Well here we are in what seems like it’s going to be the last article on the TDR for a while, as my sponsors want this rifle back and want to send me something else something new and what, I don’t know yet as its all hush hush mums the word. So as you can imagine I am excited as a polecat faced with a rat right now wanting to know what new gun I have coming to play with, so keep your eye on my humble scribbles to find out what comes next.Now before I go any further with this article it seems my last one got some of you in a bit of a tiz over what I found this rifle was capable of, let’s get one thing straight right now, I have said this before and I will say it again, I DO NO WRITE TECHNICAL ARTICLES, not because I can’t it’s because they bore the living arse off me, this pellet weighed this, this pellet weighed that.

I washed them in this, re sized them with that, each pellet did this on the chronograph, ahhhhhhh that would send this ole country boy to the cider shed to chill out if I wrote like that, if you’re a paper puncher hunter fair play that’s what you like and if you’re a little OCD or Anal about this stuff fair play to you I AM NOT!
So if you want a technical article full of graphs and printer read outs etc. bugger off and read someone else’s well written piece, for here you will find a rough ole Countryman’s article using a tool to do a job or not in some cases.

​Right rant over let’s get on with why I am here and why you are reading this, I start out in Cornwall fellow Countryman’s Diary owner Greg asked me to come down help him with some fox problems and to work out a deer management plan with him for his land, obviously we were using center fire rifles for this as you will see in the videos attached to this piece, I also had to give him a hand on a rat job on one of his new permissions and take his kids out so we could both coach them in the art of air gunning the old school way.

​I got there bright and early of the Friday morning as I was on my way back from a few days away with my good lady and our boys down near Bude in Cornwall, Greg lives in Plymouth so this was on my way back, as always hearty mug of tea and a bacon roll awaited me as soon as I got to my ole muckers house with owe be you bubba?  Bellowing from the Cornish boys lungs, with  a mountain man’s stature too, I telle.

​We discussed the evenings plans as there were several foxes on his shoots that needed dealing with as the main farm was a sheep farm and losing lambs all over to fox, all three of his kids (Samara, Pippa and Corey) wanted to come but we had to say no as it was going to be a very late long night with a lot of ground to cover, Pippa the middle girl stamped her feet screamed and shouted as she wanted to come but we sat her down and said she will be out all day and night the following day so she will need her rest that and bribing her with a movie night did the trick.

We headed out and set the awesome NiteSite Eagle R-tec up on the trusty Browning 243 Greg had his 243 with an ATN X-sight on it, too  as I walked into the first field to open a gate my sixth sense went off there’s a fox here I know it, I say to Greg get my rifle out there’s a fox here I know it, he dismissed me saying it’s too early for Charlie fox and we never see him in this field.
As we drove into the next field and got out to set up I shined my Night Master Venom with the green pill on over to where we had just come from, bowl me over there was a huge dog fox just sat there watching us, I turned on the NiteSite Spotter and watched him happily trot off, see I told you a fox was about didn’t I, Greg just laughed and said I swear your part wolf or fox or something we both laughed, no amount of calling or moving to the next field was going to get that sly ole Charlie back I telle although we did try as you never know your luck in a big town.
But no he was not coming back he knew what we were alright so he lived to fight another day as my ole Dad says, we moved up to the lambing fields and got out on foot all clear we got back to the truck and just about to leave when I hear a fox bark, that’s near the forestry plantation is it not right on the edge of the lambing field son the other side of the farm, Greg said yes it was but he did not hear the fox, I grabbed the rifle armed with the NiteSite Eagle and the trigger sticks I got from swillingtons (www.swillingtonshootingsupplies.co.uk) and headed off with Greg following with his rifle.

I got to a gate and that 6th sense went off again so I scanned around with the NiteSite Spotter, almost immediately  I saw this dog fox, I whispered to Greg fox 11 o’clock 125 yards, where he said trying to focus his ATN I mounted the 243 Eagle on the gate bar, and pressed record and thump administered a lead injection on the spot, Greg said I just cannot believe how fast I can be on target and hit a shot right on a 5p piece, I laughed and said many years of practice both in the field and on the range, I also joked and said you should of brought your NiteSite not that ATN thing (ps I am not a fan I had one sold it after one outing with it) you might be able to get a shot tonight I laughed.

