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In my early years all my foxes were shot at very close ranges, most at around the 30-yard mark. I took considerable satisfaction in being able to get foxes at that range. I can only speak from my own experiences of shooting with a wide variety of calibres and I have no doubt that as is very often the case in life, a good big’un will generally beat a good little’un! Better are the little .22 Shorts. These can be reduced velocity at 710fps as with the CCI CB load, or you can have a standard load that shoots a 27-gr bullet at 1,105fps. In a pump-action Winchester they are excellent for dealing with squirrels.Palm, Shea, Sal, Mango in varying proportions], Butter Oil (Milk), Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin), Wheat Flour Minimum life based on 'use-by' date of product. Average life based on last week's deliveries. Life guarantee shown based on delivery tomorrow with the Life guarantee starting the following day. The 17-gr V-Max bullet for the HMR is the most common and is certainly capable of despatching a fox humanely, but at sensible ranges and with good shot placement. I prefer the CCI 20-gr GamePoint load, as it’s accurate, and the extra weight and slower expansion helps penetrate the fox’s exterior before delivering its energy, whereas a more fragile .17 HMR 17-gr bullet might fragment on a bone on its way in. These folk had come down from London to retire and immediately started feeding the local foxes and badgers! He wasn’t over pleased at having nightly visits from foxes, who came into the next-door garden for appetisers before looking for the main course in his! Similarly the big .220 Swift is an old one but still a good one, delivering a 50-gr bullet at 3,950fps for 1,732ft/lb. Whilst I like it, I have to say that a .22- 250 is more practical as more rifles are chambered in it. Foxing question

I rolled up just before dark and smuggled my Daystate Huntsman FAC air rifle, complete with PARD night vision, into his house. Later we went upstairs, where the spare bedroom window overlooked the garden, giving a perfect view of not only his lawn but next door’s as well. I have various people for whom I have been doing fox control for many years, and because I know both the land and the distances involved, I know the rifle that will be best suited for the job.Mark Ripley answers) A: I’m a big fan of the .223 as a foxing round as it’s pretty flat-shooting with lighter ammunition. In fact, using 35-gr ammunition, it performs much like the .204. I used one for 10 years on everything from roe to Red and was always satisfied. Bullets are available from 85 grains to 160 grains, so there’s plenty of choice, but I tended to use 140-grain bullets for everything. This saved having to re-zero the rifle constantly. If fox were a regular requirement, then perhaps 120-129 grain bullets at higher velocity would be a better all-round choice. Much less velocity and we have to start judging range more accurately and allowing for the correct bullet drop. And if we zero higher at 100 yards there’s more risk of shooting over the top of a small target at short range. What we’re on the look out for Two questions I see crop up time and time again in shooting magazines or on the internet are what is the best calibre for foxes, and the distance at which you can shoot them.

A .22LR can be deadly against a fox at short range and with higher velocity ammunition, as long as you place head shots accurately. After 50 yards range however, you’re unlikely to get a humane shot. I have called in and baited foxes in barn areas and used .22 rimfires to good effect, but the .17 HMR is best if you don’t want a centrefire. A good .22LR will sort you for all your small game issues, a .17 HMR bridges the gap between small game and foxes (with the right ammo and at shorter ranges) while a good centrefire is really the best for foxes. Plus a .22 centrefire can double as a small species deer rifle with the right ammunition.

First off, fit a sound moderator

Next up are the old retainers, .222 Rem, .223 Rem, .22-250 and the .220 Swift rounds. The .222 Rem is a wonderful round — sweet to shoot, low recoil, accurate and available in a wide variety of lighter weight or heavy varmint rifle configurations. With a sound moderator fitted you have yourself a quiet effective fox round to 250 yards or so and it doubles up as a small species deer round, with the correct bullets.

Hatching a plan, I suggested that for a few nights he put out a small quantity of dog biscuits mixed with some cat food. I also put down a small quantity of fox-attracting scent (from Best Fox Call) on the pole of rotary washing line. A few nights later the chap rang me to say he had seen a fox eating the food in his garden, so I said I’d be over the following evening.I have said before that any rifle from an airgun up to a .243 centrefire, which could be classed as the biggest calibre normally used specifically for shooting foxes, is capable of killing a fox. I’ve heard of someone who has shot foxes into double figures using a 12ft/lb rated Air Arms S410. From .17 to .243, Mike Powell lines up the options to find out which best suits different foxing situations L-R: .22 airgun, .17 HMR, .17 Hornet, .223 Rem, .243 Win This will minimise the muzzle blast and recoil in one fell swoop. Admittedly they do nothing for the look or handling of the rifle, but they do diminish recoil and muzzle blast. A reflex type of moderator doesn’t make the rifle too unwieldy to handle as it only increases the barrel’s length by about four inches. Better still is the .17 Hornet round. This round is actually similar to the old .17 AK Hornet but it lets you use a lightweight rifle with the availability to reload your ammunition to suit your need and game species. Here a 20-gr bullet can be pushed at 3,650fps for 592ft/lb energy, a good flat-shooting bullet for rabbits, crows and foxes. The .223 is the most popular of the fox calibres in the UK, with most rifles chambered for it. There’s a wide selection of ammunition available at a reasonable price when compared with larger centrefire options. Mark’s foxing kit Rifles