Out Foxing Charlie 19

Out Foxing Charlie 19
​ The Tale Of The Scaly Tailed Ratticuss 

Blimey I just don't know where to start with this article, I am that busy I have blinked and here we are a month later from my last humble scribbles, as always I am almost late for my deadline for the magazines etc, you know its so busy I have actually met myself coming back at times.​

Before I go further into this article, I have a couple of parish notices as we say in Freemasonry, first off we have an awesome international event that I and my company Really Wild Adventures is heading up, we are putting on a brilliant Thermal Night at The Long Ashton & District Rifle Club, in association with The Night Pearl Thermal Company, they are flying in from the Czech Republic to help put this event on, its suppose to be a trade event so all shops etc are invited, but we have opened it up to the general public too, there is a Face Book Events Page especially for the event, you can find it by liking my Really Wild Adventures Page then click on the event itself, full details are on the flyer below too, if you have any problems drop us a line, we are making this like a micro shooting show, there will be trade stands on site as well as a fully functioning cafe and club room, Shooting using the Night Pearl Thermal Systems outside and indoor a have a go air rifle and air pistol range too, bring the whole family as kids are most welcome, my Really Wild Adventures Marksmanship Team will be running the ranges in association with the Pass It On Young Sports Organisation.

The second of the parish notices are that The Ole Hedge Creeper and Really Wild Adventures have teamed up with the Country Cover, Country Sports Insurance Company, this insurance package covers all your Country Sports, Shooting Sports and Fishing, we also have an exclusive money off voucher, so use the code on it when purchasing it through their website, all details are below on the photo of the voucher, again if you have any problems drop us line.

                                                           THE ROOKY MISTAKE.

Well yes I am human and yes I make mistakes, but never with firearms safety I might add, a very old VIP client of mine called me to say can I be on site asap, basically now this minute or even better yesterday, what was the problem I asked, I cant write what he actually said, but those gosh darn Charlie Foxes are killing his prize Guinea Fowl and other rare breed fowl, as you can imagine he was not too pleased, we both still think these are town released ones as they have scars on them etc, but I will leave that right there, he also said I have rabbits eating more grass than his cattle so can I deal with those too.

I was in such a rush as my morning rounds were so hectic, I was also out till the early hours dealing with a rat job with the awesome Air Arms S510 Ultimate Sporter and the brilliant Night Pearl Seer 35 and Scops Max II Thermal Spotter, I really wanted a a night off, but when a client calls you must go, so later that day I grabbed my rifles, the 223, the .22lr and the Air Arms S510, put the Night Pearl Seer 35 and Spotter out ready to go, I made m usual flask and sandwiches, then I was off for over an hours drive down the motorway to get to my clients farm.

This was when disaster struck, the rooky mistake was I had not taken the scope bracket for the Night Pearl Seer 35 that would fit my scope on the 223, what a complete dime bar, I was OK with the Air Arms and the 22lr as they had the same size scopes on, but the 223 was 10mm bigger, I wont tell you the words I called myself, but I did cuss and curse a lot, now I had a predicament, how was I going to deal with these chicken Thieving Charlie's when the night falls??? good ole me as always I never leave home without a good hunting lamp, my green pill Night Master Venom and scope bracket are in my truck, phew that was a lucky one, so the foxes would have to be taken old school this night, this was going to be very difficult indeed as it was so light there with the security lights from the adjacent trading estate, plus the fact it was a full moon, but never mind head up chest out and get on boy, you have the tools, the skills and the field craft knowledge.

Now the rabbits were not much of a problem, my Air Arms S510 Ultimate Sporter using air Arms Field Diablo pellets took care of the closer ones out to 50 yards, the ones that were a lot further away on the big embankment was my 22lr territory using the Eley Subsonic Ammunition. Both guns and ammo performed flawlessly by day and by night using the Night Pearl Seer 35, the only weak link in the chain was me, but I did alright as always, by the time I had to move onto the foxes I had amassed quite a respectable bag of fresh shot rabbits, my game dealer will be very pleased as will my client I thought at that moment.

I did have a little excitement with a fox I called stumpy tail, she out smarted me in the orchard a couple of weeks previously after trying to attack the gleanies, I heard them kicking off so I stalked round the other side of the farm buildings, travelling light 2 bullets, a rifle and my Primos Hunting Sticks, I could see the gleanies all kicking off from up the tree and on the high wall, I mounted the gun on the stick and scanned the area, ahhhh there she was at the foot of the tree sat looking up, a perfect back stop of the high bank behind her, the rest is history really, I took the safety off and put the cross hairs of the scope on the engine room of the fox and squeezed the shot off, that distinct thump of a perfect shot to the engine room was heard, my client heard it and he came round saying well done you, he took some pics and a video for me too, actually watch the Rooky Mistake video that is with this article it will explain this day perfectly, I moved into the night shift after the rabbits, there were four more foxes, but try as I may I just could not get them to stand for a shot with the lamp, it was just simply to bright a night and they could see me no matter where I hid, so I called it a night tired, cold and hungry as I headed back to my truck for a mug of soup and a sandwich, as the terminator says I WILL BE BACK, but next time with the correct equipment.

