Something that i didnt like to see...

[CZ Varminter]

Hi guys,

 

I was driving home after an afternoon out with the father in law at his shoot in the lakes. Shot a couple of crows out to 196yrds and one at 174yrds with a gusty 10-12mph using my 22-250. and yes i am admitting it i missed two one at 91 and 112yrds!!!??? go figure?

 

As i was driving along side the motorway 40mins from home i drove past a farm that i have seen foxes on before, and to my amazment i saw a fox in the field 140yrds to my left. Slammed on the anchors of the van came to stop and glassed this fox. It was being chased by a couple of lambs (yes a fox being chased by lambs!?) this fox was moving very slowly toward me and the road, legs being dragged behind. I immedietly thought it had been hit by a car. or something to that affect. Drove up to the farm house spoke to wife of the farmer and she didnt posses a gun so she allowed me to deal with it, she was amazed that there was a fox only 100yrds away from her front door at 17:45. After getting rifle out of van and walking toward the fox it was attempting to scurry away both rear legs completely dead. I lay down saw the oppurtunity to take the shot, took it as she stopped to look back at me as if she knew what was coming and she had the most beautiful face i had ever seen on a fox. Put one throught the boiler house and retrieved what happened to be an oldish vixen. Upon closer insopection she was bald on one side of her rear quarter and had bleeding pussy holes in her. A little calculation later i came to the conclusion that she may have been shot with a shotgun by the way the spread was on her leg. She was skin and bone when i lifted her up she must have been like this for at least a week or more. I could be wrong on my guess work as it could have been hit by a car possibly as both legs seemed severly damaged, but clean on one side.

 

Basically i just felt incredibly releaved that i had seen her when i did and happened to have the rifle with me, as she must have been in pain and had no way of catching a decent meal. It amazes me and have dumfounded respect for this species as a quarry, they are incredibly hard.

 

Sorry if I seemed to babble on but has anyone else ever come across such a thing?

 

James

CZ Varminter

[sako75]

Hi CZ Varminter

Over the years I have seen no end of foxes that had been smashed up either by being hit by cars or lorries etc, and they seem to have the ability to survive for days if not weeks without being able to feed.

 

Quite often I get calls from distraught homeowners, who have found a half dead fox in their garden or tucked away in the back of their garage, they have this incredible desire to hide away when they are seriously damaged.

 

You did the right thing by putting it out of its misery.

 

ATB Bob

[CZ Varminter]

Hi guys

 

I dont have any issues with shooting foxes at all, its just it wasnt a good thing to see I know it happens I have seen many deer in that situation whether through paoching or their own demise.

 

Pheasants are something that gets me if guys say they can shoot hi birds which believe me I have seen and heard many guys say they can, we as beaters do our dammed hardest to present the birds well for them and they badly hit them. The most annoying thing is that the birds need to be retrieved quickly and it amazes me how many guns leave there pegs and dont say a word about injured birds to the guys/girls picking up.

 

It is incredible what these guys can live on also they will practically eat anything to survive. My uncle a very well repsected chap generally and especially in the world of hunting and shooting foxes has passed on an unbelievable amount of knowledge to me still does to this day, but he has been controlling fox populations for years and he has seen some things. He told me, "when you think you know everything there is to know about foxes, your wrong! Think again. There will always be one that makes you change your mind and that is why they earn my respect."

 

Its amazing how many lads i speak to who seem to think they are the best in fox control, its very ammusing to see that they are not and never will be along with anyone in this game. I think thats why we spend so much time going after them and many arguments with other halfs, because your spending 'too much' time out ...... no just me then!?

 

J