The fox pages

[Blr243]

I nearly took a boar on the job but he finished too quick and just jumped off and ran in amongst the rest of the mob It’s on my bucket list to get a boar on the job definitely send him off in style and if it’s at night with a thermal there’s a good chance I’ll be recording it so he can be a movie star as well. Only way to go

[Stix]

Thanks Stix,

So to put it simply, at this time of the year, i.e. breeding season, the 'lads' would 'root a boot'!

This would explain the goose I shot and the other idiot who ran at a gallop to within about 30 yards of me. If they do get harder to call in later in winter, they still need to eat, so I'll keep the bait station going.

I'm enjoying this,

Jim

I think the ones that come running in to me between April to bedding down to rear young stage, are usually last years pups--i come to this conclusion as i skin most of them these days & although its hard to distinguish age from look when they're full grown, you have a better idea of age when you skin them out.

Yes id keep the bait station going during winter, although ive found the boys do like to forrage for things--they are predators who like us, i think they enjoy the hunt--as well as running away, ive often observed them not being at all interested in my whistle & ignoring/turning away from easy meal/bait, & going about the forrage for field mice & small things in winter.
Also in winter, is when i can sat there & had them sit tight & not shift at all & stay out of range watching me/my light (they see out the limits of my patience), & if i approach within 300 they vanish...whereas in summer they are always on the move & dont tend to hang around.
they are a weird creature that is predictably unpredictable...so much so that i find it freaky & i feel a little like a bully tyrant when they come running to my feet to get shot---& ironically, when theyre so close is when im most likely to let out my worst placed shots...

[NTSOG]

Evening All,

I'm literally just back inside at 8:50 PM from the 'passion-pit'. That is, the paddocks behind my house. The randy beggars are all over the place, but mostly either too far out and running after each other or in close enough to shoot, but still running. At the last gasp one mangy blighter came out from the top paddock behind my machinery shed at about 145 yards hunting insects. He came in like a rocket at the sound of the T2 whistle, just like the blighter I shot two nights ago. He was very considerate and, at 100 yards, turned side on and stood still for me about ten minutes ago - and he is mangy. On the other hand the first fox I saw this evening looked up at the sound of the T2 whistle and disappeared.

Jim

[Vicko]

Yep - they're going crazy in Western Vic.
Got 4 in an hour the other night without wasting a shot.
Then had a not so successful outing last night. 3 solid hits but didn't manage to confirm any kills.
And had a round not fire on me when the he was in the crosshairs at about 100m! Closest one of the night! ergh. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way

[NTSOG]

Hi Vicko,

I'm south of Ballarat - you can tell from the frost on the blighter in the pictures. Perhaps you can confirm if he has mange? I'm new to the game and suspect the bare spot on his back as well as some crusty scale on his legs - that doesn't show in the pictures under the frost - is mange. I suspect he is a fairly old dog.

Jim

[NTSOG]

G'day,

Here's another one who came in to the T2 whistle last night. He was little more wary than the previous two, but it was the whistle that caused him to stop on the wall of a dam at 146 yards just long enough for me to get him. Like the two dogs I shot earlier in the week he has a bad skin condition and hair missing in various places which I assume is mange.

Jim

[Oldbloke]

Almost certain to be manage. Which by the way is scabies. So avoid touching as humans can get it. If your scalping just carry a couple of vynl gloves and a zip lock sandwich bag. Lol

[marksman]

Evening All,

I'm literally just back inside at 8:50 PM from the 'passion-pit'. That is, the paddocks behind my house. The randy beggars are all over the place, but mostly either too far out and running after each other or in close enough to shoot, but still running. At the last gasp one mangy blighter came out from the top paddock behind my machinery shed at about 145 yards hunting insects. He came in like a rocket at the sound of the T2 whistle, just like the blighter I shot two nights ago. He was very considerate and, at 100 yards, turned side on and stood still for me about ten minutes ago - and he is mangy. On the other hand the first fox I saw this evening looked up at the sound of the T2 whistle and disappeared.

Jim

after reading "passion pit" l had to go back and read some of the older posts

your getting the job done Jim
good on you

[NTSOG]

Thanks Old Bloke. I didn't realise it was a form of scabies. I always wear disposable gloves when picking them up and keep my dog away from any fox carcass.

Jim

[Oldbloke]

Yeh, so gloves are new to me. (I should have known better LOL) In the past if they had mange or stunk I didnt take the scalp. So left a lot to rot. That has to change. Checked out my bag of scalps and hardly got any as a result.

[brinny]

[quote="Vicko"]Yep - they're going crazy in Western Vic.

Gday Vicko....