I had a very nostalgic days rough shooting on an old friends farm, the reason it was nostalgic was that my ole Dad the Ole hedge creeper Senior was with me, Dad does not get out so much now, His age, life, his health and other things get in the way, so it was wonderful to have him and Tess his springer spaniel out with me, Tess you will remember being his dog I trained over the last three years, when I lost my beloved Labrador Brook some three years ago this very day as I type, we had a wonderful day working my Cocker Spaniel Goose and his mum Tilly with Tess, we could of shot a big bag of mixed game, but as always we were enjoying working our dogs that we just did not raise the gun to salute the game being flushed before us, we took a token brace each for the table but let the rest go, Dad and I had such a wonderful day and I cherish each shoot we go on more now than I did as a boy, the dogs most certainly enjoyed themselves the slept all night and the next day too.

There are so many hunts I could take you on in this article for this last month, but I think I will let the photos and videos tell the rest of the story save one, I was called down to a very high profile farm, farm shop and well sort of private collection rare breed and exotic zoo, again this is a very old client of mine who is as much a Countryman as me minus the guns as he does not shoot, literally over night he had rat infestation move in, the farm next door had harvested all his potato crop and maize crop, thus pushing all the rats there of all over to my clients rare breed Duck, Geese and Hens area as well as other places around the farm and shop etc, again that frantic call when can you come I need you now, I always laugh at that one, its like closing the gate after the horse has bolted, I just could not fit him in for a few days I was fully booked and unable to jiggle the work I had booked in already, a cancellation due to a flood helped and they re booked me for the following week, so I got to the rat job a bit quicker than anticipated, but to the joyous response of my client who smiled with a thank god your here, we now have a fox and rabbit problem too, I did laugh and say its a bloody good job I brought all the kit then, it takes an hour and a half drive to get to this client so I always go fully equipped to deal with any scenario.

I got out the Night Pearl Thermal Systems, his eyes lit up, ohhhhh new toys what are these, I explained its all thermal equipment now, so I fitted the Night Pearl Seer 50 to the Air Arms S510 ultimate Sporter and hung it on my gen 3 Primos Trigger Stick ready for the rats and rabbits, I then mounted the Night Pearl Seer 35 on the 223 ready for the when I knew the Chicken Thieving Charlie's will be attacking, this I mounted on my gen 2 Primos trigger sticks, the other pest tech that was with me was using a NiteSite Wolf mounted on their Air Arms S210 using my old Night Pearl 13 thermal to find the rats before shooting them, this was when I pulled out the Scops Max II and The Scops Max III thermal spotters, my client was as wide eyed as a kid at Christmas, I showed him how to use it as he wanted to stay out with us this night, the night feel and the rats came out to play.

My client was overwhelmed with this new thermal equipment, he was calling out rat targets faster than I could shoot them, although I had several magazines running I just could not keep up with re loading them and re airing the gun from the divers bottle, he was shocked to how many rats he actually had, the other pest tech that was with me had the same problem, they kept running out of ammo and air to quickly, as the evening went on the action slowed a little but not by much, by the time we had killed the batteries on the Thermal scopes and spotters we had actually ran out of pellets too, I only had 1 pellet left in the tin, that was some fast action I tell you, I hear folks saying to me thermal for rats that's a bit much is it not? I say nonsense why have a dog and bark yourself, my Oppo carried on with their NiteSite as I moved onto the foxes. ​

There was still a little battery left in the Scops Max III thermal spotter and a fresh battery on the Seer 35 Thermal Scope, the rabbits did notplay ball this night so I left them be, but the foxes did, all I will say is The Ole Hedge Creeper Filled the bag and got the job done it was a bitterly cold night I was glad of my Jack Pyke gear to keep me warm and concealed, The Night Pearl Thermal Systems and The Air Arms Rifle Combos never missed a beat, again watch the videos with this article they will tell the stories far better and than my humble scribbles, my client is on there telling of the wonderful attributes of the awesome Night Pearl Thermal Systems.

We have had some wonderful range nights this month too, in association with The Really Wild Adventures Marksmanship Team, The Long Ashton & Districts Rifle Club on the Pass It On Young Sports, Air Arms Supporters Range, you can find out more about this over at www.pass-it-on-young-sports.org.uk, I have especially enjoyed coaching the younger young sports this month teaching them some martial arts meditation techniques I call Calm Pond, again the video will show you better than I can write it.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my articles and watching my videos as much as I have enjoyed writing them and making the videos, until next time may I wish all good health and stay safe one and all.

Out Foxing Charlie 19 & The Tale of The Scaly Tailed Ratticuss

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