Jim picks up an opportunistic fox with the BRK Ghost .30!
I was on a recent hunt at a friend’s ranch down in West Texas, and my buddy Chacho and I had been out looking for rabbits, finding the cyclic population at a low point. It was also hotter than expected, and we didn’t see much outside of quail. Heading down the dirt road in a Mule ATV, a fox jetted across the road, probably out to grab one of the many quail we’d seen along the way. We stopped and walked into the woods, Chacho had a video camera, and I had the BRK Ghost .30 caliber which has become one of my favorite guns.
We saw the fox had moved quite a distance way from us, not at a dead run but more of a slow trot. I had a rabbit distress call in my vest jacket but had left that in the Mule. As I looked for my call Chacho had started squeaking, and the fox spun freezing in place. The squeaking continued, it was a kissing noise to imitate a mouse or small rodent in distress, the fox started approaching, slowly at first then speeding up. Chacho paused the sounds as the fox stopped at about 60 yards looking in his direction. I was about 10 feet to the left lining up my shot.
I’d found a broken tree trunk that made a perfect rifle rest, and had the crosshairs locked in slightly high on the head. I’d sighted in using NSA Slugs at 50 yards, and the Ghost was dialed in. I told Chacho later that there are certain rifles that fit me so well, that when I’m locked in it feels like I can’t miss, and the BRK Ghost is high on that list. I’d found in a thorough range session testing a variety of projectiles, this gun is particularly accurate with NSA slugs.
I squeezed the trigger and sent the 47.2 grain slug down range at 870 fps or 79 fpe (per range results) that impacted on target, anchoring the fox on the spot. The shot placement was exactly where I’d anticipated and couldn’t have been any more effective. I grabbed the fox placing him in the back of the mule for a trip to the skinning shed. The Ghost and the NSA slugs proved a great combination for predator hunting, and I have no qualms using it for fox, bobcat, or coyote. Of course, shot placement is everything!
I’m in the middle of a two week hunting trip as I write this, and getting ready to go out night calling for predators tonight, and trying to decide between mounting a thermal or NV optic on either the Ghost or the Western Rattler I’d used the day before on a javelina. I have two problems: first is deciding which to take, and secondly bringing myself to rescope them after getting the guns optimized for their specific pellet!
A quick mention, in a pinch squeaking (or kissing them in) can work very well. The volume is low, but if the predator is close enough to hear the sound, it can be very effective. Even when using a mouth call or an electronic caller, you will often switch over to squeaking when the predator gets into a closer range so as not to frighten them off. It also will often stop a running animal in its tracks and is a good arrow in your predator hunting quiver.
A couple observations on gear: if you follow any of my work you know I’m a huge fan of the BRK Ghost .30, one of my favorite airguns and calibers for small to medium sized game. In fact, I feel completely comfortable hunting medium sized feral hogs with it, which says a lot. Next, the NSA 47.2 grain slugs were a great match for this gun.
What’s next: by the time you read this my two-week trip to Texas will be history and I’ll have a mountain of content for articles and videos, that’s when I get busy with writing and editing! Next week I am going to try to make time for a couple days up in Wisconsin after the last pre-spring trips for snowshoe hare, while they are transitioning from white to brown and the terrain is transitioning from snowy white to springtime browns and greens. After that it’s S. Dakota for prairie dogs and some long-range shooting!
Again, it’s good to have the blog up and running again, and I hope you all keep coming back. If you have something specific to airgun hunting you’d like for me to look at or discuss, just let me know.
