Hunting foxes

Varminting and vertebrate pest control. Small game, hunting feral goats, foxes, dogs, cats, rabbits etc.

Re: Hunting foxes

Post by on_one_wheel » 04 Jul 2015, 9:06 pm

Oldbloke wrote:
bigfellascott wrote:Ah well - better luck next time mate. I never use safeties myself, I just load and shoot as I need too.


I find that a bit noisy myself.


I'll second that on the noisy issue, from time to time I get a fox right in and realize that I'm not loaded, it's hard to hide the noise of a bolt cycling with a whistle... even the sound of the safety being switched can alarm a fox. My Remington 700 safety is the loudest of the lot, if I switch it carelessly the noise resonates through the stock.

I find for me the most stealth way is to have one in the chamber and the bolt handle up when calling in a fox.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 04 Jul 2015, 9:16 pm

So, when I flicked the safety off the fox bolted. A kiss sound stopped him and I took a rushed shot and missed. :unknown: Ah well, thats life.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Die Judicii » 04 Jul 2015, 9:43 pm

Here's a really odd one,,,,,,,
A friend of mine was out after foxes, and was using a Scotch Predator call. (the long black rubber one that looks like it came from a sex shop)

He was apparently set up in a hide of sorts, while he was using it,, and got the shock of his life when a Fallow doe came in. :o :shock:

He said if he hadn't witnessed it himself, he would not have believed it if someone else had reported the same thing.
He said that it seemed really curious as to what the sound was, and where it was coming from.

Unfortunately his rifle of the day was only a .17 HMR. :oops:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 04 Jul 2015, 9:58 pm

Squeeky toys are supposed to work too. Just purchased 1 of these $10 on ebay.

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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 04 Jul 2015, 10:14 pm

I like the scotch predator caller, called in quite a few now with mine, only thing I suggest is getting a cork for it (doesn't take much to make a noise from it if walking around with it (a cork and a piece of string to attach it to the caller works well) :thumbsup:

I've called in Crows, cats, foxes, rabbits, roos with it so far, not to mention a few other species of birds too. Oh cattle love it too along with the Tenterfield Whistle :lol:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Jul 2015, 5:57 am

on_one_wheel wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:
bigfellascott wrote:Ah well - better luck next time mate. I never use safeties myself, I just load and shoot as I need too.


I find that a bit noisy myself.


I'll second that on the noisy issue, from time to time I get a fox right in and realize that I'm not loaded, it's hard to hide the noise of a bolt cycling with a whistle... even the sound of the safety being switched can alarm a fox. My Remington 700 safety is the loudest of the lot, if I switch it carelessly the noise resonates through the stock.

I find for me the most stealth way is to have one in the chamber and the bolt handle up when calling in a fox.


Plastic stock mate?

If I'm sitting and whistling I generally have it loaded and ready to rumble so to speak, if I'm walking around spotlighting I just chamber a round as needed, if I'm spotlighting from the vehicle I generally chamber a round when needed, hope that clarifies how I do it. :thumbsup:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 05 Jul 2015, 9:06 am

I mainly sit and whistle. I think its, see fox safety off, immediately in future.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 05 Jul 2015, 9:07 am

I mainly sit and whistle. I think its, see fox safety off, immediately in future.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Die Judicii » 05 Jul 2015, 11:15 am

bigfellascott wrote:I like the scotch predator caller, called in quite a few now with mine, only thing I suggest is getting a cork for it (doesn't take much to make a noise from it if walking around with it (a cork and a piece of string to attach it to the caller works well) :thumbsup:

I've called in Crows, cats, foxes, rabbits, roos with it so far, not to mention a few other species of birds too. Oh cattle love it too along with the Tenterfield Whistle :lol:


You mean like this Scottie ??????????
I did this to mine years ago,,,, Got sick of it bleating every time I stepped over a log or something.
All I did was cut the swollen end off an orange conduit, plug it with silicone, and one wrap of duct tape.
Was a perfect sliding fit
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Jul 2015, 11:49 am

Yeah that's the one Ed, they go well on the foxes I've found. I found a wine cork fits the hole nicely (they are noisy buggers without a cork in em). :D

How do you find the Scotch Predator Caller on em?
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 05 Jul 2015, 6:47 pm

LOL The mother of invention is necessity, or someting like that.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Die Judicii » 05 Jul 2015, 9:03 pm

Yeah Scott, I reckon they are brilliant.
So easy to use, and you can vary the distress sounds so much as well,
The volume can be extremely loud, or really quiet or muffled,, as well as everything in between.

