On call.

[Jay Foxing]

Hi all,

Thursday's regular shooting night turned out to be one with a mission. I got back from work and popped round to Darrel's house (foxing2nite), "had a couple of interesting phone calls today my mate, a lamb killer on one farm and a chicken killer on another" he tells me.

First things first though, Darrel had just swapped his sights over on his ppc. So we wait for Andy to turn up & we have my brother with us tonight so he can see how the jobs done, down to a quiet spot for a bit of zeroing. Job done so we sit round and have the normal chin wag, laugh and joke as we wait for night fall.

Chicken killers first on the hit list but we will call in on another farm as its on the way. Lamp on and a quick squeak, nothing. We slowly repeat this process as we move across the farm, looking in all the normal foxy areas and still nothing. Been trying this new call i got from www.foxcalluk.co.uk (will do a review when ive had a bit more experience with it), sounds fantastic, just like the old OLT fox calls. Get old faithful out of my pocket, the crit'r'call. Few screeches on this and a fox comes running in from the same direction we have walked and it ain't stopping. After three Oi's, each one louder than the last the fox comes to a stop. Darrel down on the bipod and bang, crack then silence. My brother is amazed, he's seen the videos but things are different when experienced first hand. We walk over to view the corps to find its a large dog fox, and we can now see what the tell tail crack was after the shot rang out.

On to the Farm with the vanishing chicken problem and it looks like the foxes have done the same trick. Walked all over squealing, scritching and screeching and nothing. Never mind, we will meet up sooner or later. So on to the next farm and the lamb killer. Pull up and exit the truck, high expectations for this place as we get the kit together. Cant go through the yard to the fields at the back of the farm as its getting a bit late to disturb the farmer, so we try our luck across the lane. No squeaking here as the grass is very long and we have to move round until we reach a good vantage point, we reach our spot but rule against calling and go in favour of checking out the marshy dip in front of the wood instead. We have see foxes disappear here on many occasion, but not tonight. As we approach i put the lamp on to see a pair of eyes moving our way, no squeaking needed. Darrel rests the rifle on my shoulder, bank, thwack then silence.

This one is unfourtunatly a vixen, complete with a baby rabbit she was carrying back to the earth for her cubs. Its a shame but that's pest control, i know where the earth is and going back tomorrow with my jacks to finish the job.

A good night had buy all and my brothers eyes opened to the joys of fox control.

All the best,

Jay.

[craigyboy]

Good goin jay, shame about the vixen but as you say thats pest control. I have been using that little call from foxcalls.co.uk for the last year and really like it, its not that loud but have had good sucess with it though as we all know some foxs at certain times of the year just wont come in, though I had a real cracker come in from 400 yards to 10 yards during february last, it was a good old dog fox that I would have thought would know better but he came in like an october cub, I usually find february a trcky time to call but was really surprised by how well the little call worked. Jay is the crit'r'call the shaker one? I have one thats intended for sqiurrels but its brilliant for foxes so versatile, you can make so many different sounds and picthes with it from a screaming hare to a mouse squeak, I have at least 15 different calls I have tried over the years and the little plastic foxcalls.co.uk rates in the top 3 along with the sqiurrel shaker call and the dan thompson PC-1.

[Jay Foxing]

Hi Craig,

I don't use the shaker ,the Crit'r'Call i and a few of my friends use is the peewee. This call is number one for me, it does everything from rodent squeaks, rabbit squeels to a hare in distress. It also does a fawn bleat, excellent for calling roe.

The little call from www.foxcalluk.co.uk drew a blank on that night, but it was the first night out with the thing. I does sound good and the fact that its quiet makes no odds to me, a fox can hear a mouse squeek from 300yds. Im going to give it a fair chance, the peewee's going to take some beating though.

All the best,

Jay.

[Guest wireviz]

Dont worrie to much about the cubs at this time of year mate if the dogfox is about he will continue to feed them best leave that earth alone with the jacks you will just mess the place. If you know were the earth is stand back and pick them off with a rifle. I have also seen other vixens take on cubs that have lost a food supply

ps Why didnt you go straight to the earth the first sign of trouble.

[JohnGalway]

Hi Jay, where did you purchase the Crit'r calls please? I'd be interested in trying them out

[nuttyspaniel]

Just had a look at the fox call uk site and its very similar to 1 I make using a elastic band and 2 pieces of perspex. But those critrcalls seem to be the buisness.

[Jay Foxing]

Hi Wireviz,

Didn't go strait to the earth because it was gone 6pm before i knew he had a problem and i don't like digging in the dark, plus we had other farms to do on the way. I know they may get feed from another source, but what if they don't? Thet are quite big and eating solids this time of year now, decided to sit back and keep a close eye on them and see how things progress from there. Get where your coming from though, with so many methods of control avallable its hard to know which one to use for the best sometimes. Will no dout end up shooting them with a rifle after staking the earth out.

Thanks,

Jay.

 

Hi John,

They come from the states, don't know anyone doing them here in the uk. Try these links:

http://www.critrcall.com/predator_calls.htm

http://www.fntpost.com/Categories/Predator...rit'R+Call/

Failing them, if you get hold of tulkyuk i know he has managed to get hold of them in the past (think you know him, from here and AirgunBBS).

Thanks,

Jay.

[JohnGalway]

Cheers Jay, know Tulky from PW and he's been of great help to me in the past as well Thanks for the links & well done on the foxes

[Orka Akinse]

 

Jay or anybody, do you know where to get the white plastic from to make replacement reeds?

 

Thanks

[foxshot]

Job well done Jay,like you say shame about the vixen but when the call is made to take care of a problem fox the job has to be done,i have been after one that caused some damage to chickens on an alotment on the villageit to turned out to be a vixen

[Jay Foxing]

Hi Orka Akinse,

 

Give this link a go, scroll half way down the page and the peewee reeds are there.

http://www.gamecalls.net/huntingproducts/critrcall2.html

 

Hope this helps,

Jay.

[6mmBR]

Well done on the foxes mate, good picture with the vixen and the rabbit in her mouth.

Cheers

Dave