Easter fox jaunt...i love fox season...!!!
I went for an early morning walk the first full day there & saw a fox in the trotting through the middle of a paddock...didnt have the bipod on & had nothing to rest on so i just watched it through the scope...(it was a good 400 plus yards away & only visible for 20 seconds or so...i didnt want to have a half arsed crack at it & risk injuring it or scaring it away while i was there...i rather wait for a better opportunity).
The fox had just caught itself a fat healthy bunny & was trotting off to the line of malle to fill its belly...ive never seen a fox with a live bunny in its chops before...i got nothing that morning but that made the day for me...early sunny autumn morning walking around the country side with a gun & seeing a happy fox with its equivelant of bacon & eggs at an organic cafe...love it...!!!
So there are lambs popping out everywhere so foxes & crows are hanging around the flocks like flies...just waiting for the unsuspecting stray...
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This little fellow was cold & lonely all by himself...probably a good 800m to a Km away from nearest flock so was abandoned & tucked up under the smallest of paddock shrubs to keep warm for the next fox that came along...(pack of 22lr win sub hp's & a 22-250 cartridge for size reference...at probably barely a day old they are pretty small & frail)...when i drove past with the spotlight it popped up & chased the car bleeting its little lungs out...i drove off in denial of wanting to save it...After all i had foxes to shoot...!
I returned 5 mins later & picked him up & returned him to the flock...he went along with 3 other lambs & followed them up to 2 mothers, one of which didnt want the poor little blighter...he just stood there & let the flock wander off...
Maybe the farmer would take him as he's been known to hand rear abandoned lambs, but i have to drive to high ground to get service..
The little fellow snuggled up in my lap right away
, poor little thing was desperate for mum
...
But i had to put him on the back seat cos...
- Abandoned...returned to the flock...
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... i had some business to take care of...
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Thought id push the blanket up against his body...probably wasnt a good idea given i was going to throw him back out in the cold, but maybe the farmer would take him & hand rear. it..?...
All i did was push the blanket up to him, he has managed to somehow snuggle himself almost into it...!!
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One of his cousins wasnt so lucky...caught this guy mid meal...this pic is taken as the fox fell-untouched, & shot from the same direction as the pic is taken.
Its the first fox of the new 22-250--blew a whopping hole on entry side of it which i wasnt happy about as it had an amazingly good pelt...but i was hankering for the rifles first fox, & got it at a good 180 yds...the shot felt nice--22-250's are like camp fires i rekon, there's just something that feels right about being around & lighting one up at night...!
But its back in the case for this one because im in the beginnings of a fur keeping fettish...!!!
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Rang the farmer & he didnt want the new born--said to throw it back to the flock so it atleast had something to follow...so i did...the reality is its probably not with us anymore--no doubt suffered the same fate as its cousin above
...i hate being a softie...!!!
Just give me a minute... another set of eyes...!!!
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I know this is fox pages & not hunt reports, & i dont want to hijack a thread, so apologies for not being bothered doing this in hunt reports.
All in all i had a fruitful few days...
Got the longest headshot ive had on a bunny with the 204 at a healthy 270 yds (im no long range expert with a custom rifle so im pretty happy with that shot...!)...i played for the shot & got it--had to guess a bit of hold over so was pretty happy with my guess...!!
- 270 odd yards
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Saved a few more little shrub fluttering finches...not to mention a few more bunnies left for me to shoot from having returned this fellow to the earth from whence he came...i actually thought it was a fox as all i could see were its eyes through the little bush it was hiding behind & i was also getting some flare off of the barrel from the scope mounted light.
.
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And hopefully ill be able to stitch on the half of the tail i ripped off of this bitch while skinning her. at 3am...
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I really suck at skinning foxes...takes me for ever
, which makes it forever'er when its 3am & you want to get up for a dawn/early morning stroll with the shotty...im happy to take tips from anyone who has a system down pat...
Im not going to do the alum tanning again--just too much work...going to get a good kit & give the tanning a proper crack...!
I really do love fox season...!!!!!
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...