I found that they can really excite most domestic dogs, but they quickly figure it out and then lose interest.
My foxie/Russell was really agitated the first few times she heard it, but now completely ignores it.

The only sound that really gets her going now is the sound of the gun safe being opened.

I did make a mount for my predator call out of a piece of painted 3" exhaust tube just long enough for it to go inside (and be protected)
It has a spike on one end to stick into the ground.
The other end has a short lever that pulls on the rubber end of the caller via braided fishing line back to where I wait with rifle.

On the lever itself I cable tied some crow feathers that act as a visual stimulant.

Works well so that foxes, feral dogs, cats, are intent on the caller, and never see me.

8-)
I do not fear death itself... Only its inopportune timing!
I've come to realize that,,,,, the two most loving, loyal, and trustworthy females in my entire life were both canines.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by on_one_wheel » 05 Jul 2015, 9:47 pm

bigfellascott wrote:
on_one_wheel wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:
bigfellascott wrote:Ah well - better luck next time mate. I never use safeties myself, I just load and shoot as I need too.


I find that a bit noisy myself.


I'll second that on the noisy issue, from time to time I get a fox right in and realize that I'm not loaded, it's hard to hide the noise of a bolt cycling with a whistle... even the sound of the safety being switched can alarm a fox. My Remington 700 safety is the loudest of the lot, if I switch it carelessly the noise resonates through the stock.

I find for me the most stealth way is to have one in the chamber and the bolt handle up when calling in a fox.


Plastic stock mate?

If I'm sitting and whistling I generally have it loaded and ready to rumble so to speak, if I'm walking around spotlighting I just chamber a round as needed, if I'm spotlighting from the vehicle I generally chamber a round when needed, hope that clarifies how I do it. :thumbsup:


she's wood, rem 700 BDL ... don't know If the Remington safeties are all heavy and notchy like mine, I'll soon see when I get another.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 05 Jul 2015, 10:05 pm

The marlin safety is fairly quiet, but they can hear it anyway.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Jul 2015, 11:12 pm

Die Judicii wrote:Yeah Scott, I reckon they are brilliant.
So easy to use, and you can vary the distress sounds so much as well,
The volume can be extremely loud, or really quiet or muffled,, as well as everything in between.

I found that they can really excite most domestic dogs, but they quickly figure it out and then lose interest.
My foxie/Russell was really agitated the first few times she heard it, but now completely ignores it.

The only sound that really gets her going now is the sound of the gun safe being opened.

I did make a mount for my predator call out of a piece of painted 3" exhaust tube just long enough for it to go inside (and be protected)
It has a spike on one end to stick into the ground.
The other end has a short lever that pulls on the rubber end of the caller via braided fishing line back to where I wait with rifle.

On the lever itself I cable tied some crow feathers that act as a visual stimulant.

Works well so that foxes, feral dogs, cats, are intent on the caller, and never see me.

8-)


I just put mine between my feet and move those if needed to get a noise out of it, or I just have a penny whistle to use but mainly I just use it first then switch over to the fox pro, saves em eye balling you that way. :thumbsup:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by BBJ » 06 Jul 2015, 10:31 am

Oldbloke wrote:The marlin safety is fairly quiet, but they can hear it anyway.


You can't close the bolt quietly without a click instead?

