Fox----?

:castmine: Fox--I was shooting off the top of my car in a sand bank at 100 yrds.open sites M39-- military ammo---when a fox walked in front of my target--I stoped shooting and let him pass---he came back again accross target--I stoped--fox did this about 5 times- and i said wow he is looking to die---so fox was at about 150 yrds. and I said I will take a pop shot at him---as soon as I put the sites on fox and finger on trigger fox took off---can anyone explain how that fox knew that I was about to shoot it. looking around sand bank where fox was I belive fox had a nest there and was trying to draw me away. locked rifle in car and went after fox with 22 auto pistol---fired 10 shots at him but fox stayed about a foot in front of rounds running of course. Just somthing out of my past that I will never forget---hope you enjoyed---Mag_01 :lovebooli

It's kind of like when you're working in the woods and see the deer around you all the time. They ignore you even when you stop to watch them, sometimes they're curious to see what the sawing and chopping is all about, but they seem to know that you are no threat to them. Put a rifle in the truck, though, and you see nothing but tail flags when you take it out and load it. My personal theory is that when you are actually looking to shoot one, the chemical scents that your body produces change and their noses pick up the difference. That might explain the fox, too, assuming the wind was in his/her direction. They certainly have good enough noses to detect the difference, better than deer do, I think. Either that or they can flat out read your mind, still within the realm of possible as I don't think it can be disproved, but a little too far into the metaphysical realm for this yankee.

Yup, I've noticed that most animals know when your are "armed & dangerous" from game to the junkyard dog. I think John Taylor (Pondoro) addreses this in one of his books (forget which one) .Said animals that stand and look at ya when you are unarmed (even when he carried a stick as if it were a rifle) ran like hell when a real firearm was in your hands.
John

I have a range behind my house and we have a few rabbits around that I don't bother at all. My guns don't bother them a bit. One of the backstops is a 4X10' piece of 1/2" steel set at an angle and this rabbit was feeding right next to it. I waited till he was about a foot behind it so he did'nt get splattered with the lead and started shooting my .38. He raised his head at the first shot and continued to feed even though the bullets were hitting the steel about 4' from him and I was 25 yds away. He just continued feeding and kind of mosied off in his own sweet time. My wife thought he might be deaf from all the gunfire around our place!

Here's one about how smart red foxes are. I had a friend that had a pet red fox. Had him outside on a chain and dog house for him. Seem the neighbors dog, who ran loose, like to agitate the fox which would just be out of the chains reach of him. Well, as my friend observed, the fox moved in alittle from the reach of the chain. He did this for almost a week, just at tiny bit at a time. Finally when he felt it was right the dog come along as usual to agitate him and feeling safe because of the chain's limitations. Well unknowing to the dog, he was in the danger zone now. Yup....the fox nailed his ass. Now that's damn cunning and smart of the fox.

Joe

I've seen deer play in front of the recreation camp ground we used to keep a trailer at. We used to set up chairs and watch them run around and play. Was really nice to see them. Come opening day and nada, zip, no way no how did you see deer until after the season was over. One year while on a stand had about 6 does waltz right past me and did'nt pay any attention to the fool with the shotgun sitting there. Go figure. Frank

.................I know crows are sharp birds. Aggravating and noisy as all hell but sharp. When I lived out in the canyon I had a couple crow blinds. If you were in there before the crows showed up, and you stayed quiet they'd begin to land. You could maybe get 4-5 before they twigged to the deal and hauled butt. If you went into the blind while they were landed and fooling around they'd beat feet immediately.

My folks had orange groves and before I had my own garage I used to go to the parents to use a bit of their concrete to work on the car over. There were orange trees on 3 sides and maybe a half mile away on the 4th side was a row of big cottonwood trees. Crows would be in the tops of the orange trees, which weren't very tall. They'd fly around in big groups and then just drop on down into the orange trees and raise hell for awile. Then they'd fly off and another group would move in and land.

My grand parents lived next door to my folks and grandma just hated the crows, She'd say, "I wish you'd come down here and shoot some. Won't make any difference but I'd feel better." I suppose it was because they'd drive all the other birds off and that PO'd her no end.

So one time I was going down there for something or other and remembered to get my 22 to bring along. When I got there, there weren't any crows around but I knew they'd be along before too long. I carried the rifle into the garage and then began doing whatever it was to the car that needed doing. I was pretty absorbed in what I was doing and hadn't given them a thought for some time.

The word 'Crow' crossed my mind so without straightening up I turned my head around to look and the crows were thick in the tree tops but weren't making a sound. Holy crap! Is this Alfred Hitchcockish or what. I never heard them coming in or landing and as absorbed as I was I might not have heard? Surely though when the thought crossed my mind I would have certainly heard them before turning my head to look?

But bigger then life there must have been 50 of'em sitting there on the trees behind the house. Always before they'd be cawing and crowing, taking off and landing by ones, twos and threes. Now they're all just sitting there. I only had to straighten and make about a 30* turn to walk straight to the garage to get the 22. Some were perched on trees so close I'd wished I'd have brought the shotgun as I could have quintupled my score.

I got the 22 and closed the bolt chambering a round and went to the edge of the garage door and poked the barrel around the edge and all hell and bedlam broke loose. I took a shot at a late starter but I don't know if I got him or not. He disappeared but he could have just as easily flown down along the row of trees.

You think they knew? They'd never been quiet like that before and all it took was that barrel poking out and they were in motion. If they knew why had they even landed there? It was erie lemme tell ya. The whole rest of the time I was there they all hung in the cottonwoods and chorused the whole time. If I'd had my 223 I could have took a couple but that was out of the question for the area. Still wished I'd have brought the shotgun.

You can bet every now and then I'd turn to look at those trees!

.....................Buckshot

How many times have you been deer or some other big game hunting and had squirrels tripping all around you. (I've even had them climb up and in the same tree I was in.) Then you go back to those same woods with a .22 and couldn't find a sparrow.

BS

20 years ago, when they were worth something,I found fox would come running at a mouse squeaker or baby woodpecker tape. Gianni