Hi I'm Steve Wild, tonight we're going foxing. It's an important time of the
year for fox control really, because it is lambing season and foxes do take a
lot of young lambs. Before it got dark I just thought I'd give you a rundown of my
kit. This is my Blaser R8 Professional Success in .223.
On top of that
I've got a Longbow scope by Starlight Nightvision. It is pretty high-end as
night vision goes, but it does the job. My quad, it's great for going around the
edges of the fields, especially when it's lambing season you can just bimble
around, the sheep I'm pretty used to the quad going about. So, they're not bothered
by it you can get places a little bit quicker than you could do on foot. if I do
have to go on to foot and sneak around anywhere I've also got my sticks, which
are carrying the basket there. I've got a handheld lamp
just usually to try and help me locate a fox once I've shot it if I can't pick it up
with the thermal, which I use for all my spotting it's very rare when I'm foxy now that I do use a lamp.
I've got the Hellion XP50 from Pulsar here,
which is a handheld monocular thermal I've been using this for about
18 months now and it's a fantastic piece of kit. My other favourite bit of kit is the IGOtec Caller from
Best Fox Call. It's a great caller, there's hundreds of calls on there.
There's a lot of rabbit in distress, pheasant, lamb all manner of stuff.
Then I've just got a sand bag, which I can use off the back of the quad, gives me
nice steady rest. The other thing is a good warm jacket this is a Deerhunter
Muflon Winter jacket, I haven't got the liner in it because like say we are
March, but it comes with another liner inside so you are never going to get
cold in this. It's in Max-5, I've worn this wild boar hunting in Europe, it's a
really nice warm jacket. Hopefully tonight we'll get something on the floor.
So, the plan for tonight is we're going to use this quad, we're going to go
around the outskirts of the field. We'll bump into the sheep and the use, which
are in the top field. What we're basically out here to look after tonight
and see if we can get something in the thermal. Use the thermal for spotting
all the time, don't use a lamp anymore really hopefully get something on the ground.
I use a quad to cover more ground in short space of time than all would do
on foot, it doesn't disturb the Sheep, but it does help me control the foxes.
I'm really familiar with the ground around here, I've been hunting it for a long
time. So, I'm going to head off to a field now where I know there's been some more recent fox activity.
The Hellion XP50 is a perfect tool to help me spot any warm-blooded species.
It allows me to spot and identify foxes that may be lurking in the hedges or in the treeline.
Unfortunately, I don't support anything here and move on to the next field.
I set up the IGOTec Fox Caller with the rabbit in distress sound
to draw in any foxes that may be close by. The large speaker project sound over long
distances making a fantastic talk to attract foxes.
Together with the Hellion XP50 Thermal Imager, they made a perfect foxing tool.
Keeping the fox population under control is vitally important too managing any land.
If left unchecked they can have a devastating effect not just on the lambs,
but all kinds of wildlife and poultry.
I spot what I think is a fox just over the brow of the hill.
I ready my Blaser R8 Professional and use my night-vision scope to ensure that it is a fox.
Unfortunately, the fox retreats back into the treeline behind a herd of grazing deer.
I head back to the quad and we'll move to another field.
We're just come onto this new piece of ground down by what we called the river
ground, pulled in the field thought I've got something straight away on a thermal.
Put the night vision on and it was a badger. So, we're gonna push on down here
now round and have a look at this side down towards the river.
I finally spot what we've been looking for
A Fox is sat under a tree approximately 100 yards away.
I prepare my rifle and ready myself, but notice there is sheep in the field behind.
Without a safe backstop I can't take a safe shot.
So, we picked a fox up on the hedge line there, but unfortunately
these use or first time use here anyway, they were directly behind it. We put the
caller on, wouldn't come towards us I wasn't going to shoot it through the
hedge because you don't know what's going to happen. You can see with these
sheep here, these are really heavy in lamb sheep here they're going to be
dropping any day now next week or so. That's the reason why I've got to be a lot
more vigilant this time of the year really, but we're going to work round the
side of this field now, away from the yous, we'll leave them we don't want to
push him on any further. Work our way back up the river and you never know we might run into him going back.
I put the caller back on and hope to draw in the ever-elusive fox.
Using the thermal a spot fox in the distance, which has taken an interest in the caller.
I take my rifle and shooting sticks and begin to stalk up the side of field, using the bushes for cover.
As I get closer the only animal I can see is a rabbit.
I saw a fox right up on the wood line there. I've tried to cut the distance and
we're about a hundred and sixty yards away from the edge of the water.
The wind is perfect, blowing straight at us.
For some reason he's just bugged out, I can't see him. I don't think he would have seen us coming at the side of this hedge-way.
I head back down to the quad and spot another fox running away from me.
I quickly get set up on my rifle and try to get you to stop with a mouth call.
It doesn't and another fox gets away. This is becoming a little frustrating.
I decide to try one last field in hope of getting a fox down. I quickly spot a
fox sat on a log just in the treeline.
I slowly and purposefully ready my rifle, I don't want to let this opportunity slip away.
There we go.
Lovely big old dog fox. it's me first Fox with the .223
barrel that I've put on my Blaser R8 Professional Success. We came into this
field, we've seen two foxes in it, we never had a shot at the first one.
I tried to squeak him, but it just wasn't having any. Luckily we came around
the back of the field, through this flood water and this old boy was
sat on this log behind us. Again, I tried to give him a squeak, but he just sat
there, so I wasn't risking it in bugging out as well
and took the shot and rolled him off the log a tree. As we said earlier so
important this time of the year. It's the second most important time of year for
getting these foxes down because they lambs are starting to drop on the floor now.
These guys, especially big old fox like this, he can soon whip a llamb
off for you especially if she's got twins or triplets and she's trying to
look after the other one he'll sneak in behind and grab one and be gone.
It's important that we do the job. Perfect end to the evening and I'm chuffed too bits.