Leave it open on a chambered round instead of the safety?
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 23 Dec 2015, 2:54 pm

I have been going to make a fox lure for ages. I just wanted something that was light and would move in the breeze or with a tug on a line. Also prefer no batteries. This is the result.
I piece of wood, length of welding rod, some chook feathers, a spring and 2 fishing swivels. I will try it out over xmas if I get a chance. I will just use a small tent peg to anchor it and some fishing line to give a tug every now and again.

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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by southeast varmiter » 24 Dec 2015, 9:26 pm

Night vision scope. He won't stand a chance.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by RoginaJack » 25 Dec 2015, 2:41 pm

Yeah, "OLD BLOKE", I find that the feathers on a stick trick works well on feral cats and feral dogs. A bit of movement gives 'em something to focus on, just add a scent. :clap:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Bark » 04 Jan 2016, 2:12 pm

Only time will tell if it works but it looks the business :thumbsup:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 04 Jan 2016, 7:46 pm

This is the Predator Enticer I use, you can make it short or tall by adding extra poles to it which is handy for longer grass etc.

Here's a few vids of it in action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY2AtirxIXQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PzX2iO6QGc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-9U1RqRcsc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBReFBTDiQ

Here is the Fox Pro Shockwave that I use to call em in (one among many diff calls I use)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0tINHsQz3I
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 04 Jan 2016, 7:48 pm

Bark wrote:Only time will tell if it works but it looks the business :thumbsup:


Hope to try it out tomorrow avo.

Also hope to have a second version next week, simpler and easier to make. :)
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by veep » 08 Jan 2016, 9:54 am

Oldbloke wrote:The marlin safety is fairly quiet, but they can hear it anyway.


Probably better described as human hearing is crap compared to most animals :lol:
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by on_one_wheel » 19 Apr 2016, 1:36 am

bigfellascott wrote:This is the Predator Enticer I use, you can make it short or tall by adding extra poles to it which is handy for longer grass etc.

Here's a few vids of it in action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY2AtirxIXQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PzX2iO6QGc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-9U1RqRcsc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBReFBTDiQ

Here is the Fox Pro Shockwave that I use to call em in (one among many diff calls I use)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0tINHsQz3I


I think I'm gonna need something like this to trick and decoy some of the foxes that I've trained.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by on_one_wheel » 19 Apr 2016, 1:39 am

Oldbloke wrote:I have been going to make a fox lure for ages. I just wanted something that was light and would move in the breeze or with a tug on a line. Also prefer no batteries. This is the result.
I piece of wood, length of welding rod, some chook feathers, a spring and 2 fishing swivels. I will try it out over xmas if I get a chance. I will just use a small tent peg to anchor it and some fishing line to give a tug every now and again.

Fox Lure.JPG


Any luck with that rig yet Oldbloke?
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by Oldbloke » 07 Feb 2017, 10:29 am

Here is a video on calls/sounds foxes make.

https://youtu.be/J6NuhlibHsM
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 07 Feb 2017, 11:05 am

Foxes are funny buggers - they range from bloody stupid to very smart and cunning, you never know which ones going to show up on the day. Some days are gold and others are lemons, no rhyme or reason so far as to why that is, I just put it down too a lack of foxes around at that particular time or they are more interested in feeding on grass hoppers and the like and less interested in the sound of a rabbit etc in distress.

I've had them nearly jump on me, had em stand right next to me (could have touched them) had em come in from the wrong direction (ie the wind is blowing in the direction they come from and they should have smelt me but didn't for whatever reason, had them come right up to the vehicle I was whistling from and actually had to yell at them to bugger off so I could shoot em, had others that wouldn't come closer than 300-400m away, had others scream in and try and attack the Fox Pro, had em steal rabbits I'd just shot (they came darting out of the blackberries near by and run off with the rabbit I'd just shot - the most unusual thing I've seen was one day where I was whistling near this massive blackberry clump on the side of a hill (was covered literally in blackberry bushes) anyway I'd enticed one to stick it's head out from some berries - I was about 200m away and nailed it in the neck and next thing you know the bloody bushes erupted with about 6-8 foxes running in all directions from the hillside, bloody funniest thing I'd ever seen and doubt I'd every see such an event like it ever again, I wished I'd of had a video camera recording it, would have made some great footage.

