Monkey off my back? . . Time will tell
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 4:32 am
A young fox and I have been teaching each other a few lessons since before christmas. I've been seeing it from my kitchen window most mornings and evenings about 350-400yds away in the neighbour's paddock. And it's been watching me stalk it and get frustrated at not having a steady rest from which to shoot. The only available rest is a short fence post in some long grass about 200 yds short, and I can't seem to keep the crosshairs still enough to let one off. But when it turned up with a friend a few nights ago I couldn't help myself. I waited until they were close together to enlarge my target area, and took my shot.
2 foxes took off, uninjured, and now wiser
or so I thought - 1 of them was back the next morning. I took off down to the fence and sat there looking at it through my scope once again, with the crosshairs wandering all over the animal. I just couldn't do it again.
Later that day I set up a decent rest I could put my bipod out on, with a rear sand bag to help. Then I did my usual routine of walking past the kitchen window every few minutes at dusk - nothing.
Yesterday morning I paced back and forth at the window, but still nothing. Was the fox smart enough to know what I'd done?
It was a stinking hot day - 30°C by 9 in the morning, up to 42°C for about 2 hours around noon. So I wasn't expecting any foxes to come out until after dark. But just on sundown there it was, slinking around it's usual haunt. I grabbed my 204 and quietly ran to my rest. Got the dog in my crosshairs, put pressure on the trigger, even felt the trigger move a hair, then the fox dipped it's head. The bullet stayed still, my heart thumped, the fox's head lifted again - chin high in the air for a quick chin scratch with it's hind leg and it's chest shining bright white like a flashing light. But it was all over in a flash and the dog took off into the bushes
It's really doing my head in by now. I'm blaming the heat.
So this morning I'm on the lookout again, but no fox. Same this evening, and the sun has almost set. Light is diminishing and there's still no fox. So I take off in my ute to a spot up the top of my paddock to see if I can pick off a bunny for my canine kids.
A quick scan reveals no rabbits, but there's something out of the ordinary behind some bushes 100yds away. Cranked the zoom to about 9x and saw a little red dog staring at me. Who's gonna make the first move? - Me.
I chambered a 39BK quick smart and found the critter again, unmoved. Big mistake.
It still hadn't moved (much) when I walked up to it after giving it the Sierra. Perfect head shot. No close up photos - too messy
![Image](http://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff422/DontwantaUsername/DSCF1031.jpg)
It was pretty hot again today - didn't take my shirt off for the photo
Pity I didn't get to use my rest. And now I have to check the kitchen window every morning and evening still, to see if it was the same one, or if it's mate comes back.
2 foxes took off, uninjured, and now wiser
![mad :mad:](./images/smilies/mad.gif)
or so I thought - 1 of them was back the next morning. I took off down to the fence and sat there looking at it through my scope once again, with the crosshairs wandering all over the animal. I just couldn't do it again.
Later that day I set up a decent rest I could put my bipod out on, with a rear sand bag to help. Then I did my usual routine of walking past the kitchen window every few minutes at dusk - nothing.
Yesterday morning I paced back and forth at the window, but still nothing. Was the fox smart enough to know what I'd done?
![huh :huh:](./images/smilies/huh.gif)
It was a stinking hot day - 30°C by 9 in the morning, up to 42°C for about 2 hours around noon. So I wasn't expecting any foxes to come out until after dark. But just on sundown there it was, slinking around it's usual haunt. I grabbed my 204 and quietly ran to my rest. Got the dog in my crosshairs, put pressure on the trigger, even felt the trigger move a hair, then the fox dipped it's head. The bullet stayed still, my heart thumped, the fox's head lifted again - chin high in the air for a quick chin scratch with it's hind leg and it's chest shining bright white like a flashing light. But it was all over in a flash and the dog took off into the bushes
![wall :wall:](./images/smilies/wall.gif)
It's really doing my head in by now. I'm blaming the heat.
So this morning I'm on the lookout again, but no fox. Same this evening, and the sun has almost set. Light is diminishing and there's still no fox. So I take off in my ute to a spot up the top of my paddock to see if I can pick off a bunny for my canine kids.
A quick scan reveals no rabbits, but there's something out of the ordinary behind some bushes 100yds away. Cranked the zoom to about 9x and saw a little red dog staring at me. Who's gonna make the first move? - Me.
I chambered a 39BK quick smart and found the critter again, unmoved. Big mistake.
It still hadn't moved (much) when I walked up to it after giving it the Sierra. Perfect head shot. No close up photos - too messy
![eek :eek:](./images/smilies/eek.gif)
![Image](http://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff422/DontwantaUsername/DSCF1031.jpg)
It was pretty hot again today - didn't take my shirt off for the photo
![lol :lol:](./images/smilies/lol.gif)
Pity I didn't get to use my rest. And now I have to check the kitchen window every morning and evening still, to see if it was the same one, or if it's mate comes back.