Some questions about foxes

[MG5150]

Hi All

A few quick questions about foxes for anyone with the experience.

-how far can they see you from on dark nights?

-if you shoot one and walk out to collect it, will that leave a scent trail that puts other foxes off coming through the same area?

-If you were hunting a state forest and trying to whistle them in during the day, how long do you give it before moving to a new spot?

-If you're hunting a small private farm is it better to stay in the same spot or move around?

-Is it worth putting bait liek some meat/chook/roo carcass along a game trail to lure them in/get them to stop?

Cheers,
Michael

[Billo]

Here is my take from thermaling most Friday nights for the last 2 years from a fixed location, Foxes have exceptional hearing and smell and are inquisitive and will often come into investigate a situation, even after multiple shots have been fired.

On numerous occasions after I've shot a pig a fox will come in from the side where they don't have my scent but I suspect they can smell blood down wind, a quick how ya going pulls them up for a shot.

Alot of the time esp during during dusk a fox will be head down following scents, movement will alert them but dress to blend in.

We often run a BBQ late at nite and I suspect the smell brings in alot of younger foxes, easy pickings

[deye243]

As i only shoot the f%%%%%% out of my 4by with NV now you have me going back to my younger days and yes you walking through an area will leave a sent.
But then in an area with a lot of traffic or say 5 to 10 acha blocks them smart buggers will lick the fat off ya barbecue and rat around what ever.
It all depends where you are shooting .
The more remote the harder they are to hunt .

[womble]

They have relatively good eyesight for canids. But as Billo mentioned they notice movement, not stationery.

They live in a world of smell. Scent is everything to them.

They’re not hunting or scavenging during the day. Dusk or dawn or night. I wouldn’t whistle during the day.

State forests are just highways to them. They’ll cross through them but they don’t live deep in them. You’ll find them on the outskirts, fringes nearer to private land, suburbia.

You’ll see wild dogs deep in state forests sometimes though. But foxes are more specialised.

Dogs are a bit dummer. They tend to hang out around deer populations for discarded deer carcasses. Often see dog tracks alongside deer tracks. But not fox.

Baiting them I guess if you know what you’re doing. But they’re very smart and not easily fooled. They probably won’t go near that bait for a long time. Something new that wasn’t there before and they’re highly suspicious. Not something I’ve ever tried. I think it would be out of character for them. They prefer live prey. I suppose you could tie a live chicken to a stake. That would totally work

And probably all kinds of illegal because the world is so gay nowadays.

I used to hunt them with dogs when it was legal here. They really made my dogs look dumb as s**t sometimes. They’d just sit and watch from a safe distance while my best scent dog went around in circles. And they can disappear like magic somehow.

I did get a lot in the open with dogs though, good sport.

Stationary I’d watch a border that they need to cross to get back to their den . A fence line with a gap or a creek with a crossing.

I don’t hunt them anymore because I didn’t like killing the cubs. And you have to. And the cubs are dumb. Will just walk right up to you.
Just didn’t sit well with me. It’s not hunting. They have to be controlled though.

I think we’re losing nowadays. They’re everywhere. I’ve even seen them in groups though they are solitary.

You’ll notice marsupials eyes are a different colour under the light. You look for possums in the trees. Because the fox will be below waiting for one to come down. His eyes are big bright dollars.

Also watch around rabbit warrens.

They’re not hard to find. You just have to remember that they’re hunters and they do what hunters do. Still wind, dawn and dusk, fuller moons.

You’re not the only thing out there hunting. Lots of things are. And maybe even a big panther is hunting you.

[Billo]

Regarding small properties, a fox will generally move around after dark and cover a bit of territory, place yourself in a position where the wind will be your friend and you have decent vision whilst blending in.

peak Winter mating season just passed a month back in my area, last week of June and seemed to run 2 weeks, Dogs will be tailing vixens and even chasing disinterested ones lol. This fella made the mistake of serenading this very receptive vixen a month back only 80ms away, she was on her back literally

[Die Judicii]

Here is my take from thermaling most Friday nights for the last 2 years from a fixed location, Foxes have exceptional hearing and smell and are inquisitive and will often come into investigate a situation, even after multiple shots have been fired.