My sixth sense was still buzzing even after we had retrieved the shot fox, I said to Greg I swear I just heard another fox bark he said he did too, so I stood by the gate between the two fields, I started calling on my hand and if I say so myself my the call I was taught as a boy is deadly and accounted for many foxes to many to count in 40 years, my sixth sense was still buzzing. I say to Greg check behind us I have a feeling there is more than one coming in and from behind us as the wind is that way, no nothing he said so we decided to call it a night but I thought I would have one last squeal and check behind me, bugger me foxes heading straight at us, this was when Greg made a novice mistake, he put his torch on to see where he was going before I could say foxes coming in, they took off running like bolts of lightning never to be seen again, ahhh well we got one in the bag and Greg was taught some valuable lessons on how to hunt the fox by night.

The next day after a hearty fry up Cornish boy stylie we took the kids with us to the woods, Greg wanted to set up a deer blind (a hide on the ground) so I helped choose the position that would give him the best place for a safe shot and were the deer were using as a crossing, this turned out to be a deep gully that lead down to the river through the woods from the top grazing paddocks, I must say he should have a good winter in that blind, as he has a lot of deer using the area and the odd fox too, I left Greg and Pippa setting up his blind and camouflaging it with some hessian burlap I had given him.

I took Samara that is Greg’s oldest daughter stalking around teaching her some more advances stalking and tracking techniques that she absorbed like a sponge, I especially taught her about using the wind and how to approach the quarry etc., Greg had already done a fine job teaching her the basics so now for my next level, I tried to impress on her to think like the quarry your after from sensing danger to finding food water and shelter.

Greg sent us up over what he called the crescent by golly that was mountain goat territory, but did bring us in range of the rookery, one rook sat there squawking away so I told Samara to stalk it and try her hand at trying to bag it with the Air Arms TDR using the Swillingtons trigger sticks, she stalked in unnoticed in her Jack Pyke hunting gear, she took a steady aim I could see her calculating the shot wind-age hold over then thwack as the rook fell stone dead with a cracking head shot at 48 yards high in the branches of a Beech tree, I telle it was a brilliant shot I would be proud of, I can tell by the smile on her face she enjoyed that shot and that she had put in a lot of practice with that old BSA air rifle on the range, Her ole Dad had taught her well I telle.

​I don’t know who was more proud Samara taking the shot me watching on or her ole Dad when we got back and showed him her prize, Greg asked if I could take Pippa over and teach her how to crow call whilst he finished his hide around the high seat, so I took both the girls with me, I set Samara up for the rabbits squirrels or any pigeons or corvids(crow family) that landed and I sat there with Pippa teaching her to crow call whilst I had my Peterson and sons of Peterborough 1890 16 bore hammer, I got Pippa calling like a crow pro in no time as I bagged pigeon and corvid alike with that sweet little hammer gun, Samara had a few shots and bagged the odd pigeon or corvid alas no rabbits or squirrels, then it was time to call it a day head home for tea to head our ratting with the TDRs and NiteSites that night.

​We drove that evening to a small farm that sold eggs and as with fowl you get rats, in fact the place was alive with rats I saw two as soon as I got out of the car, Greg and I quickly set up the air rifles me with the Air Arms TDR Huggett Moderator NiteSite Eagle Combo and Greg with his sponsored Hatsan Galatian from Really Wild Adventures (www.reallywildadventures.co.uk) and the NS200, almost right away as soon as we had the fun of getting over the farm gate we in on the action, and for about 2 hours it was nonstop, Greg got a rat on a re bound and I shot 2 with one shot oh I could go on and on about this hunt it was a great night full of tails to tell, I bid farewell to Greg and headed home to Somerset as he headed home to Plymouth.

​I got home at 3am  at 6am the phone is ringing off the hook it’s a farmer’s daughter frantic as she had foxes attacking the flocks and her Dad was away on holiday, my number was left for in case of emergencies on the farm, It’s nice to have that sort of trust from your farmers is it not, strict instructions left any problem with the flock call Rob immediately so she did, I arranged to be there that evening as I was not needed any earlier she could take care of the dead stock with her sister, we also had rats attacking in the hen houses so I took dad along with the NiteSite Viper Walther RM8 Huggett Moderator Combo too.

​I put Dad in position and right on queue I could hear the whisper of the Huggett Moderator on target after scaly tailed ratticuss fell one after another, I don’t care what anyone has to say you won’t find a better moderator for an air rifle than an Andrew Huggett moderator and that’s sub 12ft lb or Fac rated and that you can take my word to the bank I telle.

​I got in position as I knew were these blighters were coming from I had tracked and shot a vixen here a few weeks earlier, I set up the trusty ole browning 243 lead injector with a 58 grain Norma lead aspirin ready to administer to this livestock thieving Charlie fox and cure him of his addiction to my farmers lambs and hens.

