Berti the fox!

[Nath]

Little Berti, a small red fox had been running around with Slinky, a small barron vixen.
Slinky knew all my approaches and dodged me for over a year. She knew light of any colour flaslight and also infra red.
Anyway, the ever evading Slinky left a pattern that I eventually worked out and I intersepted her early one morning and that was that.
Now I had photographed Slinky several times on the trail camera but only a few times captured Berti. He was often with her or near by.
He too dodged light from a flashlight and IR light.

So when the farmer cut the 'weighbridge' field for haylage I simply had to be there before dark!
I chose a slightly high vantage with woodland behind me, looking across the field to woodland that I was in anticipation of seeing a fox emerge.
I had with me a cz 455 17 HMR with a 3-9 Redfield scope coupled with a Sytong 66 add on night sight.

Well I had not been there 20 minutes as the sun set and out pops Berti! My eyes ain't what they were and I basically could not see him well at 300yds with NV or binoculars.
He was catching beetles and rolling in the hay as I watched through the NV I had forgotten my binoculars! If I stopped using the device I would loose him for a while.
He eventually started to walk into the wind following the tree line, I haven't mentioned the wind! Gusting 10mph to 20mph!
I squealed mimicking a rabbit in distress, no response from Berti.
I paralleled him on my side of the field. The field gets narrower and now he was only a good long 150yds or so away. I squealed at him again and again no response! Was he deaf? We will never know!
Running out of time, light and options I readied for a shot. Resting off a tree Berti stopped and looked back. I gave a little windage and a pinch of elevation and touched it off.
THUMP came the report and Berti ran into the field towards me and back again but stopping around 130yds away. I watched through the sight and could see him holding his head down and loosing the will. He was facing away but turned sideways for me whereupon the sights were on his neck and a tiny pill was sent to end it all for Berti.
Poor Berti, I have to admire him. I respect all the fox's I come up against but every now and then I come up against these special ones that take some figuring out.
I hope his sons come to plague me and don't doubt they will!

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[AJMD429]

.
Great story.
Thanks for sharing.

[Griff]

Congrats!

[gamekeeper]

The most difficult ones to get always offer the most satisfaction in the end. Well done Nath....

[AmBraCol]

A challenging hunt despite the long prep time as you worked out the "how". Outwitting ANY wary animal is a thrill for a true hunter. Some folks think only big game is interesting, but the little guys at times are just as tough to get. Thanks for taking us along, Nath.

[piller]

True hunting there. Sounds like they were pretty smart. Outsmarting an animal with better senses is always a reward in itself.

[Oldncrusty]

Cool story. Waiting on one to show up at my chicken pen now. I walked one of the dogs around earlier though. They never show if you are armed and waiting.

[Nath]

Cool story. Waiting on one to show up at my chicken pen now. I walked one of the dogs around earlier though. They never show if you are armed and waiting.

I live next to a farm that runs two egg production units.
The birds can go out in the day but some stay out all night. They are in a fenced off range but there is always a fox getting in! That's when the phone rings. It's a never ending job.
I find that when I go out with a rifle I want a shotgun and when I go out with a shotgun I needed a rifle!

[Oldncrusty]

I believe there was a den this year less tha 100 yds from this pen. I also think it's a young one pestering me. He caught one hen and carried her 50 yards or more and strew feathers the whole way. Hen got away though. Still kickin.

[Nath]

I believe there was a den this year less tha 100 yds from this pen. I also think it's a young one pestering me. He caught one hen and carried her 50 yards or more and strew feathers the whole way. Hen got away though. Still kickin.

I've watched them running down chucks. A chicken can be hard work for a large fox from what I've seen. They don't just scoop them up. They seem to have to hold them down for a while to get a good purchase etc.

[piller]

17 HMR and the 17 WMR are fast and light, but they carry a good wallop into a small critter. The 17 WMR round is rated at 3,000 fps. That is a lot of speed from a tiny cartridge. I have shot two small coyotes with it. Head shots and the coyotes never moved again.

[ywaltzucanrknrl]

Great story Nath and a great shot, my 17HMR is spotty in the wind. It's obvious you are dedicated and wise, plus a good shot. Really like yours posts!

I grew up around sheep ranching and as a boy wanted to be a government trapper so I could hunt coyotes all the time----never worked out that way, but I did get to hunt a lot of coyotes anyway. One of my favorite memories is of a three legged coyote my brother and I hunted for a long time. It was killing sheep on a regular basis. My brother called it in one morning and I dosed it with two loads of #4 buck out of a 12 gauge LC Smith side by side at about 60 yards, my brothers dog, a great Airedale hunting partner put the finish on it although it was running dead. Still remember the spot, the smell of sagebrush and the early morning sun at our backs, it was a great day.

[Nath]

Great story Nath and a great shot, my 17HMR is spotty in the wind. It's obvious you are dedicated and wise, plus a good shot. Really like yours posts!

I grew up around sheep ranching and as a boy wanted to be a government trapper so I could hunt coyotes all the time----never worked out that way, but I did get to hunt a lot of coyotes anyway. One of my favorite memories is of a three legged coyote my brother and I hunted for a long time. It was killing sheep on a regular basis. My brother called it in one morning and I dosed it with two loads of #4 buck out of a 12 gauge LC Smith side by side at about 60 yards, my brothers dog, a great Airedale hunting partner put the finish on it although it was running dead. Still remember the spot, the smell of sagebrush and the early morning sun at our backs, it was a great day.