On numerous occasions after I've shot a pig a fox will come in from the side where they don't have my scent but I suspect they can smell blood down wind, a quick how ya going pulls them up for a shot.

Alot of the time esp during during dusk a fox will be head down following scents, movement will alert them but dress to blend in.

We often run a BBQ late at nite and I suspect the smell brings in alot of younger foxes, easy pickings

When I was pro shooting bunnies on Quinyambie Station it was quite common for a fox to actually follow the shooting vehicle.
They worked out that we'd stop every half hour to gut,, and they'd get fresh warm tucker.

And, if your (the OP) still looking for a lure that works extremely well for foxes,,,, make a steel mesh container and fill it with crickets (summer time).
They make quite a scratchy rattly noise in the container which will attract a fox,,,,,,,,, and foxes will do ANYTHING to get a feed of crickets.

[MG5150]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Tonnes of great advice here.

That cricket trap sounds like a great idea.

[Late_Starter]

Hi,
I regularly shoot foxes on three properties, the following is my experience.

-how far can they see you from on dark nights?
I have had a fox sit and look at me from 100 metres. It just sat on the other side of the fence and watched me for about 3-4minutes. I did not have a legal shot so I just sat and stared back before it disappeared into the state forest. It may have been looking at the 850nM IR light. Camo at night is important it works to break up your outline.

-if you shoot one and walk out to collect it, will that leave a scent trail that puts other foxes off coming through the same area?
If you shoot one, leave it for about 20 minutes and just watch especially if it is a vixen you may get a male come out especially this time of the year when they are pairing up.

-If you were hunting a state forest and trying to whistle them in during the day, how long do you give it before moving to a new spot?
I don't hunt state forests, but on properties I have found whistles to be erratic. One property has no rabbits and whistle does not work. Another has rabbits and whistle works some times after dark.
Same with a caller, the results are erratic. I use whistles and callers as secondary methods. The primary method is some type of food and wind direction.

-If you're hunting a small private farm is it better to stay in the same spot or move around?
If you are hunting on a small farm the number one priority is the wind and second priority is to understand where the foxes are coming from.
I have printed off Google maps of the properties I shoot on and always look at the BOM radar with the Weather Observation checkbox checked so I can see wind direction on the ground before I go out and shoot.
This helps us decide where we are going to set up initially. I have a hide and a number of different trees to set up under on each property.

I like to set-up and stay stationary for 45 minutes to an hour. I prefer to be in position before the sun has gone down and wait. From my experience foxes start moving when the colour is gone and everything is monochromic shades of grey.

-Is it worth putting bait like some meat/chook/roo carcass along a game trail to lure them in/get them to stop?
Foxes come for food. The very best is lambing ewes with very young lambs. Fresh Roo guts is very good also. I will gut and clean the roo and sit about 70 metres down wind in cover under a tree and will usually get a fox. One property has a massive old pear tree at a ruined building. I have shot foxes eating fallen pears also.

An other trick is to take BBQ chicken sandwiches for the hunters. When I am getting restless and looking to move because nothing is happening, I will have a sandwich to distract me and keep me in the same location a bit longer.

Foxes are creatures of habit and will often use the same tracks at the same time. So If you see a fox that is out of range note the time and when the wind is right set up and wait on a later trip. Currently we are trying to get a fox that comes from the State Forest to the North at 6:30pm.

One of my farmers has a dumping spot for all dead animals. I have built a hide/screen at the top of "Bone Alley" and works well especially if I have dispatched an old ewe for the farmer or dropped a roo carcass.
My next investment is a trail camera to monitor the carcasses and see what time they are visited.

Hope some of this helps.

[womble]

I took a girlfriend camping on a property once.

And yes I was sure to camp in it’s bone alley.

She didn’t come of the tent much.

I don’t have that girlfriend anymore.

[MG5150]

Hi,
I regularly shoot foxes on three properties, the following is my experience....

Hope some of this helps.

Wow, thanks for such a detailed response!

A quick follow up question.

