I'm struggling with Foxes

[kip270]

Well my foxing over the last couple of months has been really hard, while we have been spotting them, they have not been committed to the calls, and I have tried a lot of them.

I have varied the time’s we have gone out after them, and found that the first hour after sunset have been the best, but lately I’m just not getting the results.

 

The foxes are just out of range, and don’t hang around once spotted, I know the Keeper has been out around the shoot, but still not having any luck, not even a chance of a shot before they make off.

Wind direction is accounted for, and we cover the ground accordingly.

 

So now to my next task, and that’s baiting them.

 

Do any of you bait on a regular basis, and if so what do you use, and do you use a stink tube (I know cramp used one and did post something on it, but not sure if it was on here or the old site)

 

 

Was out last nite after i finished work, and was out by 10pm, we worked a few fields using the calls, but nothing so headed across the road up onto the hillside, then i scanned back to where we had come from and 500 yards away in the croner where we were calling was a bloody fox, and as soon as the light hit it, it was running off into a big wood. The wind was in our faces!!!! Now i haven't shot at any and missed, and there is no-one else on this permission with a FAC, so maybe shotgunners or people running long dogs......

 

We carried on around, and didn't see anything until we were near the farm, then we spotted some eyes about 300 yards away, but i know the farmer lets his dogs roam so couldn't be 100% sure ( Dan had the rifle), i gave a few calls but it just slinked off.

Then we got to the spot on the hill where i spotted the fox in the corner, and we spotted another one, but again as soon as the lamp was on it, it was off!!!!!

 

So any pointers will be put to good use.

[eldon]

What lamp are you using ? is it too bright?

has it got a filter?

if so what colour filter?

 

The foxes must be being wisened up by somebody? Maybe try some none shooting nights without lamp to see who else is about !!!

[snap_shot]

I'd try a stink area alright place about 150 to 200 yards away from were you get a nice comfortable shooting position, As said in previous post, light too bright,

Is there a filter on.

do not use the caller as they now associate it with danger, just scan with the light to see. when you have your stink area set up, i would try shooting a few rabbits lay them on the ground and roll them in 1/2 inch chicken mesh and secure it to the ground, a handy quick way of getting the smell of a free meal out there.....

good luck.

snap.

[nemasis243]

Hi Kip ,the two posts by eldon and snap shot have covered alot of the basis, foxes are as I guess you know are creatures of habit, if you cant get to play ball with them ,they will have to play ball with you.

I do a lot using baits ( rabbits ,sheep carcusses, cat food and also rotten fish ,which is my favorite)

I see there is also a keeper having a go at them , this may have something to do with the lamp shy charlies,

Also they will relate a call to a lamp, I know sometimes they may seem stupid ,but the saying as "cunning as a foxs" didnt come from knowhere.

Your gonna have to do a bit of work to catch up with these, foxes are creatures of habit which your gonna have to try and change.

If you start a bait area make sure its in a good place where you can appoach and get a 200yrd shot from.

If you can lightly bait your area to start with, then early in the morning each day start to increase the size of the bait , after about a week put a big bait down but put it there just as its getting light( a sheep carcuss if you can )

what you will find the crows and magpies are gonna hit it first, the noise of this will alert the charlie, then he's gonna come and have a look and feed.

Remember one thing your gonna have to move the carcuss after about 3hrs if he aint on it by then , you dont want him feeding on it at night if he is lamp shy or in the daytime if your not there,its a skinking job .I use a an old pallet that I got from work as it has like an sled edge to it that can be towed by a quad.

If you aint got time to muck about like this there is one more option.

I made some wooden tables ,nothing fancy just four posts that you could hi into the ground and a ply top with a hole drilled through the middle of it , on top was a small pull cord light fitting and a red bulb in it which was run by a battery.The cord was dangeled through the hole and passed through a screw in eye attached to one of the legs,on the end of the cord was a pieces of meat that had a small peg through it which went into the ground.

The fox would pull on the meat ,pulling the cord ,switching on the bulb!

This is where the fun starts , I used to have 8 of these situated over the Estate all within under 300yrds from my possition, then I would put different baits on them to see which one had the most foxes on it , rabbit worked well along with the cheapest cat food I could find , all baits could be seen from the one possition .

