Battling the elements

A sneaky fox is trying Deano’s patience as he plays the waiting game on farmer Joe’s balcony. Will he stick it out in the worsening weather, or will this be the one that gets away?

- DEAN HARRISON

Sat at my office desk in late November, my phone pinged as a text arrived first thing in the morning. It was from Charlie, the farmer’s wife. “Big fox near our chickens, and one shot Dicky (she means Joe) has just shot at it and missed. I told him we will have to get you over”.

I knew Joe was shooting that day so I phoned him that evening. Now, Joe takes the greatest pleasure in ripping it out of me if I miss one, knowing I am already feeling terrible; this was my chance for revenge! His story started: “By the time I got the rifle out and bolt on, the fox was already back near the wood.”

“That’s about 50 yards then,” I said, and laughed, but I know that it’s more like 150 off his balcony to the wood. When I wait up there, I have all the time to get myself sorted, and have my rest set up, so if the fox comes I have all the meadow covered. But all Joe would have had was the railing to rest on, and that can make all the difference. The excuses started to roll out, but in all honesty, any shot without a good rest is a hard one if it is at a fox. I was beginning to wonder if he did hit it and if it had done a ‘death run’ back into cover. I checked but there was no sign of it.