Calling red fox in the daytime

[MikeD]

used to have fair success caling red fox in the daytime in SE PA. I used to get between 5-7 a year with going out 10-15 times.

The keys I found were to find the thickest, nastiest, patch of brush a, blowdowns etc. and call into it. Another key was to set up with my back toward and open area (field, powerline, RR, pasture) and get the wind in my face.

I used mainly rabbit in distress, medium volume. Problem was most of those fox were shot under 20 yards and some as close as 20 feet! (get the sewing gear out).

probably could have done better at night, but never had a headlamp till years later, so I called them when I could see them LOL.

[Steve Gappa]

A couple of people have expressed an interest in this topic- edge? hern?

I tried it many years ago- and would like to get back into it. I think it would be the prefect harvesting tool for this time of year.

Feel free to get into this subject.

[MikeD]

Of the foxes I calle dmost were hoofin it in, then slowed when they got closer to give it a look over. Some however charged up to the speaker itself.

I think I might go out for yotes tomorrow if possible. i have never calledone of those in.

My partner had great success in the Mts of PA using the gray fox pup distress for grays.

I use 12 gauge 3 inch mag with BB's longest shot was a fox at 75 paces. i know I should not have shot but I belived i could hit and kill him and I did, dead as free lunch.

[LKVL]

I don't see many fox when calling around here. Although the first time I tried out my Weems call.....I did call in a grey fox, a red fox , then another red fox. Then 2 coyotes. Never called another fox since.

[trappnman]

LKVL- as long as you are unemployed but rich...come on down and do some calling-


I hate to blow his cover- but we do have one of the better callers around- a man that has a lot of experience calling both fox (I think-from earlier days?) and coyotes. He also uses a calling dog when calling- something few in the east do.

So Mr X- how about giving us novices callers some pointers.

Heres the scenerio- I have country that ridgetop fields with ravines running down into river bottoms. I have heard about not trying to call coyotes out of cover in that type of location- so by that I would guess "they" mean hunt the edges- or be n the cover while calling.

The few times I called- without success- I tried to be in cover- usually a corn field- and try to call down into the ravines.

am I on the right track? Way off?

I have been told and from the tapes I have seen- that the exact sound of the calll isn't that important- as long as it sounds somewhat like the proverbial dying jackrabbit or crying baby it will work - to some degree. At least enough to start getting the hang of things.

So- lets have some tips Mr. M.....

[TimW]

Tammy (my wife) bought me everything I needed to build my own E-Caller for Christmas, I now have a bunch of different CD's too. I want to try at night, but it has been sooooo cold here. Not really into sitting in zero degree temperatures. Hopefully when we get a warm spell I will go out some night real soon. I want to try this hardcore. Here after the ground is frozen solid, I think the calling would be the ticket.

[dj88ryr]

Hey Tim, welcome aboard!! I knew there would be a ton of stuff here that would interest you and that you could reply to and offer some insight.

[trappnman]

ttt for hern...


lets get into this a little bit more- this is something I know ziltch about and would like ot learn.

[dj88ryr]

Surprisingly, there is not a lot of calling done right in the area I am in, even though, the company that makes the Foxpro caller is right here in Lewistown. I am slowly gearing up for it, one of my sons in NH, calls yotes and he wants to come down to this area to give it a try, so I gotta learn as well.

[mike692]

Believe it or not, there are more callers than trappers in my area. There's a guy south of here that called in 30+ grays this year. That gives you some idea of our gray fox population.

I have dabbled in calling, but never hit it hard. I haven't been out in two years. I've never killed a fox while calling, but have called them in. I've also called in bobcats. We have even called raccoons, they're fairly easy to call, and they come in to a call hard. That's alot of fun. I'll never forget the first one we called. She came in so fast I had to yell at her to keep her out of my lap. Scared the crap out of me. She ran and I turned the caller back on. She stopped at about 30 yards and looked back and my partner shot her. When calling coon we used "coon puppies" by Dennis Kirk.

[mtnman]

We used to walk up on red fox after fresh snow and take a few. I often thought it would be nice to have a caller and once you see them call them. Is this how it works or how do you decide locations and where to call from?

[kevinupp]

I did dabble in calling when I lived in Westmoreland county here in PA. I wasn't very good at it.

When I moved up to elk county and found out about the yotes well I decided to try it again. Once again I wasn't very good at it. One weekend we were at camp and my mom-in-law said that she had never heard a coyote let alone see one. I joked around and said; "I'll show ya one." I pulled out a diaphragm turkey call and started squealing like there was no tomorrow. Now mind you it was about 2 a.m. and I had had quite a few drinks throughout the day and wasn't really in any condition to be calling. Well they all started laughing at me telling me I sounded like a sick duck and other things I can't mention here. After about ten minutes my father-in-law walks out and goes; "Who the heck is making all that racket." Then looks out across the field and goes; "What the heck is that?" Thinking he was joking they all told me to continue because it was fun watching me make an arse out of myself. So ofcourse I continued. Pops then lit up the field with the spotlight and coming across it were 2 coyotes. Well I got the last laugh in as they all hightailed it into to the camp and hid behind the curtains sheepishly looking out at them. Now the yotes when that spotlight hit them they stopped for about 2 minutes, just long enough for everyone to get a look at them, then took off to parts unknown. So now everytime we go to camp and one of the wimmin get up in the middle of the night to go to the outhouse, I sneak out and make a few squeals on the old turkey call. That'll teach them to laugh at my calling abilities.

Kevin
ps. I haven't been avle to call another one in since.