I started calling on the new mini equalizer from Calls Of The wild an English game call manufacturer from Yorkshire, the farmer’s daughter was stood right next to me as I told her I expected the fox to appear in the corner of the field by the ditch and he should cross in front of us trying to come round on the wind trying to wind scent our position, she laughed and said how did I know that I chuckled and said experience and knowing the land and the foxes on it.
​Well bowl me over that’s exactly what this ole Charlie did I could of put a beer mat on the ground where I was going to shoot him, all in all I was there from set to shot to taking him back to the farm house 15 minutes no more, farmers daughter said now that’s why Dad said call you in case of any problems and why he won’t let anyone else shoot on the farm, me and her dad go back to school days and he knows I know every inch of that farm like the back of my hand.

​The next time I head out was on a rabbit call out to a very prominent horse breeder who breeds horses for such things like the Grand National and Badminton etc. So as you can see I have some very VIP clients for my professional pest control, the rabbits were eating more than the horses and digging holes in all the paddocks and exercise arenas, I had already ear marked the place for ferreting and arranging to put in some drop traps etc.

​This night I had to go shoot some of the closer paddocks with the ole TDR and NiteSite Combo then head out on the bigger part of this extensive horse farm with the 17hmr, we bagged up straight away with the TDR that with the Huggett Moderator literally whispering, the rabbits never knew what hit them as the horses never even knew of my presence, I then headed out on the rest of the farm and the 17hmr did her thing with me behind the butt, I am like a surgeon with that gun I telle, the video telle a better story than mere words so have a look for yourself it’s at the bottom of this article.

​The next out I took my boys out with the TDRs first clearing feral pigeons from the grain barns, then we headed out to another horse place to deal with some rabbits and then finished off dealing with some rats on a chicken farm, all very good contracts that I have under my belt, the boys shot like pro’s first on the ferals bagging some magpies as well then on the rabbits accounting for 4 rabbits all on their own merit.

Young David lamping with the red lamp with older brother Connor shooting the TDR and using the field craft I had taught them to stalk in nice and close as I watched on with a mug of tea in hand, Then we moved on to the rat job and loaded up the TDR with the NiteSite Eagle, both the boys took it in turn to shoot and well the smiles on their face grew wider as rat after rat fell.
​

​Well I have left the best till last, I get a call from a very high profile job indeed, scaly tailed ratticuss were invading by the hundred on this venue, they had tried poisons from another well-known pest control big boy that will remain nameless, well to say it was an expensive exercise that all they did was feed the rats and attract more is an understatement, my quote excepted as I had come highly recommended from another prominent client of mine sealed the deal.

Until my next humble scribbles I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it and taking you to the field with me and my muckers.

​TDR Tales and Out Foxing Charlie Ten
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

​                                              OUT FOXING CHARLIE part 7
                                                   By The Ole Hedge Creeper.


When I wrote the very first out foxing Charlie, I did because we had literally hundreds of letters and emails asking for my advice why I was so successful with problem foxes when others were not, I don’t consider myself to be any better than anyone else so what could I possibly have to offer to help my fellow sportsmen be more successful, it appears I had more knowledge in the old noggin (head) than I had ever imagined.


There are very few times a fox has out witted me for very long, eventually either with skill or the fox making a rookie mistake I get them, of course a touch of the luck of the Irish comes into play when edging my bets against a worthy foe too. Something I have always said right the way through all my article’s is the need for proper reconnaissance, both by day and by night, daytime for me is the tracking and building up a picture of where I have to deal with said problem fox or foxes and build up a picture of how they attack and retreat etc, its also were I work out all the dangers of the shoot safe shots were and when a good shot can be taken as well as distances etc,


I have even been known to put out signal flags either as safe stops or windage flags etc. Anyone who has read my advanced decoying article’s will know of said flags as I use them as stop shot markers etc, you see for me it’s all about building up that picture of the problem foxes, I have said many times they are creatures of habit just like us, even the most erratic of fox attacks has a set sequence sometimes so subtle you miss it, I have just written big cats part 2 and a fox job with just such an attack that had me scratching my head. You see you must think outside the box and become the fox itself if you are ever going to be successful instead of being just plain lucky as some are, now I still deal with foxes the traditional way with lamp and calling on my hand, of course I use traps/terriers and other legal methods too.


