Four fox in 12 hours...with one trap (and a bullet)...

Mom, and the boys, and baby sister (hanging in the baby carrier inside the coat) with an early morning catch. :)

Little did I know how this one was going to turn out.   So this Fall, and Winter, just as last year, we had been seeing fox around the house, and had been seeing them walk by the school during class, etc...so it didn't strike me as odd.  After heading home one day to lunch and seeing one walk right up to me, I figured it was time.  That same day, Sarah saw one approach the boys where they were playing just beyond the front yard, and she mentioned it was a little weird.  Sounds good to me, I figured.  I had been trying to refrain from catching the ones around the house, but when they act like they aren't wild anymore, well...I didn't need any encouragement anyway, but if they're offering...

I made a set right at dark, last night (the 21rst).  The set, though, was right out in fron tof the house, just across the drive - we're talking like maybe 25-30 feet from the front step.  This morning, on the way to work, as I shut the door, I heard a faint "tink-tink-tink-clink".   Hah!  I thought...Bingo!  Walked over with a headlamp, and, sure enough, the area looked awfully dark (catch circle)..and then the eyes lit up, and I walked to work.  With a smile.  I waited for daylight, which at this time of year, here in Southwest Alaska, is not until about 9:45.  Then I brought it up with the kids in my class, and we quickly decided to go get the fox out of the trap.  We filmed the dispatch, and then I quickly went back to work and got through the rest of the morning classes.



However, when I went home for lunch, I spotted a fox going around the back of the teacher housing, and making his way over to our house.  I ran behind building s when I could, dodging his sight until I was back at my front door, where I grabbed the .22 Mag and some bullets.  However - I grabbed some .22 LR rounds.  I did this knowingly, because the rifle uses shorts, longs, and Magnums.  However, I did not know what was about to happen.   went back out the front door, thinking the fox would head for the catch circle - which he probably could smell for a long ways.  Sure enough, he did.  I saw him break for it behind some spruce and use d my chance to get in position, pushing the safety and waiting for him to stop when he got to the set, which I was covering with my front bead.  He stopped, and I squeezed.  'Click!'.  Nothing.  I couldn't believe it.  I shucked that shell, dug another one out of my pocket, and put it in the chamber.  Pulled up, with him looking at me this time, about 20 feet away.  'Click!'...WHAT!?!!....Racked the bolt, catching the shell, and put it BACK IN, and squeezed. 'Click!'  My heart about stopped at that one.  That was enough for the fox, and he bolted out of sight off into the trees.  I was bummed beyond belief.  However, I wasn;t so bummed I couldn't skip lunch, and instead put in a remake with the tra from the morning.  I had a feeling the fox would be back, and quickly.  I even brought the shells, with their firing pin marks, back to class with me to share the tale, and 'warned' the class that we may catch another.

It wasn't long, and I got a text from Sarah...she said that there were not one, but TWO fox out by the sandbox in our backyard, milling around. Apparently the boys saw them during lunch. Excitedly, I asked her not to go outside or let the boys out..if only they would go around to the front we'd have a second one. :) Sure enough, about 2 minutes later, she texted again. We had one. Hah!! I rounded up one of my students, and we headed for the house.  However, upon getting to the front yard..we noticed a fox streaking across the back yard, once again by the sandbox.  We quickly went inside, and I grabbed the .22 Magnum again.  Not liking the angles on him from the back porch (remember, we were in the teacher housing area, with other houses nearby) and hoping this time the gun would go off, we made our way out the front door - past the other fox snarling and jumping in the trap - which my student thought was simply spectacular - and the following ensued (Click link to view in Dropbox):

View clip on DropBox HERE

So, with that fox from the backyard down (rifle worked as usual, in case you didn't watch the vid at the link), we were now in possession of two, and had a third in the trap out front.  We walked over to the catch circle with the just-shot-fox in hand (which was a HUGE male, beautifully colored by the way - pics coming when he is processed.  I took a few pics, and we dispatched the third, and placed him in the freezer.  This was turning out to be a great day.  The catch circle was SMOKIN' HOT!!!!


It was that knowledge that made it just impossible for me to not remake the set again.  I HAD to do it.  So after school, I remade the set before dinner.  All the while it had been snowing off and on, but the set was down to the bare ground and leaves from all the..um..activity...



We enjoyed dinner and were getting the boys ready for bed when our neighbor knocked on the door and said he heard a snarling coming from the area of the set.  (It was already dark).  I went out, and together he and I dispatched the fourth fox of the day.  Three in the same trap in 12 hours is now my personal record.  At least one of them was caught only a little over an hour after I set it.  Wowza.  No pics of this last one actually came out, as it was too dark.

 Now I am left to wonder if I could have done it in less time if only this all didn't go down on a work day.  :P  :)   I'll give it a break for a bit now - but only for a bit - and then I'm gonna remake that sucker again...we might not be done yet with the "front yard set"...Next up, though, is to help one of my students catch their first fox...