If you are smart and hunt foxes regularly you will notice quite often the birds around you will start sounding if there's a fox about (sometimes they carry on when you start using a whistle or caller too but often you will hear the birds in the distance carrying on and often it's because a fox is near by.

I was sitting one day just having some lunch (I'd been out whistling with no luck so far) anyway I'm sitting there enjoying a sanga and taking in the sights and sounds when all of a sudden I hear the birds going of a swooping something about 200 odd Mtrs awy anyway I had a fair idea what it might be so piled out of the vehicle and got the rifle pointing in the right direction quick smart and spotted the offender soon after - it was a fox with a baby bird in its mouth (not sure how the bird ended up in its mouth but there's this fox trotting along with a bird hanging out of its mouth and other birds dive bombing it and it to avoid them, anyway I soon had the X-hairs on its front end and sent one on it's way with the result being a instant bang flop, I finally arrived over where I thought it was and found the fox still had the baby bird in it's mouth.

I'd say she was on her way back to the den as she was still in milk going by what I could see and she was in poor condition so clearly feeding the cubs still.

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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bigfellascott » 07 Feb 2017, 11:14 am

Had them coming in and they disappear into a creek never to be seen again, I don't know if it's because they got wind of me or they went along the creekline to circle round type thing and I haven't seen them from behind me type thing.

Also if you are whistling near a fence line and it has chicken type wire along the bottom keep an eye out on any of those holes you often see that animals are using to cross from one side to the other, they will more than likely be using the same hole each time so if you don't get a chance at it first time round don't be at all surprised if they use the same hole next time you are there whistling, they are creatures of habit just like us (you will often see one dart straight to a hole in the fence if you scare them or miss a shot so they know exactly where the exits are so to speak (you see the same thing with a lot of animals) they have their roads/highways etc same as we do and they use them in the same manner too.
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bladeracer » 07 Feb 2017, 4:36 pm

bigfellascott wrote:If you are smart and hunt foxes regularly you will notice quite often the birds around you will start sounding if there's a fox about (sometimes they carry on when you start using a whistle or caller too but often you will hear the birds in the distance carrying on and often it's because a fox is near by.



I'm always studying the birds when I'm hunting. Not only do they indicate targets to you, they also give you away to your quarry. When you're stalking something, there might be a perfect position you'd like to get to, but if there are birds there you can rule it out as cover.

Oddly though, sometimes a fox will come for a look when he spots that bloody annoying wagtail that is doing all it can to give your position away :-)
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Re: Hunting foxes

Post by bladeracer » 07 Feb 2017, 4:47 pm

bigfellascott wrote:Also if you are whistling near a fence line and it has chicken type wire along the bottom keep an eye out on any of those holes you often see that animals are using to cross from one side to the other, they will more than likely be using the same hole each time so if you don't get a chance at it first time round don't be at all surprised if they use the same hole next time you are there whistling, they are creatures of habit just like us (you will often see one dart straight to a hole in the fence if you scare them or miss a shot so they know exactly where the exits are so to speak (you see the same thing with a lot of animals) they have their roads/highways etc same as we do and they use them in the same manner too.



On the farms, you can learn the foxes' patrol routes and schedules. One, or sometimes a pair, might patrol one side of a creek in one direction, then work along a fence line, then into some heavy bush every third morning. The following morning, or evening, a different fox might do a run along the same route but working backwards. The next time the first fox might patrol along the other side of the creek. Each animal has their own system. I've seen foxes patrolling the creek or fence line one morning, gone out before dawn the following morning, and had the sneaky bugger come along a different fence line behind me. There was an old dog fox here that we would see most mornings just sitting in the blackberries on the creek bank watching across the paddocks for half-an-hour or so, like he was watching television before going to bed :-)
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