I took a trip down to western district , Simpson way last Wednesday....Been going down there for the last 35 years
Covered 3 farms.....estimate about 1500 acres and saw 5 foxes and got three for the entire night, and i was using thermal gear.....last year i took 37 off one of the farms (700 acres) in 3 consecutive Saturday nights......9,18,and 10...
Was the quietest i have seen them down there.....

[Oldbloke]

Yep - they're going crazy in Western Vic.

Gday Vicko....

I took a trip down to western district , Simpson way last Wednesday....Been going down there for the last 35 years
Covered 3 farms.....estimate about 1500 acres and saw 5 foxes and got three for the entire night, and i was using thermal gear.....last year i took 37 off one of the farms (700 acres) in 3 consecutive Saturday nights......9,18,and 10...
Was the quietest i have seen them down there.....

Very quiet where I am. 4 evenings and 1 morning whistling and only 1 sighted.

[brinny]

Yep - they're going crazy in Western Vic.

Gday Vicko....

I took a trip down to western district , Simpson way last Wednesday....Been going down there for the last 35 years
Covered 3 farms.....estimate about 1500 acres and saw 5 foxes and got three for the entire night, and i was using thermal gear.....last year i took 37 off one of the farms (700 acres) in 3 consecutive Saturday nights......9,18,and 10...
Was the quietest i have seen them down there.....

Very quiet where I am. 4 evenings and 1 morning whistling and only 1 sighted.

Very quiet indeed down there mate...
Just curious oldbloke....
Are you going to change your pic of Elmer Fudd with his gun to one of him with his sythe now Looney Tunes are doing away with his gun????

[Oldbloke]

"Just curious oldbloke....
Are you going to change your pic of Elmer Fudd with his gun to one of him with his sythe now Looney Tunes are doing away with his gun????"

NO

[brinny]

"Just curious oldbloke....
Are you going to change your pic of Elmer Fudd with his gun to one of him with his sythe now Looney Tunes are doing away with his gun????"

NO

And rightly so too...

[Oldbloke]

I was offended by that question.

[brinny]

I was offended by that question.

The whole concept of what those clowns are doing just pisses me off totally.... but i was just curious on your thoughts given you have the old mate up there....
I think your answer pretty much summed it up.....

[NTSOG]

Good evening all, I've just been out the back for an hour or so and only saw one tonight. It was chasing bugs over 200 yards out and not really interested in any call. He scarpered back into the bush and I decided that was enough. It's also blowing a gale and the rain should be here soon.

Hi marksman, yes I'm getting a few at a steady rate - nothing spectacular, but I'm having fun and learning all the time. The funny thing is that I've seen more and shot four times the number of foxes out the back 23 acres of my property than I have even seen on the neighbouring farms - totaling about 1200 acres - a half mile or so down the road on which I can shoot day or night. The blighters come out of the bush and the pine plantations behind my place on their nightly excursions.

Jim

[Oldbloke]

Yeh, NTSOG is doing very well.
I like to only daytime whistle, but I love it. I the weather is good may take the other g'son out tomorrow evening. He's been dropping the hint.

[Stix]

Hi Vicko,

I'm south of Ballarat - you can tell from the frost on the blighter in the pictures. Perhaps you can confirm if he has mange? I'm new to the game and suspect the bare spot on his back as well as some crusty scale on his legs - that doesn't show in the pictures under the frost - is mange. I suspect he is a fairly old dog.

Jim

Hey JIm...the first & most obvious sign of mange i notice, is the end/tip of the tail...its usually the first signs--i think because there is such a concentrated amount of fur on such a small area of skin, its the first to be noticable.

On the pic of that fox in this post of yours ive quoted, you can clearly see the lack of fur at the tip of the tail...so to me its obvious it is suffering from mange, even if there are no other signs showing.
Ive found at that early stage, if you look carefully around the rear end of the belly & inside of legs, you might notice some areas of thinning fur to confirm the diagnosis.

I am surprised you are still getting it there...usually by the time the colder months set in, the mite has done its thing, killed off any hosts & become somewhat dormant--or at least much less active.

Ive gotta say...i cant tell you how many foxes ive picked up & carted in the back of car without gloves, & have never got scabies.

I think there are different types of mange--which is a mite--& then there are certain individuals who are susceptable to it--both in the dog & human world.

I know farmers who've over the years had the odd dog get it, while other co-existing dogs dont get it...& also some farm dogs that kill & have killed mangy foxes & never contracted it.

Im not suggesting you dont take precautions, but id hazzard a guess that if you live on a farm & have never had it, or your dogs \havent had it, that neither or any of you are biologically susceptable to it...

But ill stress...this is my non-educated, but based on experience assumption...& thus i axxept no responsibility if after you pick up a fox & take a pee in the paddock, your pouch becomes itchy & inflamed...

