Texas Gray Fox while Hog Hunting

[PoorHunter]

Texas Hog Hunt
Thursday evening, after getting Nan's Corsican into the cooler , we joined our group at a nearby campground for the big Fish fry they always put on. On the trip there in the dark, I had to swerve to miss a huge armadillo, First one I seen in Texas, (I didn't want another Taxidermy bill LOL!)
I had seen several dead in Missouri, this was first one live. Looks like a cross between a big Rat & a Turtle ..LOL
After the meal & Visiting, we headed back to the ranch I really wanted to hog hunt with my critter light I had bought just for that reason, and I was too tired last year, I was tired but told myself I would hunt a few nights, that's why we came to Texas.
So funny I had my hog, and wasn't hog hunting.

I had not told my guide since before dinner I was going to hunt tonight, I got in the bunk house & Nan was down for bed, as well as several hunters, Got the gun ready & hooked up the light
Got to the table outside & guides jacket was there & he was nowhere to be found. I couldn't hunt w/ out him, it wasn't allowed.
I told my self I would just go up to the cliff and sit & wait.
It was a long walk and I kept a small light dim not to stumble, and quietly made my way to the stand. I had gotten there, there was no one coming behind me, I sat my gun down and was hooking the light battery when "BOO!!"
Guide was hiding behind the stand, Jumpin jimminy crickets man, tryin to give an old mad a hat attak LOL
He said he seen my getting gun ready so he knew I was still up for the hunt, There was a nice cool breeze and it was hard to sit in the quiet & dark being so tired.
That morning from the stand we had seen a big stray housecat in our gut pile and I told the guide look at yer Bobcat..lol He said Nope ! Mountain Lion …..LOL got a good laugh at that.

I used the light sparingly, didn't know long it would last
made many passes up & down the canyon, out the canyon pasture where I had shot the hog, nuttin, we stayed really quiet and listened careful, After a couple hours it had me real tired, we werent seeing nothing, I caught the guide nodding off a couple times lol.

I said OK, its coming up on 1Am, lets get to bed, I made one final pass over the ridge, through the canyon pasture & the revine below us and nothing back up the ridge and wow!! there was lil set of yellow eyes coming out of the brush on the ridge across from us right for the gut pile
Guide had the spotting scope he said its furry I don't know what it is…..In the scope I could see the a big bushy tail, Theres a fox I said .. Boommmm Guide says what is it?, I couldn't tell
DEAD I says lol.
He was getting nervous , “no what was it?” he said, I said it was a fox, he says did you ID it before you shot? Yes i said, I just shot a fox, then I knew how to get him back. I said “either that or I just shot yer Mountain Lion “ , he didn't know what to say..
we went back to the bunk house and got the truck and had to drive all the way around to get to the ridge.
In the headlights, there he was a real nice looking Texas Gray fox after I shot I could still see his eyes in the light he never even moved, out like a light.
He wasn't a hog but I had taken two critters I wanted badly. Last year a hunter missed a fox in the Am. but there had only been one other taken on the ranch, 3 years ago by a gal, and she was actually hunting with us this weekend.. so cool. I was happy what a great looking Fox, shame I was hunting w/ a hog gun , Taxi said he was quite fixable, I will have him mounted. Took some night picts, but next morning in the light I had the gun out and took some better ones. We ranged the gut pile at 65 yards from where I shot. I Had hit him right in center of neck and out far shoulder, Target less than the size of a quarter.

I had been blessed again, What a fantastic trip we had, much fun, great animals good friends.

[PoorHunter]

This is Pict of Mount Taxidermist sent me, I should have the mount in a couple days, soposed to deliver Friday with the rest of our 2010 texas Hunt Mounts