The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

It is not just the sick and injured. No urban fox should ever be released. They cannot hunt!

Dougan

Thanks - I am not an out an out murderer - I love ALL wildlife, spend as much time if not more, shooting it with the camera as I do with the rifle (But I cannot eat photos!)

We have a "few" acres at home, keep poultry etc - we have a resident fox "couple" - they go unmolested, it would be easy to shoot them any evening, but what would it achieve?

Besides I do enjoy watching them "mousing" in my bottom paddock or our small wood.

If however, their taste turned to my poultry (they are secured and not easy pickings) then I would need to re-think that.

Mike

spud wrote:tac 20 is a nice round the hornet is ok but at extended ranges 200 yards plus not enough gun imho personally ive had 6mmbr 22-250 243 243 ai -220 swift if i had to choose another now i would go 22br

That's interesting. I've never really used my 243 for foxing because it has a relatively low power scope suitable for stalking in daylight, I've got worked up rounds to test in the 6BR, I know where you're going with .22BR but if the barrel faeries mucked up my .22/250 tonight I'd start by comparing the trajectory flatness of .22/250 AI with an 8 twist, the 22BR and I just know that they'd have to overcome an instinctive yearning for a Swift. Most of my foxes are outwards of 150 yards, typically to 225 yards (which is where I've been zeroed for the last 10 years or so) but increasingly seeing them stand and give us the finger at 300. I don't have the eye/scope combination to do that by lamplight. I am not an NV shooter and, after all, you need to spot 'em with a lamp in the first place.

Hmm, I'm thread hijacking now.... sign92

MiLisCer wrote:Dougan

Thanks - I am not an out an out murderer - I love ALL wildlife, spend as much time if not more, shooting it with the camera as I do with the rifle (But I cannot eat photos!)

We have a "few" acres at home, keep poultry etc - we have a resident fox "couple" - they go unmolested, it would be easy to shoot them any evening, but what would it achieve?

Besides I do enjoy watching them "mousing" in my bottom paddock or our small wood.

If however, their taste turned to my poultry (they are secured and not easy pickings) then I would need to re-think that.

Mike

I don't disagree with any of that - in fact I applaud the fact that you make the effort to secure your poultry, rather than take the easy option

To All: I've tried so far to stay out of conversations about foxing (I think this is the second time), and am aware that on a shooting forum my opinion probably isn't a popular one - So if I get any info from the RSPCA, I'll share it.....but other than that I'll stay out of threads about foxing in the future

Its a forum share your ideas but as long as nobody preaches i dont see a prob with conversation exchange of ideas and agreeing to disagree

Dougan, personally I like to see the occasional Fox out on the fields, Christel saw one today when she was out with the dogs and I have a picture somewhere of one walking up the lane past our front door. One thing I am hearing more of is urban Fox's being trapped and then released in the countryside, they migrate straight towards civilisation where bins can be raided for scraps, sadly they nearest bins are usually on farms where they very quickly become a nuisance and need to be removed.

Dellboy wrote:Its a forum share your ideas but as long as nobody preaches i dont see a prob with conversation exchange of ideas and agreeing to disagree

Thank you - but I've been allowed to give my opinion a couple of times on the subject without being given a hard time...so I'll return the favour, and not be a PITA to those who want to discuss it...

Re Fox
I use to share your feelings about fox's but that was before I kept chickens, Ducks, Geese and Rheas. I lost 72 chickens in two weeks, fences were electric and they were all killed during the day, some while I was only 50ft away. I lost a Rhea (5'6" bird) to three fox's a few months ago. They live outside all the time and were bought to keep the fox's away! It really isn't helpful having The Fox Project Charity only 1/2 a mile away! I have spent £1000s on fencing for live stock but not found anything that will keep a fox out during the day. So now I have to shot them, which is a real shame.

Re Rifle
Last night I shot a fox with a .22 hornet at 75yrds with a 35gr V max. The bullet hit right behind the shoulder into the heart, but it still took a second round to finish it off. This is not the first time either. Normally I use a .223 with a 55gr V max. I've never had to shot a fox twice with that. If I have the choice I don't take the hornet. I'm now looking for a .204 to replace the hornet, with this I can shoot a 39gr bullet with loads more energy.

Tisme - if you are getting a fox which gets up from that, you're not shooting them in the right place I'm afraid. I've shot countless foxes with that combo, barring one which I screwed up, they have all gone down and stayed down.

What powder are you using behind that v-max, for what velocity?

13gr Lil gun, cci primer, chrono at just over 3000ft per sec. We couldn't believe it either, it was shot in the right place, slightly at an angle, entrance behind the front shoulder, exit other shoulder. It didn't get up but wasn't dead. I have had one run 150yrds when it was shot between the eyes, exit in the back of the neck with a .22H (bullet pos ran around the skull). I know most of the fox I have shot with a .22H were dead with one shot but so far all the fox's I have shot with the .223 are 1 shot instant kills.

.22h is a very accurate round and cheep to load but I don't think they are the best for fox.

What powder do you use?