We were sat in the landy one night and had 3 lights go on within 20seconds of one another , now that was interesting

The other option you have kip is to try and get a Vixon which is on heat ,shot by someone local if you cant catch up with one , Peg her up letting the tail dangle, have it just so the tail is touching the floor ,as this is the hieght of charlies nose, sqeeze her stomach and slide your hands down towards her back legs ,trying to get some of the urine that is left in side her out onto the tail.

Then its a waiting game, but dont waste your time if its raining ,the scent will be gone in minutes.

cheers Andy

[foxshot]

I to have seen three foxs on my local ground that are lamp shy but i know a local lad has a 17 and shoots this area i also know he is not very experienced with firearms and lamping,also some local poachers are often out and about,recently got myself a tube so gona have a go at makeing a stink tube,we were out last weekend and although we seen plenty foxs none responded we put it down to them being more intrested in paring up,as we seen several pairs together

[22/250 foxer]

have you used the vixen call to ? if not that will be worth a go

[tulkyuk]

Kip

From the way you discribe them running from the lamp as soon as they are lit up, i'd say that someone has been running dogs on em mate - most foxes even if they have been shot at will not run at 500yrds plus when a lamp hits them and will at least stay about for a short while!!

[kip270]

I'm using a Lightforce Blitz, so maybe a bit too much, i always used a Clulite Lazerlite with a red filter on it (that was until my son lost the filter one night!!) so i'll order a new red filter.

 

The land we were on last night may have people running dogs, but no-one else has permission to shoot on there, the Pheasent shoot has myself & the keeper (my brother in-law) shooting on there.

 

I know of just the spot to bait up on both bits of permission, so will keep you updated.

 

Thanks for all the tips.

 

Cheers

 

Kip

[snap_shot]

the blitz is rather big for around 200 yards give or take, i've had great sucess with the striker,

 

good luck.

[bigun]

theres not that meny green foxs about this time of year ,most have been shot or shot at so there on there toes when they see a lamp ..there is a few about though ,iv had two this week ,plus farmers ringing up about foxs takeing new born lambs so thats a good place to look for them ..sounds to me you need some fresh ground thats untouched ..amber fillter is what we use ..

[Elwood]

The weak, the stupid and the unlucky die first, your now left with what's left.

 

One thing I learned a few years ago with the help of night vision is that foxes also associate vehicle noise with lamps.

 

As already said above foxes are creatures of habit and very good time keepers! I have sat up a high seat for hours on end waiting for them to come onto baits. I now use a trail camera which gives me the time that they visit the bait, this way I'm not sitting out a 8PM for arguments sake waiting for a fox that visits at 1 AM. You need a camera with a infra red flash, these aren't cheap but they certainly work, once I get a several photo's and times I get to work.

 

A cheaper way is to buy a battery operated alarm clock tie a piece of thin string/nylon around the battery and attach the other end to a gutted rabbit, when the fox takes the rabbit the string pulls the battery out and the clock stops, but remember to secure the alarm clock! otherwise this gets costly.

 

I also use the same method outside fox earths to tell me if there are cubs and how many, although it's normally quite obvious if they are there, but every now and again I find an earth where the vixen has moved the cubs within the last few days, again this has saved me from wasting a night in the wrong place.

[JohnGalway]

Not read the thread Kip, but going by your OP I think you've over called them. Leave it at home for a while.

 

Something similar happened to me, I was telling a mate of mine on another site and he gave me the advice I was making life too complicated for myself. His advice was spot them, shoot them.

 

I know it sounds either too easy or impossible but I'd give the calling a break and instead go stalking foxes. You'll know your land, you'll know the paths or fields your foxes like to be in at the times you go out at. Before you set out, picture a map of that land in your head and plan a wander around that'll keep the wind roughly in your favour.

 

You've been doing this long enough so I won't tell ya how to suck eggs as they say, but you can generally get quiet close (in centrefire terms) to a fox just by being a sneak. I don't know how you prefer it in your head, as in do you prefer to always call them in or not. Basically put, examine how you actually do it yourself, and take your own advice in going back to basics and doing something different

[kip270]

When I first started Foxing we were using a shotgun and calling, but our percentage of kills were very low compared to our trips out after them, and after seeing some Warrener video’s I approached the farmer and asked would it be OK if I applied for my FAC and a .222 was what I had in mind.

