Shotgun Mike Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 Does anyone know a good techniqe for calling foxes from cover during the day? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOODIES WORST NIGHTMARE Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 Hi Mike, calling up foxes during the day requires little more than it does at night, problem tends to be that they lay low and many even go to ground providing they're not hungry. Vixens respond well when they are busy looking for food for cubs........also young cubs will be easy to call, providing they have not been 'squeaked' before and educated through a missed shot etc. During daylight hours you have to move very quietly and get yourself into position where you will not be seen, then try to squeak them up. (I did squeak a couple this year whilst standing perfectly still on a bare field, they both ran to within three metres of me before I stopped squeaking and froze as I greeted them with a formal 'Hello' ! Last year, whilst pigeon shooting, I watched a hard shot bird struggle to the other side of the feild and settle in the hedge, within ten minutes I saw a Vixen pick up the bird and started to make off with it- I squeaked her, she stopped- turned around and made a bee-line in my direction whilst my father watched in amazement. As soon as she was within five metres of the hide, I stopped calling and gave her the obligatory 'Hello', she dropped the pigeon in shock! (Bloody good retreive by any standard !) If you are unable to call foxes using the back of your hand (my preference) then take a piece of polystyrene and a small piece of smooth edged glass with you, dampen the polystyrene slightly and rub it on the glass ( maybe teaching my grand-mother to suck eggs here - sorry if thats so) The sound is supposed to sound like a screaming rabbit (when being killed by a stoat) this will also work well for stoats, wild-cats, corvids, rats etc. (You will know youre getting good at it when you get mocked by Blackbirds, wrens, blue tits etc, Ha Ha !) Good luck...........W.W.N. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 Get yourself a decoy with that and a good call you won't fail! I also use some warrener masking scent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quercus Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 Concealment is important, so wear a veil and gloves and sit very still. It helps to cut down movement if you use a call that you can hold in your mouth and use without moving your hands. Remember, as with all types of calling, that "less is more". Don't use your call too much, start quietly and build the volume gradually. Creep into your calling position as quietly as posible, it is a good idea to scout these out beforehand, and just sit quietly without calling for ten minutes, while everything settles down again. I like to put my watch down in front of me so that I can keep an eye on time, as a few minutes can seem like an age if you are doing nothing. It is worth calling for a good half an hour. Try to use the wind to your advantage, they will tend to try and come in against the wind if they can. Cover scents are a good idea, but don't use them as an excuse to be lazy about wind direction. The best times of day are dawn and dusk, but you would be surprised how much time foxes do spend above ground during the day and you can be successful at any time. Be prepared to be disappointed, a lot of times you will have no joy, this is normal. If it was easy it wouldn't be any fun. Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun Mike Posted February 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 Thanks for the tips. Leon and Quercus, you both mention masking scent where can this be found? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quercus Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Mike, we had a chat about this a while back, link Since then I have been using fox urine from Target Sports. Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Or the warrener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Q what do you find the red fox urine like??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quercus Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Still not too sure about it leon, but I figure it certainly can't hurt and I need all the help I can get A lot of the places I call are heavily wooded so it is difficult to guage fox reaction to the scent, but there are times I think it has definately helped. I was a bit disappointed with the strength of the pong and think that it is better used as an attractant rather than a true cover scent. The skunk on the other hand is a different matter Where do you get hold of the Warrener's stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red_stag88 Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Last year, I went to shoot some rabbits and perhapse the odd passing pigeon in the feilds behind the house. I crawled under the fence, and quitely put two in the barrels and stand up slowly, because the fence lies down a short hill of about 3 ft, down the side of the fence run some trees and dense bushes. Under these bushes are some nice warrens. So I normal stand up slowly to see if there are any bunnies, however I see a vixen about 30yds away, and she notices my head appearing, and preceeds to turn and run. In one fluid motion, I closed the gun, mounted, swung through and squeezed. Most of the pattern of 5s ended up in her noggin, soon stopped her eating a/my chickens and b/ my rabbits! Another time, I was standing on that tree line when a fox, comes ambaling across the skyline about 400yds away, I called him all the way to about 70 with out him realing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red_stag88 Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Get yourself a decoy with that and a good call you won't fail!I also use some warrener masking scent. Whats this decoy leon? PS Your names a good film! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon Posted February 8, 2004 Report Share Posted February 8, 2004 Red it 's not a bad film! But I got more guns than him!!!! I made the decoy it looks a bit dodgy but it works a treat, you can sit in the open with a veil and some gloves but because the nox is interested in the deek it completly ignores you. Q from the man himself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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