The Predator that couldn't stay away met the Condor tonight..

[airiscool]

Nice shot Harry.

If she's barking, she's signalling -  I wonder if the Kits aren't already weaned and she's gone back into heat ?

Paul.

[only1harry]

Thanks Randall.  That puts it all into perspective.  I feel a little better   I won't fret nothing, hehe.  I can't worry about these things now.  I got way too many other things to worry about and my blood pressure is high enough.  I just hope I will get to sleep a little better now, and I 'm turning that dang Ding Donger off until next Fall.  I don't want to see what is out there anymore until about 4 weeks before hunting season  

Paul,
yes that's what I read a couple of years ago.  They bark either because they want to mate, and sometimes when they make a kill, or they want to call their mate or young ones.

[DoubleDiamond]

Harry, Good job on the fox. Don't worry much about shooting that Vixen....Don't bother with a rug or mount now, probably a bit late and the pelt is not in it's prime.

I see you gloved up for the photo, glad you did. Most Fox that I have dealt with have been Flea and Tick ridden buggers. If you are going to freeze the hide or skin it for something else, go put some Sevin powder (insecticide) in a garbage bag and place it inside and shake. Leave in the bag for a while, it will kill ticks as they leave the host animal. (this is best done immediately after a kill)

[TheKnot]

Last week a fox got my favorite chicken and 4  fan tailed pidgons from my friends coop i say good work condor was a great choice for your vermin ,very well placed shot congrats

[only1harry]

Brian, yep she is in the freezer in the garage.
 
Another problem.. I went to check on the fox about an hour ago while the wife went to the store for a short while, and the freezer was off!  She hit the switch by the door which shuts the power to anything electrical in the garage.  It's the light switch for the garage.  So when I have the freezer going, we have to screw in the light bulb a little to light up the garage.  I had the freezer off the last couple of weeks to save some energy and reduce my electric bill.  My wife never liked that she had to reach up and screw the light bulb since I got the freezer, and could never get used to wearing a glove to unscrew the light bulb when she left, so she wouldn't turn off the freezer.  I know it's a crappy situation and I need to do some re-wiring and install a seperate circuit breaker for it.  The current situation results in the freezer going on & off all the time.  Well she did it to me again this morning when she screwed the light bulb in to get some light and then just flipped the switch off on her way out which turned off the freezer as well.  It had been off for several hours until I discovered it this afternoon.  So it's not going too well so far  If she discovers the freezer on again and the light bulb unscrewed, she will look into the freezer and then all hek will break loose..  She has learned to put up with the squirrels in there but she asked me not to shoot the fox.. I said I 'll do the best I can.  I never said "ok I won't", hehe

Chris: what is a fan-tailed pidgeon?  Is that the name of the species?  Sorry to hear about your favorite chicken.  Put a Ding Donger out there and shoot it if it comes back for more.  Sounds too simple doesn't it?  but it's far from it  

[TheKnot]

Had my ding donger there the next night but i have to get up at 5 for work and construction isn't easy so staying late is no go . I have a bunch of corned beef scraps maybe tonight i will sit for a while a fan tail is pretty but still a pidgon http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKDl-SVisbw/SVgWdwi2vKI/AAAAAAAAADs/MIgWY64CGpQ/s400/pigeons.jpg this is what he had very pretty in person but easy pickings

[patton123]

WOW Harry !!!  Go and set the record straight. Tell her to leave the ******  switch alone....and then run....hehe

You married guys crack me up.

Good luck

[only1harry]

Eric, you 're like a ghost from the past that surfaces once in a while to give some good advice

[atchman2]

Man o' man that is some great shooting and great excitement!  Glad you got your fox!

After looking at him, I'd think a big .22 magnum springer could take one out with a shot like that.

[jake]

FANTASTIC SHOOTING HARRY!!!!! you cant get a better shot placement then that. are you going to get her stuffed? if not send her to me and i will!! lol  i cant wait untill i get a real "game" animal with one of my airguns. keep up the good shooting!

[only1harry]

Thanks guys.  
Jake:  I am keeping the at least the tail and I 'd like to have the skull bleached too.  So it would be in pieces if I sent it to you

Randy:
The 350 .22 would not have been a problem at all, and the distance was only 18yds don't forget.  The 350 would have taken the fox out at 30-35yds too.  Timmy has taken a couple of foxes with his 34 .177 from 15+yds, and that was only a 14-15fpe gun.  If I get another chance next season I will use the 350.  I don't believe a fox is harder to kill than a coon or possum with a head shot.  Granted, the size of its head is larger but people have taken coyotes with .177 and other Springers and less powerful PCP's.  It's all about the shot placement.  It's just that it is very hard to get up close to a fox to get a shot off with an airgun.  This is one critter where a lot of planning has to go into it and a little luck too.  They have the most acute senses out of all the other night critters and never hang around long enough.  They can hear a mouse from like 100yds away and under the ground, etc.  I consider myself lucky.  I think it would be a very great challenge for you to get one sitting outside waiting for one to come in.  I think a fox will hear you breathing before it even enters your property but you never know.  I got lucky because I forgot to mention that she took a piece of chicken bone first and went another 14-15yds out to eat it so she was a good 32+yds away when I got to the window.  Then 30-40secs later, she came back for more when I was already in position and got her just before she could take off with another bone as soon as she put her head down to grab one.  A little luck and timing is sometimes all you need.

[longislandhunter]

Harry,,,,  if you're not going to get it mounted here's what you should do......   skin it out as carefully as you can leaving the tail on the hide.  Then scrape off as much of the remaining  meat, fat, etc. from the hide, just get it as clean as you can.  Then roll up the hide so that skin only touches skin (and fur only touches fir).  Best way to do this is to fold it in half - skin to skin-  then roll it up.  Place the rolled up hide in a good thick plastic leaf or garbage bag and place it in the freezer.  Packed away like this the hide will stay perfectly preserved until you are ready to take it to a taxidermist to have it tanned.   Seems a shame to waste such a beautiful hide and you will have years of pleasure looking at it and remembering back to "the day"

It's not uncommon for professional trappers to freeze and store hides exactly like I suggested above.  The trappers will store them like this when the prices for hides are low.  They'll freeze em and wait until the price on the market goes up....

Anyway, just a suggestion.  

Jeff

[1377x]

excellent shot
great pics
same for the rig  i cant wait to get one
dont beat yourself over being angry
life is a web and this is just another part of it

[atchman2]

I'll bet you could hold it with a predator call.  The challenge bark of a fox is something you can find in most predator calls.

[gamo2hammerli]

Wow....that`s an excellent shot....right in the center of the brain.  And that`s a nice red fox.....are you going to mount it.  Or at least make a Daniel Boone hat out of it.  heh heh