Bowdy
09-10-07, 05:18 AM
Finally I had the Southerly wind that I had been waiting for and threw my gear into the back of the Cruzier.
I had been waiting to do this patch of scrub for weeks but it can only be approached from the South otherwise it was a total waste of time.
The other problem I had was the foxes had gone off the whistle as it was in the middle of their mating season.
So with this in mind it was slow stalking and lots of looking trying to find one mooching around or curled up in the sun.
Three hours later and only a shot at a Hare was all the action I had encountered.
After spending about ten minutes looking for and locating my arrow I moved into a clearing which had a fence running up the guts of it and slowly made my way along it.
Movement up ahead stopped me in my tracks as I made out the shape of a fox slowly making his way out of the scub towards the fence.
Dropping to my knees I pulled an arrow from the bow quiver and placed it on the string, still keeping a close watch on the fox on the other side of the fence.
Sixty odd yards separated us as he turned and headed away from me, I quietly moved forward gaining about 20 yards when he turned around and started to head back towards me, he then ducked under the fence and kept heading my way ( I couldn't believe my luck!) as I thought "HERE WE GO".
Then just as quick he went back under the fence and started to head back towards cover, he then had a sniff at the base of the tree and did a circle and then curled up to enjoy the late afternoon sun.
That was the break I needed as I took another dozen quick but quiet steps forward and came to full draw.
His head slightly shifted as he caught the movement but it was to late as I sent a deadly Carbon Express arrow tipped with a three bladed Muzzy on it's way.
The shaft blew straight through the top of his shoulder blades and embedded
in the dirt behind him as he made a frantic dash for cover only to go arse up five yards from his bed.
I quickly moved to my right and dropped to my hands and knees for a better look and grabbed the range finder from my belt, finding his white throat patch through the Leupold, I knew he was finished.
I rocked back and was enjoying the moment when I caught movement from his postion and put the range finder back to my eye, to my total astonishment I could see a fox standing there, my initial thought was he was up and 'NO WAY", as I looked onto the ground again to see his white throat patch still there, I soon realized it was it's mate who was bedded unseen and had come over to see what was going on!!!!
I watched through the Leupold RXII as it sniffed it's dead mate as if to say "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING".:confused:
Grabbing quickly for another shaft I had it on the string in a flash as my brain went into over-drive thinking as to how I was going to get up and get closer so I could clear the fence for a shot.
Then as if on que she turned around and faced the other way distracted by the noise of a dog barking off on a distant farm, seizing the moment I took three or four quick steps forward to clear the fence and came to full draw, settling the pin on her last rib for a hard quatering away shot I squeezed off the trigger and watched as the shaft took her perfectly, she only managed a feeble 10 yards as the devastating effect of the Muzzy took hold.
I waited for a few minutes as I got a good dose of adrenalin and to take it all in and then went over to check them out and find my arrows.
I was one happy camper as I have waited all my hunting life for a chance like that and to take them both so cleanly without them even knowing I was there was sweet as.
I love whistling up Foxes with the bow, but to spot and stalk them they are that much more special to me and are the icing on the cake for what has been a fantastic year on them taking 18 in total.
Grant.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee230/Grunter13/0062.jpg
I had been waiting to do this patch of scrub for weeks but it can only be approached from the South otherwise it was a total waste of time.
The other problem I had was the foxes had gone off the whistle as it was in the middle of their mating season.
So with this in mind it was slow stalking and lots of looking trying to find one mooching around or curled up in the sun.
Three hours later and only a shot at a Hare was all the action I had encountered.
After spending about ten minutes looking for and locating my arrow I moved into a clearing which had a fence running up the guts of it and slowly made my way along it.
Movement up ahead stopped me in my tracks as I made out the shape of a fox slowly making his way out of the scub towards the fence.
Dropping to my knees I pulled an arrow from the bow quiver and placed it on the string, still keeping a close watch on the fox on the other side of the fence.
Sixty odd yards separated us as he turned and headed away from me, I quietly moved forward gaining about 20 yards when he turned around and started to head back towards me, he then ducked under the fence and kept heading my way ( I couldn't believe my luck!) as I thought "HERE WE GO".
Then just as quick he went back under the fence and started to head back towards cover, he then had a sniff at the base of the tree and did a circle and then curled up to enjoy the late afternoon sun.
That was the break I needed as I took another dozen quick but quiet steps forward and came to full draw.
His head slightly shifted as he caught the movement but it was to late as I sent a deadly Carbon Express arrow tipped with a three bladed Muzzy on it's way.
The shaft blew straight through the top of his shoulder blades and embedded
in the dirt behind him as he made a frantic dash for cover only to go arse up five yards from his bed.
I quickly moved to my right and dropped to my hands and knees for a better look and grabbed the range finder from my belt, finding his white throat patch through the Leupold, I knew he was finished.
I rocked back and was enjoying the moment when I caught movement from his postion and put the range finder back to my eye, to my total astonishment I could see a fox standing there, my initial thought was he was up and 'NO WAY", as I looked onto the ground again to see his white throat patch still there, I soon realized it was it's mate who was bedded unseen and had come over to see what was going on!!!!
I watched through the Leupold RXII as it sniffed it's dead mate as if to say "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING".:confused:
Grabbing quickly for another shaft I had it on the string in a flash as my brain went into over-drive thinking as to how I was going to get up and get closer so I could clear the fence for a shot.
Then as if on que she turned around and faced the other way distracted by the noise of a dog barking off on a distant farm, seizing the moment I took three or four quick steps forward to clear the fence and came to full draw, settling the pin on her last rib for a hard quatering away shot I squeezed off the trigger and watched as the shaft took her perfectly, she only managed a feeble 10 yards as the devastating effect of the Muzzy took hold.
I waited for a few minutes as I got a good dose of adrenalin and to take it all in and then went over to check them out and find my arrows.
I was one happy camper as I have waited all my hunting life for a chance like that and to take them both so cleanly without them even knowing I was there was sweet as.
I love whistling up Foxes with the bow, but to spot and stalk them they are that much more special to me and are the icing on the cake for what has been a fantastic year on them taking 18 in total.
Grant.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee230/Grunter13/0062.jpg