Almost But Not Quite – Night Time Fox Calling
I had the hankering for a bit of air gun hunting tonight. I figured I’d go down the back of my 5 acres with my RWS Rapier and see if I can shoot a bunny or two as I had seen them before. At this point my fiancé suggested I should take my fox whistle and give it a go as she has seen some young foxes about. I figured why not, it’s a good idea. A headshot under 30m with the Rapier (16gn projectile at 930fps) should do the job quite nicely. In fact, I know it will as a friend of mine has shot two foxes with his RWS Excalibur (multi-shot version of the same rifle) he head shot them and they were down and out.
I begin the hunt by creeping out of my place and walk some fifty metres to where I think is a good vantage point to see any incoming redcoats. I quickly scan the area with the Wolfeyes 260 Sniper and put it back in my pocket as I have a Wolfeyes Sea Lion which is a review unit mounted to my air rifle. This here was my undoing. I figured it would be easier and quieter to use the smaller sniper 260 in my left hand and switch to the Sea-Lion when I saw eye shine. Big big mistake.
So I whistle some more and hear rustling coming from my right, which so happens to be the side where I didn’t expect a fox to come from. I swing the sniper around in my left hand and see a fox no more than fifteen metres away. At this point I knew I was a goner, I did not have the rifle pointing that way, I had my left hand full and I needed to turn my scope-mounted light on to get a shot. At this stage I had spooked the young fox that had come to my call. He was only little from this years litter. He ran right by me, in an Ideal world it wouldn’t have mattered as I would have had my shotgun and taken him on the run but alas, an airgun requires an ideal shot to the head in order to ensure a clean and quick kill.
Now he has just went through the fence into the back paddock and by this time I have half sorted myself out. I scan around with the light lip squeeking and see him stop for just a fraction of a second. I shoulder my rifle and by now the fox has disappeared. My heart is pounding from the rush of adrenaline that I received from all the action. No matter how many times I call up a fox it just doesn’t get old and I always get that rush.
At this stage I pointlessly try to call him back on the folded tin whistle, he was spooked and long gone I was just hoping that being a young fox he could be persuaded to come back to the call.
I almost had my first fox with an air rifle but I made critical mistakes that I will never make again and this will hopefully help me to bag that fox when it comes to the call the next time around. At the end of the day that is hunting and if it wasn’t hard it would be no fun.
I then decided to go out and try again, being a young fox I thought I might have a chance.
I started calling and the fox came running straight towards me. I thought to myself “Got you know ya bugger” just as I was about to shoulder my air rifle the battery ran flat which doesn’t just dim it shuts straight off as soon as their is not enough juice to power the Sea Lion Hunter from Wolf Eyes and I missed a golden opportunity. I couldn’t believe it I was so frustrated and annoyed at myself for not charging the batteries.
That was my night. Hopefully my next fox hunting expedition will be a bit luckier next time. I’ve learnt a lot thats for sure!
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Category: Keith Drain's Column