Many folk I see bumble along with half learn’t skills relying more on technology than the skills of the countryman, I say mater the traditional skills then learn to use that with the modern technology and boy oh boy does the job become exciting, I teach my young sports fox calling by hand and I telle them boys have called me many fox in and I have shot them as a joint effort. Now for me lamps I like the new lamps from Deben the new cordless 150 led tracer, what a bit of kit light weight no heavy battery comes with filters and lasts for an absolute age, I have not actually ran it out on a shoot yet from a full charge, those that know this lamp swear by it and those that don’t have it ahhhh boys you don’t know what you are missing.


As you will see in the pic above I do use some of the finest gadgets on the market, for me the best non hand calls I have used to date are the Ico Tec calls, simple to operate light weight takes what the weather throws at them and really does what it says on the tin, in fact they are so good many of my customers now ask if I am using them when they call me into deal with fox problems, they really are massively effective if used right with reconnaissance field craft and the skills of the countryman. It’s no good just going out in a field trying a few calls and getting lucky that proves nothing, know your quarry hone your skills and get the best from your gear that’s the way forward to be successful hunter, take a look at the Ico Tec range on their website www.icotec.com, and if you want one then go over to Best Fox call and see Rob Crampton at any of the game fairs or on line at www.bestfoxcall.co.uk, these calls are like magnets to a predator they come running from all directions.


I have used their entire range to date and I truly can’t recommend these calls high enough, they have The Ole Hedge Creepers thumbs up Seal of approval, these really do what it says on the tin I telle boys and girls. I have used the 101 right up to the 500 and never failed yet so for me they are worth their weight in gold. Next binoculars get a decent set spend a few quid more and it will make all the difference, especially in low light situations, James Trenchard from Trigger Happy joined me recently on a problem fox job at a piggery and sheep station, foxes were coming in day and night attacking piglets and lambs alike as well as some of the farms prize winning hens.


James brought along what he considered a good set of binoculars that was until the light dimmed and well they were not so good, he looked through mine I got from Armex a good German set, he could not believe the clarity as the dim light turned back into daylight through them, as it turns out mine were only about £15 more than his cost, so you see buy once cry once get the best you can afford if not save up a bit longer it will stand you in good stead. Now as for the night vision as sometimes the lamp is not an option, often these foxes have been lamped and chased from pillar to post by all and sundry, so when the slightest flicker of a light goes on the foxes show their brush say goodbye and that’s the last you will see of them. I absolutely swear by Nite Site both from the spotter unit right up to the Wolf on my trusty Browning 243, this gear from a brilliant English manufacturer really does what it says on the tin and again has my thumbs up seal of approval, I have lost count now how many problem foxes the Nite Site system has put in the bag and again is requested by my customers time and time again.


If you would like to see them go over to www.nitesite.com and if you want to buy a unit drop over to www.reallywildadventures.co.uk and click on the shop The Out Post. Just recently I got called in by a farmer (who I don’t normally shoot for) who was losing his finest geese flock to a fox or foxes, the chap who was supposed to deal with foxes there is a bull headed sort of fellow, he really does not listen to what he is told goes bowling out lamp going off like Darth Vader having a good old light sabre fight with Luke Sky Walker, charging about in his 4L 4×4 engine roaring and if he is lucky enough to actually get a shot he misses thus educating said foxes to what a shot over their head feels like.


Like I say I got Called out as this fox or foxes were munching their way right through the entire geese flock, I had my young sports with me for the experience too, now this one was a real tricky one, I had done my reconnaissance during the day as I always do, I had tracked them right back to the earth in the big wood, I could of called the terriers in and bolted them to the shot gun but as it was it needed sorting now not a few days later as more geese would have been taken, so tonight’s the night I decided exactly where I would set up and where I wanted to shoot the fox or foxes.


Now I was pretty convinced it was a big dog fox doing the killing and bringing the geese back to the earth for the vixen and cubs, but I could not be 100% certain, I got one of my young sports to put the Ico Tec GC500 call next to a telephone pole in the middle of the paddock next to the big wood, some 200 yards from the set right on the track the foxes took with the kills. I remarked see that clump of grass I will shoot the fox right there, my young sports took the mickey out of me saying your good but not that good we had a bit of a giggle about it, I positioned my shooting position some 300 yards from the wood and caller so I could see the entire field and paddock clearly in front of me, it was a lovely rising hill with what I consider a perfect back stop, I could not write a text book safe shooting position better.


We waited for the light to dim as we kept an eye out for fox movement, we saw rabbits and hares go about their business, a roe buck following a doe feeding out on the fresh cut field but no fox, the light slowly went and the darkness came all around us well sort of, when I said tricky I forgot all about the ambient light from a very busy main road some 300 yards to our rear, so our silhouettes stood out like daylight. Nothing else for it tuck my young sports down behind my shooting position and give strict orders to stay dead still, Them with the Nite Site spotter so they could see the hunt unfold and me with the Nite Site Wolf mounted on the my Browning 243 on the sand bags I got from Jack Pyke.