[Oldbloke]

" I think there are different types of mange--which is a mite--& then there are certain individuals who are susceptable to it--both in the dog & human world."

Perhaps your right.

Edit. Mange - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mange

Seems various versions. But too much reading for me tonight.lol

[NTSOG]

Crikey, Have a look a the poor dogs infected with mange in the Wikipedia reference! Imagine if that sort of infection took hold on your pecker due to poor hygiene when peeing in the paddock? I bet it itches. I need to buy some more disposable gloves.

Jim

[Vicko]

Hey Jim - apologies for the slow reply. First one could be mange (or an old gunshot wound), the later pic definitely looks like mange. We've never worried about gloves, but used to try and keep the den dogs away from any mangey looking kills.

I had a bit of a partial redemption last night after not picking up any bodies mid week. I will give the back story for context. I've been shooting foxes and bunnies with the old man for years (Dad used to do it semi professionally in the 80s when skins where still worth a bit). We always used his 22magnum. Nothing flash but it got the job done. A while back I purchased my own CZ457 in 17hmr which Ive used a few times to good effect, even in what most would consider fairly windy conditions. Anyway - Dad finally upgraded to a 223 a few months back and I had a crack at it for the first time a week or so back. Thats when I took the 4 in an hour. Then mid week I went for another crack at them, didn't see as many but had 3 solid hits without being able to locate a body. Had another crack last night after rechecking the sights and realising that Dad had been running mixed ammo on the second night - some hollow point and some tipped. Noted that the tipped rounds fired about an inch and a half high at about 100m and the hollow points were about half an inch low.

So we go out for a look. Not a lot of action, but we come across some eyes in a spot that Dad had seen there before but never been able to get a shot at as it was just too far. Way up the other end of the paddock, just in front of a row of trees and cover. The paddock had a recently harvested corn crop so was essentially bare and very wet.. so we couldn't drive through it. 'Jesus thats a long way.. how far can we drive into the paddock do you reckon?' 'Oh not far but I can get you a bit closer'. So we crept into the paddock as far as we could - right up to the edge of the soft soil. I found him in the scope and he was still a long way.. and he was laying flat at about 45 degree angle head facing me. Lucky for us, I knew he wasn't going anywhere as I could see he was in the process of creeping up on a flock of mountain ducks resting in some standing water about 10m in front of him. So I was able to take my time. Gave him a little hold over to where I thought would be about right... He didn't even move. I paced it out at a smidge over 250 yards, which makes it my longest shot to date. Thats the exit wound in the pic. Another big dog too. Almost as big as the one I took the other week that you can see in the group of 4 (he's the big fella at the front).

And then I had another solid hit at one at about 120 about 5 minutes later. But couldn't find the body either. Long grass, cattle paddocks. If I don't find them in a couple of minutes I give up. Then later missed one trotting towards me about to duck into some cover that I probably should have held off for another time. The weather turned on us after that so we had to call it a night.

So thats 5 bodies and I reckon another 4 kills in a couple of weeks. Turns out I quite like Dad's 223...

[NTSOG]

Hello Vicko,

As I said I'm new to this game. I have been wondering why foxes allow people to drive up on them through paddocks. Is it that they are conditioned to the sight and sounds of vehicles/machinery they see on the roads and paddocks at all hours as well as their lights at night, but don't understand that people are inside said vehicles? Another thing is that I'm amazed at how far a seriously wounded fox can travel before it drops to lick its wounds and/or expires. I've realised now that it's better to sit a bit, rather than chase after one and drive it further away. As for 250 yard shots - I, coming from a background of spear-fishing, archery and air-rifles, still have trouble comprehending that such long shots are possible. What magnification is necessary to actually see and aim accurately on a fox at such a distance?

Jim

[Vicko]

Hi Jim,
The older and more cunning ones will often only give you a flash or two of eyes and you won’t see much more. Depends on if there’s been shooting there much (and more importantly- shooting and missing).
I was just using a 4-12x scope. No point going much bigger at night as normally I wouldn’t be stretching past 200m

[NTSOG]

G'day,

Last night's aquatic events included this Charlie who wasn't able to restrain himself from diving into my dam after being whacked from behind as he walked away from me. He turned up about 12 minutes after I went out, just before the fog rolled in. Range was 180 yards - but don't ask me to repeat the shot. I know a 'Hail Mary' shot when I see it.

Jim

[NTSOG]

G'day,

We killed an Angus heifer for the freezer on Monday and I dumped the guts about 60 feet in from the tree line in the top paddock. This pretty little vixen - no mange - came for a meal last night at 7:15.

Jim

[AJB]

Nice one jim

[Oldbloke]

[marksman]

very nice fox Jim