Tips and techniques for hunting Red Fox

Look for the fox to be in the thicker cover closer to human habitation now a days. Most are living on the edges and fringes of coyote group territories. I have several that travel here on my place. The female actually raises her litters here. I live in the edge of a small town with a few acres of my own.

Basically just downsize the tactics we use for coyote's. Think in terms of travel lanes and cover over just a few hundred acres.AND definately use softer high pitched sounds. Lip squeeks and hand squeeks are the best to start then use something like the close range calls discussed in the sounds and tactics thread. Anything other than low volume sounds will send them into the next county or at least the next farm for a while.I've actually called more fox with hand squeeks than I ever did with a mouth blown call. Jimmie
 
Jimmie, these hand squeeks your talking about sound interesting. I picked up a cottentail squeaker, and this damn thing is kinda loud. A friend of mine was telling me some toy or doll squeakers work as a distressed mouse or rodent. While hunting squirrel the other weekend I stumbled acrost several den / holes I think to small for 'yote and considering the area which is in a hillish corner of the woods adjacent to two feilds and a hedgrow that usually is a tiny creek now, but lower rainfall this year has had an affect. I've seen several fox in this area before. There are at least two decent spots I can shoot from an elevated position there. In this situation I would think that louder calls would indeed scare them away.
 
Hand squeeks are fairly simple but do take a bit of practice. I wet the back of my hand between the thumb and fore finger, right on that bulge of muscle there.Place yoru lips to the wet spot and suck air while wiggling or turning the hand.This will give you a low volume squeel guaranteed to get a close predators attention.Don't forget to use it when a coyote hangs up on you either.I can also guarentee it to annoy the wife to no end /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

To lower the volume on calls you can do it several ways.Cut the amount of air or muffle it with the hands.To use the hands just place the call between yoru thumbs.Opening the hands a bit will alow some sound otu at a higher frequency.Another way is to hold the call normally between thumb and forefinger, placing the other hand over the open end. By barely opeing the other hand you cna create and fair number fo odd shrieks with high pitch.Jimmie
 
For some reason I have better luck calling fox at sunset.I use a critr call standard and make high pitch sounds a low volume.

The grays like heavy cover but will some times charge in like a coyote.

Reds like more open areas but will hange back at a distance for a while before approaching.

Use the wind to your advantage.
 
AlphaDog,
I've had good success calling grey fox at night with the occasional red fox showing up. I've always used a grey fox pup distress tape in my caller, a shotgun w/ #2 size shot ( full choke) and a wheat light w/ a red lens, on my hat.

There have been times when I thought that having the light attached to my shotgun would be better, but what I have works so I'm not messing with it.

I've gotten away from the night time calling and am starting to use a motion decoy for more coyote type calling. However, I'm working a lot of overtime and haven't had a chance to use the rig, but once or twice. :rolleyes:

Here in Ohio, I believe that fox (red or grey) are much much easier to call than coyotes. Both are fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
alphadog , what part of ohio are you from? for foxes i use the pup in distress,grey fight,and grey special and the yellowhammered woodpecker, i have been strictly hunting at night for the last 9 years. i have just recently in the last 2 years started hunting during the day when i can and i have only called 2 greys in during the day i have called a few reds but have been putting most of my time towards coyotes in the daytime. i have been using the distressed rodent called at medium to lower volume when i did call in the foxes just like they said, you might try that call if you dont like tying one hand up with trying to call. im no pro during the day but have had decent success for my time spent. i just like the electronic callers myself, lets you shuck faster, haha
 
think foxes are easier to call or just more populated? I think thata our main problem in wv, they are scattered out so much they almost never hear your call. Does this sound right?
RR
 
Alphadog, I'm in NE Ohio too (Warren, just north of Youngstown). The yotes are really getting their thing together around here. I've only gone out once so far this year. I called in 3 yotes and no fox. Next trip I'm going to a farm near Hiram that is good for fox. Hope to call in a red (want to have a hat made to wear to the Browns games!!!!).

Good calling!!!!!!!!
 
Alphadog, I no in Pennsylvania our grey fox love to hang out in old strip jobs. Around here the grey fox pup distress call works great, I feel reds are alot harder to call in with elctronic call, so when i turn the call off i wait a few minutes, if i hear some movement or a fox barking i go to a mouse squeker. Hope this helps.

Good luck, Yotes
 
OHyotehunter

Cool picture, nice kill! Noticed the snow camo jacket, is that insulated?
My daughter gave me a stuffed rabbit for a decoy, fairly realistic. I'm going to try that while out for fox / 'yote after deer season.
 
I am also in ohio. here in northwestern ohio it is very crucial to have knowledge of the land. most people around here trap coyotes and in turn fox populations have boomed. everytime i go 'yote hunting i always seem to find fox dens. when i dont see those small dens i know exactly what i am seeing, most likely coyote territory. here in ohio it is very hard to hunt predators but as long as you spend enough time in the field you will pick up on changes like these. foxes seem to consume most of my time here in OH but coyotes are here, its just about finding those areas that they do control which takes much more time than out west. most eastern predator hunters know what i am talking about.
 
Originally Posted By: OHyotehunterAlphadog, I'm in NE Ohio too (Warren, just north of Youngstown). The yotes are really getting their thing together around here. I've only gone out once so far this year. I called in 3 yotes and no fox. Next trip I'm going to a farm near Hiram that is good for fox. Hope to call in a red (want to have a hat made to wear to the Browns games!!!!).

Good calling!!!!!!!!
Hiram,i am right down the st off 700
 
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