OT Somebody keeps,,,,,,

[Nath]

dumping flaming town fox's in my back yard! Another turned up Monday.
I baited the field just over the hedge and sure enough at 4.30am this morning there it was, perfect side on.
Slid the air rifle through the window and THWACK. It lept in the air and took off and stopped at 70 yds then it sat down, then got up, sat down then lay down and rolled over with a bit of leg kicking, 30 seconds in all.
Got dressed and got the dog on the blood line to which she retrieved it when she found it and guess what, a complete pass through this time with loads of air trapped under the skin!
Any way just thought I'd let you know.
Sorry, no pics this time.

Nath.

[JReed]

Cool deal.

[gamekeeper]

Nath, you're doing a great job with that air rifle.
I've been out the last two nights after a fox the keeper saw near his release pens. I've had no luck so far, although the keeper shot one with his .243 while out lamping.
I was trying to call the fox by a barn where two Barn Owls have young, after a couple of minutes callin' a Barn Owl nearly landed on my head, its a pity I didn't have the camera ready instead of my Winchester.

We have the same problem down here with Town Foxes being dumped. I have spoken to pest control company's and I know some of them see it as an easy option, they don't even have to dig a hole to bury them! Just pull up in a quiet country lane and open the cage trap!

[homefront]

Nath,

That sounds like a nice air rifle! Which model is it?

[Nath]

Homefront, it is a Weirach hw95 in .177 It is not as big as thier hw80 but plenty good enough. It is a break barrel type springer. I guess it is (and it is a guess) in the 800fps region.

Gk, yeah town fox's, I know they are cos they hang around our house's when there are any amount of hedges with rabbit in them. They are comfused and just wonder about aimlessly. Shame ain't it, best I continue to send them to the great city dump in the sky

Nath.

[JerryB]

Sure am proud ya'll are doing your part to keep the fox in line. The same thing happens over here with cats and dogs, town folks drive out at nite and dump them off thinking country folks don't care. Then we have to do the same thing you do.

[Rusty]

Right Jerry, I've noticed three more cats around here that I haven't seen before.


Nath, I've said it before and I'll say again, your photography work is good enough to make a calender from. My wife even agrees and she's neither a gun lover or a dog lover.

[rjohns94]

well done. can't be grudge shot placement! Always appreciate your stories.

[Ysabel Kid]

So Nath, out of idle curiosity, how many foxes do you think you've taken in your life?

Can't be many left in the UK!

[El Chivo]

ok, what's a Town Fox?

[AmBraCol]

ok, what's a Town Fox?

Well, I'm neither Nath nor Gamekeeper, but I is a country boy by heart even though currently living in a concrete jungle. A "town fox" is a fox that animal control traps in town where it has learned to survive in an urban environment. They then take them out to the country and out of the "kindness of their hearts" toss them back into their "native habitat". You just as well take a NY gangbanger and dump him in the middle of Louisiana or the Mojave desert. They are NOT equipped to survive in their "native habitat" since they've long since learned to get by on urban scavenging and such. So "setting them free in the country" is a delayed death sentence - unless they happen to land around Nath or Gamekeeper or one of the other few sensible Brits left who are doing their best to keep the predators thinned down to a reasonable level.

In my opinion, any "animal control" officer who's stupid enough to do such a thing to a town fox should not be allowed the job. It's just as bad as the idjits who refuse to neuter their pets and then "leave them for the kind farmer" to look after. All to often such animals die from hunger, are killed by other wild animals or go feral, thereby exacting a severe toll on wildlife in the area.

[gamekeeper]

AmBraCol,
I couldn't have put it better myself!
Excellent description.

[Nath]

Yes excellent description.
YK, the most I shot in one year was 167 but not so many nowadays, probably about 30 in the last year but not all shot by me. I use to get some money help as an incentive back then but not now, so what with gas and powder prices,,,,,,,.

Nath.

[TxHunter]

AmBraCol , that might not be a bad idea as long as you don't dump too many too close together or in one place !

[20cows]

AmBraCol , that might not be a bad idea as long as you don't dump too many too close together or in one place !

Yeah, it's a bad idea. (Speaking as one who's had to deal with the drop-offs.)

[BenT]

Yes the drop offs suck . Last week the neighbors sister came and dropped off a city dog at his place . Well it didn't take it long to come over and kill my oldest peacock. Took it right off the deck railing where it roosts at night.

[Old Ironsights]

AmBraCol , that might not be a bad idea as long as you don't dump too many too close together or in one place !

Yeah, it's a bad idea. (Speaking as one who's had to deal with the drop-offs.)

Oh, I dunno. England used to do that quite regularly... dropped off the city criminal scum into the desert in some god awful place called... ummmm Australia.

Seemed to work out in the end... until the poms started coming voluntairly and started banning guns...

[gamekeeper]

AmBraCol , that might not be a bad idea as long as you don't dump too many too close together or in one place !

Yeah, it's a bad idea. (Speaking as one who's had to deal with the drop-offs.)

Oh, I dunno. England used to do that quite regularly... dropped off the city criminal scum into the desert in some god awful place called... ummmm Australia.

Seemed to work out in the end... until the poms started coming voluntairly and started banning guns...

Not everyone transported to Australia was criminal scum from the cities. A lot were poor country folk just trying to feed their families on the rich land owners game!