# 1st Fox with the new varmint gun



## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

The pups pointed this fella from 120 yards in thick bush. He was sniffing around some warrens and didn't see us. I had to thread the needle through the bush, but the new gun is a tack driver.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Are they just nuisance animals, or is the fur valuable?

I know you've said Astro has a very casual point on deer. Do he and Zsa Zsa also have different points for fowl vs small fur? 

There's this rabbit that's been making appearances as the front of my neighborhood. Every time I've seen it while driving home, I leash Scout up and rush over there. I'm sure the neighbors must be thinking strange things! So far it's always gone back to it's hiding hole, but I encourage her to track it. I know she's interested in the scent, as one of my fondest memories of her was at a training weekend. A guy had laid a rabbit track for his Drathaar and after she'd retrieved it I let Scout off leash and got distracted by something else. Eventually I looked around to find her and there she was nose to the ground methodically following the track even though she'd never smelled rabbit before. Gotta love those instincts! 

I can't say the actual shooting of the animal interests me too much, but it's that partnership, developing your own language, fine-tuning the team's technique, and just the dog's pure joy which drew me to this sport. 

Here's a video of Scout's mom working on fox. http://youtu.be/Hq_C3SEEjhI Tail wagging and head held high.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

here in UK, depending which side of the fence you sit on, foxes are nuisance imo. The 'antis' wouldn't agree with me though. I doubt very much the 'antis' have seen the devastation a fox can cause in a hen house/coop though, total indiscriminate killers that go into a frenzy. Well done Marty


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

The Fox isn't native here in oz and is classified as a pest species. There is a small bounty on them, but I don't shoot enough of them to make it financially viable to drive 250klms to collect it. 

As a landholder in oz, you are required by law to keep pest species under control. Rabbits, foxes, pigs are just some classified as pest species here, but there are more. 

As for points, both mine are different in how they point and on what game. Astro is just laid back on any point, but loves his deer hunting and delivers stronger points on them. Zsa Zsa is more small game obsessed. But her points are fairly classical points, except on deer, where she is less confident on large animals. Our deer around here are Sambar from India. Huge buggers!!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I have to say my dogs have never scent pointed anything at 120 yards, and I'm glad they can't. I would get tired of kicking up brush, long before I found the birds. But I could see where sight pointing larger game at greater distances would be a good thing.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

in our area - fox's cyotes feral cats & turkeys - play **** on the native quail !!!!!!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

TexasRed said:


> I have to say my dogs have never scent pointed anything at 120 yards, and I'm glad they can't. I would get tired of kicking up brush, long before I found the birds. But I could see where sight pointing larger game at greater distances would be a good thing.


If you could see where i live, you would understand a little more. It was most definitely wind scent. I live in the mountains. This was in the middle of a gully with a strong breeze. Even I could smell it!!! Fox's stink to the high heavens. But even a Sambar they will point from well over that distance if the wind or thermals carry the scent. They most definitely didn't sight point it, as neither had a front leg up and the tip of Zsa Zsa's tail wasn't twitching like a rattlesnake!!!! ;D

When I woke up this morning and opened the curtains, there was another in my front yard, but our gun laws meant by the time I went to the gun safe, unlocked it and pulled a gun out, went to the ammo safe, unlocked it and pulled out some ammo, he had gone. Its one of the reasons burglars and home invaders never get shot over here. By the time you've unlocked everything, its all over........


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