Patrick Hook explains his foxing kit
Patrick Hook takes you through some of the kit he regards as essential for a successful engagement with the old adversary, mostly in the wee small hours
Last month we looked at how to start out foxing and in this article we’ll take it a step further and examine the equipment that’s needed. This will vary depending on whether you shoot from a truck or on foot, but in essence the difference is mostly about how you rest your rifle.
The hardware I use these days has been refined over the years because I shoot six nights out of seven and anything that didn’t measure up now lives in a box stashed away under an obscure shelf somewhere.
To this end, everything not only has to perform well but has to be as reliable as
possible too. I can’t have anything that lets me down in the field, and it’s why a lot of my kit is ex-military – hard wearing and designed to be squaddie-proof.
Ask any 10 regular foxers about calibres, rifle models, and so on, and you’ll likely as not get 10 different answers, but the majority would agree about the basic requirements.
These are a dependable gun, something to rest it on, a thermal spotter and decent night vision. Most would want a caller too – either an electronic device like a FoxPro or an ICOtec, or a hand caller. A cheap alternative is a chunk of polystyrene rubbed on a piece of glass.
When it comes to buying shooting hardware, the costs involved can vary enormously depending on where you pitch yourself in the marketplace. Buying everything at once is beyond most people’s pockets (about £5,000), which is why it’s sometimes better to begin by shooting in daylight and then progressing into the darker hours when you can afford it.
I have found the following indispensable for nights spent foxing. This is only a guide and you must decide what works for you.