Out last night.
- Thread starter finnbear270
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BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
I can look but not touch, especially if my hairy chinned wife is there!!One may look but not touch, especially when the hairy-chested husband is there…..
paulst
Well-Known Member
Out last night and thought I was on for a repeat of Sunday night’s success. Parked up and got prepared. Into the first field and first thing I see is a fine looking fox walking directly towards me. Sadly directly behind it was the only house in that direction. I could have stepped out into the field to avoid this but that would have put the road it was walking parallel to directly behind it. I have only once seen anyone walking or cycling this road and with thermal you can be more sure of things, however I was only 99% sure it would be a safe shot and that isn’t good enough I’m afraid. It was now within 30 yards and closing and with the rifle on the tripod I could always leap on it as it passed with my knife in my teeth, sadly it ducked through the hedge so I wasn’t able to try this out. Had a fox free hour then approached a field with sheep which were clearly interested in something and sure enough a fox was mooching about. It had a very bad limp and looked small. Backstop was unfortunately the farm but it was moving clear of this. I set up and waited for it to move another 30 yards, which it did, back the way it came. I squeaked like a dog toy in a lab’s mouth but to no avail. It did stop, again with the farmhouse behind it. The ground did rise behind it but the shot wasn’t on for me. They will be there another time and I’m only 5 minutes from home so no big deal. It also adds a bit of spice having a particular fox to target, i.e. the lame one one that is clearly not doing well, I can tell myself I am doing it a favour by shooting it.
Now that post reminds me of the more difficult fox adversary of my long past adventures.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
If you are that close just scatter a few dry dog nuts at dusk for the next few nights, even better if you have a trail camera, then you can shoot it by appointment!
Cymro
Well-Known Member
Evening all, I thought about starting a new thread about this, but as this one has the most regular updates from folks out foxing I thought maybe this is the place to ask.
I picked up a permission on a nearby sheep farm about a year ago. Unusually for this area the farm is pancake flat apart from one field which has a fantastic backstop and good locations to put up a hide.
The farmer is supportive and deposits any fatalities or other casualties on my bait area. The carcasses were regularly scavenged by foxes and buzzards and I managed to shoot a fox on each visit to the farm from November until May when the undergrowth grew too high.
I was then laid up after surgery.
Two weeks ago today I had a call from the farmer letting me know that a ewe had died after gorging on acorns.
He put the carcass in the bait area.
I have a trail camera on the bait and have had plenty of activations, each of them of foxes transiting past the bait. Not one has touched for the entire time it’s been out.
I paid a visit on Sunday and shot a fox that ignored the bait but was happy to root around for bugs and grubs about 10 feet away from it.
The carcass is very ripe and I could smell it around 80 m away.
Any suggestions why the bait is being ignored? Only thing I can think of is because it’s tainted by the acorns but I can’t see why that would put a fox off.
Not even corvids or buzzards are touching it either.
I picked up a permission on a nearby sheep farm about a year ago. Unusually for this area the farm is pancake flat apart from one field which has a fantastic backstop and good locations to put up a hide.
The farmer is supportive and deposits any fatalities or other casualties on my bait area. The carcasses were regularly scavenged by foxes and buzzards and I managed to shoot a fox on each visit to the farm from November until May when the undergrowth grew too high.
I was then laid up after surgery.
Two weeks ago today I had a call from the farmer letting me know that a ewe had died after gorging on acorns.
He put the carcass in the bait area.
I have a trail camera on the bait and have had plenty of activations, each of them of foxes transiting past the bait. Not one has touched for the entire time it’s been out.
I paid a visit on Sunday and shot a fox that ignored the bait but was happy to root around for bugs and grubs about 10 feet away from it.
The carcass is very ripe and I could smell it around 80 m away.
Any suggestions why the bait is being ignored? Only thing I can think of is because it’s tainted by the acorns but I can’t see why that would put a fox off.
Not even corvids or buzzards are touching it either.
Its just nature mate
I shoot crows on our and nothing "ever" touches them
10 miles up the road we will shoot 100 and they all go to foxes
Lads on here tell how badgers do so much damage on their land - i watch them most nights good as gold - and see them walking past bait on the trail cams
Try something different and see
Nickb
Well-Known Member
Nothing ever touches crows where I shoot either.
