Another Fox tail.

[jaeger88]

This one had been giving the Partridges in a strip of game cover some  grief. Twice I sat out at the darkening in wait for him. Both times he  scooted across a gap at the bottom of the hedge that runs down the side  of the game cover & I had no time for a shot, I tried to squeak him  in but he ignored me. I didn't have a call on me, & I suspect when I  use the back of my hand, it sounds more like a pregnant Parakeet, than a  dying Rabbit.  The third time I changed tactic & set myself up  between the hedge & game cover, looking down hill to the wood where  he should be coming from. Ive found Fox's to be creatures of habit, if  you see one at a certain time & place once, chances are they will be  at the same spot within give or take half an hour every day. I guess  they go round their territory maybe twice a day scent marking.
Anyway,  I set myself up behind the rifle on a bi-pod, & within 10 mins he  appeared, 20 mins early. But he popped out of the hedge about 10 yards  in front of me, immediately saw me, & popped back in just as quick  !. Since I knew he would now be spooked & would be 3 times as wary, I  left him alone for the next 3 evenings. I returned to the same spot as  the previous time, with the safety off, finger off the set trigger,  behind the rifle with my eye to the scope but both eyes open. So if he  appeared as he did last time, I could maybe get a shot off quick. But  that evening he was late & I was loosing the light, but he popped  out of the wood below at maybe 120 yards. He mucked about for 5 mins or  so, in & out of a ditch, until he stopped to drink out of a puddle  facing me. I could have taken a head shot, but I don't like taking head  shots unless I have too, Ive seen too many people "nose" or "jaw",  Fox's, Rabbits & Deer for that, & Id hate to think some thing  has run off to die miserably probably of starvation, cos I didn't wait  for a body shot. Anyway, I whistled at him, he lifted hid head & I  put a 50g Nosler BT in his chest. He dropped on the spot without so much  as a twitch. Job done.

[recoil junky]

Well done! Great story too. I felt as if I was looking over your shoulder!

The fox's coloring is very nice, too bad he wasn't "prime".

We had a den just to the north of the house (less than 100 meters) which produced four young ones. Fun to watch them as they grew, but a bother at night when they started "barking". With some "encouragement" they have moved to some where less prone to gunfire.

RJ

[gitano]

That is a beautiful fox!

Excellent technique and story. Thanks!

You titled the thread "Another Fox Tail", so I ask if you are keeping anything from these foxes? The first four you  posted weren't exactly 'beauties', but this one is gorgeous! Are you keeping tails? Skulls? Hides? Baculums? Those here that have known me for a while know I 'like' animal "parts" and have a difficult time leaving anything in the field if I can help it. (A bit of a challenge to get moose 'parts' - other than the meat, and even that's difficult but required by law - out of the field.)

Thanks again for the pic and story.

Paul

PS - Nice rife too!

paul

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Don't think 'Stealth Gummidge' wants to mess around with a pongy fox's dangly bits, then of course you might cross his palm with silver...

[gitano]

I have quite the collection of bacula, but he'd prolly get more from selling them on EBay. Check it out, there are a variety of them available.

Paul

[jaeger88]

Hi RJ & Paul, thank you for your kind & generous words.

I'm  relatively new to recounting my hunting memories in text, though I'm  sure it would be much quicker & easier if I learned to type with  more than one finger.

I'm not a mercenary as Mr  j0e "grumpy" bl0ggs suggests. ( one cannot always apply ones own values  to others ! ).
Though as he says. I wouldn't normally dissect Fox's  & keep the bits, but if there's anything you want & I can get it  to you I will certainly do my best, no palm crossing with anything  required.
I used to just keep the Brush's of Fox's Id shot, but now I  just take a snapshot or two as a reminder, & note the date &  place shot, plus the rile/shotgun used.
Generally, the carcases go in  a covered pit on the farm, where dead calf's from the dairy heard are  disposed of.  Though I lost a Fox I killed one evening in a cow pasture.  I went to retrieve it, when the Cows took a interest in me, & I had  to leg it pdq, before I got trampled. Don't think they really meant any  harm, they are just inquisitive with lousy eyesight. Well, next day  there was no sign of my Fox. We ruled out the Cows having a soccer match  with it, & suspected Badgers may have dragged it off. We shall  never know.

I guess Paul, you'd maybe like to know a little more about the rifle I used ?.

OK,  Its my Steyr Mannlicher SL .222 Rem Hubertus model, ( the one with the  stags head carved  on the stock ), topped with a Meopta Meopro 6 to 18 x  50 Z-Plex II scope, in Apel 1" swing off mounts. The home load it  favors is a Nosler 50g Ballistic Tip No 39522 , over 21.5g V V N130, in  R.P brass with probably a Rem 7 1/2 srp. Giving me about 3,175 fps.

Steve.

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Grumpy........Moi?


Think I'll have to find summat for you to do....

[jaeger88]

You mean work ?. An alien concept caused by lack of alcohol !.

[gitano]

Might hafta start referring to you two as the team of "Stealth and Grumpy". :D:D:D

Thanks for the offer, Steve. I might take you up on it. At the moment, the interest I would have in one of your red fox bacula would be that it is from another continent. I have two or three from here. If I were 'that kind' of a collector I suppose I should have one from every US state, Canada, Mexico, Australia, all the European countries, Scandanavia, "Russia", and Great Britain. However, I'm NOT "that kind" of a collector. My interest in animal parts comes primarily from using them to 1) tell tales (mostly of how I got them), 2) educating those that are interested (mostly kids), 3) and finally, "having" them. Some "parts" are just cool - warthog tusks, for example - which I have never personally obtained by killing a warthog. So... Should I ever get the yearning for English fox parts, you are certainly the fellow to ask!

Once in "pig country" I shot a coyote. To my dismay, the .257 Roberts bullet had essentially ruined the hide. The guide, (my Dad and I were hunting feral pigs), told us that the pigs would 'take care of it' and that there would be nothing left in the morning. Since my uncle had raised hogs commercially, I was well aware of how true that was. Pigs eat darn near EVERYTHING!

Gorgeous rifle! Steyr does know how to make 'em, don't they! Somebody - I won't say who it was, but he is also known as "Grumpy" - talked me into that same 'scope. And I'm glad he did!

Paul

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

I had that rifle in 223 rem always regretted selling it...

As for 'grumpy' well there will be suitable payback... stealth might find himself knee deep in sewage pumps as for Paul 'vegetables are a distraction' Sk*** I'll think about that....

[buckshot roberts]

:happy:Awesome post. Ron

[sakorick]

Nice Fox. I shot a huge coon years ago and saved the one eyed worm bone. White as Ivory....had it on the mantel....then it disappeared......she said it was disgusting. I live in NC Missouri and she lives in Topeka.

[gitano]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Paul