Can foxes see you better depending on the backdrop? Over the weekend we went out and the foxes were keeping 100m-150m or so into the next paddock and very hesitant to come closer even though the wind was in our favour. It was 3 of us and we were standing infront of a water tank as my mate brought his young son along. It didn't seem to be a problem last time when it was darker and just two of us but this time it was lighter (even I could see them outlined against the tank from 40-50m) and the extra person might have caused a bit more movement passing the monocular around.

We get to shoot on a chicken farm and there is a carcass pile that the foxes come into. I think we're going to go with setting up a blind that overlooks the pile that we can shoot from without being seen. Would you recommend setting it up the week before and giving them some time to get used to it? (we might be able to leave it there as a permanent setup)

[Die Judicii]

With all due respects MG150,
A fair % of your questions could be answered by yourself, if you ponder awhile.

One question I have not seen raised in the aforementioned,, is a foxes ability to see you clearly in daylight as opposed to full darkness.

[MG5150]

No offence taken. Some questions have obvious answers and others not so much

I only get to go fox shooting once a month so if I can minimise the amount of mistakes I make by asking the right questions and learning from more experienced hunters and shooters I'll take it.

[Late_Starter]

Can foxes see you better depending on the backdrop? Over the weekend we went out and the foxes were keeping 100m-150m or so into the next paddock and very hesitant to come closer even though the wind was in our favour. It was 3 of us and we were standing infront of a water tank as my mate brought his young son along. It didn't seem to be a problem last time when it was darker and just two of us but this time it was lighter (even I could see them outlined against the tank from 40-50m) and the extra person might have caused a bit more movement passing the monocular around.

I did some reading on fox vision a while back. They are dichromatic so they see the blue and yellow spectrums, but are supposed to be able to see 150 shades of grey which is why their night vision is so good. If you are standing in front of a single solid colour tank with the moon shining on you will be easy to see. The moon is always a problem when shooting foxes. That is why I wear camo at night including a neck tube that I pull up to cover my lower face and stand under or back dropped by trees. And try to get into position before the sun goes down and they start to move. That way we are blended into the environment and are ambushing. We are also having a similar problem with the 6:30pm fox, but as we shoot the property weekly, time and opportunity is on our side. We just need to be patient and persistent and it will make a mistake.

We get to shoot on a chicken farm and there is a carcass pile that the foxes come into. I think we're going to go with setting up a blind that overlooks the pile that we can shoot from without being seen. Would you recommend setting it up the week before and giving them some time to get used to it? (we might be able to leave it there as a permanent setup)

I set up our blind and used it straight away. It was summer and we were successful in the first week as we had dropped an old ram in there for bait and the young foxes were moving around. I made the blind by forging a point onto the end of six pieces of Y12 reo bar about 2 metres long to form a spike and drove them into the ground about 30cm apart and wove green orchid trimmings between the verticals. We also left a window to shoot through. The other thing we do is at the end of every shooting session we urinate in front of the blind to get our scent into the area.

[JohnV]

A hungry fox comes in to the whistle faster and with less caution than one who is well fed . Mid to late winter is a good time to whistle foxes as food is scarce . That's not to say that you can't get them all year round but they are less keen .
A fox has excellent eye sight and can see you further away than you can see it but their eyesight and brain is geared towards good night vision and detecting movement . They are not good at differentiating shapes and colours that are mixed together that break up the silhouette of something like all animals and humans but humans have high intelligence , logic and imagination and can decipher shapes better but foxes can be very smart but young ones are not so smart .
During the day movement , unnatural noise and silhouette is you main enemy plus white facial display . Wear a face veil . Some people blow the whistle so much the fox gets suspicious and bolts or wont come in . A few loud bursts followed by some lighter whimpers is all you need 5 minutes apart . Once a fox comes in don't blow the whistle while the fox is looking in your direction because he will then lock onto your position and see any slight movement . Wait till the fox has his head down or he is moving sideways then blow the whistle lightly . That way he can't be sure of where it's coming from exactly and will keep moving in . To stop a fox in a clear spot to take a shot just cough . They think it's another fox somewhere . I could write a book on this subject but that's the basics and should get you some foxes .

