Chicken-Killing Red Fox

6mm06

6mm06

Well-known member

Tonight I finally scored on a chicken-killer. I have been after this fox for several nights. We lost three chickens a few days ago and had been hearing a red fox scream night after night before and after the chickens were killed.

Last night the fox ran past me at one location but I couldn't get a shot. This evening I moved to a different spot. I placed a tree stand maybe 12 feet up and near the chicken coop in the woods where I had a good view of the area out to about 45 yards or so. I didn't sit long after dark when this female arrived.

I used an Armasight Spark monocular with onboard IR to illuminate eyes, then used the ATN X-Sight 3-14x for the shot. It worked fine, but the field of view is pretty narrow even on 3x. The ballistic calculator is a great feature to have. I set the scope to 40 yards and it automatically corrected the crosshair for spot-on accuracy. One shot from my Dtech 6x45 and 75 gr. Sierra HP was all it took. The fox dropped right there with a rather nasty wound.

I got a video of the shot but can't post it at the moment. My editing computer is down but once I get it running I will post it.

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The Spark is a Gen 1 monocular but has great resolution. It has something called Core Technology. With the onboard IR it can see well enough at closer ranges and
will illuminate eyes. With an external IR focused about half to two-thirds tight, the monocular works very well at 100 yards and is a cheap alternative to higher priced units.

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My wife and I had a theory that there could be multiple foxes since we lost three chickens within a short period of time (daytime). That didn't sound like just
one fox to me. Tonight confirmed that there are at least two. After killing this one fox, I was in the house when I heard a fox scream. I went out once again
with the AR and monocular. I could see eyes along the edge of the field and woods near my chicken coop. So, looks like I have more work to do, so stay tuned.



 
6mm06,

So this is probably a dumb question but you say you set the scope to 40 yards. So do you have to guesstimate before every hunt the approximate distance the intended target will be and program the scope for that distance?

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: fitz6mm06,

So this is probably a dumb question but you say you set the scope to 40 yards. So do you have to guesstimate before every hunt the approximate distance the intended target will be and program the scope for that distance? Thanks!

No, you don't have to guess for each hunt, but I like to when I can. You can't always know the distance an animal may show up at, as in coyote calling, but a good average distance guess can help. The scope sits about 3" from the bore, so trajectory can be high or low as much as 2" or more depening on range and sight-in range. When I know a distance I will be hunting, such as over a feeder or bait site, it makes good sense to program the scope for that distance. That eliminates the need for guessing, and the ballistic calculator does a really good job with positioning the crosshair for spot-on shooting. One member mentioned that it appears the shot was high, and it probably was ever so slightly, but not by as much as it seems in the photo. The small error could have been my fault as much as the scope's. If you look at the fox lying on the ground, you can see the entrance at the neck. The fox was facing me and slightly at an angle. The bullet pretty much hit where I was aiming.

With this fox hunt, I knew where I would be shooting most likely. The fox showed up within 5 yards or so from my calculated guess of range. The scope was previously set for 120 yard hogs in Georgia, but the fox near the chicken coop would be considerably closer, and a fox has a rather small body / kill zone top to bottom. So, I ranged the distance where I expected the fox to appear through the vegetation and reset the range from 120 to 40 yards.

Recently in Georgia on the hog hunt, I shot one hog at 20 yards from a ladder stand and two other hogs the following night from a tower blind at a different location at about 120 yards. I ranged (Leica 1200 rangefinder) feeders at both locations and set the scope accordingly. Precise head shots only required me to hold the dot reticle where I wanted the bullet to impact.

In a test at home at my shooting range before I departed for the hog hunt, I sighted for a dead-center zero at 92 yards. Then I moved the target back to 30 yards and fired a shot. Bullet impact was at least 2" low or more. I then programed the scope to 30 yards and bingo! Elevation was perfect but the shot was to the right maybe 3/8". It's pretty neat technology.


 
In less the 10 seconds you can set the scope to any distance you want. The more you use it, the easier and quicker it becomes.
 

Originally Posted By: weekenderIn less the 10 seconds you can set the scope to any distance you want. The more you use it, the easier and quicker it becomes.

Yep, it is quick and easy to set, so why not use it when you know the distance, or do an average distance of what you expect.

If I understand correctly, the scope also factors in incline, such as me in the tree stand or tower blind. The maybe 1/2" high impact on the fox could be me as much as the scope. It's actually pretty precise once you get your load data and velocity right. A fox body when stripped of hide is a pretty small target so a 2-inch difference in trajectory can mean a miss or worse, a wounded animal.

While noting is perfect, overall I am pleased with the X-Sight.

 
OK. Thanks for the info. So even with a relatively flat shooting round (say .223 inside of 100 yards) one should set the estimated distance for the shot?
 
I will set the distance, given the opportunity just for the sake of being more precise with my shots. Most dedicated night vision scopes have a greater trajectory curve than what we see with traditional rifle scopes that are mounted lower to the bore. The scope height above the bore is the biggest issue, not the relatively flat shooting capability of the .223. A good example is my 6x45 and 75 gr. HP bullets at 2850 fps and an old ATN Spartan Gen 1 scope I had a few years ago. I hunted a coyote bait site at 60 yards from my hunting shed, so I zeroed the ATN night vision scope to hit dead on at that distance. At about 35 -40 yards bullet drop was at least 2" low and at 125 yards it was 2" or so high. I could kill fox and coyotes within that range, but I had to consider bullet rise and fall when aiming and hold accordingly. I feel certain the X-Sight will be similar, but since it has the ballistic calculator, it takes the guess work out of it, at least at known ranges. If I use the X-Sight for calling coyotes, I will set the scope to a range most likely where I expect a coyote and let it go at that. Fox are smaller with less body area from top of back to belly, so it requires a little more precision.

 


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