I have been shooting over the pheasant shoot for over 10 years, and have held my FAC for over 7 years, and have been serious about my foxing. Having been brought up using air-rifle’s getting close was always paramount, and while out foxing with the .222 unless I was within a hundred yards I wouldn’t take the shot, much to the annoyance of various lamping buddies.

When I first started I was using a single stalking stick, and then I purchased the knobloch tripod sticks, and again I would only shoot if I was 100% happy with it.

Our success rate was good, bagging at least one fox per outing, if not three, at first only using the white light, then as the foxes got a bit more spooked I then purchased a red filter, and our success rate improved again, max range being 150 yards.

Now looking back at my records 70% were spotted under the lamp and then stalked and shot while the 30% were called in and shot.

 

I now use a bi-pod and varmint sticks, so am covered for almost any shot that I need to take.

 

Now after purchasing the Lightforce Blitz the range that I can now spot and see foxes through the scope has increased beyond what I would ever have done with the lazerlite so maybe I’m trying too hard and need to go back to the lazerlite with the red filter and bring the range down to within 200 yards max.

 

I think we all do it sometimes, get caught up with techno stuff and gizmo’s and forget about how we used to do it years ago.

 

So a trip to the local hardware store for some waste pipe with end caps and some stink tubes are going to be made and a few baited areas put into place.

 

The one farmer will be lambing soon, so I need to get to grips with them within the next few weeks.

 

The other thing that has made a difference is my working shift patterns, I used to work over two shifts, mornings and afternoons, but now work nights too, so that’s a week of

lamping that I can’t get out after them.

 

Thanks for all the replies I will keep you updated on my success or failure over the next few weeks.

 

Cheers

 

Kip

[JohnGalway]

Get back to the stalking for a while. Keep the lamp beam above the fox, eyes in the halo until you're ready to plug him. As you say, gadgets can be detrimental at times. I know I have too bloody many. I also agree on the range issue, I'm more comfortable now shooting at foxes say between 140-180 than at most other ranges, closer or farther away. So if you know a range zone that your immediately comfortable with then go back that that. It's a bit like pushing a reset button and getting back to how ya always done it. Lamp up above him, halo just lighting up the eyes until you're ready to drop the beam and knock him over Same mate as above does this, seen him in action on a fox I had tried a couple of times with no joy, knocked her over with no messing

 

K.I.S.S. theory applies!

[kip270]

I ain't going to kiss them,

 

I know what you mean Keep It Simple Stupid

[Guest magwa1962]

Well my foxing over the last couple of months has been really hard, while we have been spotting them, they have not been committed to the calls, and I have tried a lot of them.

I have varied the time’s we have gone out after them, and found that the first hour after sunset have been the best, but lately I’m just not getting the results.

 

The foxes are just out of range, and don’t hang around once spotted, I know the Keeper has been out around the shoot, but still not having any luck, not even a chance of a shot before they make off.

Wind direction is accounted for, and we cover the ground accordingly.

 

So now to my next task, and that’s baiting them.

 

Do any of you bait on a regular basis, and if so what do you use, and do you use a stink tube (I know cramp used one and did post something on it, but not sure if it was on here or the old site)

 

 

Was out last nite after i finished work, and was out by 10pm, we worked a few fields using the calls, but nothing so headed across the road up onto the hillside, then i scanned back to where we had come from and 500 yards away in the croner where we were calling was a bloody fox, and as soon as the light hit it, it was running off into a big wood. The wind was in our faces!!!! Now i haven't shot at any and missed, and there is no-one else on this permission with a FAC, so maybe shotgunners or people running long dogs......

 

We carried on around, and didn't see anything until we were near the farm, then we spotted some eyes about 300 yards away, but i know the farmer lets his dogs roam so couldn't be 100% sure ( Dan had the rifle), i gave a few calls but it just slinked off.

Then we got to the spot on the hill where i spotted the fox in the corner, and we spotted another one, but again as soon as the lamp was on it, it was off!!!!!

 

So any pointers will be put to good use.

REMEMBER !!! once you have shot a fox it wont take long for a new one to appear from neighbouring land, it might just be that the Foxes you are seing on your patch are from elsewhere and they have seen and heard it all before.

 

regards Jimmy