Hillaire gets back to his roots

[Hillaire]

GRRRR…. NOTHING is more frustrating to me than having a predator on your property and messing up getting rid of it for good, twice!! Last Sunday I woke up and got ready for work at approximately 7am I looked out my bedroom window to see a really big fox standing in my back yard looking at my guinea hen keets' coop almost as if to say to itself "I can see them how do I get in there" so I grabbed my .30-30 lever action marlin and loaded it up. I had plenty of room to shoot out of the window as it was already open but the screen. I figured my sleeping fiancé wouldn't have been a fan of a rifle going off in our bedroom while she sleeps so I ran out the side door and between that time from window to door which is about 100 feet the fox was gone. So after work the same day I tried to use a predator call on the back end of our property to call it in to no avail. Twice this week after work and on my day off I tried the same, still nothing. Tonight I was eating dinner and the guinea fowl were being a little louder than usual. Now, I just moved my guinea keets in with the bigger guineas and chickens yesterday so I chalked it up to that. I looked out the same window to just watch them as I do sometimes and I look to the right to see the same fox coming up the trail in our woods heading towards the coops again. I quickly grabbed my rifle and loaded it. I put one in the chamber and went outside. I tip toed to the front right hand side of the house and peered around the corner to the back. There I see the fox so I aim and pull the trigger….*CLICK*…..I forgot to take off safe!!!!!!! The fox is looking right at me so I quickly yet smoothly pull back the hammer and take off safe. That split second of me taking my eyes off the fox proved to be my flaw. The fox was gone when I locked eyes on the spot again! Now it's just about dark thirty I have a fifty percent chance of getting the way the fox went right. Either it ran straight down to the back left of the property behind the coops or the more likely option is it ran back from it came and if scared enough should be near my food plots I have planted for deer on a ridge. I ran and I mean RAN for the food plots which I had the high ground and back door entrance that game don't think to look for. It's a good 500 yard run so I bolted for it. It was so dark by the time I got there even if I did cut it off I wasn't going to be able to see it very well. Mad at myself and dejected I headed back home. I will get this fox, I am proficient with hunting predators, I'm just mad I didn't get it tonight

 

[CntryBoy777]

My experience has always taught me to take the shot when ya have it...it may have scared the lady, but I sure would rather be explaining why, with a dead fox on the ground, than to miss the opportunity and waiting for it again. I know it eats at ya...I do the same and kick my own butt....but, ya will have the opportunity, just make sure the damn safety is off when ya bring it up to shoulder. It happens to all of us more than we care to admit, so don't feel like the lone stranger....

 

[Hillaire]

My buddy had it happen last year during a deer drive. We were standing in a powerline and having deer push to us, a nice buck came running out. He pulled up his gun and I pulled up mine he said "I got it" I heard click and I shot and I got it it happens I just hate it when it does happen to me

 

[Hillaire]

and of course every noise the ducks make in the duck coop at night (usually they are silent) I come trudging out with a head lamp on and rifle in tow lol

 

[CntryBoy777]

.....I'm not laughing at ya, but with ya....I do the exact same thing, except I don't have a head lamp...I have a maglite in one hand and rifle in the other.....

 

[Baymule]

I have two Great Pyrenees........they are my predator control. We are overrun with coyotes around here, but they don't come on our place. Our female GP is a killer of everything that isn't a horse, sheep, chicken or duck. She is death on a snake, very cool to watch her stalk and kill one.

 

[Hillaire]

we'll eventually get a farm dog, rough haired collie, farm collie, or springer spaniel. Unless we get to the point of having goats outside at night in a paddock with a shelter I think my rifle will do the trick. Coyotes aren't bad here besides the odd coyote here and there it's more fox and raccoons trying to get to the chickens which knock on wood haven't had any issues that I haven't been able to clear. only losses were 2 guineas last winter which I was able to get both foxes doing the damage. Our chickens are in a coop and run and we free range our guineas. Luckily if I see a predator I usually know where they will be running to if they see me and bolt. I can head em off and get them. Haven't seen the fox since initial sightings

 

[Hillaire]

Boy oh boy have we been busy on the farm... I’m sorry I haven’t been in nearly enough but when you hear about our growth you’ll understand. So I got married last November all has been going great. In January we purchased three bred Oberhasli does from the same breeder we got our doe and wether from. Salsa and Pepper are American Oberhasli coming from wonderful show and milk lines. They are both 4 and actually twin sisters. We also got Gem who is a recorded grade Oberhasli. 75% Oberhasli 25% Nubian also 4. Pepper kidded April 24th with twin doelings. Gem kidded May 14th with twin doelings and Salsa kidded May 21st with a buckling and doeling twin pair. All are doing great. My wife expressed her interest in starting a herd so I bought her two Nigerian dwarf doe kids from an excellent herd. So basically we went from 2 goats to 13 in a blink of an eye. After we show at our county fair next month we’ll see who we’re selling and retaining. I also got my farm dog. He’s a rough collie named Sampson. We got him as a puppy but he’s already huge. We downsized our chickens to just 10 red sex links and are up to 20 ducks now. I’m adding a bunch of pictures here as there’s a lot to see. I’ll be sure to make a real effort to post more and be more active

 

[Hillaire]

More pics

 

[Hillaire]

Oh and we finally have a farm logo