Fox questions.

[BANDITT]

Hi everyone. Couple questions about fox behavior.

The land I hunt on is covered with fox tracks, and from finding tufts of hair where they have crossed under barb wire fences I can tell they're red fox. I also found a den, with very fresh tracks going in and out of it (the den is  on the side of a hill in a small woodlot.)  I'm fairly new to predator hunting, but have had no luck calling anything in, except for hawks, raccoons, and sometimes house cats. Never have called in a fox or coyote. I've heard that fox den up during the night, and come out during the day to avoid coyotes, but am not sure how true this is. IMHO I don't think this certain area has many coyotes at all, but definitely plenty of fox.

So my questions are: since I know where the den is, and since calling hasn't been successful, would sitting near and watching the den entrance work?  When would be the best time to watch it? In your experiences is it true fox are more active during the day rather than the night time? The only calling I've done so far near this area has been daytime, and I'm wondering if the fox are in their dens,  would they come out to investigate a call?

Night hunting here is legal, and we can use lights, but can only turn them on at the point of kill...absolutely no scanning with the light is allowed.    What a stupid law. So this basically means hunting at night is pointless unless we have a full moon and snowcover, which happens maybe twice a year. I've always figured that if I'm out there in the dark calling and can't see a thing, all I'm doing is educating the critters. And it's kind of hard to turn the light on at the point of kill when you have no idea if anything is there to kill anyway!!!

So if you guys can enlighten me on fox behavior, and maybe send some tips this way, I'd be very thankful.....BTW, very cool site here. I've been reading for a while, and this place is packed full of good info.

[FinsnFur]

Welcome to the site Banditt.
I've never specifically targeted Fox...so I'm not going to be much use to you. Heck I might not be even if that's all I ever hunted.

I think when Buker see this, he'll give you some good reading. 

[nailbender]

  I'd try calling right at daybreak. On sunny afternoons check their dens. They love to sleep in the sun if the wind isn't too bad.

[R Buker]

I see it and I'll do my best to shed some light on it in the morning.  I'm so tired right now I don't know if I'd make any sense.

I just spent the last five hours trying to minimize water damage in my basement from having overflowed the hot tub...  Grrrrr

[Bopeye]

If ya wouldn't get so excited Randy.............you wouldn't have overflowed the hottub.....

[FinsnFur]

I'm kinda wonderin bout that meself 

[BANDITT]

Welcome to the site Banditt.
I've never specifically targeted Fox...so I'm not going to be much use to you. Heck I might not be even if that's all I ever hunted.

I think when Buker see this, he'll give you some good reading. 

Thanks for the welcome ! 

Ya think R Buker is possibly stranded out at sea  floating in an innertube trying to paddle his way back home?

[R Buker]

Nope, I was filling the tub and went to making supper and drinking wine.  I forgot about it.  Can you picture if you had a hose running full blast on your entirely fininshed basement floor for two hours???  An inntertube would have been a good thing!

I've spent about 7 hours on the end of a shop vac so far.  I'm guessing we'll have to pull up the carpet and replace the pad.  I'll talk to my adjuster tomorrow.

[TA17rem]

Red fox are out at night feeding untill earliy lite then they make there way back to the den or a nice snow drift out of the wind and faceing the sun. For redfox i like to use a higher pitched call like the one Burham bro.'s sell, i think its the c-4 model. Reds can be called dureing the day but you need to set up along the edge of cover or just on the inside... Youre call series should be 1-2 min. rest for 2-3 and if nothing shows after ten minutes then start to call continues for the last 10 min. of youre stand, if you know there are fox there then call for a little longer. 15-25 min. max. Wood lots and abandon farms are good places to set up also along the edge of a creek.....Good luck..

[Mallardsr]

That seems like an aweful lot of extra work just to get new carpet! 

[BANDITT]

Thanks for the tips guys.

[BANDITT]

 UPDATE::

  Thank you to the 2 people here that gave me tips. Along with you 2 and some very helpful people on another site......IT WORKED!!!! Not only once, but 3 times.   I am no longer a predator virgin, I killed 3 reds in that woods. And I know there are more, cause I saw 2 others after that.

I also found 2 other dens in that woods,  so I know for sure there are at least 3 dens in there.

Just after daybreak one morning I called in 2 that were together, and managed to take them both, well, not really together..they both came in at the same time from different directions. The second one I popped as it kicked it into high gear after I shot the first..  2 days later I called in one just as it was getting dark, and made a good shot on him too.

Now I'm positively sure what's making all those tracks in there!

They all looked really good, but 1 is awesome. He's a big male that's at a taxidermist as I write this. I'm getting a full body mount, on a snow covered base with his front feet up on a rock.

I haven't seen too many fox up close, but a buddy of mine said it's one of the best looking reds he's ever seen, and the taxidermist agreed. He's got a bright orangeish-red color, and all four legs are completely black from above the knee area all the way down including the feet. His tail has 6-7 solid black rings around it too. I don't know if most look like this or not, but he's absolutely gorgeous.   The other 2 were smaller and had the same reddish color, but the black areas on the legs weren't as  solidly filled in. Those 2 also didn't have the black rings around their tails.  Those 2 I gave to a guy who's gonna tan them for himself, or tan them and sell them, I'm not sure and really don't care, 1 full body mount is all I was really looking for. He wanted to pay me for them, but we split a case of beer instead.

I'm sure I'll be back out there again soon, cause that woods is on private land a family member owns, and I'm the only one that hunts predators there. A few of us deer hunt it, and little did I know some of the older deer hunters have been seeing reds there for years. Don't know why no one mentioned that little fact to me before now... ....but it's all good!

Anyway, thanks again for the few tips I received here.....and I can honestly say I've got a new addiction!

Ya'll take care!