Irish Extra August 2023

I have often liked the proverb of the Chinese Farmer and it came to mind a few weeks back when I had a situation that the story applied to very well. The point of the story (you can look it up online) is that nothing is either good or bad luck. What initially appears bad luck could be good in the long run, while something initially appearing good may actually be a curse in the long run.

I have been doing some fox control on a wading bird area since mid-February which was going well. The area had a “predator fence” built around 65 or so acres and appeared to be doing a great job at keeping foxes at bay and also made them easier to control as it was funnelling them into two specific strips which were then easily monitored.

I had written previously about a close encounter with a fox that appeared inside the fenced area and I had no idea how he got there. This incident happened a second time and again, luckily I was able to shoot the fox before he did any damage. We checked the fence thoroughly and there was suspicions they were accessing via straining posts which were subsequently electrified and it appeared the problem was solved.

You can imagine my feeling when the following week on a warm Sunday evening as I was looking over the area with binoculars, I spotted a fox running straight through the middle of the area and into the gorse bushes where the previous one had gone. I searched the area out until darkness and had no choice but to wait and hope that he re appeared. It was wet but also warm and very sticky, I was laid up on a hill beside a large rock and could watch the entire area with a thermal spotter. At 11.30 on the dot, the fox came trotting down from the area where I last saw him and heading (again) directly towards the nesting area. I loaded the rifle as quietly as possible, stood up and put it on the sticks and as I knocked the red light on that was mounted the scope he took off like a rocket. I went ahead, hoping he would go back to where he had came from and found a gap in the rushes where he would likely go through. It all happened in a matter of seconds and as he appeared in the gap I fired and knew straight away I missed, it was bad luck…Or was it.

I waited another hour so, if he was inside the area and unable to get out then he had to re appear at some stage. I moved position again and got a complete view of the gorse so he could not leave without me spotting him. However another two hours passed and he didn’t show himself so I decided to take a look. While I was searching through the gorse in the hope of scaring him into the open or finding something my headlamp battery died! More bad luck…Or was it? I came to a small fence that had been there prior to the predator fence and climbed over and in doing do I fell into a deep sort of hole overgrown with grass, more bad luck again…or was it? I wanted to investigate the hole but also get out of it, it was now 4.00am and things were not looking good. I used the torch on my phone and light up the hole to find a tunnel going away from me and under the road. I knew there were a few of these but they all had been fenced and this one probably had been, although I almost hoped it hadn’t as it would explain the goings on over the last few weeks. Alas, after making my way to the over side of the road and getting another headlamp, I discovered the drain had not only not been fenced but was very obviously a well-used highway for foxes as not only the smell but the shiny edges of the wall showed it had been in use for some time. I blocked it off as best I could, drove home and gathered up what wood and tools I could and returned to close it properly. The farmer hadn’t even known it was there and it was so overgrown it would have been easily missed. So all those little bits of bad luck were actually good luck in the long run! Had I shot the third fox to appear inside I wouldn’t have went looking, my headlamp wouldn’t have died where it did, I wouldn’t have fell in the hole and the tunnel would have remained open, possibly until it was too late. I shot another fox on the outside near the drain entrance a couple of nights later, but if it was the same one or not ill never know.

Steamy tracking

My friend called me last Friday – He was in need of a tracking dog and was enquiring if my bitch Cider was available. He had been shooting Deer under a Section 42 license that had been doing significant crop damage and they had lost one out of four and were unable to recover it. I loaded Cider into the truck in her rucksack along with a bag in which I keep her tracking line and collar, marking tape, blood torch, some water for the dog along with eye protection (for thick cover) and a few other bits and pieces. The weather here recently has been very warm but also very wet. Cider and I took the hour so drive and met David at the location. He showed me where the shot had been taken and I let Cider do her thing. She went the complete opposite way we had expected but I always trust the dog and sure enough, a few turns and a bit of a dog leg and we were into some very thick cover and I was on my knees following her along as the cogs and wheels turned in her brain and I could see her working things out. There is something lovely about watching a dog work, any dog.  A lurcher ferreting, a sheep dog herding or a Teckel tracking is just a pleasure to see. After a few minutes she started to grunt a little and I knew we were close, then she began to bay a little and squeezed under a fence and as I came behind, I saw the rear leg on a red hind and she was now on its back announcing her find. It was great to find the Deer for my friend and nice to get Cider out and about again and ready for the coming Autumn.

Until Next time – Good Hunting….