Field foxing

I’ve still very few foxes to report but it’s been quite a year for squirrels, as I mentioned last month – they seem to have had an outstanding breeding season. Colin the keeper has been getting stuck in to the little so-and-sos and he’s had around 70, and I’ve shot over 30 myself with the .17 HMR, so that’s 100 gone – and there are still plenty more. They must have made the most of that dry time in late spring to breed, as we thought we had whittled their numbers well down at the end of the shooting season. They are also good practice for fox shooting as they seldom sit still for long and their movements can be unpredictable. Getting a good shot away also gives satisfaction knowing you have removed a nasty predator of songbirds.

We keep our pheasant feeders going all year round, topped up with grain for the benefit of all sorts of wildlife