Foxing last Friday night

[jimmyzx]

I went out on Friday night to attempt to call in some foxes on the advice of another member here. While on the way to take up position in a field close to my house I gave the field a quick scan of the lamp and low and behold a set of eyes belonging to a fox cub were looking directly at me from about 80 yards. The grass was a little too long for a prone shot so I needed to use a kneeling shot. Using a widgeon caller I attempted to call it in closer as I’m not overly confident shooting from this position. The cub came in to about 50yrds and sat down; I took the shot and heard the bullet strike but not the usual thump that I’m used to. Looking again the cub started to move to the left down a slope I followed it with the lamp and while still using the widgeon caller in the hope it would stop to look back. Thankfully it did at about 100yrds and with that a Remington 45g HP delivered the coup de grace. When I got to it I seen it was a young vixen cub, the first shot had hit the rear leg showing that I had fluffed the shot however the second shot hit directly into the chest at the base of the neck putting it out of its misery. Sorry about the picture as it was on my mobile which is acting up lately.

 

I left the cub in a ditch near the gate for collection the next morning, and moved to another field to try calling for a while. This failed to draw any interest and so was the story for the rest of the night in any of the fields that I checked out.

The next morning I headed back to dispose of the cub while walking the dogs, when we got close the dogs took off after another cub that came from the same area that I had left the carcass. I had no gun with me so I called the dogs back and will get that cub another day. When I got up to the carcass I saw that the cub had obviously been feasting on it. The head was nowhere to be found and it had stated on the rear leg. This was a first for me to see and anyone in the area I spoke to about it never heard of it happening before, is this a common thing or a freak event? Here is the morning after picture (a little more gory)

[foxhunter]

I remember one evening shooting a cub and leaving it on one side of an 8ft track to pick up later . On my return I couldnt find the cub at first , but then found it had been dragged approx 8 ft to the other side of the track and most of its shoulder had been eaten.

 

Foxes are cannibals !!