The first steps

Patrick Hook recently discussed why people start foxing and here he looks at how to begin doing so

- Patrick Hook

When setting out, the two most important elements are having somewhere to shoot and having the right equipment. The first of these will depend on factors such as where you live and how well you get on with the people in the area. As for the second – well the sky is the limit, but it can be done on a budget. Where guns are concerned, while rimfires and shotguns have accounted for a lot of foxes over the years, they are only suitable under certain circumstances and to do the job properly you should be using a centrefire.

Although many people shoot foxes in daylight, the most effective time is at night. This requires either the use of a light or a night vision/thermal device. The cheapest way is to use a high-powered LED torch mounted on your rifle with another for use as a spotter. For safety reasons, you should never use a loaded gun to scan the landscape, whether it’s got a torch or an NV mounted on it. Instead, first find your quarry, then point your rifle at it.

Caution