[MG5150]

A hungry fox comes in to the whistle faster and with less caution than one who is well fed . Mid to late winter is a good time to whistle foxes as food is scarce . That's not to say that you can't get them all year round but they are less keen .
A fox has excellent eye sight and can see you further away than you can see it but their eyesight and brain is geared towards good night vision and detecting movement . They are not good at differentiating shapes and colours that are mixed together that break up the silhouette of something like all animals and humans but humans have high intelligence , logic and imagination and can decipher shapes better but foxes can be very smart but young ones are not so smart .
During the day movement , unnatural noise and silhouette is you main enemy plus white facial display . Wear a face veil . Some people blow the whistle so much the fox gets suspicious and bolts or wont come in . A few loud bursts followed by some lighter whimpers is all you need 5 minutes apart . Once a fox comes in don't blow the whistle while the fox is looking in your direction because he will then lock onto your position and see any slight movement . Wait till the fox has his head down or he is moving sideways then blow the whistle lightly . That way he can't be sure of where it's coming from exactly and will keep moving in . To stop a fox in a clear spot to take a shot just cough . They think it's another fox somewhere . I could write a book on this subject but that's the basics and should get you some foxes .

Thanks John, great insights!

After whistling, how long do you wait before moving?

I put a fox up over the weekend, crouched down, and whistled a few times, then after a minute I went to move forward 2 meters so I could see over a hill and it busted out from 5m away with it's mate... didnt get a shot off.

[Die Judicii]

What John V said above concerning movement etc is spot on.
A classic example of that happened to me many years ago proves the point.

It was early one morning, and I'd been walking slowly up and down the rows of trees in a Bluegum plantation.
I'd got to the end of a row, and rested by leaning back against the trunk of the tree,, and just standing still (with drab coloured clothing).
Not far off, a hell of a frenzy started with crows, and I was standing there wondering what had set them off.
Suddenly a fox burst out of the long grass only 10 meters away, and it was carrying a large crow.
It was so intent on its recent kill that it didnt even notice me standing up against the tree.
It passed me by less than 500 mm away,, and never had any idea I was there due to lack of any movement on my behalf.

[JohnV]

A hungry fox comes in to the whistle faster and with less caution than one who is well fed . Mid to late winter is a good time to whistle foxes as food is scarce . That's not to say that you can't get them all year round but they are less keen .
A fox has excellent eye sight and can see you further away than you can see it but their eyesight and brain is geared towards good night vision and detecting movement . They are not good at differentiating shapes and colours that are mixed together that break up the silhouette of something like all animals and humans but humans have high intelligence , logic and imagination and can decipher shapes better but foxes can be very smart but young ones are not so smart .
During the day movement , unnatural noise and silhouette is you main enemy plus white facial display . Wear a face veil . Some people blow the whistle so much the fox gets suspicious and bolts or wont come in . A few loud bursts followed by some lighter whimpers is all you need 5 minutes apart . Once a fox comes in don't blow the whistle while the fox is looking in your direction because he will then lock onto your position and see any slight movement . Wait till the fox has his head down or he is moving sideways then blow the whistle lightly . That way he can't be sure of where it's coming from exactly and will keep moving in . To stop a fox in a clear spot to take a shot just cough . They think it's another fox somewhere . I could write a book on this subject but that's the basics and should get you some foxes .

Thanks John, great insights!

After whistling, how long do you wait before moving?

I put a fox up over the weekend, crouched down, and whistled a few times, then after a minute I went to move forward 2 meters so I could see over a hill and it busted out from 5m away with it's mate... didnt get a shot off.

That's just bad luck and it happens . If you don't get any foxes coming in after about 15- 20 minutes or so . Some people stay in the same spot all day and others move a lot . I tend to think it's a bit like fishing if nothing is bitting try another spot .
When you set up for a whistle make sure it has a good wide view of a gully or paddock and looking down on the area is better with not much cover for any approaching fox . Be a bit more patient and get the foxes to come to you .

[FoxSpotter]

You got some great answers there.
A trail cam on a meet dump..ideally with SMS pics is fun.

Minimalise your footprint so to speak....scent ...noise .. movement.

Leave shot foxes out until you've finished...hard to be patient.

Apparently foxes like to use the same paths...wee on the same posts...for years...

If driving....hang a vixen or two...maybe even a dead dog fox...may attract a fox...hide your scent...or make a fox pause for a shot.