Time to start up the Ico Tec GC500 I used the distressed baby rabbit call as being late spring early summer lots of young rabbits about, I got a text say farm dog just chased a fox out of the yard so here we go he is heading our way, I first caught a glimpse of the big dog fox coming along the edge of the wood head down trotting on until he heard the Ico Tec calling. He froze on the spot and then like an arrow took off straight at the caller, as he closed in I followed him till he got to a spot where I wanted to take him, Damn he saw something and bolted off he saw the young sports moving they got excited and were like a hawk ready to stoop, I told them shhhhh stay quiet, I will get him back with the baby rabbit squeal. 2 minuet’s later he was back from a completely different direction he could not resist the Ico Tec calling him like a mermaid, he stopped sat down and looked at the call and that was his last as I put the 58grn Norma ballistic tip bullet right in the engine room,


The Nite Site Ico Tec Browning Norma combo with The Ole Hedge Creeper behind the butt does it again, and guess what he was right next to that clump of grass too, Ohhhhh yes I am that good I said, the young sports got to join in on the entire hunt thanks to Nite site. A few days later James Trenchard was with me and I took care of the big cubs, the vixen was not a safe shot but also made us out on the full moon, so The Ole Hedge Creeper will be back a few days later when there is no moon to mop up and deal with the rest of these livestock attacking Charlie foxes. I hope you have enjoyed out foxing Charlie 7 and like I always say  reconnaissance safe shooting and knowing your quarry makes you a better shooter, and when you have mastered this all the best gear we have talked about right here will make the job all the more sweeter.




Until out Foxing Charlie 8 may I wish you all dry powder and straight barrels and keep those emails and letters coming in, we try to get back to each and every one of you but some do slip through the lamp beam just like a sly ole Charlie fox from time to time.

OUT FOXING CHARLIE 7
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk
www.reallywildadventures.co.uk

I have shot and reviewed almost everything there is in the way of rifles/shot guns and indeed air rifle, many of my reviews were directly for the companies and will never make it to the pages of a magazine, Air Arms being one of those companies that sends me air rifles to try out and put through their paces both on the ranges and in the hunting fields, these articles do get published both in the magazines and on the websites, blogs etc.​

This time Air Arms asked me to review and really put through their paces the simply awesome Air Arms S510 Ultimate Sporter, a true piece of brilliant awesome British engineering, with art work of the highest standard to match, I have knicknamed this air rifle or set of rifles The Silk Moths, quite simply they are sweet on the eye and as comfortable in the arm as wearing your favorite pair of slippers, to shoot WOW that are as smooth as pure silk, the cocking action is like a well oiled machine effortlessly recycling the next pellet, the shot is so smooth almost like velvet with the silencer (sound moderator) so whisper quiet I literally have to check I had actually fired it, in sub 12 ft lb it is truly whisper quiet and in the FAC version its almost as quiet as its sub 12ft lb brother, boy oh boy both rifles pack an almighty dead accurate punch on target, from the very first shots, my smile just got wider and wider like a Cheshire cat who had just got the cream, I felt like a kid again as I got that buzz of excitement when I fired my very first Air Arms all those years ago, that was the Carmargue that started my passion for Air Arms air rifles, I have written so many articles on that gun and even featured it in some of the chapters in my books.

I have said this before and I will say it again, this will not be a technical article, writing those literally sends me to sleep, the wood is this the metal is that the, sound mod has this in it the pellet weighed that, I washed the pellets in this, someone give me a nudge I am snoring now, what I want to know does the product do what it says on the tin will it hit the target with pin point accuracy, will it humanly kill the vermin I hunt, I have no real interest in what its made of, except my preference is a wood stock and above all it has to be a .22, I am no fan of the .177 although I have several of that caliber.

Right lets get on with this article, we start off on a cold windy afternoon, much like the one now, I am rained off of my pest control rounds due to storm Derrick and health and safety, as I look out of my West Country penthouse apartment office window at the back paddock even the wood pigeons in the oak tree are hunkered down sitting out the storm.

* Young Sport Ambassador George Checking the zero on the awesome S510 TDR*

All in all a great days and nights putting these awesome British Air Rifles through their pace, like I say using these Silk Moths (Air Arms S510 Ultimate Sporters) really are like firing silk they are that smooth, watch out for my next installment of the Flight of The Silk Moths.​

By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk