedgerow out of the flash so not seen but definitely winded.
So much for the strobe light deterrent I thought so started calling again. Five minutes later a very obvious heat signature two fields away which started coming in but in an arc - presumably to wind the source of the squeak? Anyhoo in it came and promptly sat down 20 yards from the strobe light - again I could clearly see it when the strobe flashed white from my concealed position some 120 yards away. For a change all went well including the record bit so I give you:-

This was a huge fox and I am in no doubt has been a star player in the 12 vanishing lambs saga, a result for me, the ewes and the farmer.

Saw two more, one of which came within 25 yards of me on the wrong side of a thick hedge so couldn’t get a clear shot - bugger!

The second was 300 away and showed no interest to any of my calls. Don’t you just love foxes!
Sooo still some unfinished business; farmer is to start baiting tomorrow and just like General George Patton - I shall return.
Anyone interested in a strobe light lamb protector…

 

[Len the dog]

Anyone interested in a strobe light lamb protector…

I have the muzzle flash from the 22-250, same effect.

 

[Smellydog]

Strobe light my arse....a local farm has just spent a load of cash on a laser bird scarer. I asked him how's it doing, the disco light in the shed? " Not working he said".
No **** Sherlock...

 

[Foxyboy43]

So now you all know - the flashing torch-light concept is actually quite clever but do note the proviso about deterrence reducing over a period. My farmer put his out on Saturday - as per previous post I had two foxes within 40 yards of it ladt night - one very helpfully sat down 20 or so yards from it so that even I could hit it - if you look carefully at the video you can see it turning to look at the light just before all its own lights went out - very suddenly and definitely permanently….

Blinded by the light: simple devices help protect farms and reduce human-wildlife conflict

To deter wild predators from attacking crops and livestock, conservation groups are testing Foxlights, a light intended to emulate a person patrolling the crops or corral.

wildtech.mongabay.com

 

[kenbro]

Nice to see some are getting results.
Ken.

 

[Smellydog]

So now you all know - the flashing torch-light concept is actually quite clever but do note the proviso about deterrence reducing over a period. My farmer put his out on Saturday - as per previous post I had two foxes within 40 yards of it ladt night - one very helpfully sat down 20 or so yards from it so that even I could hit it - if you look carefully at the video you can see it turning to look at the light just before all its own lights went out - very suddenly and definitely permanently….

Blinded by the light: simple devices help protect farms and reduce human-wildlife conflict

To deter wild predators from attacking crops and livestock, conservation groups are testing Foxlights, a light intended to emulate a person patrolling the crops or corral.

wildtech.mongabay.com

One gamekeeper use to put lights around his pens and play a radio.
Guess where I shot most of the fox's?

 

[finnbear270]

I'm going to keep fingers crossed I get a good ratio of blanks. Lambs appearing here & there now.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Out again tonight on new bit of lambing territory which I shot 2 on during my first visit last week. Same field now equipped with a red/blue/white strobe light to protect the new borns - bit of a bummer for your man here but thought would give it a go anyhow….
Two minutes of hand calling a fox came hard in but winded me and did a handbrake turn and several polos before getting out of dodge. It was maybe 40 yards from the flashing light which when on white lit up several fields - I was in the hedgerow out of the flash so not seen but definitely winded.
So much for the strobe light deterrent I thought so started calling again. Five minutes later a very obvious heat signature two fields away which started coming in but in an arc - presumably to wind the source of the squeak? Anyhoo in it came and promptly sat down 20 yards from the strobe light - again I could clearly see it when the strobe flashed white from my concealed position some 120 yards away. For a change all went well including the record bit so I give you:-

This was a huge fox and I am in no doubt has been a star player in the 12 vanishing lambs saga, a result for me, the ewes and the farmer.
View attachment 350966
Saw two more, one of which came within 25 yards of me on the wrong side of a thick hedge so couldn’t get a clear shot - bugger!
View attachment 350965
The second was 300 away and showed no interest to any of my calls. Don’t you just love foxes!
Sooo still some unfinished business; farmer is to start baiting tomorrow and just like General George Patton - I shall return.
Anyone interested in a strobe light lamb protector…

Agh! that was Douglas MacArthur when he was leaving the Philippines to the Japanese, good bag there.

 

[Len the dog]

Strobe light my arse....a local farm has just spent a load of cash on a laser bird scarer. I asked him how's it doing, the disco light in the shed? " Not working he said".
No **** Sherlock...

Hopefully that means any lamp shy foxes will be cured of their fear of them.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Out yet again tonight after the remaining lamb killers - same field as I have shot 3 this last few days another one comes to the call but doesn’t enter the disco field with the flashing multi-coloured strobe fox (non-) deterring lamp. This time it parallels me for two hundred yards tight to the hedge - helpfully I am on the wrong side of the 6 feet thick hedge in the next field. Talk about a tragi-comedy, no matter what I did I always was able to see it with the thermal as it ambled along the hedgerow but every time I put the sainted triple deuce and Pard 008 up I could only see twigs - very bright and lots of them! I know the Foxyboy Steeplechase Handicap drama, for drama it was went on longer than 8 mins and 23 seconds because the video was that long and I didn’t capture all of this death dance. Soooo - a good ten minutes of fumbling, tripping, swearing, squeaking, mounting the rifle, dismounting the sodding thing and/or carrying it and quadsticks with rifle mounted and pointing skywards broken only by a mildly alarming accidental triggering of the Icotech locater siren which I had cleverly slung around my neck. Jesus Wept - it cannot get worse!
Well, it didn’t! The very obliging fox finally stopped laughing it’s meandering and stood across from the only gap in that 200 yards hedge. Like the trained athlete I am it only took seconds to remount the rifle, acquire the target, say a few prayers through decidedly unbated breaths and squeeze the trigger. The “whummmpp” told me all I needed to know - another one down and a happy farmer - again.
Watch the much edited and very much shortened video and weep - I know I nearly did!

 

[Smellydog]

Well done FB. They keep us moving don't they ...