Fox Calling Techniques

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pd_buster

New member
I was headed home from some PD bustin' last night and saw 3 foxes in 1 field. This is weird because I have lived in CO most of my life and have only seen a couple of foxes. Didn't know we had them much around here... I stopped by their place today and have gotten permission to hunt there...

Here's my question... I am comfortable with my knowledge about coyotes, but not foxes. Do they respond to the same calls? (I use an e-caller) Do they work the wind like yotes? Do they take a lot of calling like Bobcats? Is their territory very big? (Will they be there next weekend?) Are they as keen to sound and movement as yotes?

UNRELATED: I went out yote hunting this morning. I was going to set up by some spools of barbed wire and on my way, a coyote stood up out of the barbed wire and started walking away from me. At first I wasn't sure that's what it was because it was still dark. I took a shot and must have missed because I couldn't find him. This would have been my second coyote if I had gotten him! I was probably shaking too bad to be able to hit him... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
What type were they, reds or grays? Reds respond slower and more cautious than a gray. Grays generally charge in. Small rodent, rabbit and bird sounds work best. Reds may use the wind occassionally like a coyote, but grays just charge in. Neither take as much calling as a bobcat does.

Usually the territory is restricted to whatever the coyotes allow them to have, most often not very big at all.
 
Thanks Pruson,

I forgot to say they were reds. Good lookin' ones, too. Not that I have anything to comapre them with but they are a very neat lookin' animal... PD
 
Obviously dont howl...i dont use jack sounds, lots of bird and pup sounds, occasional cottontail. they love pup whimpers and lip squeaksand mouse squeakers. They like high pithced shrill sounds, I have found the tweety psycho to be very good. i dont beleive they use thier nose as much as coyotes but they do use thier ears, maybey more, they can key in on low frequency underground digging and i believe they can hear you moving as well. I am the only one hunting the population i go after and they usually come in in about 20 minutes. In a few weeks the prego females will be in thier dens for a month or so and the males and helper females will be hunting to keep her and the kits fed.
 
Yes they will come to a call, But they tend to take longer. Yes they will use the wind to there advantage I have seen many times where a red Fox with start to go down wind.. Use birds dist they love that. also fox pup dist works as well. I have also called them in with jack and cotten tails dist too. Red Foxes are very smart hunt them like a coyote, but don't howel. They are very keen to smell sight and sound. If one is balled up on the snow make sure you get him to stand up before you shoot him if you don't you will most likely miss because what your mostly seeing is about 99% fur. Good luck and I hope this helps
 
I agree with foxbuster and Pruson, the reds we call in always use the wind but you can use that to your advantage because they are so predictable that way. I find that if you set up near cover you can usually watch your down wind and make the fox come past you in range while it is making its way around to wind you. Reds will make use of cover to approach and are very wary when responding to a distress call in coyote country. Foxbuster is right about the ball of fur. The first fox I shot this year was sleeping in a ball and I thought I had the drop on him. I couldn't believe it when he jumped up after the shot. Too bad for him that he just ran 20 yrds. Bang Flop.

Good luck and go get em.

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