A fox hunt with small flags will give every hunter real pleasure. To hunt a fox is possible when all the other types of hunting are finished.

This hunt demands thorough preliminary preparation and good physical toughening of a hunter.

A hunter prepares fox hunting in a hunt household. But to make a hunt interesting and resultful the elements of its preparation and details of conducting must be learnt be a hunter.

A fox is a very careful beast. It suspiciously treats any changes not peculiar to the natural conditions of the places of its living. Having noticed the trempling from light wind pieces of the bright cloth which also have smell of dwelling a fox pricks up its ears and will not come closely to them and more than that it will not cross their line. And this is the grounds for the fox hunting with small flags.

Preparation for the hunt is in the fact that a hunter keeping observations over the life and behavior of the inhabitants of his territory defines the approximate places of day rest of a beast and fixes the borders of the future hunt frame keeping in mind the character of the locality. Then he prepares the small flags. It is needed 2 - 3 km of the flags for the fox hunt. It is good to have in a complete set about a douzen of the flags on pegs for the case if there will be places inside the hunt frame where flags on the cord will not be seen by a beast.

Before hunting the flags must be made dry. A fox is afraid mostly of the stir of bright flags and of their smell. The damp flags often roll up in a tube, are frozen, don`t move smell slightly. A frozen damp cord is very difficult to be rolled in a boll after finishing of a hunt.

After getting dry the flags are usually kept in a corner on a Russian kiln, then they get the smell of a dwelling.

Participation of a instructor in this hunt begins with his joint a hunter going round hunted place along its border and counting entering and coming out traces. Usually a instructor and a hunter go round the hunted place from different sides moving to meet each other. If 5 - 6 hunters participate in the hunt then one most experienced hunter is apported to help a instructor to check the hunted place. The rest wait noiselessly at the distance of 300 - 400 from the supposed line of the hunted place. If a summary quantity number of the entering traces is more than the coming out ones than a beastis inside the hunted place. The skilled hunters define the presence of a beast inside the hunted place also according freshness of the entering trace. If participants are more than 4 than the fixing of the flags is started usually from the side opposite to the shooting line and they go along the border to the different begin on the part of an, go on perimeter in the parties and sides and meet at the shooting line. If the participants are less than 4 than the cord is streched to one side beginning from the shooting line. One of the hunters unwinds the cords with small flags and puts it on the snow, the second hunter hangs up the cord with the flags on the trees, bush and the other things. To hang up the flags is necessary with such a prudence that they are at the height of the beast`s eyes. The lower edge of a flag must be at 15 - 20 cm above the snow level. For a hunter hanging up the flags it is good to have some (previously) pegs (made) having the shape of a turn-pike for the case of absence any things to hang up the small flags. If such pegs are not prepared beforehand then they are cut out at the place.

During checking of the hunted place and the unwinding of the flags it is necessary to be careful because a fox even (being) resting hears very well.

You must take into account that a fox is mousing in the morning hours. It is necessary to trap it when it has just lyed down and is lying sensitively. Besides this nobody knows where a beast is when he goes along the border of the hunted place. And it can be somewhere very closely.

It`s very good if there are block cuttings, roads and other open place at the place of hunting. It is necessary to stretch the cord along this open places in such a way that a bed of a road or of a cutting is inside the hunted place and the edge of a clearing was at the distance of 3 - 5 m from the flag line. In this case a beast will see the small flags better. If there are no such original open places than it is adviced to choose thin forest. In the thick forest especially with dense undergrowth it is not fitting to stretch the flags as they will not be noticeable and a fox will go away across the flag line.

It`s very bad if there are fox burrows inside the hunted place. They must be encircled with the line of flags otherwise a fox can hide into a hole and spoil the hunt. To surround these burrows is necessary after the main line has been already stretched. It`s a very important moment of the hunt. As a rule, the burrows are encircled by a driver-in who goes to the initial position for the beginning of chasing. The gunmen are standing at their "numbers" at this time. A fox, if there is a burrow behind it, lyes down usually near it. And not only an extreme caution is necessary due here but also hunter`s keen-wit as it is necessary to encircle a burrow quickly and absolutely noiselessly. If some man hunt then it`s possible to put the most experienced hunter near the hole. Practice shows that such a "number" in most cases is successful.

During checking of the hunted place before stretching the flags a instructor chooses a shooting line (if some people hunt) or a shooting number (if one man hunts). Choosing a shooting line (number) it is necessary to take into account that a hunter must have a good review of the sector where shooting is supposed. The edge numbers by to mans must see the flag line of their flank. If a hunter hunts alone he must see the small flags of both sides. The shooting numbers must have good disguise and it`s better to have a camouflage uniform or dress paying attention to the fact that the flaps don`t flutter in the wind. And it is adviced to have some pins in a pocket for such case.

A raised by the drivers-in fox tries to go in a large missif of forest. In never comes to the field, a noisy road or a settlement, where barking of dogs or some other noise are heard. Choosing a shooting line it is also necessary to take into account direction of the wind which must blow against a hunter or at least along a shooting line.

To trap a fox in the early morning is not possible as it mouses at this time. To begin checking of the supposed hunted place is fitting not earlier than in an hour after the sunrise and to encircle a fox even later.

The trap can be closed when the ends of a flags line are joined, or open when a flag line has a break. A instructor decides what type of trap to choose but in any case there must be a narrowing of a flag line in front of line of the gunmen and a fox is forced to go along this narrowing to the shooting line.

As it was said a fox is a very cautious beast therefore a hunter must treat attentively his behavior at the shooting number-to stand motionlessly and watch thoroughly his sector of shooting. A fox usually goes through dense bush or from a bush to a bush and appears in front of a hunter unexpected. A beast stops for a while every bush or a shelter and examines the locality ahead of it very carefully and attentively. Therefore a hunter can`t move and more than that throw up a gun. You must let a fox approach at a distance of 25 - 30 m, throw up a rifle quickly and make an aimed shot. The frequent cause of misfortune at this hunt is premature moving of a gunner. When a fox notices this moving none skills and effort of a driver-in can make a beast come to the shooting line again.

To shoot a fox is necessary with small shot № 0 or 00.

Usually a instructor goes to the hunted place as a driver-in. Have come from the opposite to the shooting line side a driver-in shouting slightly and tapping a stick on the trunks of trees moves to the shooting line. He goes usually shuttling from one edge of the flag line to the other one and when he finds a trace he goes along it. If the trace of the raised beast goes aside from the shooting line, a driver-in turns a fox to the gunmen by a roundabout manoeuvre. Success of the hunting depends on the skill of the driver-in and a hunter must listen to the voice of a driver-in as it is possible to define the direction of the beast`s moving in the hunted place.

There is another type of driving in when some man participate in it going towards a shooting line and making a great noise. In this case a beast comes to the shooting line swifty and it is difficult to be shoot. However a fox has less chances to escape at this type of driving in.