Fox Hunting Help

Dad2thebone

New member
I'm brand new to the world of predator hunting and I would like to get my kids into it. and I'm looking for some assistance with finding something that's easy on a fox pelt which I understand is not an easy task unless using a shotgun which I prefer not to use, I live in michigan so for the most part shots should be under 100 yards, also I'm not afraid to load my own bullets if that's what I need to do, and I know shot placement has a big play in it too, so if you guys could help me figure this out it would be greatly appreciated, I'd love to hear your fox stories with details of gun caliber, bullet, shot placement, and the end product of what the fur looked like, any advice helps, thank you.
 
The grey fox I shot and took to the taxidermist I hit with a .17WSM while it was running quartering away from me. I hit it somewhere close to the last rib if I remember correctly. It killed it on the spot and didn't tear it up at all. Barely any blood on the fur even.

I know one fox isn't much to go off of but I've killed plenty of other things with that little cartridge and never had any problems. It even has enough punch to kill a coyote inside of 150 yards. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again to shoot foxes. The only thing with foxes,at least from what I've seen is they don't stay still very long. So I can definitely see why a lot of guys prefer a shotgun for shooting foxes.
 
I've killed a bunch of foxes with a 17hmr and 12g. Set yourself up to call them in close. Read that last sentence again.

Set up ready on the 12g with a tight choke and #2 lead shot (Remington Nitro Magnum 3" #2 my favorite). Anything under 50 yards gets the 12g. (4buck, Tshot, and BB do not have enough pellet count to kill reliably at 30-50 yards, foxes are small).

Have a 17hmr on standby for anything out to 125 yards for the ones that hang up. Or as a primary gun. 17gr Vmax works awesome but shot placement is critical. NO GUT SHOTS or they will run. Front 1/3 of the body or head/neck only.

If you have a partner, someone take a 12g and the other take a 17hmr.

If you're in brushy areas, try standing up in a bush or next to a tree etc so you have better visability. It works!

Practice offhand shooting with your rifle out to 100 yards because that's common and they don't hold still much.

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I have killed quite a few fox and for me, the HMR just isn’t enough. I know I know SHOT PLACEMENT but I don’t like runners and hit a shoulder or a little far back and it’s going to run....a long way most of the time. I think a 22 hornet is about as good as it gets for a fox gun with the right bullets. I was using a 223 and downloaded it to hornet speeds with a 40 grain Nosler varmageddon and was getting great results and never had a pass through on any of the 50-60 I shot with it. If you don’t want to load a custom load a 22 wmr is a great option and a good 40 grain hp will do the job well inside of 100 yards. With the way the fur market has been the last few years I just shoot them with a 6 creed bow and blow them up. Have fun and good luck! Feel free to pm me if you have any questions about down loading or red fox.
 
I've used a 17Rem on foxes and it wrecked pelts (Hornady 25gr HP). 17Rem seemingly gained popularity for foxes in Australia, where the foxes are apparently larger than in North America.
 
Originally Posted By: Dad2theboneDoes anyone have any experience on a fox with a 22 bosler?

? Do you mean Nosler?
I have never had a lot of luck with any 22 centerfire on Fox. The 22 mag. is a great Fox caliber and I've used the 17 Rem with good luck also. The 25gr hp Hornady never worked well for me on Fox, but is great on Coyote. I shot a lot of Red Fox back in the day with the 17 Rem. using Rem. 25gr. factory loads. Today I might consider the 25gr. Nagel bullet or even the 25gr. Blackhole bullet. But if I was real serious about saving Fox pelts it would be the Win. 22mag. 40gr. hp.
 
I have shot fox with just about every caliber I can think of. In the .22 caliber, hornet is about the only fur friendly one..... if you choose the right bullet
 
I did mean nosler, just apparently hit the wrong key. So if you had to pick then between the 22 mag, 22 hornet and 17 wsm, what would it be with what bullet?
 
If price is a concern, the 17wsm seems to be doing really well. Probably a 20 grain bullet. If I could pick any gun for saving fox fur it would be a 22 hornet with a 40 grain Nosler varmageddon fbhp.
 
Price is no issue, just dont want to make a mess, and my youngest is about to turn 4. he wouldnt come in the field but I'm sure he'll want to hang around while I skin, and I dont want anything to look terribly graphic and turn him off to the idea of hunting
 
I picked up a new cz 527 American in 22 hornet and topped it off with a 3-9x40 leupold. My 2nd trip to the range gave me my first confirmed (1/2) inch group at 100 yards ( shooting off a rest), using hornady 45 grain soft points ( factory) it will shoot the ppu 45 grain soft points under 1-1/2 inches at the same range. I bought it because I didn’t want to tear up a fox but wanted a caliber stout enough for coyote and bobcat again without tearing up the pelt. May also try to get a deer or two with it if I’m lucky. Haven’t had it out on a hunt yet so time will tell.
 
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