It has been our third outing now for my old man to bag a charlie with his .22-250.The first two outings we did manage to get a shot off for him but his confidence wasn`t very high with the new toy and he did miss it.So it was back to the range and get him used to all the routine needed to pull the shot of relaxed and 100% sure he will kill the fox.
Well he was comfortably hittin 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards so we decided to go out as it had forcast a break in the snow.
We pulled up on the ground at about six o clock and pulled up on the top of a bank with the wood behind us so we didn`t stick out like a sore thumb in the light conditions.We could get a good view of a couple of field here and the shot was down hill so there was no question that an unsafe shot was going to happen.
Well i got the squeaking job and was sent out in the now started again snow fall to try and call one in.The old man smugly looking through the window of the vitara all nice and warm.I had been calling for about 10 mins and had a scan across the fields when i noticed the diamond eyes of a fox about 150 yards,the only problem was we had a 50ft oak tree between us and a shot just wasn`t possible,i called the old man out who was nearly asleep as it was that warm in the car to get ready and showed him where charlie was.
After another 15 minutes of calling the fox finally came into the middle of the field and sat looking at us.This was it my old mans first charle.
No it wasn`t ,the fox had turned just as the trigger was pulled and it resulted in a clear miss,i could have cried,i had been out in the bloody freezing cold ,i looked like a bloody snowman and for all my effort he missed it.Me old man could have cried i could have clubbed him with the gun,but hey we dont hit everything do we,if it was that easy we would all give up shooting as it would be boring.
Well after the dissapointment of the miss and 30 fags later while i was getting warmed up we moved on to another part of the shoot.I had called been calling for a good 30 minutes and nothing showed here so off we went again and drove to roughly where the first charlie had been.The snow had started again now so as before the smug git stayed inside to keep warm while i was at the calling game again.
Bingo it didn`t take long this time , i found eyes shining back where the first fox had ran to when it was missed,could this be the same one.Ten minutes had passed and the eyes had dissapeared back into the wood ,he was having none of it,we could have had a shot but i wasn`t comfortable with the old man shooting into the wood as you cant see what branches could be between him and us ,so i gave it 5 minutes and started calling again.As i was scanning with the lamp i noticed in the trees some 80 yards from where i had seen the fox his eyes again.I called a little quieter this time and it did the trick, he came out onto the edge of the wood and settled looking straight at us.
The old man resting on the truck took aim and let the bullet fly,I didnt hear the plop as you usually get when the bullet hits so i wasn`t holding out for this one but up came a pair of eyes right where he had been and this confirmed he wasn`t going anywhere.We got up to where he was and we were greeted by a dog fox in lovely condition lying stone dead.Now my old man was beaming he had finally got his first kill, i couldnt be more happy for him,all the range work had finally paid off.
Yesterday i had been invited on a small pheasant shoot that one of the beaters on our shoot runs,Paul puts about 50 birds down and has three small walkups through the season with his freinds,Its a nice little shoot and only lasts around two hours but i was just happy to get an invite.We had three drives, me and paul did most of the beating and take any birds going back while 3 standing guns did the rest.Going on the two previous shoots 42 of the 50 had already been shot so with what was left and stray birds from another shoot that may have come in we was hoping for ten.The first drive paul had managed to shoot a crow and a squirrel on the way and i had managed a pigeon but no pheasants showed in range for the standing guns,so off to the next drive.The guns only need to move round a little on here so it didn`t take long to get going again.A couple of minutes into the drive two hens broke and went hell for leather over the guns, and kept going passed the guns,these were fast birds and a slight chuckle to myself we carried on.
The next ten minutes produced a few birds from the thickest cover and although there weren`t alot of birds they flew like propper end of season missiles and some good shots were pulled off.I had managed to pull two great shots off at range but also missed the easiest bird of the day.The final walk had paul walking the hedgerows upto the cars while we waited in the field infront of the pen,we managed 4 birds on this drive and i had managed two more hens where i was stood.
Drive over we met back up at the cars and counted eleven birds for the morning,now considdering only 50 were put down a return of 53 is better than any shoot i know.
Pictures couldn`t be supplied as i left my bloody phone in the car but ater a thanks to paul and goodbye to the other lads i decided to go to my local shoot.
It was still early and the thought of going home before dark was unthinkable so off me and dee went in search of a squirrel or two.In the first hour i had managed to kill three squirrels and miss two pigeons,there wasn`t alot about so decided to call it a day.On the way back through the bottom wood dee put a rabbit up,as there is alot of close trees here it was a shot to nothing and hope i could get it,two barrels later it carried on running through the wood but not fast,i thought i had it on the second shot as it slowed a little but maybee not.
Dee had been sent to some brambles where i last seen it go but she couldnt find nothing and decided to go out onto the field along side the wood.Calling her back she turned fast and headed down a hedgerow,i thought she had winded a pheasant and started to call her off it but this time she never come back.It was a first for a long time that she refused to come to the whistle so i started off after her to give her a ticking off, i wanted to get to her before she started to come back.Thirty yards down the hedge out she comes,ready to give her what for i could only praise the little girl.Out she came, rabbit slumped in her jaws looking smug as hell.
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