A couple of night lamping

[ChrisR]

Had a great piece of news the Saturday I returned from the Gamefair “they have cut the Rape at Holton” said the caller Simon, one of our shoot members who lives close to one of our grounds.

 

So my shooting partner Paul was returning from a trip to Ireland Monday afternoon & I was picking him up from Birmingham airport, “do you fancy a night at Holton then” was my first question “too right” was the reply so we arrange to meet up at my mine at 8.30.

 

Transferred his gear to the Range Rover & arrived at Holton around 9.00. Lovely, the three fields had all been cut & the stubble was very short so no problem spotting Charlie then. I should explain we had been 3 times in the previous weeks to no avail; the Rape was so high we couldn’t see a thing even if a fox had run 3 foot in front of us.

 

We decided to have a drive around the field margins first as it was still quite light & started out spotting deer straight away, loads of rabbits about as well so Paul potted one with his Anschutz .17 HMR so we had bait if needed.

 

As it got darker a large electrical storm descended over Oxfordshire & we witnessed some spectacular lightning in the distance. We parked up in one of the fields with our new maize cover crop to our right & dropped the Range Rover tailgate so we could stand on it & get an elevated view all around us. I set the Tikka up on the roof on the bipod & Paul plugged in his Lightforce lamp.

 

We started spotted Hares straight away who didn’t seem to give a dam about us & a few Fallow meandering about, with the odd Roe as well. Paul was squeaking with the WAM caller & we soon spotted eyes a long way off but they wouldn’t come closer & then a strange pair of eyes were picked out which turned out to be Mr Brock on his nightly forage. The storm we watched earlier got closer & closer & Paul rightly said, “we should get off this roof especially with you holding that rifle”.

 

So we drove round a bit more until the storm seemed to fizzle out without much rain falling then in the distance at least 4 sets of eyes were picked out in the red light of the lamp. A group of youngsters, so Paul set too with the call & one started to run straight in at us. I was ready to take the shot as soon as he stopped which he did at around 60 yards, he dropped with a chest shot.

 

Congratulations all round as this was the first fox to fall to the Tikka. We set of again after the others cubs but they had dispersed until we spotted one in the corner of the field. I took a hurried shot & was convinced I heard the bullet strike but we couldn’t find a trace of it & no blood trail either so I had to concede to probably missing that one.

 

After another drive round the margins we set up stall near one end of the cover crop & started to squeak when Paul hissed “get ready”. Another cub had appeared around the end of the crop no more than 20 yards away & was staring directly at us. I brought him down with a frontal chest shot, second blood to the Tikka.

 

Then it started to rain with a vengeance & it was Paul’s turn to try for one but just then he had a flash from the lamp plug & it fell apart. It had grown so hot it had melted the end & shorted out the cigarette lighter circuit which unfortunately also ran the air con so we couldn’t de-mist the Rangy. We had a spare white lamp so continued with that plugged into the rear socket but whenever we saw a set of eyes in the light they would not come closer, I think we had disturbed them too much. Paul did take a long range shot at one but unfortunately missed but you could only see its eyes & it was raining hard by then so we cut our losses & called it a night but not before he took another rabbit with his .17. As we packed up we found the blown fuse & exchanged it for a spare so at least we could drive home with the windows closed.

 

So a very successful evening & a couple of brushes left on the pen door to keep our gamekeeper Colin happy, that’s 2 more that won’t be trying to munch on our Poults when they arrive in a couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

Went out again a week later after Charlie & arrived a bit early so had a good drive round but didn't see anything so dropped off some old rabbits bits near a wooded area where we saw the wily one on Monday.

 

Parked up opposite the end of the cover strip, set up on top of the Range Rover & Paul set to with the WAM caller. After 10 minutes or so we picked out eyes on the far side of the field probably 350 yards away. This fox did not want to come in & skirted the field margin & disapeared into the wood. We thought it might reappear near the baited spot but after an hour it still hadn't put in an appearance.

 

Then we spotted eyes on the opposite side of the field & this one decided it wanted it badly & came straight at us, at around 100 yards away he must have caught our scent as he started to move away to our right pretty fast but Paul persisted with the WAM & he stopped once too often. Those 50 grain Norma ballistic tips certainly do a good job.

 

Paced it out when he was picked up & it was 85 yards, another youngster in very good condition. Our keeper is over the moon, he's never had so many fox shot so early on!

 

On the way out we stopped off in the lane & shone the lamp around one more time & picked one out moving down the hedgerow, the wind was behind us here & it must have scented us straight away as it moved very rapidly down the field margin & disappeared into the hedge, never mind it will keep for another evening.

 

Got home at 3.00 totally cream-crackered but very happy.

 

Oh I nearly forgot, Paul shot a rabbit with his .17HMR & as we motored up to it another rabbit was actually humping the dead body! We could not believe our eyes & broke down into near tears of laughter. As I walked up to pick the rabbit up the other one just stayed there transfixed in the headlight & I actually touched its ears before it bounded off into the Maize....amazing.

 

ATB Chris

 

[nemasis243]

Nice one lads ,good write up,seems theres everything to shot round where you are

[foxshot]

A very good read Chris god results aswell,i take it you do a bit of traping by the looks of the pic

[ChrisR]

A very good read Chris god results aswell,i take it you do a bit of traping by the looks of the pic

 

 

Aye, one of our release pens is near a stream so we need to put a couple of mink traps out just in case.

 

ATB Chris

[Alycidon]

Nice read. thanks for sharing.

 

You might want to look at DIN sockets and plugs for the lamps, fag lighters are not designed for continual usage so get very hot very quick. My old Disco rear socket gave up after 15 minutes.

 

A DIN socket can carry 16/17 amps all the while, a 240 lamp on a 12v system will draw about 8 amps. Not expensive, from your local truck electrical wholesaler. Durite and Britax both do one. You will need plugs as well. Wire direct from battery, mine is under bonnet, put a 12 or 15 amp blade fuse in the supply line.

 

A

[ChrisR]

Nice read. thanks for sharing.

 

You might want to look at DIN sockets and plugs for the lamps, fag lighters are not designed for continual usage so get very hot very quick. My old Disco rear socket gave up after 15 minutes.

 

A DIN socket can carry 16/17 amps all the while, a 240 lamp on a 12v system will draw about 8 amps. Not expensive, from your local truck electrical wholesaler. Durite and Britax both do one. You will need plugs as well. Wire direct from battery, mine is under bonnet, put a 12 or 15 amp blade fuse in the supply line.

 

A

 

Cheers A

 

Did think of fitting some other type of plug/socket combination but for the moment have wired a fused double socket into the lighting loom at the rear of the RR. Seems the problem was the Lightforce lamps plug was a very sloppy fit in the socket & when it got hot it distorted the threads & pulled apart. I've fitted a new plug which is more durable & a very tight fit in the double adaptor. Decided not to go down the new plug/socket route on the RR because its being px'ed in a month for something newer (another RR or Disco 3).

 

ATB Chris