Great night in the floods

abolter · November 28, 2012

This year has been an exceptional one for me for foxes. I had a previous years best of 72 but as of early November I had got to 90 for this year. This meant that I was dearly tempted to try and reach the 100 mark for the year, even though it is an arbitrary figure. I also signed up for a scheme to send foxes to DERA to test for Trichinella.

Bear in mind I have been 4 months of the winter in the past without shooting a fox (not for lack of trying!!) so a target of 10 in 2 months is not a given. Putting the dual pressures of a target and a promise to supply meant I felt as if I could have jinxed myself before I started. Another problem is I go out once per week unless the missus is away and she is only due to be away 10 days before the year end when I will be at home so time is also a pressure!

I went 3 weeks without shooting a fox in early November and the weather has been pants. I made a trip to Essex at the weekend and managed a fox so at least I felt as if I had made a start. We then went out Sunday and although we saw a fox on the moor it wouldn’t play ball so we will have to go back for it. Monday was then a complete washout but the forecast for the rest of the week was good.

I planned to stalk Tues evening but a meeting overran and it was dark before I got going. As a fall back I dropped down to a mates farm. He has had a fox shouting most evenings but couldn’t get her into range. As I set up it started to throw heavy showers. I hate getting my NV wet so I retired to a building overlooking a pasture she was often seen in. 20 minutes later, just after a heavy cloudburst, a fox appeared through the hedge and started towards me. At 250m it turned to cross the field. A squeak stopped it but it didn’t look like coming. I chanced the shot, a chance due to the cross wind, and she dropped on the spot. I collected her and found that although I had aimed for her chest broadside the shot had taken her in the neck. A bit of luck!!!

I told the farmer and then set off to visit the chicken farm. He has had problems and I had been unable to even get sight of the culprit on 3 previous visits. As I drove I remembered we had seen a fox on a permission on the way. It had been out of range down by the river, I figured with the horrendous floods it wouldn’t be down there now. A couple of quick calls to let the owners know I would be about and I was there. An added bonus was that there are turkey sheds there and they had just emptied them. This meant I could use the lamp for spotting and the NV for shooting. They don’t like us using a lamp near sheds with mature birds in them normally. As soon as I arrived I realised the flooding was much worse than I expected.

Within 400m I saw eyes and spotted a fox paddling in a really boggy field. It seemed unconcerned so I set up. It then moved out of view. I moved the vehicle and it went back to where it was!! I went back and the shot put it down. When I went to pick it I was above my boot tops in sloppy mud and water. It became apparent that there was flood water across half the field so the fox had been somewhat cut off!!

The showers kept coming so I had to stop and start regularly but this permission has a hard road all round it so I could stay close to the truck.

A few hundred metres further on there were more eyes. This fox started to come to the call but thought better of it and set off away from me. I sped round the track to cut it off but although I saw it again it was out of range and it slipped away.

As I completed my lap I saw some eyes in a field that had been fodder beet 3 days ago. It had been lifted. The fox was skirting the field margin but the wind was again a factor. I aimed further back this time and the fox vanished but I heard no impact. I left it as I thought the missing fox might be in front of me. It turned out it was and I caught it out in a muddy field again. Once more there was water to its back and it seemed trapped, allowing me to get the shot away. Another one down!! This one I couldn’t retrieve as I was unable to wade safely through the quagmire!!! I went back to the previous one and found it stone dead by the hedge. 233m so another good “lucky” shot.

It was now 11pm and I still hadn’t got to the chicken farm. As I was leaving I saw one last set of eyes but this fox was not for staying. So I thought I had one on there and I still had, having shot 3!!

The chicken farm also has a beck running through it so I was pretty positive going there given the success I had enjoyed already. I have to walk the chicken farm and here I got my next lucky break. The weather cleared out, it was cold but so what?! It turned out the flooding here was pretty bad too and it was a concern it would be keeping the foxes off the property rather the=an penning them on. I quickly realised I would not be walking far as the water was everywhere. The chicken sheds occupy the high ground so a half mile walk would let me see everywhere I could get to. The first half of the farm showed nothing but a few drowned hens. I wondered if any foxes would have been and gone with such easy pickings.

At the back of the buildings I set up and scanned with my Longbow, I could easily see 400m but there were only sheep. Then, as if by magic, a fox stood up from under a bush at the streams edge. It just sat and looked at me. At 80m it was a gimme and down it went. It was a big fat dog fox. This was a real result as its none appearance for the previous few weeks had been a real frustration.

I decided that was it for the night, I slung the rifle over both shoulders and set off dragging the fox. I was now using my torch so as not to slip in the chicken that which promotes growth and vigour quagmire. The next field had been fodder beet but now had sheep in. As I slipped and slid through it I saw eyes on the brow of a small rise in my torch. Surely not! I dropped the dog, reorganised my rifle and sticks and walked forward for a look. There was a small vixen, broadside and totally unaware. This was even closer, probably 60m and down she went.

So 6 in the night, annual tally to 98 and all on a night I would not normally of even set out on due to weather. It is almost December and yet it was like shooting cubs!! I can only assume that the floods had disorientated the foxes and the two crops having gone had removed other cover. I also wonder if they were more careless as they don’t expect to be lamped in shitty conditions? Otherwise I can just presume I was bloody lucky, so what? I’ll take that any time.

So my depression has lifted and my 100 is definitely on now. I will also remember this and try to exploit floods again in the future. Have any of you had any benefit from the floods rather than the obvious miseries?

223magic · November 28, 2012

Great write up thanks for sharing it. You mention that you had a few lucky shots, you know what they say the more shots you take the luckier you get !!!!