Red Fox
Posted: 17 Dec 2016 01:02
This afternoon I went to the upstairs bedroom to puts some clothes away. Our bedroom has French doors with a deck off the back of the house. I see a canine on my neighbors farm (who allows me to hunt). I rush to the closet to grab my Savage .270 which lives in this closet for target of opportunities such as this. Leaning on the deck rails, peering through the scope I see a red fox. My rest isn't stable for a 200 yard shot. And, I wasn't sure that I wanted to shoot a red fox. While I"m struggling for a steady rest and whether I wanted to harvest this animal, it went behind some trees in a drainage ditch. Oh well, that made my decision.
This may have been the first red fox that I've seen on the farm. There were a couple quick glimpses of fox but I wasn't sure if they were gray fox or red fox.
Back down stairs, I questioned myself if I had made the right call. A couple years ago we lost 8 chickens in a 10 period. One of those fox glimpses was in the backyard during the period. Oh well, I made the call and I'll live with it. I pondered the idea of dressing for a predator call hunt using my Rossi .357. As many of you who have followed my post I have goal taking all KY game animals with this little Rossi. I figured by the time I got dressed for 17 degree windchill the fox would be long gone.
Hind sight is 20/20, but I wish I'd dress, grabbed the Rossi and my predator calls.
Thirty or forty minutes later I was back in the bedroom, and as is my habit, I always check out the doors first thing when I go upstairs. Ms. Fox was back in the field, but this time at 300+ yards. OK, this is providence telling me I made the wrong decision on our first encounter.
Since the railing is at an uncomfortable level for a stead rest, this time I sat on my butt, sticking the .270 through the rails, using one rail as brace. The fox was sitting facing me. My crosshair is steady, high center of her chest. No, I'm not taking this low per centage shot at this distance. If I shoot it will be a broadside, standing shot. That's the deal I made with myself on whether to take this beautiful who quite probably has eaten a few of my chickens.
She stands up and pounces like she's trying to get a mouse to move. Then she turns broadside walking around the hill. My scope is on her. NO she has to stop, that's the deal. She stops. Since I'd been tracking her through the scope, it only took a breath to be on target. I had already squeezed the set trigger of the Savage Accutrigger. I touched of the rifle.
After the mild recoil, I see through the scope that the fox was recovering from the hit and stumbling, running diagonally downhill. She disappeared behind a little rise in the landscape.
I will pause heer to do a little preaching/coaching on something I've learned from 45 years of hunting. Most you guys know this, but some of you are just beginning your hunting experience. My advice: track your animal after the shot through your sights, whether it's iron sights or scopes. First, this you the best opportunity for a follow up shot should one be needed. Second, and most importantly, if you get into the habit of pulling the trigger, the raising you cheek from the stock to look at the game, with the adrenaline of the hunt, you'll start raising up to look at the animal before you actually pull the trigger--thus resulting in a miss or a wounded animal. Learn to keep your cheek on the stock and your focus on the target. Recoil or no recoil, your brain/muscle memory will bring you back to the target.
Back to the story. I dressed for the weather and grabbed my Rossi .357. If I needed a follow up shot, at least my little Rossi would get 1/2 credit for the kill. It wasn't needed. The bullet entered just behind the
shoulder.
This is the first red fox I've ever killed.
This may have been the first red fox that I've seen on the farm. There were a couple quick glimpses of fox but I wasn't sure if they were gray fox or red fox.
Back down stairs, I questioned myself if I had made the right call. A couple years ago we lost 8 chickens in a 10 period. One of those fox glimpses was in the backyard during the period. Oh well, I made the call and I'll live with it. I pondered the idea of dressing for a predator call hunt using my Rossi .357. As many of you who have followed my post I have goal taking all KY game animals with this little Rossi. I figured by the time I got dressed for 17 degree windchill the fox would be long gone.
Hind sight is 20/20, but I wish I'd dress, grabbed the Rossi and my predator calls.
Thirty or forty minutes later I was back in the bedroom, and as is my habit, I always check out the doors first thing when I go upstairs. Ms. Fox was back in the field, but this time at 300+ yards. OK, this is providence telling me I made the wrong decision on our first encounter.
Since the railing is at an uncomfortable level for a stead rest, this time I sat on my butt, sticking the .270 through the rails, using one rail as brace. The fox was sitting facing me. My crosshair is steady, high center of her chest. No, I'm not taking this low per centage shot at this distance. If I shoot it will be a broadside, standing shot. That's the deal I made with myself on whether to take this beautiful who quite probably has eaten a few of my chickens.
She stands up and pounces like she's trying to get a mouse to move. Then she turns broadside walking around the hill. My scope is on her. NO she has to stop, that's the deal. She stops. Since I'd been tracking her through the scope, it only took a breath to be on target. I had already squeezed the set trigger of the Savage Accutrigger. I touched of the rifle.
After the mild recoil, I see through the scope that the fox was recovering from the hit and stumbling, running diagonally downhill. She disappeared behind a little rise in the landscape.
I will pause heer to do a little preaching/coaching on something I've learned from 45 years of hunting. Most you guys know this, but some of you are just beginning your hunting experience. My advice: track your animal after the shot through your sights, whether it's iron sights or scopes. First, this you the best opportunity for a follow up shot should one be needed. Second, and most importantly, if you get into the habit of pulling the trigger, the raising you cheek from the stock to look at the game, with the adrenaline of the hunt, you'll start raising up to look at the animal before you actually pull the trigger--thus resulting in a miss or a wounded animal. Learn to keep your cheek on the stock and your focus on the target. Recoil or no recoil, your brain/muscle memory will bring you back to the target.
Back to the story. I dressed for the weather and grabbed my Rossi .357. If I needed a follow up shot, at least my little Rossi would get 1/2 credit for the kill. It wasn't needed. The bullet entered just behind the
shoulder.
This is the first red fox I've ever killed.
