With the coming of winter on the first falls of snow a fascinating hunt on a fox begins - the hunt from the approach.

This hunting is successful when there are fresh traces of a beast and wind. In calm weather it is possible to come to a fox at a distance of a shot only then when it is sleeping that is only by chance. On the contrary, in windy weather the success of the hunt is guaranteed if only a hunter managed to see a beast.

In the hunt from approach it`s better to use a triple-barrelled gun because you shoot almost always a lying beast and more often from a very short distance. In thicket a small shot gun misses sometimes as small shot doesn`t reach a target because of thickness of branches even if an object is at a distance of some steps. And a bullet can find a clear space and a fox will be killed. A triple barrelled gun gives a possibility to get a fox and then when a distance is too long for a small shot.

A hunter dressed all in white goes to the places of the usual fox`s stay and searches for the traces. The fox`s traces can be from the point where a fox had been at night or from a field after night feeding. For the day (eating) time a fox follows to the forest or to a ravine, from which it needs to be driven out in autumn. A hunter not hurrying and keeping complete caution and silence examines attentively the locality as a fox may have not lyed down for rest but is "mousing". When a trace is found a hunter must go ahead along the fox`s trace.

He at last reaches the place where a fox is supposed to stop for lying down. Usually on the first snow it is a branched top of a ravine situated in undergrowth.

Made a round on opener places, paths, small cleanings and being convinced that a fox hasn`t left the round, a hunter begins examining the divided tops of the ravine against the wind. If to keep yourself restrained, not hurrying but to go ahead noise less and look around attentively then in most cases it may see a curled up fox and to approach to it at a very short distance.

There can`t be any miss. And a hunter having taken a dead fox goes to search the traces of the other one.

The hunt is more difficult if a fox has lyed down on an even place in a thick forest undergrowth. In this case it`s necessary to go it round and then to step against wind and begin to cut a round by parallel lines being at the distance which is looked through easily. This way of a hunter reminds search of a good pointer made by shuttling. And a hunter goes on moving in such a way till he sees a fox.

When a hunter follows a trace he without fail sees an empty fresh lying place of a fox with deeply printed traces of the back paws. Going for lying down a fox doesn`t lyes down in a thicket at once but at first moves to one side then to the other and at last returns and lyes down at the distance of 20 steps from its trace. A hunter being busy with the trace can not to notice it. On deep snow a fox having a hunter been let through often comes to his trace or his ski-track and runs away along it in the opposite direction.

At the end of winter when deep snow covers stumps and grass, and frozen snow-crust becomes hard a fox for certain will go for a day rest to the forest where noting disturbs it: noise of the road and barking of the dogs in the remote village, an importunate crow which thinks its business to make some rounds crying loudly above the beast.

By the end of the winter it becomes quiet in the large forest. The firewood is taken away, people are met rearly. And then a fox even-temperedly lyes down on an ant-hill from its sunny side and also in the undergrowth and forest ravines lit by the sun. A fox doesn`t go deeply into the forest and being disturbed runs away to field.

To go after it at this time is possible along its trace without a making raid because a beast is seen in the white forest from afar. Every fox`s trace from a field to the forest is a trace to the nearest lying down as there is nothing to do for a fox in the forest at the end of winter: blackcock seat on the trees and warm themselves and mice are deeply under the snow. That`s why in such conditions (in good weather) and on good first snow to find and kill a fox is not so difficult.

To hunt from approach during strong snowdrift near field ravines is also possible without searching a trace. Your only should to choose the ravines situated perpendicularly to the wind direction. A hunter looking for a lying fox must move on the opposite to the wind side of the ravine.

Usually a fox lyes from a leeward side at a mitre lower from the ravine level. There it is quiet for it and in a case of danger a fox by a jump can rise to the of the ravine where it is lasier to run as the snow is usually blown away by wind. Have seen from afar a fox which is lying in a narrow ravine a hunter being bended and not showing himself to a fox must carefully approach it at a shot distance. If a fox is lying in a wide ravine a hunter must return, to cross a ravine quitly and unnoticed and come along its edge to the place where he has seen a beast. To go is necessary always halfwind in order that the fox will not hear the rustle of steps and not feel the hunter`s smell.

If a ravine is straight then it you must go not only along its brink but as if by halfrounds. It is necessary to come to the edge of the ravine, look thoroughly its opposite side where the fox`s luing place can be and if the trace is seen then to become sure that it goes further. Then to step aside from the ravine so that the slops are not seen from the edge to the very bottom, to move ahead at about 70-100 metres and again come to the ravine thorough inspection of the bottom and the opposite descent of the ravine. If the trace has gone further along the ravine you must remake the same manoeuvre and go on doing this till the fox is found.

At such mode of approaching a fox even being not asleep will be found and killed by no means. If a hunter follows the border of a ravine a fox will see him earlier and manage to escape.

A fox has keen hearing. Those who even once have seen it mousing in the field: a fox stops, lends an ear, bends, like a spring and suddenly winds up into the air, then is lowered on the snow with all its body and unerringly presses a mouse going under the snow - those will understand all the keenness of fox`s hearing.

The feeling of a fox is also good therefore a hunter must behave in such a way that his small will not reach a beast.

At the hunt from approach binoculars and a triple burrelled gun will be very useful.

Hunting from approach is interesting by the fact that a beast can be all the day seen by a hunter.

This type of hunting develops attention, gives opportunity to study the beast`s habits, trains to disguise, works out persistence, endureness and patience.

The hunting with hounds The hunting with flags