Rifle set-up for deer and foxes

I’ve always stalked deer and my new permissions are over run with foxes… can my rifle set-up be used for both deer and fox?

Q: I have stalked deer for many years and recently took on some new ground that is absolutely over run with foxes. I don’t want to buy another rifle, but will my current stalking setup be suitable for shooting foxes? Somebody intimated that the police aren’t keen on a .308 for fox shooting…

A: ANDY CROW replies: I have never quite understood why some forces think that a .308 is somehow more dangerous than a .243! But speak to your FEO and you will probably find that if you are experienced they won’t quibble. I have seen some FACs conditioned to say that the holder can shoot foxes with their .30 calibre deer rifle while out stalking.

The only thing you might want to bear in mind is the bullet choice. A heavy bullet designed to work on a large deer isn’t the optimum for small, thin-skinned animals and may not expand rapidly enough.

You could either use two different bullets (many scopes allow you to have more than one zero option with diallable turrets) or choose a round that will be appropriate for everything.