Lamping may be one of the most efficient ways to kill foxes but if you miss then, you'll have created a much fightier foe. Liam Bell outlines other options for fox control
Lamping
Night of the long dogs
Taking lurchers lamping At the end of the beam, Blue turned hard, just inches behind the rabbit. It turned too and again Blue went with it, heeled over like a racing yacht. The rabbit made a last, desperate twist then Blue was trotting steadily back to Jake, the rabbit held…
So what is lamping?
Lamping is a simple procedure of shining a light around an area until a rabbit (or rat) is spotted, and the dog is then sent to get it. Lamping with a dog is best done on foot, as it causes minimal disturbance and damage, and often allows a good chance…
5 tips for lamping foxes
1. What’s the right time to go out lamping foxes? Foxes are generally nocturnal and see excellently at night. Wait until it is properly dark outside before setting off. During the night foxes will sleep for a while – usually from around midnight until 3am. 2. Know the ground Night…
Night vision versus the lamp
With nightvision shooting equipment becoming ever more popular, Ian Valentine asks the experts to weigh the latest green-tinted scopes against more traditional plug-in lamps
Lamping on a public footpath – just how legal is it?
Q: A friend was walking his dog on a prescribed footpath at night and came across two men lamping for foxes. An argument ensued as to the right to be there. Please can you clarify how close you can be to a public area, such as a footpath, to shoot?…
Lamping rabbits – what happens when they get lamp shy?
Lamping rabbits: The rabbits around here are definitely getting lamp shy and bolt as soon as I switch on. Have you come across this, and is there any way around the problem?
Can you use a thermal-imaging device to shoot deer?
If deer numbers are becoming such a problem in parts of England and Wales why can't we get easy permission to shoot them (as they do in Scotland) with a lamp at night?
Lamping with lurchers
A lurcher by definition is a crossbred creature, one created by a number of breeds with the intention to retain attributes from each ingredient of the mixture. Such cocktails have been created for centuries – long before it was trendy to cross one breed to another. Some say a lurcher is…
Rabbit shooting on stubble
At the start of the harvest I didn’t have to worry about ground compaction, crop damage or sinking into bog holes, so I drove around the stubble in my Steed. This proved pivotal in reducing countless rabbits quickly, but shooting solo from any vehicle has its handicaps. I can only…
Your essential fox-control kit
A decent rifle, a high-quality telescopic sight and a generous portion of luck are the essential items in the amateur’s fox-control kit