Cymro
Well-Known Member
fair point that. I’m meeting the farmer tomorrow morning and will see what plan we can come up with, appreciate the reply
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
Same here, crows go on muck heap. Magpies usually gets taken tho.
Cymro
Well-Known Member
And as if by magic… must have read my post
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Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Well I was about to line up on my #60 and from the side my thick little bastard mini lurcher enters the scene working the scent of the fox, she gets close and the fox starts to fool around with her!Eventually the thick mutt loses the fox as it slinks off but she carries on with her pursuit onto the next farm for 1/2 a bloody hour!!
I had the pleasure of watching this from 200 plus yards. I contemplated shooting the thick mutt but said nothing on her return... Frankly I'm amazed for her age how she kept working for 1/2 hour and on her return was barely breathing heavy! Little bugger
Did you open up the carcass so they can start working on it?
I find it's a little early to bait with a whole carcass the size of a muntjac or roe (I've no access to sheep); wait until the weather gets a little harder, and all the easy small stuff has disappeared, and they will be on it.
I haven’t been out for a few months. Feeding pheasants by day and dogging in leaves very little energy for sitting out for a few hours after dark. But with the evenings drawing in I reckoned I’d chance a couple of hours.
730 and dusk here I set up at a favorite spot commanding a good view over several fields. I’d hardly settled in when a fox appeared below me.
It meandered down a stubble field and I remembered I’d brought a mouth caller. A few squeaks.and, I’ll say now I’m generally unsuccessful at this, the fox was heading purposefully in my direction. I gave a few encouraging squeaks whenever it paused.
On it came and I got up on the sticks. Then it headed off on a tangent. A quick “Oi” caused it to run back down the field. Bu##er, damn and it stopped.
, 269 yds. Happy as a pig !
I moved off aways to another area and pulled up at one end of a long field. A glance with the thermal showed a fox moving away from me at 150 or so. Got out and tooled up. The fox had stopped and appeared to recovered its composure. It was sitting upright. I moved around a big clump of gorse to close the gap. Of course it was now up to another purpose and was heading off. Then it stopped between two telegraph poles. I went back and got the telegraph pole nearest to me between the fox and myself as I slowly moved down the field taking occasional, frequent glances. The fox was still there sitting down. Up on the sticks and sent it. 2 down and away home.
The dog loves a play !
730 and dusk here I set up at a favorite spot commanding a good view over several fields. I’d hardly settled in when a fox appeared below me.
It meandered down a stubble field and I remembered I’d brought a mouth caller. A few squeaks.and, I’ll say now I’m generally unsuccessful at this, the fox was heading purposefully in my direction. I gave a few encouraging squeaks whenever it paused.
On it came and I got up on the sticks. Then it headed off on a tangent. A quick “Oi” caused it to run back down the field. Bu##er, damn and it stopped.
, 269 yds. Happy as a pig !I moved off aways to another area and pulled up at one end of a long field. A glance with the thermal showed a fox moving away from me at 150 or so. Got out and tooled up. The fox had stopped and appeared to recovered its composure. It was sitting upright. I moved around a big clump of gorse to close the gap. Of course it was now up to another purpose and was heading off. Then it stopped between two telegraph poles. I went back and got the telegraph pole nearest to me between the fox and myself as I slowly moved down the field taking occasional, frequent glances. The fox was still there sitting down. Up on the sticks and sent it. 2 down and away home.
The dog loves a play !
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
I don't want to be a party pooper & mention the legalities of farmer choosing to ignore fallen stock....
Fallen stock and safe disposal of dead animals - GOV.UK Fallen stock and safe disposal of dead animals
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Yes, I understand the legalities of disposing of fallen farm stock.
A cold stint of no show for me.
Nickb
Well-Known Member
Is this law actually enforced as I see dead sheep lying all over the place.
One farm I used to shoot had more dead sheep lying about than live ones.
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
It's as enforced as much as many countryside laws are, similar to say general licensing?
I suppose a lot might depend on farm status (red tractor etc) & footpaths/lost dog walkers who could let trading standards know. But if informed, yeah farmer would be in bother. We call knacker man soon as we find it. We're farm assured & not worth the risk. Beside, who the F wants a field full of ded sheep?
I think there is maybe (or used to be) some leniency if you farm in arse end of hard to reach, maybe @VSS might know?
Sounds like he's in the wrong job!!!
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