My hunting companion, Kirk Musgrove, and I started 2025 with a successful whitetail buck deer hunt and during our last buck hunt for the year we bagged the fox in the above picture. This hunt I was on predator patrol because Kirk was targeting a buck for himself. Since our first hunt together in November 2023, Kirk has only pulled the trigger one time when I have been in the stand. In December 2024, he shot an Axis buck. Funny, looking back at prior post, I cannot find one for that hunt.

Nonstop Fast Action

Everything about this hunt occurred at a rapid pace. Last minute on Saturday, Kirk was able to arrange his workload so we could head out Sunday for one last buck hunt for the season. We left Magnolia about 5:30 a.m. like we typically do when traveling the six hours to the Musgrove Family Ranch. Arriving at the ranch we opened up the camper and barn; we checked on all the feeders and water and finally loaded our gear in the stand. About 2:30 p.m. we climbed into the stand to start the Sunday evening hunt.

By 3:00 p.m., I had gotten very comfortable and did my best not to doze off . Because I was only predator hunting, I was daydreaming about a shot at a pig near sunset assuming the pigs came in for a nightly feast. Therefore, I was a bit startled when Kirk hit my leg and excitedly whispered, “a fox just passed right in front of the stand, coming in from the left, if it heads to the water we might get a shot.”

Kirk told me to go ahead and get on the water and take the gun off safety. Keeping my finger outside the trigger guard, I thumbed off the safety and swung my gun to the right. Kirk said, “hold right there you are on the water.”

The Shot

The fox circled back around and popped out of the brush. It almost magically appeared in the scope.  Honestly, I do not recall the exact final targeting commands that Kirk provided. We only made a few small adjustments, it might have been a quick up, left, fire or down right, fire. There was no time for a hold, hold, hold fire like often occurs during a deer hunt.

The Disappearing Fox

Kirk excitedly exclaims, “we smoked it… we will find the fox right behind the water after sunset.” He tells me, “Sit back and relax while we wait for that large 12 point to come in”, or was it a 14 pointer he wanted.

No Shooter Buck

While waiting for sunset, Kirk describes several deer. Often, the deer would glance over towards the water which reassured me that the fox would be found right behind the water. There was no buck he considered to be a shooter, so once again Kirk got to save his ammunition for a future hunt.

Spring Turkey Season

I have my right hand on Kirk’s shoulder and carry the fox in my left hand as we walk back to the 4-wheeler. My feet are probably only hitting the ground about every third step because I am still amazed that we were able to shoot a fox. As we continue back to camp, Kirk is telling me about how foxes are known to wipe out and entire nest of turkey eggs.

Maybe the elimination of one fox from the Musgrove Ranch will help increase the spring turkey population and Kirk will get to pull the trigger on a big, long bearded Tom soon…if so, I promise to post.

You can read the hunting page to learn about my limited success as an early childhood low vision hunter or check out all the hunting post to learn how I now hunt totally blind with the assistance from my hunting companion, Kirk Musgrove.