Born Again wrote:plugg wrote:leadpig wrote:Born Again wrote:Fair points about the shotgun, but I'll wager more foxes have been killed with 1 1/4oz birdshot from a 12g than with any other calibre rifle or shotgun. .
i would think that the 22lr has taken more than anything
I personally shot in the region of 85 foxes last year, one of them 398 yards (lasered) with my .22-250; I'd struggle to believe any farmer/landowner has shot 85 foxes with a shotgun in his lifetime nevermind an a year
Very impressive
. However, in the grand scheme of things your 85 foxes won't stack up against the thousands of farmers and smallholders who reached for the nearest gun and shot the fox that was trying to get into the chickens, since before you or your Dad were born
.
That's not an insult, by the way, just pointing out that the trusty 12g has been very popular for a very long time.
No insult taken
I see what you are saying.
Think of it this way-
You get a call from the landowner saying he has seen a fox and he reckons its one that has ravaged his chickens for the second time and he wants you to kill it.
You would have to be in range with a shotgun to kill it, its not going to hang around if you are walking around the land looking for it and if its already heard the supersonic crack of few pellets winging its way towards it, it certainly isn't going to give you another chance to get inside that 50 yards for another shot.
Whilst I agree with your points a shotgun is just so inefficient on many points for the task (not the killing part) where a rifle greatly increases the range and it usually does the job first time.
That said, if you know where and when the fox will be in a particular place, as they are creatures of habit, the shotty might be the best tool.