Fox !

[jaeger88]

Last nights meager attempt at culling Fox's.
Sorry about iPhone pic  :o, but they wont be eating any more Partridges :)

[gitano]

Looks like 4 bodies, yes?

Great job! Do you call them, or 'stalk' them? What firearm are you using? Light? Ranges? Bullet performance?

The interrogation begins!

Paul

[jaeger88]

Hi Paul !.
Yep, 4 Foxes. All at night lamping ( maybe you call it  "spotlighting" ?  ), from a truck. ( legal in the UK, unless the truck is moving ! ). My  preferred method is stalking though. Preferably on my own, I'm an  unsociable sod !.
Was  using my Steyr SSG Police, in .22-250, with an A-TEC sound moderator,  & a Ziess Duralyt 3 to 12 x 50 scope, & home loads.  The SSG  loves a 52g A-Max or 53g V-Max, over 40g of H380 in R.P brass & any LR primer you  like. My previous .22-250, a Rem 700 VS, loved that load as well.
Not choreographed it, but believe its doing 3,700 to 3,800 fps. As for bullet performance, they don`t take any prisoners.
Three  of the Fox`s are ( were ! ) this years almost full grown cubs, the other was an adult Dog  Fox. The closest shot was only about 10 yds (cub), the next 90/100yds,  the next 50 odd yds, and the furthest nearer 200yds.
For some  reason, where  I shoot now, adults are difficult to call in, they will  stop what they are doing & look at you, but unless they are really  hungry, or there's snow on the ground, then they wont often come in.  
Where I used to shoot was totally different, (about 25 miles further  East), you could be calling in one  Fox, & if you played the lamp about the field, it was not unusual  to have 1 or 2 more coming in from different directions. On that land I  shot between 1 & 6 Fox`s a week, for 5 years, with a Ruger 10-22 in  .22lr, fed with Win Subs. I only ever shot 2 (lamping) with my Kriko  .308. I know a lot of shooters will say the .22lr`s not man enough for  the Red Fox, but Ive found it very rare if one didn't drop on the spot,  with a correctly placed shot with a Win Sub.  

Steve.

[gitano]

Great info, Steve! Thanks!

I hunted a place for coyotes once in which the locals demanded that one not take a shot unless the shooter was CERTAIN of a kill. They asserted that missing only educated the coyotes. The place made a believer out of me, as those were the 'stupidest' coyotes I have ever come across in my life. They would stand and look at you from 100 yd. So... maybe the adults in your new area are 'educated' to calling.

You must take some serious grief from j0e_bl0ggs regarding the use of the RUGER (gasp) 10/22 (double gasp). I have two, and love them, but must admit that they aren't Anschutzes. Of course they don't cost what Anschutzes cost either. I use the 60-grain Aguila sub-sonics in a fast-twist barrel from one of my 10/22s. They hit like the proverbial "ton of bricks" from mine rifles. Perfect for foxes at 100 yd/m and less. http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15282&highlight=reynard

Please, don't be shy about sharing your lamping and stalking adventures with us. Many of us (self included) live vicariously through the hunting/fishing/trapping exploits of our more fortunate members!

Paul

[jaeger88]

Thanks Paul for taking the time to read my inane drivel.

I believe you are on the button there about "educating" quarry.
Fox`s  here certainly become lamp shy if you miss them, they soon associate a  bright light with a loud crack & something whizzing past their ear.
There`s  been quite a few though, that have thought they had run far enough to  be safe, & have stopped  to have a look back at the lamp, but they  hadn't counted on the  killing range of .22-250, & have paid the  price.
The only other thing I can think of why they wont come to the  call, may be that as the land has a commercial shoot, & several  thousand partridges & Pheasants are released every season, maybe  there is a glut of food, & they don't need chase Rabbits for a meal.

One  thing I do love about the .22-250, is that it shoots flat enough to  make up for my lousy range estimation !, & some times makes me look a  better shot than I really am !.

Oh yes !, I do get some flack  from j0e_bl0ggs about my love of the 10-22 !, but I still use the same  rifle I bought 27 years ago, & the gun itself has never let me down.  Occasionally Ive had a brick of Win Subs, that seemed have had hard  brass, & Ive had light strikes, but really that's all.  
 Its not  an Anschutz for sure, but as a Rabbit killing machine, I personally  believe  there's little to touch them. If push came to shove & I  could only have one .22lr rifle, it would be my old 10-22.
We have  been starved of Aguila ammo over here for several years, as they stopped  importing it, though some ones started bringing it in again now.
I take it those 60 grainer`s  must cycle a semi auto ok ?. Are they the SS Sniper rounds, with the short brass ?.

Ive  2 Anschutzs, a .22lr 1416 D HB with the German thumb hole stock, that I  intended to shoot some .22 bench rest with, & a .22 WMR that I  think is an older model 1516, that Ive put a Yukon Photon night vision  scope on. They both have great triggers, though not quite as good as my  old Mauser 201 Luxus.  I think those were exported to the US under the  Kliengunther brand name ?.

I will try & remember some hunting & shooting tales, but I'm reasonably sure most of my exploits are pretty mundane !.

Steve.

[gitano]

If push came to shove & I could only have one .22lr rifle, it would be my old 10-22.

We have been starved of Aguila ammo over here for several years,

Impossible to get the Aguila 60-grain SSS stuff in AK. We are at the 'end of the road'.

Which answers your question about the ammo. They cycle it MOST of the time, but not every time. I don't care too much as I don't do much 'rapid-fire' shooting. On cold days more often than not the action 'stove-pipes' the cases. Muzzle velocities on the SSS rounds out of my 10/22 is right around 850 f/s. I was hoping they would be closer to 950 or even 1,000, but maybe in a longer barrel.

"Keep those cards and letters coming in." Meaning... I don't think there is any sort of hunting or fishing or trapping that we would consider "mundane". We all love to hear about hunting, especially from "over there" - where ever "over there" may be.

Paul

[jaeger88]

"Over there", Paul, is Bedfordshire UK.

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Not 'serious grief' by any means, although the staples and sheep netting have been ordered...

[jaeger88]

You getting a Sheep ?. You know you will just end up shooting it for the  pot, like you did the chooks !. Just get a lawn mower like the rest of  us !.

[gitano]

Now there's the lively banter I was expecting from the likes of j0e_bl0ggs.

Paul

PS - The "where ever" was an unclear reference to the Canadians, New Zealanders, Australians, AND Brits that frequent THL. "I know where you live." :D

Paul